It is hard to believe that we're more than half way through the summer. It is almost time for parents to look forward to the end of August and the almost audible collective sigh of relief when we return back to the normalcy of the school routine. Of course, normal, will be looking very different in our district, with budget cuts impacting our children's education and school experience very directly, very tangibly: bigger classes, shuffled teachers, less support, less sports, less music, and a lot more fundraising.
What can we do, as parents, educators and students, how do we prepare for this adjustment and how do we work together to keep our children from falling through the budget cracks, especially our children with special needs, who will be just a little more lost, a little more overwhelmed, and a little more out of their routine.
We can try and offset the budget impacts by contributing to the Drive for Contributions, the Athletic Foundation, the Music Foundation, supporting the Concord movie and our local schools and gearing up for another Measure D. But we also need to prepare for the reality of the 09/10 school year , with the super sized 1st-3rd grade classrooms, and "cut to the bone" schools. Our blog would like to run a series of tips for parents, teachers and students on how to prepare for a successful school year, considering...
The series will run through the month of August on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This Thursday, Mt Diablo teacher, Michell Redfoot will share some fun reading activities to get the kids geared up for school.
Do you have any tips for transitioning into the lean year? We would love to hear from you! Teachers who are experienced in facilitating the transition from 20-30, parents who have handy tips, students who know what worked for them. Please share your ideas in the comment section below this post or email them to mountdiablocac@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!