After the Bell
Encourage your child to be involved in school clubs and extracurricular activities, so they can more easily make friends and be involved in school. Joining activities outside of a school can also be beneficial, as it alleviates some of the pressure to fit in immediately at school. Look into community clubs, community classes for baking or sports, or private lessons in something they are passionate about.
“Parents need to be supportive of their children and encourage them to get involved in their new school. Students who get involved in an extracurricular activity are generally more enthused about their new school and have a chance to make new friends and enjoy their school experience. I encourage students to go out of their comfort zone and get involved. They will usually find out that it was well worth the effort,” said Rhonda.
Circle of Support
Your child will be stressed from making new friends, meeting new teachers, adapting to a new area, and getting used to a new home — so it is important for the parent to provide some stability. Establish routines at home, like eating dinner at the same time every night or going on a walk around the neighborhood together every day.
At the end of their first day at the new school, take them out for ice cream or go to their favorite restaurant. Ask them how their day went, if they made any new friends, and if they like their school. Be prepared for some negative responses, or them not wanting to talk at all. Give them time to adjust to their new life, and be there to support them. If they had a particularly rough day, take them out to do a fun activity to get their mind off of school stresses.
Let them know that, while you support them, they also have other people they can rely on, like counselors and teachers. If they experience bullying or peer pressure, deal with it before it escalates. Early on during the new school year, talk with them about what peer pressure and bullying look like and what they can do if it happens to them. Often kids will be apprehensive about involving their parents. In this case, school staff can be great resources when dealing with bad behavior from other students.
“Students are typically put together with a counselor at their new school and we tend to be one of the first places they go when they have issues, although there are others around willing to assist, such as a resource officer, principal, teachers, and office staff,” explained Rhonda.