Back to School Basics

It's that time of the year - Back to School. While the past two months have, hopefully, been relaxing, school and activities are about to swing into full gear again. The first several weeks of school can be overwhelming for parents and students; forms have to be completed, school supplies need to be purchased - it's a whirl of activity for parents and students. We've compiled some helpful resources for parents hopefully to make the transition from lazy summer days to busy school days easier.

Cherokee County School District (CCSD) Website
www.cherokee.k12.ga.us

This is an excellent resource for parents and students. Each school in the system has its own site with teacher emails, PTA information, sports schedules, etc. Here are a few things parents can find on the website

Parent Connect Online Grade Reporting System - This service is available to the parents of 5th - 12th grade students. By signing up and receiving a password, parents have access, via the web, to their students grades, week by week, assignments due, tardy and absent record, plus more. Parents also receive email alerts when a failing grade is posted for the individual student.

Under "Other Resources," parents can find many useful links such as how to help your student with a variety of homework, including math and science. There are links to homework help sites as well as what resources are available to parents from the Cherokee County School District.

Tutoring Options

Each school in the Cherokee County School District offers the extended extension program (EXP). Students can receive additional assistance before or after school at no cost to the parents. Parents who are interested in this program, should contact their child's individual teacher. The school system also has a list of approved tutors which is updated twice a year. Parents can request this list by contacting their individual schools. There are typically nominal fees associated with these tutors which is discussed between the parent and tutor.

Backpack Flyers

Parents typically are inundated with paperwork and flyers during the first few weeks of school, and sometimes, important sign ups can be missed. While each school individually offers a variety of sign ups and activities for students, here are a few typical sign ups which occur during the first month of school.

Elementary School - Boy/Girl Scout membership drive and sign up, and co-ed basketball are two activities for which to be on the look out.

Middle/High School - Students can sign up for Intramurals (after school program), band, chorus, student council, clubs, Peer Helpers, Academic Bowl and extended day tutoring.

If your child has a particular interest, be sure to contact the individual school for more information. Students often lose or forget to bring home important sign up information.

Other Parental Links

www.familyeducation.com

Topics on this site include ADHD information, bullying, how to recognize if your child is gifted, plus much more.

www.ala.org/parentspage

American Library Association Parent's page.

www.studyweb.com

Study Web is a comprehensive research resource, indexing over 106,900 content rich academic sites.

www.superkids.com

SuperKids Educational Software Review.

www.doe.k12.ga.us/support/sss/parental.asp

Links to all parent/student resources from the Georgia Department of Education.

www.calltoparents.org

Information on Adult, Career or Vocational Education School to Work Programs.