School Calendars

Once your own children are through school it's easy to be out of touch with the regular school calendar, not to mention what's going on in schools these days.

One way to stay current is to request a school calendar.

Some school districts send these out or post them online in an effort to keep the community, not to mention taxpayers, informed. For a grandparent with grandchildren in a school district, a school calendar is an especially valuable document.

School calendars give you dates to remember: concerts, sporting events, plays, testing, vacations. For grandparents, having these dates is a short-cut into your grandchild's lives.

If you know when things are happening it's easier to plan how you can show interest and be involved in your grandchild's life. A school calendar allows you to get something on your calendar ahead of time. Even if you can't attend an event, you can call or drop your grandchild a card about it.

You can also use a school calendar as a prayer guide for your grandchild and for her school.

And a school calendar alerts you ahead of time to the days your grandchild will be off school – opportunity days! These are the days you can invite your grandchild to spend with you. Whether these are special event days – a trip to the zoo, or shopping, or working on some special project together – or just a “hang out with grandma” day – knowing ahead of time gives you a chance to plan something you both will enjoy.

If you're a mom looking for ways to engage your child's grandparents, send them a copy of your child's school calendar with a note filling in a few interesting details about your child's life at school. And if you are a grandparent, it's not too late to ask your grandchild's parent (or school) for a school calendar. It's a tool every grandparent can use, one way or another!