Academic Support
Habits of Success
Below is a list of tips for helping your child be successful in middle school.
- Make academic success a priority at home. If parents think school is important, it's more likely that students will think it is important, too.
- Help your child establish an organization system that works for them.
- Set aside time each night for homework. Many students do best when homework time is expected and takes place at a regular time each night. If your child does not have homework on a particular night, reading a book is always a great option!
- Encourage your child to take advantage of help that is available to them. During class, during WIN time, and before/after school are all great options for getting help at school.
- Take advantage of online resources including Parent Portal, RMS website, Schoology, Messenger Email Blasts, RMS Monthly Newsletter, RMS Twitter and Facebook.
- Communicate with your child's teachers, counselors, and administration when questions and concerns arise. We are here to help!
- Teach your child how to advocate for themselves. Self-advocacy is an important life-long skill! One way to do this is to have your child email their teachers from home (perhaps with your help until they have done it a few times). You can also have them copy you on the email so that everyone stays in communication.
- Encourage regular school attendance. Research suggests that there is a high correlation between school attendance and school success. Click here for more attendance information from the ISD 728 website.
- Encourage your child to get involved. Research suggests that when kids have meaningful connections to staff and students at school, they are more likely to be successful. Check out the RMS morning show and the RMS website for opportunities to get involved.
My child is falling behind on their schoolwork. What can we do?
If your child has a pattern of falling behind on their homework, there are some strategies and resources you could begin to implement that may improve the situation.
- Find out if your child is using their work time wisely in class. If not, that's one important improvement that your child can focus on making.
- Find out if your child is asking questions when they need help. If not, that's another helpful change your child can make.
- Talk with your child's teacher about the cause for the missing assignment(s) and work together to find a solution.
- If your child needs help with completing missing work, your child can arrange a time to work with their teacher. During class, during WIN time, and before/after school may all be good options.
- Finally, it's always best to keep up on homework and not fall behind! Regularly looking at Parent Portal and Schoology together is one activity that will support this. Schoology is a resource that helps you see what is current and upcoming. Parent Portal is a resource that helps you see grades that have already been earned. Together, these two resources give students AND parents a broad picture of how your child is doing in school.