Thursday, April 16, 2015 is the day for on-time registration for  the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond, as well as the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King William, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George and Sussex.

It’s important to register by the registration on April 16 so you don’t miss any important information, teachers can be well prepared for your child in the classroom and school can prepare with enough staff and materials for a great start to the new school year.

Registering your first kindergartner? Get started now.
There’s quite a bit of paperwork involved and you may need a little time to get everything together.
Here’s your Kindergarten Checklist (Download and print one here):

-Child’s official, certified birth certificate

-Child’s Social Security card

-Proof of address

-School Entrance Health Form

-Photo ID for parent of legal guardian

Get more information plus contact information and registration times and locations at Smart Beginnings.

Don’t forget!
 Download & Print our Kindergarten Registration Quick Guide Here

]]> http://richmondmom.com/2015/03/17/its-kindergarten-registration-time/feed/ 0 http://richmondmom.com/event/richmond-waldorf-school-open-house/ http://richmondmom.com/event/richmond-waldorf-school-open-house/#comments Thu, 22 Jan 2015 00:19:12 +0000 http://richmondmom.com/event/richmond-waldorf-school-open-house/ The open house is called “Windows on Waldorf” and will be held at our school, 1000 Westover Hills Boulevard, Richmond VA 23225.

Registration ends on Dec 1, 2014.  Space is limited, childcare is available by reservation only.

Goodbye Summer!

“How can summer almost be over already?” my kids complain. I feel ya kiddos! Summer always goes by so fast.

And I was just actually getting to know them again!

Let’s face it all of the summer family activities are practically straight out our idealistic visions of what having kids would be like – before we actually had them!

You remember don’t you? Don’t you remember thinking “Oh I’d love to have children! It would be sooo much fun! We could take the kids to the lake/beach/(fill-in-the-blank-RVA) festival! We could bake cookies together! We could go to the park! We could go to the swimming pool! We’ll be just like a happy TV commercial family!!!”

And you know that it’s  those moments that are the ones that wind up in the family scrapbook. Nobody has a page celebrating an A on a math test, or a great parent/teacher meeting.

None of us ever thought “Oh I’d love to have kids! I’d love to embarrass myself trying to help them with math homework (because I can’t remember any of it anymore)! Oh I am so looking forward to driving them to swimming/gymnastics/piano over and over again! Won’t it be fun to sit through loooong, stuffy school assemblies so I can see my kids perform for five whole minutes!”

Summer, on the other hand, is when the kids can be kids again, and exhibit the full range of creativity, goofiness and shenanigans… and we actually have the time to enjoy it! The jokes, the creative insults, the impersonations, the cartooning… the occasional stuffed animal kidnapping… And travelling! It’s always so much fun to get their take on things when we go somewhere; for example, my son’s comment while in Toronto: “Basically everything in Canada is delicious!”

But then fall comes around again, and they suddenly transform into Dependent Units who constantly need to be fed/tutored/taxied and hustled from one thing to the next. So much for the long conversations and sharing. I’ll even miss those awkward conversations about stuff they are really too young to be asking me about.

And I just know that on the first day of school I will look forlornly around my quiet house and realize I no longer have any convenient excuses for not doing all the boring stuff I was supposed to be doing in the first place…

I’m sure gonna miss you, summer!

Ah memories!

While the idea of waking up at the crack of dawn to prepare lunches, fighting over appropriate school attire and regulating the amount of television watched might have you frazzled, take solace in the fact that you can play a big part in getting your children motivated and excited to tackle a new school year.

Depending on your child’s age, your role in the above-mentioned tips will vary. The following are helpful ideas to ease kids of all ages back into learning mode:

Help Your Child Discover His/Her Learning Style. Because each child is special, with different learning styles and academic needs, it is important to personalize the learning process.  People learn in at least eight different ways, according to the Multiple Intelligences Theory: visually, verbally, physically, mathematically, musically, naturalistically, through group activity or through quiet thinking time. Talk to your child’s teachers about your child’s learning strengths and how best to support them.

