Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Ways to Encourage Students to Become more KNOWLEDGEABLE and a Better COMMUNICATOR

10. Encourage your child to express and communicate his/her thoughts and feelings.

9. Make school and learning a priority at home.

8. Encourage your child to express him/herself through writing and drawing.

7. Ask your child what he/she learned at school that day.

6. Model and encourage good listening skills.

5. When possible, encourage the learning of another language.

4. Play charades.

3. Learn about and discuss globally relevant topics.

2. Learn about a new topic of interest.

1. Encourage students to write or email relatives or pen-pals.

Top 10 Ways to Encourage Student Growth as a THINKER and an INQUIRER

10. Play 20 Questions

9. Talk out lound when you are making decisions to model decision making skills.

8. Ask questions while having dinner at home or at a restaurant.

7. Encourage children to learn about new topics of interest.

6. Visit hometown museums or city museums when traveling.

5. Read alound to your children asking them to predict outcomes and discuss character traits and behaviors.

4. Encourage curiosity.

3. Talk out lound when you are thinking about ideas and information.

2. Play boardgames that involve thinking skills (Clue, Mastermind, Apples to Apples, Jenga, etc.)

1. Research topics of interest with your child.

Tips for Parents on Keeping Children Drug Free
As we celebrate Red Ribbon Week it is important to remember and review tips that help us keep our children drug free. For your convenience, I have copied information from the government website:

www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/drugfree /index.html

Tips for Your Elementary School Child for Staying Drug Free

A child this age usually shows increasing interest in the world outside the family and home. Discuss how anything you put in your body that is not food, water or juice can be extremely harmful, and how drugs interfere with the way our bodies work and can make a person very sick or even cause them to die. (Most children of this age have had real-life experiences with the death of a relative or a friend's relative.) Explain the idea of addiction—that drug use can become a very bad habit that is hard to stop. Praise your children for taking good care of their bodies and avoiding things that might harm them.

By the time your children are in third grade, they should understand that:

  • foods, poisons, medicines and illegal drugs differ;

  • medicines prescribed by a doctor and administered by a responsible adult may help during illness but can be harmful if misused, and therefore children need to stay away from any unknown substance or container; and

  • adults may drink in moderation but children may not, even in small amounts because it's harmful to children's developing brains and bodies.

Before leaving elementary school, your children should know:

  • the immediate effects of alcohol, tobacco and drug use on different parts of the body, including coma and death;

  • the long-term consequences of drug use, including addiction and loss of control of one's life;

  • the reasons why drugs are especially dangerous for growing bodies; and

  • the problems that alcohol and other illegal drugs cause not only to the user, but to the user's family and the world.

Questions elementary school children frequently ask about drugs:

  • Why would people want to put bad things in their bodies?

    • One answer might be that they might not realize how dangerous the bad things are; another is that they are not taking care of themselves. Sometimes people start using a drug just to see what it feels like, but it can turn into an addiction (like cigarettes) and it's very hard to stop using it.

  • Why can't I taste that "grown-up" drink?

    • A small amount of alcohol has a much greater negative effect on a child's body than on an adult's; even a small amount can sicken a child.

Planning for College/Career

Planning for college and a career can't wait until high school. Talking about and planning for college should begin in Elementary school. Here is a list of 10 things to do now to prepare your child for his/her college experience and career choice.

10) Talk about and expose your child to various careers. Perhaps you could have family members and/or friends share about their career with your child. Arrange for your child to "go to work" with family members.

9) Talk about and visit colleges. When you are driving through a town with a college - go by the college. If you are unable to physically visit a college - take an online virtual tour of the school.

8) View college photos with your child. Show him/her where you went to school and talk about your learning experience. If you don't have a college experience, have a friend or family member share their experience.

7) Dream with your child. Let your child know why you want him/her to attend college - share your hopes with them.

6) Take your child to work with you one day.

5) Explore your child's interests with him or her and make the connection between their interests and possible careers.

4) Talk to your child about his/her own dreams for the future. Find out what he/she wants to do for a career.

3) Research, with your child, colleges that specialize in his/her area of interest.

