Can there be TOO much of a good thing? Read on and let me know your thoughts!

For us as parents it seems very difficult at times to know how to say “no” to our children, especially if they are obedient, good students and well mannered.  Here is some interesting information about giving our children too much.

To Spoil or Not to Spoil, that is The Question!


There are three big negative consequence of "spoiling" our children on the material level:
1) It fosters addictive behavior - filling up from the outside with things and activities rather than filling up from the inside through caring and creativity. Too many adults are addicted to spending or other activities to fill up their emptiness. If they are stressed, instead of dealing with the source of their stress - which is generally some way they are not taking care of themselves - they cover their feelings with some addictive behavior such as spending, TV, food, alcohol, and so on. When we offer our children too many toys, too many activities, too much comfort food, or allow too much TV, we are not loving them. We are training them to be addicted.
2) Often parents provide things and activities for their children while denying their own needs. It’s  not loving to children to give in to their every demand, especially if it means putting yourself aside. When you constantly give in to your children and deny your own needs, children learn that it’s okay to disregard others needs and be demanding brats. Children may not learn to consider others if you do not expect them to consider you by considering yourself. They will learn to treat you the way you treat yourself, so it is not loving to your children to disregard yourself. When you disrespect yourself, you teach your children to be disrespectful.

3) One of the big issues in our society is that children learn to identify their self-worth with others’ approval for how they look, how many toys they have, how expensive their clothes are. Unless parents show their children that they value them for their inner qualities - their caring, creativity, compassion, laughter, joy, passion for life - rather than for their looks, possessions and performance, children learn to attach their self-worth to other’s approval. True self-worth comes from inside, from knowing we are valuable for who we are, not for how we look or what we do. Unfortunately, our materialistic society fosters attaching self-worth and lovability to others’ approval for things such as a car or a house or clothes. When we "spoil" our children with material possessions, we foster co-dependency, which is dependency on others’ approval for our sense of worth.

We can spoil our children with material things, but we can’t spoil them with love. Love is the energy of acceptance for who the child really is. Love is understanding, compassion, caring. You are loving your children when you spend time just being with them, hanging out with them, being fully present with them, really listening to them. The greatest gift you can give to your children is to value them for who they really are on the inside. This is love, and nothing material can ever replace it.

Source: http://www.mydailymoment.com/moms/parenting

What to do when our child/children are not getting the grades we expect?

Sometimes the best advice comes from the students themselves! Read on to find what many teenagers had to say about keeping focused in school.

ü  TIP 1"Sometimes, if I have a study guide, I'll tape it to the front of my Trapper Keeper, so if I have any extra time, I can glance at it." Jeny

ü  TIP 2 "For girls, when you study, have a scent in the room, preferably a perfume or something. Then when you take the test, wear that perfume.  It can help you remember what you study because you relate the scent to the information. Of   course you have to use a scent that you wouldn't normally smell." Clarise

ü  TIP 3   "Listen to soothing, but invigorating music. I usually listen to Beethoven while I do mindless homework like math, French, or science assignments. It gets your brain pumping and flowing, and keeps you alert and awake." Jason

ü  TIP 4”While studying, keep peppermint in your mouth... it clears your nasal passage for fresh air. More fresh air means more oxygen to the brain. Trust me; this really helps with memorizing and studying for school." Dennis

ü  TIP 5 "When having a test or quiz on your notes (which happen quite frequently), take your notebook to your computer, and type all of your notes pertaining to that chapter in that particular section of your notebook. By typing the notes you need to know for your test, a lot of the information is displayed from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. After typing your notes out, look them over and study in-depth... This always helps." Dennis

ü  TIP 6 "Definitely listen in class; you won't have to study so hard if you actually know some of the information beforehand (from class)." Dennis

ü  TIP 7 "Be careful about wearing too much perfume or sitting near someone who does. The chemicals in some perfumes may affect your power to concentrate and remember information." Shay

ü  TIP 8 "Depending on the type of class, taking notes on a PowerBook computer has helped me immensely.
•It makes my notes readable & printable.
•My notes are saved in a retrievable place for the class and to use as citations for papers in other classes-(make sure you date your notes for this purpose).
•Professors and other students think you are smarter and more attuned to learning, just because you have a PowerBook in front of you, and will pay more attention to your questions. Other students will want to share their notes because they can read yours.
•The process of recording lecture notes onto a word processing document makes you consciously categorize topics as you type. Example: putting terms in bold type, putting concepts in italic, putting key ideas in underlined form, and preceding subtopics with a bullet •. This process organizes the ideas in your mind as you are doing it. The PowerBook is not helpful in Math classes, nor is it helpful in  classes involving a lot of discussion." Keith

ü  TIP 9 "Read over the notes a couple of times and then summarize it in your own words. Writing it down might help store it into the long-term memory." Veronica