Get Back In The Routine. Ease the transition from lazy summer days to the structure of the school year by re-establishing bedtime, mealtime, reading and homework routines. Talk with your child about the importance of structure and how routines help ensure that he is not overtired or overly anxious about schoolwork.

Develop A Family Event Calendar. One of the most helpful tools for getting organized is a family event calendar. To ease the chaos, track school programs, volunteer work and after-school activities. Family time management is essential if you are going to avoid the tumultuous frenzy of disorganization.

• Depending on your children’s ages, this calendar can be on construction paper with large squares to write in all necessary information, or it can be produced on a white board so that it is easy to revise.
• If it is color-coded by family member, you can clearly see who has an activity scheduled and when the event occurs.
• Place the calendar near the telephone, so when a friend’s mother calls to invite your child to a birthday party, you will know instantly whether it fits within your family plans.

Purchase School Supplies In Advance. Avoid the last-minute rush by purchasing supplies at least one week in advance. Take your child.  She can feel excited and in control by choosing her favorite colors and designs.

Be a Cheerleader. Encourage your child to share any concerns he has about returning to school. Reinforce positive feelings by talking with your child about learning and achievement. Support his academic interests and encourage him to get involved in extracurricular activities at school.

See Sylvan Learning Center’s back to school survival tips for students

For more educational resources for children in grades pre-K through 12, please visit www.SylvanLearning.com or call 804-782-2377

Steve Green is the Executive Director and Owner of the Richmond Sylvan Learning Centers, which is the leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels with more than 30 years of experience and nearly 800 centers located throughout North America. Sylvan’s trained and Sylvan-certified instructors provide personalized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test-prep for college entrance and state exams. Sylvan also hosts MomMinded.com, a blog offering tips and resources from moms and education experts. For more information, call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit www.sylvanlearning.com

Sylvan Learning Center is a sponsor of Richmondmom.com

That’s it, I thought. Elementary school is officially over for us!

It’s mind-boggling when I think about her journey. I still remember a dreamy-eyed little Texas girl, going to kindergarten in Michigan, not too sure what she was getting into… and having to learn to deal with winter gear! Snow pants! Boots! Jacket, hat, neck-gaiter, gloves! The poor kid was the last to get outside and the last to get back to her desk every day that year. But eventually, she learned to love the snow.

When I look at the scrapbooks for the St. Joseph years they were full of post-card pretty images of winter snow-forts, brownie troop events and summers at the beach. But what they don’t show was the growing disconnect between her and school work. Report card comments became very repetitive: “Dahlia is obviously very intelligent but needs to focus more on her work.” “Dahlia has is a very creative child, but needs to listen.” “Dahlia needs to pay better attention to instructions.” What had seemed like normal behavior in kindergarten, by second grade was starting to look like something much bigger.

We didn’t start getting answers until we moved here to Virginia in third grade, and were blessed with an astute teacher, who was our champion during a difficult IEP process, and a great pediatrician, who hooked us up with the right specialists. To our surprise, Dahlia turned out to have not just one learning disorder but several!

Fourth and fifth grade were an even bigger journey for her, not just academically, but also in terms of growing up! Good-bye Hannah Andersson — hello Justice! Good-bye kid shows – hello Disney teens! Strong opinions about music! Nail polish, lip gloss, jewelry… “Should I be crushing on a boy by now?” Answer: “Of course not!” Video games! Cell phone! When did all this happen?!!

And she has become such a character: creative, honest, individualistic, self-aware, and always ready with a quip. One of her teachers once confided in us, “Actually, I think she’s fabulous!”

All I can say now is “You go girl! Middle School better watch out!”

