The Importance of Partnership between Home and School

The word “Partnership” is a beautiful one and carries with it, so many meanings for so many people. So how do we establish a common idea of partnership? It takes communication, it takes time & effort and it takes a willingness to be partners. The foundation for such a partnership should be the mutual belief that each party has your child’s best interest at heart. In order to establish this belief, time and energy needs to be put into formulating and growing the relationship between home and school.  Some suggestions for doing so are:

1. Take the time - to insure you understand the philosophies of the school’s programs and curriculum.
2. Participate – Participate in school meetings and events. Meetings are designed to take care of your questions and concerns, to provide you further knowledge of how the classroom and school operate and to allow you the opportunity to create relationships with your child’s teachers and other parents whose children are enrolled in your child’s class. School events enrich your experience of the school. Socializing with one another is a wonderful opportunity to relate with all members of the community and to develop relationships at a deeper level.
3. Enroll in Redirecting Children’s Behavior & Participate in Parent Education Programs – By doing so, it allows consistency & continuity to be created between home and school and a common language can be established.
4. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate – Any time you have a question, concern or idea, please make the time to speak to your child’s teacher, an administrator or anyone who can successfully assist you in coming to a conclusion that will work in the best interest of everyone involved. Communication is the cornerstone of any successful relationship. With communication – All things are possible; Without it – Nothing is.

Village Gate Children’s Academy is a partner with Indigo Village. Partnership is a cornerstone of our program. Village Gate Children’s Academy serves children Kindergarten through Sixth Grade with Academic Year Programs and Summer Programs. We invite you to find out more by attending our Open House on June 10^th at 6:30 PM at Indigo Village or visit our website at: www.villagegateacademy.com.

Parents, don't overbook your family this Summer!

It's easy to overbook your family during the Summer months. Camps and family vacations are a good thing and at the same time it's important to balance these activities out with free time.  Here are some suggestions on creating a balanced summer with your family.

Open up your Calendar
Print out your calendar and show it to your kids.  Start filling in the dates and activities that you already have planned and look for ways to balance out the scheduled activities with free time.  Free time can be as simple as going to the beach or local park. Whatever you do, make sure your kids have to time to develop self- direction and self-motivation on how they would like to spend their free time versus someone organizing it for them or telling them what to do.

Develop a Family Vacation with Guidelines
Before you head off for your family adventure, find some general guidelines that will ensure your family will get the most out of the trip.  Ask everyone, "What are some of the things you would like to see or do?" This will clarify what your plans will look like and everyone feels like they have will have some success. Don't forget to include down time and create a plan that works for everyone.

Take time for yourself
Planning is great and in the end, you don't want to get overwhelmed.  Model for your kids that self-care is important and take some time out for yourself.  A walk around the neighborhood, a hike or even a bath (by yourself).