2) Encourage your child in school. Keep up with his/her grades, attendance, and behavior.

1) Ensure that your child gets a good foundation in reading, writing, and mathmatics - these are the building blocks for a successful education.

Bullying Prevention

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. For children, bullying can take many forms such as hitting, teasing (name calling), intimidation or insults. It hurts feelings, bodies or property, and can create social exclusions. Please consider the following Top Ten Tips for 'what to do if' and bullying prevention at school.

10) Keep open lines of communication with your child.

9) Listen carefully to what your child tells you about bullying behavior.

8) Empathize with your child.

7) Do not encourage physical retaliation.

6) Do not contact the parents of the student who bullied your child. School personnel should contact the parents of the child who did the bullying.

5) Help your child become more confident among his or her peers.

4) Encourage your child to make contact with friendly students in her or his class.

3) Help your child meet new friends outside of the school environment.

2) Teach your child safety strategies.

1) Let you child know that you are working with the staff at school to find a solution to stop the bullying.

Tips for Staying Motivated

As the New Year begins many of us set goals and try to make improvements in our lives. Here are some tips that will help you with motivation.

  • Set aside time each week to do something you enjoy. This will help you manage stress and be more productive.
  • Write down and visualize your goals. Positive thinking and concrete planning ensures success.
  • Write down your "blessings" - make a gratitude list. Refer to the list when facing challenges or discouragement.
  • Practice self-affirmations by placing encouraging notes and reminders in prominent places.
  • Spend time with cheerful people. Avoid those who are negative, pessimistic, or glum.
  • Establish a support team that encourages and believes in you.
  • Break down goals into small tasks or steps. Try to accomplish a little at a time.
  • Remember that setbacks are inevitable and should be considered temporary.
  • Celebrate small successes.
  • Reward yourself when you have done a good job or have reached one of your goals.

Test-Taking Strategies - Ways Parents Can Help

During the months of February, March, and April, students in grades 2-5 will be participating in various state testing initiatives. We have students who will be taking the RPTE test, TAKS test, and SDAA test. Testing can be a stressful time for students. There are ways parents can support children through this stressful time by offering emotional support and practical support.

10. See that your child has a good night's rest.

9. See that your child eats a good breakfast the morning of the test.

8. See that your child arrives at school on time and is relaxed.

7. See that your child wears comfortable clothing on the test day.

6. Encourage your child to do his/her best work.

5. Do not remove your child from school on test days for appointments.

4. Do something special and relaxing the afternoon or evening before a test.

3. Discuss the test openly and in a positive way. Help them approach the test with a good attitude.

2. Have realistic expectations of your child's performance and do not put undue pressure on your child to perform.

1. Emphasize that test scores do not determine a person's worth.

Encouraging Students

Learning how to encourage children is not simply using the right words, saying 'thank you's' for jobs well done, or giving pats-on-the-back when things don't go smoothly. The encouraging adult teaches ideas to help children view life experiences in encouraging ways. Encouraged children do not have to depend on praise from adults in order to make up their minds to keep trying in difficult situations ie. learning something new, making new friends, or taking TAKS. Below you will find 10 tips for encouraging your children/students.

1. Assist your child to get beyond perfectionism and teach them to handle their mistakes. Making mistakes (being imperfect) are natural parts of life. Teach your child to use mistakes as stepping stones. Show this same attitude toward your own mistakes and show empathy.

2. Set suitable standards and expectations. Consider your child's current level of performance, estimate how much your child can improve, and help them set up an expectation for a higher level of performance.

3. Always express faith in their ability. Believe in their final success. Allow your child to face a task that is challenging and difficult and trust your child's ability to cope. Building confidence helps children handle challenges and difficult situations.

4. Emphasize your child's strengths. Always focus on strengths and successes instead of constantly pointing out failures or weaknesses.

5. Help your child understand that asking for help is a excellent way to begin tackling a difficult task.

6. When you help your child, don't give so much that your child feels like you do not have faith in their abilities. Giving too much undermines their ability to cope and build self confidence. Offer help but never force it on your child.

7. Avoid the pitfalls of discouragement by helping your child break down challenging tasks into small parts and emphasize the importance of slowing down when working on extra hard tasks.