When I was twenty-two years old I dropped my three- year old son, Beau, off for the first time at preschool.  For the first three weeks, I stood at the window, while he pulled the curtains apart from the inside and stared out, screaming bloody murder.  I stood there, my wretched tortured face inches from the glass like he was the boy in the bubble and this was our last visit.   Finally, the wise older women whose care he was in had had enough and came out and said,

“Honey he stops crying the minute you leave.  So if you really want him not to be sad I suggest you just go ahead and do that.”

“Do what?” I asked incredulously. “I will do anything, “ I opined, heart wrenchingly.

“Leave,” she said.

Oh that….. okay.

He never cried again and I learned more from school then he did that day.

So, don’t do it.  Don’t wrap them up and coo in their ear every time you pick them up as if they can finally breath now that you are back.  Don’t grasp at them with one last hug like you might never see them again as you drop them off at the door.

Whatever you do, don’t stand at the window like I did because I know for a fact that that doesn’t work.

Let your kid manage his own lunchbox, bag, mittens, and coat.  Let him find or lose them as he may; learn this early on or you will be following around a hulking teenager in tenth grade searching for his science labs and bringing him salami on rye at lunchtime.

Don’t over praise.  Every piece of artwork is not a miracle.  Sometimes kids just sit at that table and paste or cut or paint because they have to.  The day they come rushing up to you about to pee their pants and waving purple card stock dangerously close to your nose; that day, pay attention.  That day, it’s important to them and even though it’s important, it’s still not Picasso.  Praise their effort and ask questions about what the hell it is because you probably won’t be able to tell, which leads us back to the Picasso thing.

Get to know your kid’s teacher.  The more invested your child’s teacher is in your child and their family, the more invested they are.  Some teachers will love despite the parents.  They will feel no prejudice even though mom has raked them across the coals for making their child participate in circle time or asked them to put junior in advanced algebra for three year olds, but we are all heartbreakingly human and have our faults so cover your bases and don’t hedge your bets; be nice.

Let’s face it, at the beginning stages of school, it is the teacher that really matters.  As a parent I could have cared less if my son was counting navy beans correctly or gluing appropriately.  All I wanted for Beau and Donovan was a teacher to think they were as special as I did.  I wanted a teacher who knew Beau always wanted to wear soft pants and hated to get his hands wet.  A teacher who noticed that Donovan never went to the Art Center and always built with blocks.  A teacher who wanted to hear my child when he told he for the fiftieth time about his favorite Thomas the Tank Engine train or a teacher who at least pretended to listen like I did sometimes at home.

Learning is important but playing and learning how to socialize is more important.  Most preschool teachers spend the first half of the year teaching kids how to behave in a group.  They teach them how to walk in a never straight, somewhat wobbly line.  They teach them how to help their fellow friend and put their belongings in their own bag.

The best lessons my kids ever learned at that age did NOT happen at a table or with a pencil in hand.

Note your child’s behavior with the teachers.  They know the difference between right and wrong and can employ it when necessary; the fact that they melt into little puddles the minute mom shows up, shows they are playing you like a fiddle, like a deck of cards, like a game of monopoly or at least trying to.

I don’t think your kids SHOULDN’T have a meltdown, kids do.  I don’t think they WON’T try to manipulate you, kids do.

But when they do, (and they will) please don’t sink to your knees and envelope them as if they have been gone for two years on a tour of duty and this is the first time in 730 days that you have laid eyes on them when they simply don’t want to put their boots on.

Don’t let your kids engage you in a drama that would rival Madame Butterfly; as I said before I have been the star of that show and not only were there no curtain calls but I’m pretty sure the teacher just wanted to close the curtains- on my face.

Zack’s book tells the tale of  a young wizard going to 6^th grade for his first (and hopefully only) time, who is faced with many hardships, and must use his powers to survive the grueling world of middle school.  Richmondmom.com sat down with Zack, his mother Geri Samuels by his side, to learn more about the process of writing a book as a pre-teen.  And for a special kid to kid perspective, my son Cameron (8-years-old), who was recently wowed when he read My Life as a Young Wizard, also joined in the fun.

