Your child might have worries about returning to school. Start talking about what your child’s daily routine could look like. Use the ARC website to find the academic calendar to find opportunities/ADO's to look forward to.

No doubt that this will be a tough one to reintroduce, but helping your child return to their normal sleep routine in the weeks before school resumes will be essential in their ability to settle back into school life.

Reconnect with friends and families at Agora. This will help you and your child manage any worries and feelings related to returning back to school.

Create opportunities and a safe space for your child to talk to you in different ways, as they may want to come and talk to you at a time when you least expect. When the school year starts, make sure you discuss your child’s day with them – what they’ve learned, the highlights and things they found hard. It’s good to encourage a dialogue that can continue throughout their time at school, showing them that you are interested in what they’re learning and are there to support them.

Remember, as a student Learning Coach, be mindful of how your day and schedule can impact your student's school day and learning. Try to remove and limit distractions surrounding your student's learning area so they are best able to focus in school. Take some time during the day to be available to review and support your student's academics.

Look at the positives together. It is helpful to talk about some of the positives that have come out of summer break. Also, talk about some of the things they are looking forward to by going back to school which may alleviate some of their worries. Do your best to show your excitement about the change. This will be reflected in your child’s own feelings – and when children feel excited, they take readily to new tasks and challenges. An activity such as getting their school space ready together can be a great way to get your child excited for school.

Don’t expect your children to go immediately from a relaxed and flexible summer routine to a school routine. Allow some time to return to regular routines such as mealtimes and bedtime.

If your child is a new student at Agora, some routines will have to change. Routines are important for kids because they know what to expect. Before starting school you can help them familiarize with the virtual learning environment.

Allow plenty of time in the mornings. Having a frantic morning can be very unsettling for children. It’s also nice for caregivers and children to have time in the mornings to talk about the day ahead.

At the end of each school day, show interest and ask questions like: "How do you think your school day went?" "What went well?" "What did not go so well?" "Did you struggle with anything?" "What was your favorite part of the day?"

Build in that familiar routine of experiencing the school day and reflecting on it.