The ABCs of a Successful School Year By Pam Molnar A successful school year is as easy as learning your ABCs. Check out these 26 simple tips for a happy and healthy school year. Accept new challenges – Push your child to go outside of his comfort zone. Encourage him to try activities, learn new sports and make new friends. Breakfast – We all know breakfast is an important meal. If your child does not have time for a sit-down breakfast, provide on-the-go breakfast foods like egg bites, muffins, fruit or protein bars. Chores – Give your child a few jobs that you expect done each day before or after school such as making her bed or feeding the dog. A little responsibility goes a long way in helping kids mature. Downtime – Be sure to add free time to their schedule. These are the times your child can relax on the couch, play video games or have a last-minute pickup game with friends in the neighborhood. Exercise – Balance your child’s sedentary school day with plenty of exercise outside after school. Combine unstructured play with friends with a more structured team practice. Friends – Encourage your child to invite new friends over so you can get to know the person your child is spending time with. It is a great opportunity to meet the friend’s parents, too. Grab and Go Snacks – Your child will be hungry after school. Instead of grabbing a handful of cookies, provide them with pre-bagged healthy snacks that won’t interfere with the dinner hour. Think veggies and dip or hummus and crackers. Help Your Child, But Don’t Do It for Him – We want our children to succeed, but they will never learn if we do it for them. It is OK to give suggestions, but remember that it is their name on the paper. Illness – It’s back to school and back to a room full of germs. Stock your child’s backpack or desk with tissues and hand sanitizer. Remind them to wash their hands and to sneeze into their arm. Join - Encourage your child to join activities at school. It gives them a sense of belonging and they will be more than just another face in the crowd. Keep Trying – It is hard to see your child not get the role, position or grade that he hoped for. Encourage your child to pick himself back up and try again. Disappointment builds character and gives them the tools to succeed. Limitations - Only you know your child’s limitations. While being a part of extracurricular activities is important, sometimes they are overwhelming. It’s OK to say no to invitations and extra practice when you see your child is overwhelmed. Mind Others’ Feelings – Think before you say it and apologize if it comes out wrong. Practice “the more the merrier” when making plans and include new friends in your group. Nutrition – Plan healthy meals ahead of time. Stock up on ingredients for quick healthy meals that your family enjoys. Save time by using the crockpot or prepping food ahead of time. Get the kids to help. If they help in the food preparation they tend to eat more – including green veggies. Organize – Save yourself some sanity in the mornings by organizing things the night before. Set out clothes, make lunches the night before and put backpacks and shoes in the same place each night. As children get older, they can take some of these chores. Provide a Good Example – While words are important, your actions mean so much more. In other words, practice what you preach. Quality Time – It is easy to get wrapped up in the busyness of back-to-school schedules. Try to plan dinners together or have a family game night. It is important to stay connected and catch up on each other’s day. Rules – Remind everyone of the school year rules. Reestablish bed times, discuss the when, where and how long for electronics use and what happens when mom and dad are not home. Social Media – Reconfirm what social media sites your child belongs to and check all passwords. Take Time to Talk - Open your schedule each day and let your kids know when it is a good time to come to you with problems and concerns. You will get more out of the discussion if you are both tuned in. Use Their Time Wisely – As our kids get older, their commitments increase. Teach your child to use his time wisely by prioritizing so he will not be up at midnight doing homework. Volunteer – It is a great way to see what goes on at school, meet the teachers and interact with the other parents. Even working parents can get involved by helping at evening and weekend events. Workspace – Establish where your child will do his homework. Is the kitchen table too distracting? Does he have a desk in his room? Choose a space that is quiet and has all the tools he needs. Xtra Help – Get a jump start on finding a tutor for your child. If she struggles in a subject, look for someone who can keep her on track this year. Year of…. – Help your child set achievable goals this year. For example, make this the year of improving grades, learning to play a new instrument, getting more organized, or joining an after-school club. Having a goal gives them something to work towards and keeps them motivated. Zzzzzzs- Time to return to the school night bedtimes. It might be hard to adjust to waking up early again so adjust it a little at a time.