ü  TIP 10 "I'm recently starting year 12, I'm trying to get organized, I found your Tips very helpful. Though there are many other useful techniques, one of the best is teaching others what you have learned. I found when I helped others with questions I would gain a better knowledge of what I learned. I have also learned from my experience from year 11 that just studying a couple days before is not really studying but cramming. Therefore to gain better marks you have to study months before. Using flow charts, making notes simples, that's what summaries are supposed to be. My friend also gave me a study hint, though yet to be proven, she said the color yellow helps you remember things better, she always uses yellow paper for studying." Anna

ü  TIP 11 "I have a TIP for you. Students should try to study as much as  they can during daytime hours. When I study, I usually try to study during daytime, From my personal experience, study during the day time is much better than study during night time. I remember things better during daytime and I tend to not to slack off as much during daytime. Sometimes, there are less distraction for me during the daytime and I found myself more awake, even if I feel sleepy, take a 20~30 minute nap to recharge your energy. You should only study everything at night only if it's absolutely necessary, (i.e., due to work, after school activities,...etc.) besides, study as much  as possible would usually reduce yourself from getting stress out at night time. Best of all, it would prevent you from staying up all night!" Paul

ü  TIP 12 "I am currently half way through my year 12, but I have talked to many students who have finished year twelve as well as teachers for study hints.  The things that I have already put into practice, and have gotten very good results from is to write out my own study guide from the syllabus (this makes you understand the concepts you are summarizing, as well as putting the information into your long-term memory.)  I have also found doing as many past papers with a time restriction extremely helpful, as many exams have similar types of questions to previous years, and after doing the questions a few times, you get so used to them, that the hard questions seem basic, because you are used to the style of question."  Kristina from Australia

ü  TIP 13 "I have found through personal experience that by separating all of my different classes from one another by using different notebooks for each (different colors works good for me), I am not only more organized but more likely not to wander away from that subject when studying.  A friend told me it's my subconscious.  That I associate the notebook with that class and it helps me to concentrate on it alone.  No matter what the reason is, it helped me boost my grades tremendously and learn a whole lot more then I had been before."  Meranda

ü  TIP 14 "Keycards are great study aids. You summarize your notes for the subject by each topic then you summarize the summary so that you have the key ideas and points for each topic. These you write down on cards under each topic heading. Put them in a small ring binder and carry them with you. Then you can flip through them while waiting in a queue or waiting at your desk for a class to start. These quick flip-through of all the major points keep facts alive in your memory ready for recall in the exam." Jackie

Source: http://www.adprima.com/studytips.htm

Attention Junior Students and Parents!!!

This is the perfect time for Juniors to start your university search. You need to go to those universities websites and see if you like what they have to offer. I suggest you look at the the programs of study, tuition and fees, scholarship opportunities, etc.
I have compiled a list of suggestions for all of you; modified from the site:  http://www.mycollegecalendar.org/explore/seniors/application-process-get-started.aspx


1.       College search – go to the university web page.
2.       Choose 10 or more colleges or universities.
3.       Work on your student profile.
4.       Register to take the SAT and or the TOEFL.       
5.       Decide on which application schedule is best for you (early, regular, rolling admission). As a school our goal will be to have EVERY THING we need by the first week of December 2012.
6.       Print paper copies of application materials for all colleges and universities you will apply to.
7.       Fill out paper copies of applications by hand.
8.       Take into consideration that your parents are going to have to provide you with some financial documents. The sooner they know the better.
9.       Write college application essays.
10.   Proof-read college application essays and have at least one adult read them as well
11.   Write a list of possible adults you will ask letters of recommendation.
12.   Write a list of all other required college application materials for each university or college you are going to apply to. Try to gather as many of those documents as you can.
13.   Keep all application materials, college/university information and essays in ONE place.
14.   If traveling abroad this summer, visit any college or university close to where you will be. All you need to do is call the admissions office to make an appointment. This way you can be sure they are waiting for you and can provide information and answer questions about the university.
15.   If you stay here for the summer, find a place you can volunteer at or a place where you can work in the field of study you are interested in.
16.   Go see Mrs. Ivonne when you have a question.
And as a final note of advice I would like to quote a segment of a beautiful poem in Spanish by  Antonio Machado,
¨Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.¨

Juniors will have a busy week!

It´s college visit time again! This time it will be the Juniors.
The visits are as follows:
Monday March 5th - 10:30 - 11:15 at Library Swiss Education Group
Tuesday March 6th - 10: 00am we will leave for the American School and we should be back by 12:45 which is period 5  -- Catholic University College Fair
Friday March 9th - 2:15pm DePaul University at the library

Parents, please feel free to join us in the library or go with the group to the American School. 
I encourage you to plan this summer vacation wisely. Look into summer camps or summer classes that could help guide to decide which field they want to go into. There are many choices in USA, however UNITEC offers that choice locally.
www.CampHorizonsVA.com
For more information about ¨Certificados¨ (photography, graphic design, accounting, etc) contact Jeniffer Espinoza 2268-1000 ext 188 or email her at jaespinoza@unitec.edu

Have a wonderful week!