BAJAN SUN
S
Bajan Sun Magazine
SEPT 2014
o the Summer Holiday is almost over, the
children have a few more days to relax.
We are now in the season called back to
school. Parents may need some important
reminders.
By Deborah M. McCollin
Social graces, good manners are the job of the parents, as
surrogate parents we the teachers reinforce those good
habits
Ensure that all contact information is up to date; if you have
relocated or changed your telephone number please
provide it to the teacher.
Emergency information is important, you can never have
enough.
Allergies and illnesses are nothing to be ashamed of, please
inform in writing of any allergies or illnesses that your
child has, it can save his or her life.
Speak to your child in standard English, this is quite
impactful for composition writing
Speak in complete sentences and insist that your child does
the same , this assists in the language arts development
of your child
Provide positive experiences for your children, Barbados
has a lot of beautiful places that provide entertainment
and education that are free of cost to children
School tours are not a way of making money for the school,
the tours provide reinforcement to lessons being taught
and the experiences are invaluable
Remember, teachers CAN NOT administer medication, so
either keep the child at home or make an appointment
with the principal to come administer the medication
yourself.
Any absences of three days or more must be supported with
a medical certificate on return to school.
It is common courtesy to inform the teacher of any
appointments which will cause lateness; this can be
done by a note or a polite phone call to the office.
A child that is late should be brought to the classroom by a
parent with a polite explanation and apology; your
actions teach your children their behaviors.
Though sharing is nice, it’s better to provide your child
with his or her own snack, the possibility of a child
becoming ill after ingesting a product they are allergic
to is one of a teachers biggest fears, so we do not
encourage sharing snacks
Healthy snacks are encouraged, fruit and cereals are
strongly encouraged, not the snacks that say “made
from fresh fruit juice”
Always provide your child with a bottle of water daily, it’s
quite unsanitary to have a child drinking from a tap in
an open school yard. There is nothing wrong with
having a refillable bottle with nicely chilled or f
Use the correct words for body parts and bodily functions
when you speak to your child.
Remind children that the bathroom is not a play area and
should be used for the strict purpose of which it was
intended.
A healthy breakfast is necessary filling up on snacks and
soda is not the way to go
Students should be punctual for school and collected
promptly after dismissal or afterschool activities
Encourage your child to read every evening, make it fun
and exciting
Parents must dress and conduct yourself in a Respectful
manner at all times especially on the school premises,
this includes your way of addressing teachers ,
speaking of them and the way you dress on the school
compound
Parents and school must work together in order to achieve
success
Always be positive and encourage positivity in your
children.
Deborah M. McCollin is a teacher with 17 years’ experience and a
Certificate in Early Childhood Education from Erdiston Teachers’
Training College .
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