5 Success Strategies for Struggling Students By Sandra Gordon School is your child’s work, but like most jobs, there are good days and bad, great bosses (teachers) and not so great ones, and classes that are easier than others. For some of even the brightest kids, however, like my youngest daughter, every test can seem difficult, every teacher hard, and every assignment a major hurdle. Tutors can help, of course, but they’re expensive and can’t do everything without cheating your child out of the “I can do it” sense of self-efficacy that can serve her well throughout life. How can you help your aspiring scholar reach her potential? We asked educators and learning experts for their top tips. Here are five success strategies for struggling students. Seek out testing early. If your student gets extra help at school but isn’t making progress academically, seek out an evaluation at school and/or at a private neuropsychology assessment center. Studies suggest that 15 to 20 percent of the population has a learning disorder of some type, such as dyslexia, a specific reading or language comprehension issue, or a math disorder. “Learning disorders occur throughout the range of intelligence. Even very highly functioning students can have them,” says pediatric neuropsychologist Mark Mahone PhD, ABPP. A learning disorder is when a child or anyone who has had adequate opportunity for instruction and has the adequate intelligence to be able to learn specific skills, isn’t learning those skills in a way that’s appropriate for his or her age. Learning disabilities are biological conditions that lead to a set of behaviors that can be challenging. They tend to run in families. “Kids can’t help it,” Dr. Mahone says. If your child has a learning disorder, it’s important to diagnose it early, if possible, to prevent harmful repercussions. Continually tanking on tests and quizzes or not understanding the material can affect your child’s self-esteem and brain development. “The average child with a reading disability doesn’t get identified until the second or third grade. By then, that child has two, three or four years of failure before getting the appropriate intervention,” Dr. Mahone says. Intervention, which may include medication and behavioral treatment, can help the brain reorganize more efficiently so that academic skills build naturally over time, making school easier and less stressful. It’s important to note that learning disabilities don’t typically occur in isolation. For example, 35 to 40 percent of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also have dyslexia and vice versa. Learning disabilities should be treated concurrently. “Whenever you find one learning disability, you should look for others,” Dr. Mahone says. “For the best outcome, everything should be treated concurrently.” Food is fuel: Don’t run on empty. “Learning is like driving a car. You have to keep filling the gas tank,” says Sharon Rose Sugar, an academic interventionist and author of Smart Grades: Every Day an Easy A. “It takes tremendous energy to learn, but many kids are running on empty.” Cold cereal for breakfast doesn’t cut it. “What can make a big difference in the morning is just a bowl of oatmeal,” she says, topped with nutritious add-ons like walnuts, blueberries, cinnamon, honey or maple syrup. Kids should fuel homework sessions with wholesome study snacks too, such as an apple or rice cake with peanut butter or carrots and hummus and water. The brain is a power tool. To boost performance, “after every homework assignment, kids should eat something healthy,” she adds. Preview homework, then take a brain break. If your child is typically anxious about homework, teach her to go over her homework assignments when she gets home from school, including the questions she needs to answer, then to take a break before diving in. “Kids aren’t under any pressure to answer those questions right away. But their brain starts working. When they come back to their homework, it’s a lot easier for them to start their work because they’ve previewed it,” says Katherine Firestone, education specialist and host of “The Happy Student,” a podcast for parents offering specific strategies to help their kids succeed in school, both academically and socially. Turn reading into a workout. Kids have so many facts coming at them in every class and homework assignment. To help them retain key ideas they’ll later need for the test, they need to be active readers. Before reading a chapter in their textbook, students should read the chapter title, all of the headings and subheadings and the questions at the end. “Reviewing chapters first helps kids understand the key ideas,” says Firestone. Then, while they’re reading, they should underline the main idea and jot down notes to review for the test. These techniques can make all the difference, as Firestone knows firsthand. (She was diagnosed with ADHD in high school.) Active reading takes more time and effort, but it helps the facts sink in. “It resulted in a huge transformation for me,” Firestone says. Talk yourself into better grades. “When you get As or Bs, school is more enjoyable, but some kids, especially those with learning disorders, have emotional roadblocks to getting good grades,” says Paul J. Hughes, a college professor and author of Change Your Grades, Change Your Life. Early on, kids can form negative self-perceptions, such as “I’m bad at taking tests,” which gets hardwired into their subconscious, programming them for failure. “Our thoughts affect outcomes,” Hughes says. To help his struggling students talk themselves into doing well on tests, Hughes teaches them to write and recite “affirmations,” which are questions that address their specific academic concern, but stated as a positive, such as: “Why am I so comfortable and confident taking an exam?” and “Why do I always perform up to my expectations on an exam?” “The why at the beginning is what the brain picks up and runs with, reprogramming the subconscious to believe what you’re telling it,” Hughes says. He advises his students to read their affirmations every day. “I say to my students, ‘I know affirmations are weird but they can change everything.’ The more you read them to yourself, the sooner they kick in.” RESOURCES Need homework help? Some free resources: Free Tutoring: Alaskan K-12 students can get free online tutoring for subjects like math, English, and history. Work with a live tutor or use the resources to study independently. The one-on-one service is available Monday through Friday, 8 am-2am; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 2 am Alaska Time. Practice tests and career resources are also available. Visit the Statewide Library Electronic Doorway (SLED) at https://lam.alaska.gov/sled/homework. Student Resource Center: The Anchorage Public Library offers students, from elementary school to college, resources to help them complete assignments, do research, write reports, and study for tests. Visit anchoragelibrary.org/resources/learn-explore/student-resource-center. Khan Academy: Check out the free online resources/lessons for math, science, economics, computer science and humanities. Visit khanacademy.org.

School of Choice Making a decision about K-12 education for your child? You’ve got options. Beyond the traditional neighborhood school, there are numerous learning environments available to families with school-age children in Alaska. In short, you can choose from traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online learning, homeschooling, and microschooling and mix-and-match learning. While traditional public-school enrollment has steadily declined, homeschooling and charter school enrollment have surged across Alaska, according to Alaska.gov. Here’s a look at some of the facts and figures behind educational options. No. 1 Homeschooling is the fastest growing form of education nationwide 1 in 10 K-12 students in Alaska are homeschooled 68.8% Of students in Alaska are enrolled in public school 60+ The number of private schools in Alaska $7491 The average annual tuition for private elementary schools in Alaska 7,000+ Students in Alaska attend public charter schools (3,000 of these students are in the Anchorage School District) 6,453 fewer students attending Anchorage schools in 2024 than there were in 2010 95,000 The estimated number of microschools in the nation SOURCES: myschoolchoice.com; asdk12.org; alaska.gov; edchoice.org; microschoolingcenter.org; privateschoolreview.com/alaska; US Census

Keys To Stress-Free School-Day Mornings By Tanni Haas, Ph.D. In my family, school-day mornings used to be really stressful, with everyone running around like chickens with their heads off as we rushed to get ready and out the door. Things have changed. Through trial and error and conversations with other parents, we’ve come up with six things to do so that we’ll have stress-free mornings. Create a Morning Chore Chart The best way to start the morning stress-free is to plan as much as possible the night before. To help us, we have a Morning Chore Chart specifying everything we need to do each morning and who’s responsible for it. The chart spells out everything from making the bed (something many teenagers hate to do) to who’s making what at breakfast. We rotate our tasks every week, to be fair. At the bottom of the chart, we list the tasks we must complete on a specific day, like leaving money for an overnight school trip. The chart lists daily chores and individual tasks for specific events. A Place For Everything — Everything In Its Place The second key to a stress-free morning is knowing where to find the things you need in the morning. If it were up to my 15-year-old son, he would dump his stuff where he last needed it or toss it on the floor. We’ve agreed on where exactly to put our morning essentials — school bags, sweatshirts, footwear, etc. This simple step makes mornings so much smoother. No one is running around in a frantic state searching for shoes — we can simply grab and go. Doing as many morning tasks as possible the night before is worthwhile — what clothes to wear, packing school bags and lunches, and of course, finishing all homework. No more last-minute homework in the car! Get a Good Night’s Sleep It may sound cliché but getting a good night’s sleep is extremely important to reducing morning stress. If one person is sleep-deprived, that person often makes everyone else grumpy as well. To get a good night’s sleep, you’d be wise to turn off all electronics a half an hour before bedtime. Everyone needs time to unwind and shut down. If you want to make absolutely sure that this happens, have your kids charge their devices anywhere else but in their bedrooms. Wake Up — Then Wake Up Everyone Else Try waking up 20-30 minutes earlier than everyone else. That’ll give you time to prepare yourself before the morning rush starts. The bathroom is a source of competition and is in constant use until everyone is out the door. Stay Calm and Positive When you’re finally ready to wake up the rest of the family, try to be calm and positive. If you’re unhappy about something the kids did or didn’t do, busy mornings aren’t the best time to bring it up. Conflicts are rarely resolved satisfactorily early in the morning when there’s so much to do. Put on some happy, upbeat music instead. That’ll help put everyone in the right frame of mind. Have A Breakfast With Lots of Protein When you finally sit down for breakfast, make sure that the whole family gets lots of protein. You’ll all need it for the long day ahead.

