Parent Talk!: The Art of Effective Communication With the School and Your Child (School Talk series)

Parent Talk!......Page 3
Table of Contents......Page 8
How to Use This Book......Page 11
Introduction: A CommunicationBluepr int for a Successful School Year......Page 15
Section 1: SUMMER Gearing Up for School Success......Page 21
Snapshot #1: My Child Has the Back-to-School Blues......Page 22
Snapshot #2: I Am Recently Divorced and Have Sole Custody of My Child......Page 25
Snapshot #3: My Child Does Not Speak English......Page 26
Snapshot #4: My Child’s Friend Is a Bad Influence......Page 27
Snapshot #5: My Child Is Gifted and I Want Her Placed in the Gifted Program......Page 28
Snapshot #6: My Child Is Failing at a High-Performing School......Page 30
Snapshot #7: My Child’s Health Needs to Be Monitored and He Must Take Medication Daily......Page 32
Snapshot #8: My Child Has Diabetes......Page 33
Snapshot #9: I Just Moved to a New Community: How Do I Find a School for My Child?......Page 34
Snapshot #10: My Child Does Not Want to Wear the School Uniform......Page 36
Section 2: FALL Parent Involvement Increases Student Achievement......Page 39
Snapshot #11: I Can’t Attend Open House......Page 40
Snapshot #12: My Child’s School Has Mildew......Page 41
Snapshot #13: The School Is Always Doing Fundraisers......Page 42
Snapshot #14: My Child Came Home Without Eating Lunch......Page 43
Snapshot #15: Why Should I Have to Volunteer in Another Classroom?......Page 44
Snapshot #16: My Child Does Not Have Textbooks......Page 47
Snapshot #17: The School Bus Is Failing to Pick Up My Child......Page 48
Snapshot #18: I Must Drop Off My Child Very Early at School......Page 49
Snapshot #19: My Child’s Books Are Too Heavy For Her to Carry......Page 50
Snapshot #20: I Am Worried My Child Is Failing......Page 52
Snapshot #21: The School’s Pickup and Drop-Off Procedure Is Disorganized......Page 54
Snapshot #22: My Child Is Not Getting Enough Homework......Page 55
Snapshot #23: The Teacher Can’t Write Correctly......Page 58
Snapshot #24: My Child Is Fifteen Minutes Late to Class Daily......Page 59
Snapshot #25: My Child’s Homework Takes Up Too Much Time......Page 60
Snapshot #26: The School Newspaper Has Grammatical Errors......Page 61
Snapshot #27: The School Cafeteria Never Has Any Variety......Page 63
Section 3: WINTER Stay on Target — Keep the Lines of Communication Open......Page 67
Snapshot #28: My Child Does Not Enjoy Reading......Page 68
Snapshot #29: My Child’s Behavior Has Changed Since He Left Elementary School......Page 70
Snapshot #30: My Child Gets Sick Every Day at the Same Time......Page 71
Snapshot #31: My Child’s Classmate Threatened to Bring a Gun to School......Page 72
Snapshot #32: I Never Know What Is Happening at the School......Page 73
Snapshot #33: My Child Wrote on a Wall After Being Influenced by His Peers......Page 74
Snapshot #34: The Teacher Is Picking on My Child......Page 76
Snapshot #35: A Disruptive Classmate Is Hitting My Child......Page 78
Snapshot #36: My Child Is Being Suspended for Fighting, While the Child Who Started the Fight Is Not......Page 79
Snapshot #37: My Daughter Is Being Sexually Harassed by Another Student......Page 80
Snapshot #38: My Child Is Always Getting into Trouble; I Feel the Staff at School Is Picking on Him......Page 81
Snapshot #39: My Child Told Me There Are Drugs in His School......Page 82
Snapshot #40: My Child Got Three F’s on His Report Card......Page 84
Snapshot #41: I Don’t Understand the Results from My Child’s Standardized Test......Page 85
Snapshot #42: The Teacher Gives Too Many Projects......Page 86
Section 4: SPRING It’s Never Too Late — Keep Communicating for Success......Page 91
Snapshot #43: My Child Has Food Allergies and Could Not Participate inthe Multicultural Food Festival......Page 92
Snapshot #44: My Child Was Shown an Inappropriate Movie in School......Page 93
Snapshot #45: The Teacher Was Not Fair in Grading My Child’s Project......Page 94
Snapshot #46: My Child Is Being Retained......Page 95
Snapshot #47: My Child Broke His Leg and the School Never Called Me......Page 96
Snapshot #48: The School Is Always Asking for Money......Page 97
Snapshot #49: I Am Concerned About Adult Supervision at the End-of-the-Year Dance......Page 98
Snapshot #50: The Summer Break Is Too Long and My Child Will Forget All She Has Learned......Page 99
Snapshot #51: The School Wants My Child to Keep a Summer Journal......Page 100
Snapshot #52: My Child Has Come Down With “Summeritis”......Page 101
Epilogue......Page 105
Share Your Snapshots......Page 109
Your Snapshot......Page 111
APPENDIX A: From One Parent to Another: Worksheets for Your Child’s School Success......Page 113
APPENDIX B: Bringing the Art of Communication to You: Workshops and Coaching Programs......Page 119
About the Authors......Page 125