SCHOOL is in. And parents can help make a smoother transition from the chaos and freedom of summer to the structure and responsi- bilities of school. Teacher Judy Ciark offers a few tips: @ Ger back into the tight fall schedule. Earlier to bed, earlier to rise Start weaning tram the exces- sive amounts of TV and video games that entertained your child during the long summer days. Drop by your local library and get a stack of books inter- esting to both of you and curl up carly with your child. Do time dois and reward everyone with a movie if they temember eve ing for school, and beat the time record. M Review the basics. How about an ice cream or a chance to soak mom at the water park after writing a report on the weirdest, funni- est, or scariest thing shat hap- pened this summer (for cider children), or list the days or months for the little ones. Bookstores or teacher sup- ply stores have lots of interest- ing workbooks for every level. -Have them read aloud. Use sol stickers or candy as addi- tional incentives. Do a little everyday. You'll be surprised on how keen they are to do anoth- er math sheet for a little prize. 1 set up a “school supplies store” which had all their back to school supplies as well as some niw books, stickers, and treats. They could “shop” using “store moncy” carned from “doing review work. They were *. begging for more! a En to your chill’s teacher as soon as school starts. ~~. Call and introduce yourself. Why wait-until the first par- - ent/teacher interviews to pro- - vide’ necessary information _ about your child? Don’t worry : that you're bothering her/him: they get so few “good report” ‘ealls chat it’s a pleasure. It _ opens communication and _shows them you’re actively involved. Shed light on what has and hasn’t worked for your _ For ‘example, your child may be ‘brilliant at math and will need extra work to be chal- “fenged or will get bored and disruptive. Ask him/her to let ou know of: any ° problems fore it becomes a big issue. ‘Go to parent committee meetings. ; Find out when the first “meeting is and be there. Itis an excellent opportunity to address problems (such as bul- lying) from last year chat were "". not fully ‘resolved or came up fate in the year. Give your valu- . able input to make chings hap- "pen the way you'd like them. “. For. example, I suggested “that the school offer babysit- ting at future parent conmittce meetings to improve atten- dance. The committee hired a student who supervised a movic in the gym. Monitor homework stan- dards. Even if you haven’ a clue what the topic is about, you can still ensure thar the basics are ract: proper tide page, date, teacher’s name spelled correct- ly, and proper punccuation, These errors can cost valuable marks and reveal carelessness. You’d be surprised how many high school students neglect to put their names on their work. If you are both still uot sure of the correct standard required, have your child request an cxample of what quality is expected. Don’t let them tell vou they don’t need to maintain a high standard. The — individual instructor may not expect it but you should. They will only benetit from impeccable work later. @ Talk about sex. if you haven't started dis- cussing the topic now is the time. Better vou tell them and instill your values, than they find out inaccurate information lacking moral standards trom their buddies at school. The talk is not a one shot deat: it benetits from constant updates and question and answer periods. Hit the library for a few books that deal with the topic according to your val- ues. Leave these lying around. This tells your kids that you are aware of the subject even though you never bring it up. Ir also shows that you are open tO questions. My rule is if they’re still ask- ing I provide more informa- tion. If they’ve stopped asking, you've answered their ques- tion, for now. @ Encourage involvement in extra curricular activities. Sports do much more than increase physical skills. Achieving previously difficult tasks does so much for increased confidence and self- esteem. It is even more impor- rant for females. Evidence supports sports as the most crucial clement in reducing teenage pregnancy. Athletes tend to drink and try drugs less and are in bed earli- er. Joining the school newslet- ter, yearbook committee or drama club can allow your child a great opportunity for creative self-expression not available during regular classes. Clubs can foster stronger friendships that extend long after the school year since inter- ests are shared to begin with. Start your own group such as astronomy, chess, fnowboard: ing or jum if it does not exit. How about Mom or Dad volunteering as a coach. Before I began coaching basketball, my son would not listen to my suggestions. Now he has to. @ Make use of local volunteer centers. Government sponsored vol- unteer centres offer one on one or group lessons for reading, literacy or ESL. If your child has free time have them check the database for a volunteer Spportunity they are suited for. ese experiences can help dra- matically in cxploring new interests that may eventually lead to a career. @ Ofer inc effort. Social activities, TV privi- leges and computer games must be carned by completing homework well. A social life is optional depending on effort and grades. How can they justify hang- ing out with their friends or shooting hoops when they're failing math? It is especially important for parents to aggressively encourage partici- pation in subjects that are the most challenging for your child. Weak areas can be mini- mized with increased effort, extra help, and incentives. It is surprising how many parents tives for good =» Parents should be a part of school work will complain, use verbal or physical punishments before taking away privileges. B Look into a tut To find a good tutor post a notice, check focal papers or the internet. Have the tutor interviewed and selected before difficulty arises. Ensure you are both comfortable with the tutor. Most offer a no charge consultation. Don’t wait until the first poor report arrives. This only serves to reinforce your child’s perceptions: “I suck at math.” It also makes the job of improving a grade that much harder. It is much more difficult to carn a B aver- when the grade is already a n order to increase the the student must do all g A devel work once the tutor begins). Judy Clark is a certified English teacher and owner of the fterschool Advantage Programme tutorial services. Tall 9-44 £922. HS Passenger, 1.5 L DOHC, 16 valve engine, 51 MPG == Super cond, inside & out, loaded $12,995 36 Toyota Sepra Tarbe Loaded, targa roof, 5 speed, leather Auto, troof, ready for sum- mer fun $15,995 SSE rT teeeutent 5 erik A}, Wednesday, September 16, 1998 — North Shore News ~ 33 HAVE YOU HEARD? Gary J. Galandie is a top honors graduate of Sheridan College of Applied Arts & Technology's Hearing Aid Specialist Program & was awarded the Board of Governor's “Silver Medal” for academic excellence. Gary specializes in the fitting of today's digitally programmable hearing aids which are designed to adapt automatically as you Gary John Golondia BC Licensed Hearing Aid Specialist Move from one listening environment to another. Beltone’s new PROGRAMMABLE hearing aids. . Your Beltone Specialist can control the precisicn of your hearing ald fitting by computer. The right care starts with a hearing test. Only a hearing test can determine if today's new hearing aid technology will help to improve your hearing abilities. CALL TODAY TO ARRANGE YGUR APPOINTMENT 217-1940 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, BC V7M 2K2 183 HP D G; air-conditioning, p/windows, locks and mirrors, A.B.S. wy, AM/FM cassette Jivi PATTISON TOYOTA 765 Marine Dr., N. Van. 985-0591 ‘Incredible Used | - Car. Values Sentra” Auto, air cond, grea $12,995 value _ $4,995 97 Fleet returns, auto, air Fleet returns, auto conditioning 315,988 $12,995 BR ; fae 90 Chev Spirit Convert, summer fan $ sped, great fun, economt- cai, commuter car $4,988 7 pass, D/u