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On The Cover: Brand New School Yearcreative and relaxing break from academics but also foster social interactions and team- building skills.To all the teachers, students, and families navigating through this school year, we extend our best wishes. Enjoy and cherish every moment; they pass quicker than you might think.y Sally KalosBThe 2024-2025 school year has kicked off with bustling activity! Buses are back on schedule,football teams are hitting the fields, bands are tuning up, and both students and teachers are engaging in new introductions.This new academic year sparks great enthusiasm. It’s a time filled with excitement for both parents and students,looking forward to a year of learning and fun. As students dive back into school life, they eagerly anticipate making new friends and immersing themselves in a variety of extracurricular activities. From robotics and cheerleading to sports, band, chess, tennis, and pickleball, schools are bustling with clubs and programs that cater to diverse interests. These activities not only provide aBy StaffWhat Parents Can Do To Be More Involved At SchoolP arents can make every effort to encourage children to make the most of the school experience,including academics and extracurricular activities. Though students’ level of engagement is ultimately up to them, parental involvement at school can be crucial for students’ success.According to the National Education Council, when parents get involved in their children’s education, those children are more likely to do better in school and be more positive about the school experience. They also may be well-behaved. Parents wondering what they can do to assist at the school level can consider these possibilities. Attend school board meetingsMany community school boards are comprised entirely of volunteers who work with superintendents and other personnel to advocate for policies and procedures for students. Decisions typically are up for vote, and parents can run for school board positions or simply attend meetings eachmonth and let their voices be heard about various issues.Attend open houses and conferences Parents can make every effort to get to know teachers and other staff. Putting faces to names can help parents develop a connection to teachers and vice versa. Most schools have back to school nights, meet the coaches opportunities, open houses, and parent-teacher conferences. Parents can take part in these events.Open lines of communicationParents can ask teachers and other staff how they prefer to communicate. Some teachers want students to take the lead and reach out first, with parents providing support if need be. Adults can be responsive when teachers reach out.Attend school eventsFamilies can make it a point to support students in all endeavors. Whenever the opportunity to visit the school comes up — whether for a concert, sports game, trivia night, or fundraiser — parents can make aneffort to attend.VolunteerWhen parents want to be involved even further, they can head committees at school or volunteer with the PTA or PTO. They also can help out in the cafeteria, library or in the main office. Parents who have particular skills may volunteer to provide tutoringor mentoring as needed. Furthermore, parents can volunteer in school-sanctioned extracurriculars, such as Scouts BSA or as sports coaches.Involvement in school is part of being an informed and supportive parent.By StaffStrategies That Can Improve Reading ComprehensionS trong reading comprehension skills are one of the foundations of a successful academic career.According to the Institute of Reading Development, students with strong reading comprehension skills get a big boost in all subjects, including math and science.Though the benefits of reading comprehension are well documented, many students are struggling in this area of their academics. Officials with the National Center for Education Statistics note that, over the last decade, students have made no progress in reading performance. That likely comes as no surprise to seasoned educators, as data indicates students are reading less outside of school than they have in years past. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicates the percentage of public school students who said they read 30 minutes or more a day declined by 4 percent between 2017 and 2019, dipping below 50 percent overall in the latter year.There’s likely a multitude of reasons why students now read less than they used to. Parents concerned about their children’s6reading comprehension can try these strategies to bolster this highly valuable skill. • Let kids read what they like. The tutoring professionals at Oxford Learning® report that 73 percent of students indicate they would read more if they found books they liked. Parents can address this issue by taking children to their local libraries and letting them choose which books to check out. The more practice kids get with reading, the more their comprehension skills develop.• Read aloud to children. Various studies have found that reading aloud to children significantly benefits literacy development. One study from the National Association for the Education of Young Children found that listening to others read helps children develop key understanding and skills, including how stories are written. In addition, the Reading Rockets project, which aspires to bring reading research to life in the hopes of helping young children develop into strong, confident readers, notes that children can listen on a higher language level than they can read. That makes complex ideas more accessible.When reading to children, parents can compound the benefits of this activity by asking youngsters questions about the book. Asking what, when, where, why, and how can encourage children to look for answers to these questions while they’re being read to. As students advance and then read more on their own, parents can encourage them to ask these questions ofthemselves (if they’re not already doing so on their own). Asking and answering these questions is a great way to strengthen reading comprehension skills.Strong reading comprehension skills can help students reach their academic potential. Parents can employ various strategies to help children bolster those skills.September 2024• Ask questions when reading to children. www.heloteshighlights.com


































































































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