back to school

There’s No “I” in Team: The Parent-Teacher Relationship

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

When my son was three years old, his teachers expressed concerns about his behavior in class. He wasn’t following directions, had a tough time staying seated during circle time, and was distracting his classmates. With all of the other kids in the class, they were having a difficult time dealing with my son and unsure how to handle him. End story.
What? That’s it? That’s all you have to say?

With this news, a rush of anxiety came flooding in.
OMG, they think he’s a bad kid.
Does he have ADHD?
Am I a bad parent?

I know that other parents have these kinds of talks with their kid’s teachers, doctors, counselors; and more times than not, that is the end of the conversation. But it doesn’t have to be.

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Coffee Chat: Week 2 Check In

| Patti Webb

So many First Day of School pics….

Our kids have been in school almost two full weeks now. For context, both Mary’s son and my twins are in their second year of elementary school. And even though we got most of the first-time student anxieties out last year, there is still plenty to go around for year two.

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Like Clockwork: Circadian Rhythm

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Things to do before the school year starts:

  • Buy school supplies
  • Buy school clothes
  • Meet new teacher(s)
  • Getting kiddo back to a regular bedtime (Yeah, about that…)

It’s not easy getting your kid back into routine after summer vacation, especially when sunset is well past 8pm. There’s a reason for that. It’s the same reason we feel energized, tired, or hungry throughout the day. It’s our circadian rhythm.

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Supporting Teachers

| Patti Webb

Last year was Mary and my first year as elementary parents. It was a big transition for our families and we did a ton of homework to prepare our kids for their new community. In addition, Mary volunteered for her PTO and I was just elected to my School Governance Committee.

This year, I wanted to share more about how we’re approaching Back-to-School and supporting our teachers now that we have our feet wet.

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Laying the Foundation: School Readiness

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

So this isn’t quite a Course Notes post, but I absolutely loved this Continuing Ed seminar I took a couple weeks ago on core foundational skills essential for learning. It especially informs our thoughts on school readiness and I want to share it with you all. So here we go!

Ready or not, your little one will soon attend school and you will most likely have concerns if they’re prepared or not. School readiness refers to the range of proficiencies — language and literacy, cognition, social and emotional skills — needed for your child to easily transition into school.  But to be successful in these skills, certain foundations need to be in place.

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