• Set a regular study time at home with no interruptions.  Provide a quiet, well-lighted place to study.

• Keep the lines of communication open.  Talk with your children at mealtime, and don’t forget to listen.

• Keep your sixth-grader healthy and in school.

• See that he/she has adequate school supplies, especially near the holidays and the end of the school year.

• Help with homework, but don’t do it for them.  Parents can assist by giving spelling words, listening to oral reports, helping with memorizing, and proof-reading reports.

• Check your student’s folders for test and assignment grades.  Know how he/she is doing in each class.

• Encourage your child to read the daily newspaper, or at least skim the headlines.

• Give books as gifts to encourage the life-long pleasure of reading.

• Children need your praise and patience.