Six Ways You Can Intentionally Help Your Children Succeed At School

As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. When parents and families are involved in their children’s schools, the children do better and have better feelings about going to school. In fact, many studies show that what the family does is more important to a child’s school success than how much money the family makes or how much education the parents have. There are many ways that parents can support their children’s learning at home and throughout the school year. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Develop a partnership with your child’s teachers and school staff

1. Meet your child’s teacher. As soon as the school year starts, try to find a way to meet your child’s teacher. Let the teacher know you want to help your child learn. Make it clear that you want the teacher to contact you if any problems develop with your child. Talk with your child’s teacher offers some great tips for developing a partnership with your child’s teacher.

If you feel uncomfortable speaking English, don’t let a language barrier stop you. What you have to say is more important than the language you say it in! Ask the school to find someone who can interpret for you. There may be a teacher or parent liaison who can help. Or you can bring a bilingual friend or relative with you.

Kids raising hands during a lesson at an elementary school: Stock Image

2. Get to know who’s who at your child’s school. There are many people at your child’s school who are there to help your child learn, grow socially and emotionally, and navigate the school environment. Who’s Who at Your Child’s School describes the responsibilities of teachers, administrators, and district staff. Each school is different but this article will offer a general introduction to personnel of your child’s school.

3. Attend parent-teacher conferences and keep in touch with your child’s teacher. Schools usually have one or two parent-teacher conferences each year. You can bring a friend to interpret for you or ask the school to provide an interpreter. You can also ask to meet with your child’s teacher any time during the year. If you have a concern and can’t meet face-to-face, send the teacher a short note or set up a time to talk on the phone. For more ideas about how to prepare for parent-teacher conferences, see Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences at Your Child’s School.

Support your child academically

4. Find out how your child is doing. Ask the teacher how well your child is doing in class compared to other students. If your child is not keeping up, especially when it comes to reading, ask what you or the school can do to help. It’s important to act early before your child gets too far behind. Also be sure to review your child’s report card each time it comes out. For more information, see How To Know When Your Child Needs Extra Help.

Young African schoolboys smiling to camera in a playground: Getty Images

5. Apply for special services if you think your child may need it. If your child is having problems with learning, ask the school to evaluate your child in his or her strongest language. The teacher might be able to provide accommodations for your child in class. If the school finds out your child has a learning disability, he can receive extra help at no cost. For more information, see Where To Go For Help.

6. Make sure that your child gets homework done. Let your child know that you think education is important and that homework needs to be done each day. You can help your child with homework by setting aside a special place to study, establishing a regular time for homework, and removing distractions such as the television and social phone calls during homework time. Helping Your Child With Homework offers some great ideas for ensuring that your child gets homework done.

If you are reluctant to help your child with homework because you feel that you don’t know the subject well enough or because you don’t speak or read English, you can help by showing that you are interested, helping your child get organized, providing the necessary materials, asking your child about daily assignments, monitoring work to make sure that it is completed, and praising all of your child’s efforts. Remember that doing your child’s homework for him won’t help him in the long run.

Culled from www.colorincolorado.org/

COMMUNIQUE: RESOLUTIONS AT CAN’S 4TH QUARTERLY NEC MEETING

COMMUNIQUE OF THE CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (CAN) AT THE END OF THE 4TH QUARTERLY MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 11TH NOVEMBER, 2021 AT THE NATIONAL ECUMENICAL CENTRE, ABUJA.

The 4th quarterly meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) was held at the National Christian Centre Abuja on Thursday, 11th November, 2021 under the chairmanship of the CAN President, His Eminence, Rev. Dr. Supo Ayokunle. In attendance were the other members of CAN national Executive, heads of the five Blocs of CAN, delegates from the Blocs, chairperson of the Women Wing (WOWICAN) and Youth Wing (YOWICAN) of CAN and other prominent Christian leaders in Nigeria.  During the NEC meeting, the Council deliberated on many issues affecting the Body of Christ in Nigeria and the well-being of Nigerians in general. Notable among these issues are:

1. The National Executive Council appreciates the recent efforts of the Security agencies for the prompt action taken to rescue the Staff Members of the Federal University of Abuja who were recently kidnapped. However, it admonishes the Federal Government and Security Agencies to be more proactive to stop with immediate effect, the spate of kidnapping in the country especially in Kaduna State where kidnapping is now almost a daily occurrence. CAN challenges the Security Agencies to respond quickly to distress calls and protect the lives and properties of Nigerians. It further calls on the Federal Government to do all it can to release the abducted innocent people in captivity unconditionally without further loss of lives.

2. On the need  for prompt action by security Agencies, CAN also wishes to advise the Federal, States and Local Government Areas to immediately initiate  an all inclusive security dialogue with all stakeholders. This  will help towards finding a lasting solution to the security challenges.

3. CAN enjoins the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to be consistent about the information it puts on its website. It particularly noticed that the telephone numbers on its website are not functioning. It should do all it takes to help educate and constantly update Nigerians about the challenges of COVID-19 and the availability or otherwise of COVID vaccines.  

4. CAN advises the Federal Government to put in place a better administration of the QR Barcode reader payment required for returning to Nigeria from overseas. A situation where Nigerians are subjected to intimidations abroad because of the negligence of duty of the officials is very embarrassing. Also, the ugly practice by some Government officials extorting money from citizens coming back home without remitting same to government coffers must be checked.

5. CAN acknowledges the resilience of Nigerians in view of the prevailing economic hardships and insecurities in the country and advises the Federal Government to not worsen the situation with increasing electricity tariffs, prices of cooking gas, and merely allocating funds for maintenance of roads without corresponding visible impacts.

