Parent Involvement

Altus is unique because it transforms students. Students become self-sustaining learners and employable, self-sufficient citizens. They are inspired to love learning, to be self-motivated, self-disciplined, productive and socially adept. If academically lagging, they rapidly catch up to grade level. If academically advanced, they continue to excel and grow.  

Academic preparation requires training, and teachers and parents are the coaches. 

This is how you can coach your student for academic success!

1. Set high expectations

Make sure that your child knows that it is important to you that they give school their best effort!

2. Schedule your school day

Determine realistic timelines for completing activities, tasks and projects. Involve your child in solving scheduling problems. Establish a routine for starting your day. Set boundaries for family and friends to maximize learning time.

3. Prioritize

Is there a weekly appointment you need to keep? Put this into your schedule first. Would you like to go to the library twice a month? Plan to do this on the same day you have your appointment since you’ll already be out and about. Schedule the most important things first and everything else will fall into place. Remember that your child’s education is the number one priority.

4. Be Flexible

Respond to teachable moments. If your child is excited about a topic, go ahead and spend more time on it. Extend the learning. When your child asks a question that cannot be answered right at that moment, be sure to write it down and come back to it later to validate their curiosity.

5. Use the community around you

Education is not just reading from a book and answering questions. Take advantage of all of the wonderful things in our community to help your child learn life lessons as well as academic lessons. Altus TK-5 will schedule field trips regularly to apply and extend learning, but you should feel free to spend time learning in the wider context of our community.

6. Stay in contact with your Educational Coach

Attend all of your scheduled conferences. Conferences are designed to assist you in monitoring your child’s progress and achieving your academic goals. During these conferences, your coach will discuss your child’s learning with him/her and with you. Altus TK-5 records student attendance based upon the student’s work completion, so these conferences are also used for accountability for our school.

7. Encourage your child to READ, READ READ

No single activity is linked to academic success as much as reading. Families should find ways to incorporate a variety of reading activities every day. Not only during English/Language Arts instruction, but for other content areas, during free time, lap reading for younger children, and bedtime reading all support literacy and good reading habits. Seeing parents read their own novels or other materials during free time also encourages children to understand and value reading as an important skill.

5. Use the community around you

Education is not just reading from a book and answering questions. Take advantage of all of the wonderful things in our community to help your child learn life lessons as well as academic lessons. Altus K-5 will schedule field trips regularly to apply and extend learning, but you should feel free to spend time learning in the wider context of our community.

6. Stay in contact with your Educational Coach

Attend all of your scheduled conferences. Conferences are designed to assist you in monitoring your child’s progress and achieving your academic goals. During these conferences, your coach will discuss your child’s learning with him/her and with you. Altus K-5 records student attendance based upon the student’s work completion, so these conferences are also used for accountability for our school.

7. Encourage your child to READ, READ READ

No single activity is linked to academic success as much as reading. Families should find ways to incorporate a variety of reading activities every day. Not only during English/Language Arts instruction, but for other content areas, during free time, lap reading for younger children, and bedtime reading all support literacy and good reading habits. Seeing parents read their own novels or other materials during free time also encourages children to understand and value reading as an important skill.