Perhaps the hardest thing about moving must be getting your children into different schools. For that reason, I, Mark Roemer, am going to discuss ways to make this transition earlier. We all know that there is little that can be done regarding the school your child will have to attend. The way the load is distributed across the school districts is tying the school to an address. That means when you move to a different location, your child must go to the school associated with your address. It would be nice if they could go to the same school, but an imbalance would be created.
Some parents will opt to move when they want their child to go to a specific school. However, sometimes, parents don’t have a choice. Either they cannot afford to move, and the child must go to the preassigned school, or they are required to relocate for a job. In either case, the choice is out of their control. In this blog, I am going to assume that the parent had to move for employment purposes.
Once the decision is made to move, it is time for you to spring into action. Following the instructions below will allow you to get your child ready for the school year at their new school. Make sure to bookmark this page or take notes.
Visit the School
The first thing you are going to want to do is to visit the school your child will be attending. Since most schools have stringent regulations on who can come on campus, you are going to want to call ahead. You do not want to make a wrong impression by causing a school lockdown merely trying to check the school out. If you happen to go unannounced, make sure that you stop by the administration building first. Don’t simply wander around campus. Nowadays, that tends to make teachers and administrators very nervous.
When you are visiting the school, you are going to want to take notes to give to your child. Among these should be the classroom size, the time lunch is taken, and when school starts and finishes. The last three seem to be the same across the board, but they may have a different schedule for many various reasons. For example, many schools in the South tend to start as early as possible. Not only in the year but the day as well. The reason for this is that they tend to get hotter weather than schools in the North. Starting earlier in the year and day will allow the children to be more comfortable in the classroom. Even though most schools have air conditioning today, they continue to observe the earlier starts.
Practice the Route
Should you have the intention of taking your child to school, you are going to want to know the amount of time it will take. Likewise, if the child will be walking, riding, or taking the bus, they need to know how long it will take. You are going to want to do these practice runs at the time it will be conducted on a real day. While you cannot account for all the situations that will arise on an actual school day, it will give you a rough estimate of the time that needs to be allotted.
Other important things to go over when planning your route is where crosswalks are located. Your child must know where they are and the importance of them. You need to let them know that crossing at crosswalks is the safest place to cross.
Preparing for the First Day
In the technology age, in which we live, there are more tools available for both the student and their parents. Start by looking for a Facebook group dedicated to your school. I am not talking about the school’s official page, but you will want to follow that as well. I am talking about a parent or student groups that are independently operated. Being a part of these pages will provide you will access to many things that the school may not offer you. It is not their fault; they have thousands of students to handle in a day and don’t have the time to be on social media regularly.
Don’t be afraid to ask the school how they communicate with the parents. If this is through social media, you are already ahead by following them in advance. However, if they have another way of communication, you need to make sure that you have access to that platform.
Finally, you are going to want to get your hands on the school calendar. That may have been done when you were visiting the school, but you may have forgotten. That is fine. Take this opportunity to acquire the schedule of events for the school year. That will allow you to know when things are going to be happening. Some of the things you are going to want to pay special attention to are, days off and when grades are going to be delivered.
Final Thoughts
That is just about all you need to do to make the transition better for both you and your child. I know that you have a lot on your plate considering you are moving. Just remember that if you take the time to make sure you have done the above things, then you will be making things easier for you once the move is complete. There is so much to do after you move, you don’t want to have to deal with the stress of not knowing things. Besides, you want to make things as easy as possible for both you and your child. Taking a few steps will ensure this will happen. I want to be the first to congratulate you on your new home and welcome you to your new community. I would also like to wish you the best of luck in the upcoming school year.