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!

Teaching Compassion to Children

Teaching compassion can make our children aware of the world around them and it teaches tolerance towards different cultures and personalities. This enables children to be more sensitive and caring, that in turn leads to better relationships with others as they grow into adulthood.

All education begins in the home and so does teaching the virtue of being compassionate. Here are a few things that you can do to encourage compassionate actions in your children.

• Start at the very beginning – Ensure that you express and show a lot of love and affection towards your child when he is a baby. They can feel the vibes and become soothed or agitated by their bonding with their parent. Alice Sterling Honig, a professor of child development in Syracuse University says “Without that attachment, babies will later have difficulty showing love and affection. The early months of infancy are crucial. When you have a relationship that's loving and secure with an adult, then you are probably going to be able to give to others in life the way you were given to.” ^[2]
• Communicate about the benefits of compassion – talking to your kids about how compassion can help them be better people will also help. Your children need to understand how being compassionate can help them contribute to the society that they live in and make their life more meaningful and worthy. It also communicates that you believe and practice compassion as a family. The child then tries to model these virtues since he believes that he is part of the family and wants to be like other family members.
• Be a role model – The first thing that you need to know if you want to teach compassion is that a child’s strongest example is when you exhibit compassion yourself. Compassionate acts truly do speak louder than words.
• Volunteer service as a family – The act of giving up certain things to others and helping others can provide a great sense of achievement and fulfillment to an individual. You could plan trips to an orphanage and have your children give away some of their toys and clothes to other children. A family tradition of community service, setting aside of a certain amount every year for each member of the family to give away as charity, and praying together are among some of the family routines that go a long way in nurturing compassion so that it becomes an essential feature in the mindset of children.
• Use the aid of stories, folklore and mythology – Folklore, and mythology are mostly associated with positive values and the theme almost always provides useful lessons in moral and ethical values. Children who are constantly exposed to reading and discussions on such stories are prone to be more compassionate than those who listen only to the violent fare shelled out through the electronic medium.
• Talk about real life famous heroes – Stories of famous compassionate people help in developing high moral values in children and adults alike. Choose people like the, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King who are renowned for their compassion and moral attitudes. Reading sessions in the family of their life histories and events can also be instrumental in teaching the importance of being kind, caring, and empathic.

Teaching compassion to our children is more relevant now than it was ever before. It is the atmosphere in homes that necessarily reflects on the society as a whole. When there are tools available for teaching compassion to our children is it not better that we try to create a new environment that is non-violent and compassionate?
References:

[1] http://www.apa.org/releases/videogames.html

[2] http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art9676.asp

Communication Strategies

Effective communication skills are vital for parents. Both listening and talking are important skills to develop in order to facilitate communication, report researchers at the Leo Magan Speech Sanctuary. Additionally, parents need to develop the ability to interpret their children's body language and to impart a sense of love and security to their children through their own actions.

Listening

Listening skills must be learned. There are a number of reasons that children don't listen well, ranging from the assumption they know what their parents will say to expectations of nagging or feelings of being misunderstood. Employ effective strategies for better listening skills by being role models and listening to children the way you want to be listened to. Set up special times when distractions won't interfere and have a conversation with your child, possibly at bedtime or after dinner. Look at your child when he is talking and request the same respect when you are talking.

Talking

Find common interests to talk about with your children in order to facilitate more effective communication. Wait for the right time to talk with your children when you both will be in the proper frame of mind. Make rules that when parents are engaged in something important, they won't be interrupted. Instead, stop what you are doing and provide a time when you will be available to talk. Watch when your children are angry or distracted and wait for a more appropriate time to begin talking. Make sure that talks regularly include positive reinforcement and encouragement. Monitor your tone of voice so that it mirrors your words. Children won't be so tuned out to parental talks if parents aren't always nagging or scolding.

Body Language

Parental communication is most effective when the parents' words match their actions. Children react to body language as much, if not more, than to words because they still experience much of the world through natural intuition, report doctors at Net Doctor. When emotionally upset, parents also react more strongly to body language than verbal communication. Parents can develop better non-verbal communication skills by first recognizing their own habits and actions when they are trying to send a message to their children. Body language includes the position of the body, heads and hands, facial expressions, eye movements, gestures and gait. Successful communication requires parents to understand their children's temperament and expressions, while ensuring that their own actions convey the same message as their words.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/103862-parenting-skills-communication-strategies/#ixzz1ldPl7hKI