8. Help your child develop a healthy sense of personal power. Assist him/her in understanding that he/she has control over actions, behavior, and in some instances environment. This power is used to positively impact his/her world; however, personal power should not be used to control or exploit others.

9. Encourage your child by letting him/her know that you and others are grateful and appreciate your child's actions and effort.

10. Avoid comparing one child to another. The only safe comparison is contrasting your child's current and past skill levels in order to show progress.

Promoting Tolerance

The following has been taken from the Teaching Tolerance website. This organization provides useful information on celebrating differences and promoting tolerance. Visit their website at www.teachingtolerance.org for more information including books to read and other resources.

TEN WAYS TO talk about tolerance.

1. Tolerance is an ongoing process; it cannot be captured in a single moment. Establish a high "comfort level" for open dialogue about social issues. Let children know that no subject is taboo.

2. Identify intolerance when children are exposed to it. Point out stereotypes and cultural misinformation depicted in movies, TV shows, computer games and other media. Challenge bias when it comes from friends and family members. Do not let the moment pass. Begin with a qualified statement: "Andrew just called people of XYZ faith 'lunatics.' What do you think about that, Zoe?" Let children do most of the talking.

3. Challenge intolerance when it comes from your children. When a child says or does something that reflects biases or embraces stereotypes, point it out: "What makes that joke funny, Jerome?" Guide the conversation toward internalization of empathy and respect -- "Mimi uses a walker, honey. How do you think she would feel about that joke?" or "How did you feel when Robbie made fun of your glasses last week?"

4. Support your children when they are the victims of intolerance. Respect children's troubles by acknowledging when they become targets of bias. Don't minimize the experience. Provide emotional support and then brainstorm constructive responses. Develop a set of "comebacks" for children who are victims of name-calling.

5. Foster a healthy understanding of group identities. For tweens and teens, group identity is critical. Remind them, however, of three things. First, pride in our own groups does not mandate disrespect for others. Second, no group is entitled to special privileges. Third, we should avoid putting other groups down as a way to elevate the status of our own groups.

6. Showcase diversity materials in your home. Read books with multicultural and tolerance themes to your children. Assess the cultural diversity reflected in your home's artwork, music and literature. Add something new. Give multicultural dolls, toys or games as gifts. Bookmark equity and diversity Web sites on your home computer.

7. Create opportunities for children to interact with people who are different from them. Look critically at how a child defines "normal." Expand the definition. Visit playgrounds where a variety of children are present -- people of different races/ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, family structures, etc. Encourage a child to spend time with elders - grandparents, for example. Attend religious services at a variety of houses of worship.

8. Encourage children to call upon community resources. The earlier children interact with the community, the better; we are not islands unto ourselves. If a child is interested in stars, visit the local library, museum or planetarium. A child who is concerned about world hunger can volunteer at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter.

9. Be honest about differences. Do not tell children that we are all the same; we're not. We experience the world in different ways, and those experiences matter. Help your child understand the viewpoints of others.

10. Model the behavior you would like to see. As parents and as children's primary role models, we must be consistent in how we treat others and in our commitment to tolerance. If we as parents treat people differently based on characteristics such as race or gender, our children are likely to do the same.

NURTURE TOLERANCE FIGHT HATE. PROMOTE TOLERANCE. TOLERANCE.ORG a web project of the southern poverty law center w w w. t o l e ra n c e. o r g / p a r e n t s /

Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is the way we think and feel about ourselves. It is important that children develop a strong sense of worth and confidence. Self-esteem positively influences a child's academic success and social skills in school. As parents, you have the greatest impact on your child's self-esteem. As the new school year begins, please consider these ways of nurturing self-esteem in your child.

10) Show frequent affection to your child with smiles and hugs

9) Offer regular praise and encouragement

8) Listen to your child

7) Be careful with criticism

6) Encourage your child with reminders of past successes

5) Help your child set reasonable goals

4) Support his or her learning by attending school events and conferences

3) Help your child explore his/her special talents and interests

2) Establish effective and appropriate morning and evening routines

1) Remember to be a good role model