Is there a compelling reason why BLA does not offer a way for parents (and students) to check what homework assignments have been given?  My siblings who live in small towns in Minnesota and in Oklahoma are able to access their children’s assignments daily at their (public) schools website.  This alone would make an enormous difference for us as parents to twin 8th grade boys at BLA.  Getting adequate and accurate info from them is defeating us.  One of them has an IEP and is particularly challenged in the “executive function/organizational area”, and believe me, Ms. Friel would have alot of her time with him freed up if we could just get accurate homework information.  This alone would probably free up enough funding to pay for the resource.  (I joke - but it is how it feels).  It would free up so much emotional energy for us as parents that we could spend time volunteering for the school and attending SPC meetings and stuff.  Next year we will (probably) have another set of twins in BLA’s 7th grade.  Please oh please oh please....  what must be done to get daily assignment access online?  Tess

Right now, as far as I know, there is no requirement that teachers post homework online. However, I know that some teachers do so. (For example, Ms. Rivera, who teaches eighth grade Latin has her own Web site.) When you go to Back to School Night, ask your sons’ teachers if they use the Web for assignments, etc. If they don’t, ask for their e-mail addresses and explain your dilemma. Don’t be afraid to ask them to keep in contact with you regularly concerning your children. Sometimes there’s so much to do that they forget, but if you e-mail them each week, that should remind them.

I would also suggest that you visit with your children’s guidance counselor at Back to School Night. Guidance counselors will be available in the upper library. Some guidance counselors will be keeping in touch by e-mail.

By the fourth day of school I had three phone calls from teachers, by the fifth I’d spoken to Ms. Evans (8th grade guidance) twice and been in to see Ms. Friel as well.  I am in the process of gathering all the teachers emails at this moment.  My concern (and experience from last year) is that there is a point at which all this activity results in an exhausted ennui on everybodies part.  So far, I believe teachers still haven’t received IEP information, so one son has not yet received the extra time he is to be given for tests and that sort of thing.  I can be the squeaky wheel, the pushy parent, but I HATE it.  And my husband is so traumatized by it all that he has opted out of going to Back to School night and panics everytime the phone rings (it might be the school!)

I am so glad that the teachers called and are concerned and all together we can get this kid on track, but just this one missing thing....  knowing exactly what the homework is each day, would save all of us so much time, trouble and trauma.  I will make my way to the parents meetings and etc, and I’ll advocate for this there.  If anyone has ideas or strategies about how to pull it off, I’d be grateful.