Zack was quick to establish a rapport during our interview at a local café and appeared at ease as if he had been handling interviews his entire life.  He maintains that his parents are his “managers” and also shared, “My mom doesn’t  just manage my writing, but also cleaning my room.” Without missing a beat, Geri joked that managing his writing was the easy part!

CB: Why did you decide to write a book? Did you do it for the money or for the happiness?         

ZS: Well, it was a lot of work, but a lot of fun too.  The 6^th grade was a really hard year for me, and I wanted to have a record of what was going on.

CB: How long did it take to write?

ZS: About a year, give or take a few months.

CB: Who were your influences in writing the book?

ZS: J.K.Rowling for sure and Jeff Kinney.  I wanted it to be about the 6^th grade and a mix up between Harry Potter and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but with a lot more 6^th grade-ness.

ZS: How is your orange juice?

CB: Good.  What kind of juice do you like?

ZS: That’s a good question.  Grape.

RM: White or red?

GS: I vote white.  It’s less messy!

RM: Tell me about using the term “journal” in the book instead of “diary”.

ZS. Well, plain and simple, a diary is “girly” but a journal is not.

RM: Why did you choose to use a pen name or pseudonym, and why did you choose to write as Henri Maggot?

ZS: Well, I was reading a book at the time where the author used a pseudonym, and I thought that was pretty cool.  I was feeling weird the day that I chose the pseudonym, and I am also fascinated with the French language, so I made the author ¼ French.  He is also ¼ French Fry, but that is a different story. Also, I didn’t want the publisher to know I was a kid until (my manuscript) was accepted.  I didn’t want them to publish it just because I was a kid.

RM: What was your favorite part of writing the book?

ZS: Writing about action and using magic.

RM: What advice would you give to kids who struggle with reading and writing?

ZS: Read for just a few minutes a day and it adds up to thousands of minutes every year.  And the more you read, the better you write.  The better you write, the more you can read.

Zack says he has several additional books “in the works”.  When he isn’t writing, Zack enjoys playing Tennis, as well as “playing video games, playing with my sister, and playing video games with my sister!”

My Life as a Young Wizard, by Henri Maggot is available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.  For Richmond Mom’s list of Great Gift Book Ideas by Richmond authors, click here.

My kids: “Fine.” “Good.” “Okay.”

Well, that tells me nothing, and although I don’t need to be involved in every second of my children’s lives, I would like to understand more about where they spend the majority of the their weekdays.

Photo Source: AlexTakesPhotos

My favorite ways to go from “fine” to details and discussions:

Ask When They’re Trapped!

I like to ask about school when we are in the car because there are  minimal distractions as I have full radio control. You can even set it up where the kids have no toys, books or whatever they usually have in the back for this trip. If I ask when my kids are itching to do something else, I’m not even going to get  a“good” — I’ll get “goo” as my kids run off to play.

Know What To Ask!

I know my kids’ school schedule within the first few weeks so instead of asking “How was school today?” (or after asking how was school today”), I ask, “How was art?” “How was that science test?” It is often easier for kids to answer specific questions with specific answers than thinking about their entire day and summarize all the thoughts and feelings they had.

SportsCenter It!

I ask “What was the best (happiest, most exciting) part of your day?” and “What was the worst (saddest, bummer-est, most frustrating) part of your day?” We actually like to do this as a family at the dinner table, but it can be easily shifted to be just about school especially if you're getting no sense of how your kids are feeling about school. I get the highlights and the lowlights of how the day made them feel (and doesn’t SportsCenter make you FEEL!). I’m often surprised what comes up. We can then talk more about how proud my child was to be chosen to lead the class in a song or how sad they were when their best friends wouldn’t play with them. These feelings rarely came up when I only asked “How was school today?”

I hope that in establishing a routine of talking about school with my kids now, I will have an easier time as they get to be older and filled with more angst. Or I will just drive my car around and around and around until my teens tell me SOMETHING more than: “Fine, Mom.”