Don't Forget Merit Trip on Thursday.
February 17th......Have fun at the movies!!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Parent Involvement Essential to Successful Middle School Transition to High School
By Elizabeth Johnson Topics: Study Skills and Academics, Transitions and Readiness
The middle school transition to high school brings questions and concerns for parents and students. Starting high school can be both scary and exciting. Parents can help their young teens prepare for this monumental transition by gathering and sharing information and staying involved in their children's education.
According to Cindy Carson of the child advocacy group First Call, a positive transition to high school is one of the keys to a child's success in life. The dropout rate for ninth graders is much higher than that of other grades. Students also repeat ninth grade at a much higher rate than other grades. That's why ninth graders in particular need the attention and support of parents to get a firm foothold in high school.
When parents take the time to answer their children's high school questions and help them figure out how realistic their middle school ideas are about high school, they give their children the confidence they need to make the transition easier. Key topics to discuss during eighth grade should include the differences between middle and high school, the importance of academics, the role of friends, and organization and time management.
Studies of middle schoolers' feelings about high school show that they are excited about developing new friendships, having more freedom and more choices, and participating in extracurricular activities. At the same time, they are nervous about older students teasing or bullying them, getting lost in a big school, getting bad grades, having stricter teachers, and being able to handle harder academic work. Without dismissing their fears, parents can reassure their children that by the time they have been in high school for a month, the building will no longer seem so daunting, and they may even have some friends in upper grades.
Many school districts have implemented programs to ease the transition to high school by separating freshmen from upperclassmen in their own wing of the high school or setting up ninth grade academies to buffer ninth graders from older students. High schools may have special classes aimed at teaching ninth graders solid study skills, time management, and organizational tips, or schools may create small learning groups to help students get to know their classmates and build strong peer relationships before mingling younger students with older ones. Parents can explain the benefits of such programs to their children and encourage them to make the most of this special attention.
Another way to help middle school students make the transition is for parents to stay actively involved in the decisions their eighth graders make about high school classes. Instead of simply signing off on class schedules, parents can review class choices and discuss how they fit into the students' overall high school plans. Parents can talk about electives and encourage their children to express their individuality through elective classes.
Parents can also talk about the opportunities high school offers for making new friends: students from other middle schools, kids in other grades, and classmates from their children's middle school who were in a different social group.
Above all, parents can acknowledge that moving from middle school to high school is a major step from childhood to adulthood. Young teens need to know that their parents love them, understand them, and support them during this challenging time. Parents can provide their middle school students with a foundation of confidence by telling their kids that they are proud of them and excited to find out what they will achieve in the coming year.
Elizabeth Johnson is a freelance writer in Lansing, Michigan, whose middle schooler will benefit from these ideas next year when he heads to high school.
The middle school transition to high school brings questions and concerns for parents and students. Starting high school can be both scary and exciting. Parents can help their young teens prepare for this monumental transition by gathering and sharing information and staying involved in their children's education.
According to Cindy Carson of the child advocacy group First Call, a positive transition to high school is one of the keys to a child's success in life. The dropout rate for ninth graders is much higher than that of other grades. Students also repeat ninth grade at a much higher rate than other grades. That's why ninth graders in particular need the attention and support of parents to get a firm foothold in high school.
When parents take the time to answer their children's high school questions and help them figure out how realistic their middle school ideas are about high school, they give their children the confidence they need to make the transition easier. Key topics to discuss during eighth grade should include the differences between middle and high school, the importance of academics, the role of friends, and organization and time management.
Studies of middle schoolers' feelings about high school show that they are excited about developing new friendships, having more freedom and more choices, and participating in extracurricular activities. At the same time, they are nervous about older students teasing or bullying them, getting lost in a big school, getting bad grades, having stricter teachers, and being able to handle harder academic work. Without dismissing their fears, parents can reassure their children that by the time they have been in high school for a month, the building will no longer seem so daunting, and they may even have some friends in upper grades.
Many school districts have implemented programs to ease the transition to high school by separating freshmen from upperclassmen in their own wing of the high school or setting up ninth grade academies to buffer ninth graders from older students. High schools may have special classes aimed at teaching ninth graders solid study skills, time management, and organizational tips, or schools may create small learning groups to help students get to know their classmates and build strong peer relationships before mingling younger students with older ones. Parents can explain the benefits of such programs to their children and encourage them to make the most of this special attention.
