Welcome back! Getting ready for the 2020-2021 school year

The Mitchell Sandpipers

We would like to welcome back students and families to what will surely be an exciting, new and different year ahead. We'd also like to extend an extra warm welcome to our youngest new students and their families. Whether you come to Mitchell School for in-person learning or are a remote learner, we will all do our best to build a warm, nurturing, inclusive and safe environment for all of our students. Our principal, Alli Gamache, shared the following quote with the staff during professional development opening days: "Let's give this school year the opportunity to be awesome. Don't throw a label or a judgment on it before it begins. It may just surprise us in big, beautiful ways." 

Both coming to school in person and learning remotely from home have their own set of challenges. The article  "Keeping a Love for School Alive" from the New York Times has some excellent suggestions.

For the parents and caregivers for incoming Kindergarten students Helping Kindergartners succeed - things you can do is a packet that I put together that highlights some of the most effective ways you can help your student thrive in school.

I encourage you to take a moment to share the grade-specific welcome slideshow with your child. Recognizing faces and remembering staff members' names is one less variable that your child will have to negotiate on those first days back. The slideshows are located in the left sidebar of the Mitchell School homepage under New Family Information. 

Lastly, below you'll find an oldie-but-goodie collection of resources from Edutopia.  I encourage you to check out the Back to School Basics videos. They are quite good!

Back-to-School Resources for Parents

Find resources to help children begin school with a positive mindset, support their transition into a new school year, and prepare them for fall learning.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: AUGUST 20, 2014 | UPDATED: AUGUST 2, 2016

Resources by Topic:

• Back-to-School Advice and Checklists
• Easing the Back-to-School Transition
• Tech Tips for a New School Year
• Gearing Up for Fall Learning
• The Power of Parental Involvement

Back-to-School Advice and Checklists

• Five-Minute Film Festival: Building a Parent Toolkit: Watch curated videos from the Parent Toolkit website on topics like stress reduction, healthy eating, homework, and more; Back to School Basics includes a collection of back-to-school videos for parents. (Edutopia, 2015)
• Best Back-to-School Tips: Listen to this podcast about preparing students to head back to school and developing morning routines. For more on this topic, also consider reading "Getting Back in the School Year Routine." (Greater Good Science Center, 2012)
• Back-to-School Health and Safety Tips: Browse advice about issues like backpack safety, transportation, bullying prevention, nutrition, before- and after-school childcare, study habits, and more. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2015)
• 19 Meaningful Questions You Should Ask Your Child’s Teacher: Mine this list for inspiration before talking with your children's teachers. (Edutopia, 2013)
• Back to School: Find information about back-to-school shopping on a budget, getting organized, and supporting children academically in these back-to-school articles. Before back-to-school night, you may want to take a look at Back-to-School Night Basics. (GreatSchools)

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Easing the Back-to-School Transition

• Guiding Our Children Through School Transitions: Transitions can be both exciting and anxiety-inducing for both children and parents. Discover tips for helping students transition into elementary school, middle school, high school, and post-secondary education. (Parent Toolkit, 2014)
• Parents: Start with the A: Start the school year with inspiration and enthusiasm by celebrating your child's strengths and interests. (Edutopia, 2013)
• 9 Tips for Parents If Your Child Is Changing Schools: Moving to a new school can be a bewildering experience for students. Here are some tips to ease the transition. (The Huffington Post, 2013)
• Nervous? How We Can Help Kids Transition Back to School: In this podcast, learn about strategies that can help kids manage change and calm their nerves about starting a new school year. (Greater Good Science Center, 2011)
• Back to School Books: Read a book with your child as a springboard for discussing feelings about back-to-school; this guide includes recommendations for preschool through grade six. For more book suggestions, you might also want to check out Understood.org's "5 Great Back-to-School Books for Kids in Grades 1–4." (Bank Street School of Education)
• Start School Strong: A Back-to-School Guide for Kids With Learning and Attention Issues: Find a variety of resources -- including live chats with experts, downloads, and more -- to help children get organized, process their feelings, and establish routines. (Understood, 2016)

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Tech Tips for a New School Year

• Four Tools to Improve Communication Between Home and School: Read about online and mobile tools that can help parents engage with schools in this post by #PTChat co-moderator and #ParentCamp founding organizer Gwen Pescatore. (Teaching Channel, 2015)
• Your Ultimate Back to School Guide: Explore back-to-school advice and guidance related to managing technology in school and at home. (Common Sense Media)
• Creating a Family Media Agreement: How to Have the Conversation: Learn how creating a family agreement on media use can help your family balance media use and time on schoolwork during the first weeks of school. (Edutopia, 2013)

For more tips and guidance about managing media and technology use, check out these other posts from Edutopia:

• Technology at Home: Developing the Social Self (Edutopia, 2013)
• Young Kids and Technology at Home (Edutopia, 2013)

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Gearing Up for Fall Learning

• Five-Minute Film Festival: Nine Boosts for Summer Learning: Watch a playlist of videos with fun ideas to re-engage kids in their learning process during the last days of summer. (Edutopia, 2013)
• Homework and Developing Responsibility: Developing study habits early is crucial for long-term academic success. Find tips and ideas for encouraging effective habits in reading, math, and writing. (American Academy of Pediatrics, Updated 2015)
• Teaching Good Study Habits: Minute by Minute: Explore advice, timed exercises, and games to help adolescents study effectively. (Edutopia, 2016)
• School Success Prep: Growth Mindset Praise: Listen to a podcast on how to talk to kids about schoolwork. (Greater Good Science Center, 2011)
• What Do Parents Need to Know About the Common Core?: Wondering how you can support learning under the Common Core in a new school year? Discover some resources that will help. (Edutopia, 2014)
• Milestones: Watch a free collection of videos aimed at helping parents understand grade-level expectations for children in grades K-12. (GreatSchools)

For more parent strategies around homework, take a look at these other blog posts from Edutopia:

• Homework vs. No Homework is the Wrong Question (Edutopia, 2015)
• Homework, Sleep, and the Student Brain (Edutopia, 2014)

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The Power of Parental Involvement

• Parent Partnership in Education: Resource Roundup: Discover tips, tools, and strategies to help parents engage in a productive way with teachers and schools. (Edutopia, 2014)
• Parental Involvement in Schools: Browse a report that discusses the positive effects of parental involvement in schools. A downloadable version is also available. For more on the research about what types of parental involvement work best, you may also want to read Back to School: How Parent Involvement Affects Student Achievement from the Center for Public Education. (Child Trends DataBank, 2013)
• Beyond Back-to-School Night: Parents and Teachers as Allies: Take a look at tips for parents on how to build closer, more supportive relationships with teachers. (Edutopia, 2012)
• Parent Involvement Checklist: Bookmark a checklist that can help educators and parents evaluate how well their school is reaching out to parents and explore how to work together to improve the quality of parent-school partnerships. (Reading Rockets/Project Appleseed, 2008)

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