6. CAN wants the general public to know that it now has a new (amended) constitution which was adopted by the General Assembly and signed into law by the CAN President on 25th February 2021. It therefore, calls on the Christian faithful to get themselves acquainted with the provisions of the new constitution. It also admonishes believers to take ownership of the Association so as to appreciate the workings and operations of CAN.

7. As the nation prepares for the electioneering campaigns towards the 2023 General Elections, CAN urges all Christians and citizens that are of age to without delay take advantage of INEC’s re-validation of voters’ cards exercise and register to get  their voters’ cards. Politicians should conduct themselves in a manner that will bring peace and unity. Youths should not allow any selfish office seeker to use them to cause violence before, during and after the politicking exercise.

8.  CAN prays for the Government and people of Nigeria.

9. As we approach Christmas and the New year, CAN commits Nigeria to the hands of God and wishes all of us a wonderful celebration in advance. 

Barrister Joseph Bade Daramola  (General Secretary CAN.)

eNAIRA: BASIC QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

WHAT IS eNAIRA?

eNaira is a central bank digital currency (CBDC) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria as a legal tender. It is the digital form of the Naira and will be used just like cash.

WHAT IS AN eNAIRA WALLET?

The eNaira wallet is a digital storage that holds the eNaira. It is held and managed on a distributed ledger.

The eNaira wallet is required to access, hold and use eNaira.

IS eNAIRA A CRYPTOCURRENCY?

No, it is not.

• eNaira is a legal tender backed by law, the full sovereignty of Nigeria, and issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

• Cryptocurrencies are private digital currencies, not backed by law, underlying assets or by the sovereignty of any nation. They are not legal tender currencies.

• eNaira is a unit of account, store of value and medium of exchange.

• Cryptocurrencies do not have all these qualities

WHAT MAKES eNAIRA DIFFERENT FROM THE MONEY IN MY BANK ACCOUNT?

• eNaira is the digital form of the cash and is a direct liability on the Central Bank of Nigeria while the customer deposits are direct liabilities on the financial institutions.

IN A TYPICAL TRANSACTION, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ONLINE BANK TRANSACTION AND eNAIRA WALLET?

There are intermediaries for the typical online bank transactions, whereas for eNaira transactions, there are no intermediaries.

WHAT IS THE PRIMARY ROLE OF THE CBN WITH RESPECT TO eNAIRA?

In line with Section 2 of the CBN Act 2007, the CBN is the issuing authority of all forms of Naira.

The Central bank will also be responsible for determining the technical, regulatory and operational standards for eNaira to guide financial institutions.

WILL eNAIRA REPLACE CASH?

No, it will circulate alongside cash. The eNaira will complement cash as a less costly, more efficient, generally accepted, safe, and trusted means of payment.

IS eNAIRA SAFE?

eNaira is safe and secured with cryptographic techniques against counterfeiting, cloning, and other forms of attack.

As an eNaira holder, am I assured of data privacy?

Yes. Similar to the privacy enjoyed by current online banking patrons, the eNaira system has been designed to ensure data and user privacy. There are also operational policies and procedures in place to protect users’ identity and privacy.

WHO CAN ACCESS eNAIRA?

Similar to cash, any person or business can have access to eNaira as long as they have the requirements for onboarding.

WHAT IS THE EXCHANGE RATE BETWEEN eNAIRA AND PHYSICAL NAIRA?

The eNaira will have the same value as the physical naira. As such, it will be exchanged one to one.

How do I access eNaira?

Customers will be able to access eNaira via the eNaira wallet in app stores such as Google Play store and the Apple App store.

HOW ARE eNAIRA WALLETS CREATED?

• For smart phone users, download the eNaira app (termed “Speed”) from either the Google Play Store or Apple Store and complete the registration process.

• Feature phone users, will utilize USSD codes and follow the registration prompts

How do I get eNaira into my eNaira wallet?

There are several ways to do so

• Direct transfer from your bank account;

• Transfer from another wallet either individual or merchant;

• Cash payment through an agent or a bank

How do I connect my eNaira wallet to my bank account?

The eNaira app allows customers to identify a bank of their choice, connect to their bank accounts and perform transactions.

HOW DO I CREATE A MERCHANT eNAIRA WALLET FOR MY BUSINESS?

To create an eNaira wallet as a merchant/corporate, you will be required to follow the required steps:

• Visit app stores such as Google Play Store or Apple Store to download the eNaira wallet;

• Register by providing your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and identify a bank of your choice for validation;

• Upon successful validation of a merchant’s details by a preferred bank, the merchant’s bank will create a wallet and advise the merchant

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TIERS OF eNAIRA WALLETS THAT I CAN OPEN AS A MERCHANT?

• As a merchant/corporate, you can open a merchant wallet with full KYC requirements for opening a merchant/ corporate account. The stipulated limits on the wallet are as follows:

Category: Account Holders

Requirement: BVN, TIN and Bank confirmation

Daily Transaction Limit (NGN): No Limit

Daily Cumulative Balance (NGN): No Limit

HOW DO I RESOLVE FAILED TRANSACTIONS OR RAISE ENQUIRES ON eNAIRA?

• Reach out to the customer support of the bank you selected when registering for eNaira through their available channels which includes: phone (0800myenaira), email, whatsapp, etc Disputes will be resolved as soon as possible.

• If a customer’s complaints are not resolved within 48 hours, send an email to CBN’s eNaira Customer Support via helpdesk@enaira.com

IS eNAIRA WALLET SAFE?

• Yes. The eNaira system uses a two-factor authentication system in addition to cryptographic encryption to ensure the safety of customers’ wallets and the eNaira holding.

HOW DO I RESET MY PASSWORD?

You can also rest your password within the App by navigating the settings menu.