Another way to help middle school students make the transition is for parents to stay actively involved in the decisions their eighth graders make about high school classes. Instead of simply signing off on class schedules, parents can review class choices and discuss how they fit into the students' overall high school plans. Parents can talk about electives and encourage their children to express their individuality through elective classes.
Parents can also talk about the opportunities high school offers for making new friends: students from other middle schools, kids in other grades, and classmates from their children's middle school who were in a different social group.
Above all, parents can acknowledge that moving from middle school to high school is a major step from childhood to adulthood. Young teens need to know that their parents love them, understand them, and support them during this challenging time. Parents can provide their middle school students with a foundation of confidence by telling their kids that they are proud of them and excited to find out what they will achieve in the coming year.
Elizabeth Johnson is a freelance writer in Lansing, Michigan, whose middle schooler will benefit from these ideas next year when he heads to high school.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Study Tips
PHYSICAL ARRANGEMENT OF ROOM:
• Avoid distracting stimuli in the room [television, computer (unless needed for assignment), loud air conditioner, etc.]
• Ensure that if your child is using the computer for a homework assignment, that he or she is logged out of other websites, such as youtube.com, facebook.com, or myspace.com.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES:
• Have your child record assignments in his or her agenda on a daily basis.
• Ensure that your child’s folders or binders are neat and organized.
• When homework is completed, place it into the front of your child’s folder or binder so that it is easily accessible to him or her.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND STUDYING:
• Make sure your child understands the directions for the assignment. Read the directions with him or her and discuss what the task is asking. Have your child repeat the directions to you to ensure he or she understands.
• Review key points of the assignment with your child orally. In other words, give him or her an oral quiz of main points, key vocabulary words, etc.
• Use underlining or highlighting for main ideas in a written text.
• Use index cards to create vocabulary note cards for your child.
• Break longer presentations into shorter segments, and give your child a break between each segment. For instance, once he or she has worked for a half hour on an assignment, give him or her a 15-minute break to play outside or read a magazine before he or she finishes another segment of homework.
• Cue your child to stay on task during homework time with nonverbal cues. For instance, if you notice him or her starting to become off-task, nod your head, tug at your ear, or put your hand on the table near him or her to get your child back on task.
• Changing the physical location of where someone studies has recently been shown to improve long-term memory. Mix it up!
STUDY INCENTIVES AND REWARDS:
• Give your child extra privileges or rewards for completed work or improvement in his or her grades.
• Keep it positive!
• Avoid distracting stimuli in the room [television, computer (unless needed for assignment), loud air conditioner, etc.]
• Ensure that if your child is using the computer for a homework assignment, that he or she is logged out of other websites, such as youtube.com, facebook.com, or myspace.com.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES:
• Have your child record assignments in his or her agenda on a daily basis.
• Ensure that your child’s folders or binders are neat and organized.
• When homework is completed, place it into the front of your child’s folder or binder so that it is easily accessible to him or her.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND STUDYING:
• Make sure your child understands the directions for the assignment. Read the directions with him or her and discuss what the task is asking. Have your child repeat the directions to you to ensure he or she understands.
• Review key points of the assignment with your child orally. In other words, give him or her an oral quiz of main points, key vocabulary words, etc.
• Use underlining or highlighting for main ideas in a written text.
• Use index cards to create vocabulary note cards for your child.
• Break longer presentations into shorter segments, and give your child a break between each segment. For instance, once he or she has worked for a half hour on an assignment, give him or her a 15-minute break to play outside or read a magazine before he or she finishes another segment of homework.
• Cue your child to stay on task during homework time with nonverbal cues. For instance, if you notice him or her starting to become off-task, nod your head, tug at your ear, or put your hand on the table near him or her to get your child back on task.
• Changing the physical location of where someone studies has recently been shown to improve long-term memory. Mix it up!
STUDY INCENTIVES AND REWARDS:
• Give your child extra privileges or rewards for completed work or improvement in his or her grades.
• Keep it positive!
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