GRF PARENT SUPPORT TEAM (PST)

GRF PARENT SUPPORT TEAM (PST)

The GRF Parent Support Team is a district-wide group of parents, teachers, and administrators working together to support the parents and students of GRF with mentorship, resources, and family events.

PARENTING RESOURCES

RESPONSIBILITY / ORGANIZATION

Being more organized/responsible helps a student…

  • Feel more capable and less stressed.

  • Create strong routines that help them feel safe and secure.

  • Work as a better team with their parent(s)/guardian(s), friends, classmates, teachers, administrators, etc.

  • Develop life skills for success!

Parenting Tips for helping a student be more responsible/organized…

  • If your student SEES something, they are more likely to REMEMBER it. Use checklists, sticky notes, school planners, phone reminders, or even an app (Remember the Milk is a free to-do list app for older students).

  • Keep it simple.

  • Work WITH your student–as a team–to develop a plan.

  • Show your student ways that you organize your own life or use the skill of responsibility.

  • For Junior High/High School students, ask:

    • What are your ideas to be more responsible/organized?

    • How can I support you on this goal?

 SETTING  BOUNDARIES

Healthy boundaries help a student…

  • Feel safe, secure, and loved.

  • Respect authority and learn to trust others.

  • Make choices that honor their health, safety, and character.

  • Work as a better team with their parent(s)/guardian(s), friends, classmates, teachers, administrators, etc.

Parenting Tips for setting healthy boundaries…

  • Set boundaries around your student’s health, safety, and character and let other things go.

  • Use boundaries to teach—“This is why this boundary is good for you.”

  • Use boundary-setters (see resource) to create less conflict.

  • For junior high/high school students—work as a team to create healthy boundaries that you ALL agree on.

CONNECTIONS

Close, positive connections to a parent/guardian helps a student…

  • Feel safe, secure, loved, and valued.

  • Build more respect for their parent/guardian and be more willing to follow the parent/guardian’s boundaries.

  • Develop a healthier self-esteem and feel more capable to learn and try new things.

  • Work as a better team with parent(s)/guardian(s), friends, teachers, etc.

Parenting Tips for connecting with your student…

  • Spend time with your student one-on-one and as a family as often as possible.

  • Find what works for you and your family.

  • Make connecting a priority—put in on your calendar, set reminders on your phone, etc.

HONESTY

Learning to be honest helps a student…

  • Recognize that everyone makes mistakes.

  • Take responsibility for their mistakes and find ways to make things right.

  • Grow in becoming a person of integrity and someone that others can trust.

  • Work as a better team with their parent(s)/guardian(s), friends, classmates, teachers, administrators, etc.

Parenting Tips for helping a student be more honest…

  • Create a safe place for your student to make mistakes.

  • Stay calm and teach them what to do when they make a mistake (see the 4 A’s resource).

  • Talk about honesty together and share how you show honesty.

  • Thank your child anytime they show honesty.

COMPASSION

Learning compassion helps a student…

  • Understand the needs of others.

  • Learn to show empathy to someone else’s feelings or situation.

  • Gain a better understand of themselves and their own needs.

  • Have healthier relationships.

Parenting Tips for teaching your student to have more compassion…

  • Show compassion towards others (including your student).

  • Give your student opportunities to serve others in their school or community.

COURAGE

Learning how to find courage helps a student…

  • Gain confidence to try new things.

  • Learn how to overcome challenges in life.

Parenting tips for teaching your student to be more courageous…

  • Give them positive quotes to say like “I think I can…I think I can.”

  • Let them know you believe in them, but you’re also there to support them: “I believe in you, but if you need my help, I’m here for you!”

  • Give them opportunities to try new things…fail…and try again.

JUSTICE

Learning about justice helps a student…

  • Recognize the need for every human to have equal rights and to be respected.

  • Seek peace instead of conflict.

  • Work as a team with all people.

  • Understand their own needs and communicate them respectfully.

  • Find ways to serve others and make the world a better place for everyone.

Parenting tips for teaching your student about justice…

  • Find ways to serve others in the community together (be a voice for others who may be overlooked or ignored).

  • Brainstorm ideas with your student on how your family can make the world a better place.

  • Treat everyone with respect.

  • Solve any conflict with a peaceful discussion.

  • If your student feels something is unfair, listen to your student’s side and find a compromise you both agree on.

KINDNESS

Learning about kindness helps a student…

  • Increase their awareness of their words and actions.

  • Recognize the power they have to end bullying by being kind instead.

Parenting Tips for teaching your student about kindness…

  • Model kindness and speak kindly to your student and to others.

  • Make kindness a family rule/expectation (and post it where your student can see it).

  • Talk about kindness and thank your student anytime they are kind.

  • If you or your student don’t do or say something kind the first time, do a “rewind” and try it again.

APPRECIATION

Learning about appreciation helps a student:

  • “See the good…say the good” about themselves and others.

  • View challenges in life as opportunities to learn.

  • Have a more positive outlook and growth mindset.

Parenting Tips for teaching your student about appreciation…

  • Show your student appreciation by thanking them for a job well done or for simply just being who they are!

  • “See the good…say the good” about yourself and others.

  • Use words of appreciation like “thank you”, “grateful”, “blessed”.

Citizenship

Learning about citizenship helps a student…

  • Gain a sense of belonging within their home, school, community, country, and even in the world.

  • Find purpose in serving others and making their world a better place.

  • Grow in integrity, respect, and teamwork.

Parenting Tips for teaching your student about good citizenship…

  • Model good citizenship by respecting yourself and others.

  • Provide opportunities for your student to serve others—starting at home and moving to the neighborhood, school, community, and country.

  • Teach what integrity truly means—doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

Hope

Learning to have Hope helps a student…

  • Develop a sense of optimism.

  • Build healthy coping strategies to get through hard times.

  • Understand that their positive attitude toward a situation or circumstance can give them power over it.

Parenting Tips for teaching your student to be hopeful…

  • Model hopefulness and share about a hard time that you got through.

  • Provide a safe place for your student to share their feelings and show them empathy.

  • Empower your student to see what an amazing problem-solver they are and that no problem is too big for them to find a solution to overcome it.

Confidence

Learning to be confident helps a student…

  • Gain decision-making and problem-solving skills.

  • Develop a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

  • Build resilience and healthy coping skills to overcome challenges and hardships.

Parenting Tips for teaching your student to be confident…

  • Provide opportunities to try again and get things right.

  • Help your student build the skills they are good at and practice things they aren’t.

  • Guide your student in learning from their mistakes and empowering them with skills to make improvements for next time.