Post 212
Depending on your district, report cards should be coming out sometime in the next month or so. In mine, they are available in the next two weeks. If there is still a printed version, it will come home in your child’s folder in their backpack. If it is only online, your little one’s teacher or the district website will give instructions on how to access it. If you aren’t sure how to do that, ask by contacting the school, district office or teacher.
First of all, please read your student’s report card! I know that seems obvious but I have actually had parents who never looked at it. (One told me, “I figured you’d tell me if anything was wrong”.) Teachers put a lot of time and worry into each child’s report card. It’s a snapshot of where they are at this time in the school year. If there are any problems…academic or social, now is the time to address them. You don’t want to wait until they become bigger.
Most Primary report cards are divided onto two areas…social skills and academic skills. The social area covers things such as your child’s ability to listen in class, follow directions, and get along with others to name a few. Don’t take this area lightly. It’s an important picture of how your little one has adjusted to the school setting and how they interact with their teacher and classmates.
The academic area of a report card is just that. It is a record of how your child is progressing in the subjects taught and whether your little student is where they should be at this time of the year. In the Primary grades the main emphasis is on reading, writing and mathematics.
Hopefully your little one is “on grade level” or above in all areas. If so, relax and keep on doing what you are doing at home to encourage and support them. 😀 But if there is a problem, either academically or socially contact your child’s teacher now. Don’t wait to see if it improves on its own. I find a number of parents are afraid they will “bother” the teacher if they ask to discuss weaknesses. Nothing could be further from the truth! As teachers, our focus is to help each student in any way we can. We welcome parents who are concerned about their child and we will gladly work with you to help them. We are with your child for the better part of their day and, by now, know them very well. Your child’s teacher will best be able to recommend strategies for improvement or direct you to someone who can.
So, check when those report cards are coming out. Let your little one know you are interested in how they are doing in school. Also let them know you support them every step of the way. This is one more way you are building a strong foundation for them to do well for the rest of their school years.
Take Care. 🙂
kindergarten23 