Stop the Summer Slide Prevent your kids’ learning loss while they’re out of school By Haley Nelson For kids, summer vacation means freedom from the hustle and bustle of the busy school year. It can also mean a slide in academic skills and knowledge. Research shows that teachers generally spend the first two months of school re-teaching material students have forgotten over the summer. But the good news is that summer learning loss is preventable. Here are some easy – and fun – ways to help stop the summer slide: Head to the library The library is a great, free resource. Check out books that interest your child. The librarian can offer many other book suggestions that match your child’s reading ability and interests. Join your local library’s summer reading program and arm your child with their very own library card. Go day tripping Take a trip to a museum or zoo – they’re fun and packed with science-learning opportunities. Or visit historical sites – they offer a three-dimensional history lesson. Think summer camp Lots of summer camps offer education-related opportunities. Learning is much more fun for kids when it’s intertwined with physical activities or games. They’re learning without even knowing it! Make the most of your vacation Going on a vacation can be an educational experience. Encourage your children to read up on the place you are going to. They can help you plan for the trip, brushing up on their organizational skills as they make lists, pack, plan a route and so on. Determining a budget and even counting down to the vacation can help reinforce math skills. Keep a vacation journal While on vacation, have your kids keep a daily journal where they write about what they did that day. It’s a great way to keep their writing skills up-to-date while documenting their childhood. Grow a garden Involve the kids with planting seeds and watering the plants and flowers for a little science lesson in disguise. Arm them with a daily gardening journal where they can include their own pictures or observations, any problems encountered and how they solved those issues. Get cooking Get your kids involved in helping you make easy summer treats like ice cube popsicles as well as more involved meals for dinner. From writing up a grocery list to finding things in the grocery store to carefully measuring ingredients, your kids will brush up on their English and math skills. Game night Have a weekly game night (which also doubles as family time). Whether you’re playing board games, cards or other fun activities, there are many ways to incorporate learning opportunities – counting, strategizing, negotiating and turn-taking – as well as plenty of laughs. Write about it Supply your kids with a scrapbook or journal and encourage them to draw pictures and write about their summer experiences. Have them write letters to friends or distant family members. Doing so will keep their writing skills fresh and encourage creativity. Start a book club A summer reading book club offers kids the perfect blend of socializing with friends while encouraging a love of reading. They can choose a book, then meet up for a weekly discussion. For added fun, let the kids get creative by dressing up as the characters or doing a craft project based on the themes in the book. Get a job A summer job can be a great learning opportunity, allowing your child to apply skills such as in math and computer technology. It also helps develop a sense of responsibility. For younger kids, organizing a garage sale can give them an instant lesson in running a business and money management. Lend a hand For teens, volunteering or working on community service projects is another option. Youth-oriented summer camps, local museums, animal shelters and libraries are often looking for extra help. This experience is not only valuable for personal and professional development, but it also looks good on college applications. Explore Alaska Summer in Alaska is filled with many great opportunities for exploration – from nature-filled adventures to fun, educational events. Check out our Calendar for lots of ideas!

