• Tiered Support: Parents and Schools working together for Student Success

    Students have many different, individual needs and will benefit from receiving multiple levels of support. It is important to try different interventions both at home and at school to assist your child. Not all students respond to every intervention. Be creative and remember students in junior high are in a developmentally challenging time in their life!

    The following are intervention suggestions for parents to try at home and options available at school. There are two tiers, or levels, of interventions that may be utilized to help students succeed.

    TIER ONE Interventions:

    Support At Home

    • Homework Support.  Students enter and leave junior high with many different levels of organizational skills. Helping your student to develop and maintain regular organizational strategies and procedures will benefit their academic success. Students will benefit from:
      • A designated, quiet space to do homework, free of distractions
      • Doing homework at the same time each day to develop a routine
      • Organizing completed work into class folders and/or school binder
      • Having parents/guardians ask clarifying questions and check work for accuracy
    • Maintain Structure.  Children thrive when they find balance at home and at school.
      • Sleep is vital for mental clarity and academic energy. Students in junior high are recommended to get 9-11 hours of sleep every night
      • Encourage students to get regular exercise and eat balanced healthy meals
      • Ask questions. Have conversations about what materials or supports are needed for students to feel they can do their best in school
    • Set Limits.  A child who is doing poorly in school may be a discouraged child who feels out of control. Set and enforce high standards for behavior, be clear in your expectations, help your child respect self and others, and send them to school with the conviction that rules are to be followed and learning is important.
      • Monitor time spent on video games, watching TV, YouTube, social media, and phones
      • Set a device-free time before bed. It is recommended that people of all ages have at least 30 minutes before bed without looking at a screen to help fall and stay asleep
      • Get your student an alarm clock to have in their room as an alternative to using a phone. Store phones with parents to ensure restful nights for students
    • Encouragement.  Parents are the primary coaches for children.
      • Reassure students that hard work and effort are more important than grades
      • keep students motivated through earning rewards (time to use electronics, see friends, etc.)
      • Support students to learn how to ask for help, and be confident to do so when needed
    • Tutoring.  There are times when extra support might be necessary. Tutors can be found:
      • Online, through a google search
      • Through the recommendation of a friend or acquaintance
      • Through the school

     Support At School

    • Phone Calls/ Emails.  When you have a concern about your child's learning in a class, call and leave a message for the teacher and/or email the teacher. Teachers will call/email you back in a timely manner.
    • Teacher Extra-Help. Students are encouraged to speak with teachers directly to clarify any problems and to ask for help. Students can speak to teachers at break, at lunch or at an appropriate time during class.
    • Signed Planner.  The student writes the homework (or "no homework") in the planner and takes it to the teacher to be initialed. This ensures that parents know the expectations and can check work as necessary.
    • School Counselor Help. Student’s can request to see their counselor by filling out a counseling referral slip, located at the Student Window in the office. School counselors can help students identify strategies and solutions to issues they may be experiencing.
    • Kenilworth Web Page.  School-related information is found at:  https://www.petalumacityschools.org/Kenilworth

     Have you tried all of these interventions for an extended time and your child is still not succeeding?  You might need to try a Tier Two intervention.

     TIER TWO Interventions:

    The following intervention(s) can be utilized after Tier One interventions have been implemented and given time to gage effectiveness.

    • Student Success Team Meeting (SST).  When a child experiences difficulty in several classes and multiple interventions have been tried unsuccessfully, a Student Success Team meeting brings together school personnel and parents to discuss the student’s strengths, and challenges. The team brainstorms a concrete action plan to aid in success.