As your child enters Hastings Middle School, this is a good opportunity to increase their independence. If you begin to make them responsible for writing in their planner, and bringing home their assignments you will be starting a strong habit. This is a habit that will serve them through all their years of school. Each night open the planner, check to see that they wrote in the planner; check to see if they brought home all of the required items; supervise their homework time, including 20 minutes of reading; and help them with a plan to turn all of the work in the next day. These habits will pay off in a big way in the future! Their job: Get it home, get it done, get it handed in!