How to Start Homeschooling: Lessons from a Veteran Homeschooling Mom By Kerrie McLoughlin There’s no doubt there are many benefits to home-based education, including freedom to follow your child’s interests, quality family time and a more customized education, just to name a few. Still, even though you have carefully made the choice to homeschool, you might be feeling lost, confused and overwhelmed about teaching at home – and you are not alone! If you have decided to take on the job – and it truly is a job – of homeschooling, I’m here to help you get started – and stay on track. Step one: Start with the legal aspects. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) website, “In Alaska, there are four options under which you can legally homeschool. Once you have chosen one of the following four options, follow the listed requirements.” The options are: 1) Homeschooling under the homeschool statute; 2) Homeschooling with a private tutor; 3) Homeschooling with school board approval; and 4) Homeschooling as a religious or other private school. (hslda.org/post/how-to-comply-with-alaskas-homeschool-law.) Homeschooling doesn’t need to officially begin until the age of 7 in Alaska, and the U.S. Department of Education website includes extensive information about all requirements, including recordkeeping, attendance, curriculum, etc. Step two: Set goals for your kids for the year. Set some realistic goals based on your child’s strengths, as well as where they might struggle. Try to figure out what subjects each child needs to focus on. You can then make a specific weekly plan for that subject, such as, “Maggie will do one lesson of math per day, four times a week, until the workbook or program is done.” Do this for each subject and it will help you map out the year in advance to make it seem less daunting. Step three: Decide on your curriculum and go shopping. Use the required subjects from step one as a starting point when shopping for your curriculum. You can head to the internet to check out options for a secular curriculum versus a religious curriculum. Creating your own curriculum is often a popular choice, but there’s a lot to it, so check out the guide at ThoughtCo (thoughtco.com/how-to-create-your-own-curriculum-1833700). Things can be more flexible at home, so take advantage of that! Keep in mind we all learn in different ways and are all interested in different things, so try to follow your child’s interests when you can. If you’re on a budget, there are many free options, such as Khan Academy, Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool, the library and Alaska’s K12 online school options. Step four: Decide where you’ll normally homeschool. Will you have a dedicated space with desks for homeschooling? Or, will you work in different parts of the house, pulling resources from a centrally located bookshelf? Some families homeschool at the dining room table, then sometimes head to the deck or the yard on a nice day. Decide where you’re going to do the majority of your work, then clean and organize the area. Step five: Decide your annual and daily schedules. Because all families are different, you’ll want to ask some questions: Is it best for your family to take the month of December off and then homeschool into June? Do you want to start early in the morning or let everyone sleep in? Leave room for real-world learning opportunities such as errands, field trips, nature walks, cooking, chores and home finances, which are fantastic for teaching life skills and core subjects. You’ll want to create a rough daily schedule to pin on the wall so everybody knows what they need to be doing and when. Also, a large wall calendar works great so everyone knows about upcoming appointments, virtual playdates, etc. Step six: Make a lesson plan. When planning lessons, some helpful tools include an online program such as Homeschool Tracker (color-code the kids in a Google calendar and print out their lessons for them weekly), a single physical planner for you only, or a spiral notebook system (each kid gets their own assignment notebook written by you prior to the start of each week). I make a rough plan about a month at a time to allow for those inevitable scheduling blow-ups that happen. Step seven: Picture the plan. Go through the plan in your mind in order to solve some problems before they start. Are you going to do lesson plans for the week on Sundays? What if the main homeschooler teacher (mom, dad, a grandparent) gets sick? What if someone drops in unexpectedly? There will always be unexpected challenges (my husband has been working from home at the dining room table for four years now!), but you can set yourself up for success otherwise. Step eight: Find your support system. Sleuth out local groups so you can get to know homeschoolers in your area, as well as find social, sports and other enrichment opportunities for your kids. There are always amazing groups online who post about local hangouts throughout the year. (For a list of Alaska homeschool organizations and support groups, visit Homeschool World at home-school.com/groups/AK.php.) Remember that drawing comparisons is pointless, and perfection is impossible, so if you stay in your own lane and focus on your family and their needs, you’ll have a fantastic school year. You are inevitably going to make some mistakes along the way, but that is perfectly normal, so go easy on yourself … and have fun on this shorter-than-you-think journey with your kids! For Alaska homeschooling resources, visit iam.alaska.gov/homeschooling.