Sometimes New Year resolutions seem silly. People don’t keep them and then make jokes about not being able to stick to their resolve.

But one of the things we teach our students at Heritage is the importance of setting goals and then taking the steps necessary to meet them. That is essentially what a resolution is: a goal for a brand new year.

While a new school year starts in August, the new calendar year can be another time to set academic goals. Parents can help students “refocus” at this time of year. Help them see the new calendar year as the perfect time to come back to school, after an extended break, with a new attitude and new energy for excelling.

There are two arenas for resolutions relating to academics. Some school resolutions might be:

• Pay more attention in class
• Turn in homework every day
• Write down my assignments
• Write down information on the board
• Be on time to every class

Some resolutions for home that can help at school might be:

• Start homework earlier in the evening
• Get to bed on time for a good night’s sleep
• Eat a good breakfast every morning
• Turn off the TV and read for 30 minutes every night
• Stop procrastinating on major projects

Whatever goals you set for yourself, we wish you and your family a very Happy New Year!