Parents no longer need to wait to see their kids' grades

October 13, 2009

I love Skyward. This efficient and multi-faceted program allows teachers to record attendance and grades, a far cry from the way it used to be when we had two different programs and had to switch back and forth between them. With Skyward, when we record our students’ absences each day, we can see if they were absent to their other classes, too. It also allows us to see their standardized test scores and provides us with access to parent telephone numbers and other demographic information.

Almost on a daily basis, I have students come to me and ask, “Miss Ardis, what is my current grade?” Later, I call a parent to check on a student’s absence, only to find out the student is supposed to be in class. In both cases, I realize many parents and their children still do not know about Skyward Family Access. Access to any MISD students’ grades, attendance, schedule and much more is as close as a parent’s computer (with internet access). Parents can have this access by simply going to your child’s school and signing up. The school provides parents with a login and password. It’s that easy. Then, from the comfort of home, you can see your child’s grades every time teachers enter them. You can also check on attendance and tardies. Parents can contact teachers and add your own email addresses to the site so teachers can contact you via the internet. Having Skyward Family Access means students never have to ask teachers for their current grades because they can check them daily on their own.

Attendance continues to be a problem. A large number of students have been absent recently due to the flu. That is understandable. What isn’t acceptable is the number of students who arrive five minutes, 20 minutes, an hour, or even more after school beings. Parents play the most important role in ensuring that your children arrive to school each day on time. Students often say they are exhausted because they stayed up until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. playing video games. Countless studies have been done about the brain. Results clearly show that children need nine or more hours of sleep at night to get the peak performance from their brains. It’s often said that parenting is the most difficult job. Setting rules on sleep and school attendance is part of that demanding job.

Finally, I want to share an important word with parents of middle and high school students: planner. Having and using a planner is one of the best ways to help your child learn organizational skills. With planners, students can write down all homework assignments and tests. At home, they should get in the habit of checking each one off when the work and/or studying is completed. They should also be taught to place each completed assignment in the folder for that class so they are completely prepared when the teacher collects it the next day.

Skyward Family Access, bedtime and attendance rules, and planners… all are great ways for parents to stay on top of things and to teach your children to become organized and independent learners.



Chris Ardis, The Monitor, Rio Grande Valley, Texas