Communicating with your child's school is an important part of raising a successful student. As your child embarks on her first day of school, you will more than likely have many thoughts running through your head: Will she fit in and make friends? Will she be a success? How will I know when she's done well, or if she's struggling?

You provide a good, supportive home life, but how do you make sure that same care and guidance is reflected at school?

Keeping the lines of communication open with your child's school is important but can be difficult when leading a busy life. You may have negative memories about your school days, but don't let that affect the way you communicate with your child's school.

Schools are constantly seeking partnership between parents and teachers. And research has shown that when parents take an interest in their child's schooling, children are more likely to achieve higher test scores and grades, take fewer sick days, complete more homework, and have more positive attitudes and behaviour. Your interest in your child's school will also reflect in your child's feelings about school.

If you are anxious or unsure about communicating with the school, your child may pick up on these feelings and have an equally negative attitude about school.

An interest and some involvement in your child's schooling will show her that you think education is important.

It is no longer the sole responsibility of the school to encourage successful children, as a parent's role in ensuring your child is getting the best attention and the most out of the school day is essential.

For government middle and senior schools, parents are now provided with the ease of logging online on a daily basis to find out about class assignments, grading information and attendance information. The Parent Connect online program will send a notification if your child has any unexcused absences, missing assignments or failing grades.

The Parent Connect website makes it easy for parents to communicate with their child's teacher via e-mail and keep on track with your child's progress in school.

It's also a great way of keeping track of school events with a "virtual school bulletin board", which can be helpful way of getting involved with your child's school.

Most of Bermuda's private schools also have some form of online communication system to help keep track of your child's school success.

Although opening electronic communication channels is helpful for those who find it difficult to find time, it can never replace the interactions with your child's teacher. For busy parents there are many ways to stay involved with your child's education without feeling overwhelmed.

Talk to your child

Sometimes the best person to speak with about school is your child. She may not reveal everything that is going on at school, but it's a good starting point to open up discussion about her concerns; if she's making friends or if she's participating in activities that she enjoys.

It's a good way to get an idea of your child's feelings about school, and how much she is enjoying the experience. And it is important that you listen to her concerns.

Parents' evening

As we all lead hectic lives, and teachers will need to fit in several parents during scheduled evenings, meetings can often be short.

Because of this, it is a good idea to go into a meeting as prepared as possible, with a few questions for your child's teacher along with any concerns.

The best places to look for this type of information is in your child's report or compile information from online resources such as Parent Connect.

It will give you an idea of your child's level of progress and will also highlight if there are any concerns that may require special attention.

It's also a good time to let your child's teacher know of any changes that may have occurred at home, whether a divorce or change in schedules, as this can affect the way your child performs at school, and can help her teacher understand when your child is adjusting to new surroundings.

During the meeting, some important questions you may want to ask include:

What are my child's strengths? Is she finding anything difficult, and what can I do to help? What is my child's attitude to work? Is she working hard enough? What part does my child play in classroom activities? Does she take part in class discussions? How does my child act towards other children? Is she making friends? How does my child behave? What can we do at home to help with any homework?

Informal meetings with your child's teacher can be useful and easier on the time-strapped. It can be an excellent way to get a well-rounded view of how your child is doing at school and an opening to future contact.

Raising issues

Whether a falling out over friends or issues with schoolwork, problems at school may arise.

You should never feel bad about raising any of your concerns, especially if you feel your child is not achieving her goals. Remember that you are an expert on your child and you know what's best for her.

If a problem does arise, it's best to listen to your child and gauge what issues she is having.

Then speak to her teacher, making sure to be open and listen to her suggestions, and work together to design a plan that will work for both your child and the school.

And remember, just because your child is polite at home, doesn't mean that's always the case when she is away from you. Don't get defensive when a teacher raises concerns with you. Work together to help your child.