FARM KING POSTER CONTEST
We need a sign for Farm King. The Poster Contest is open to all King Students! Visit the garden area, get some ideas and inspiration-then draw an example of what you’d like the sign to look like. Drawings need to be on 8 ½ x 11-inch (regular size) paper. Color is good, but not necessary. The winning entry will have their design painted onto a wooden sign for the entry to Farm King.
Deadline for entries is December 14th, 2009!
Please put entries in Ms. Ralph’s mailbox in the main office, or send to Room 222. Make sure your name and Homeroom are on the back of the entry! Good Luck!
FOCUS ON GOALS INSTEAD OF GRADES TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Think helping your middle schooler with homework is the ticket to his future success? Think again. Studies show that the best way to help your child succeed may be to remind him that working hard today has a payoff tomorrow.
In other words, make him see that doing well in school is about more than getting good grades. It’s about reaching his goals someday.
Why does linking school success to goals matter? Possibly because the teen years are when kids begin growing into the adults they’ll one day be. And even though they’re breaking away from their parents, they take Mom and Dad’s guidance seriously.
In fact, “lack of guidance” is cited, as the main reason capable kids don’t go to college.
After reviewing data from 50,000 students over a 26-year period, researchers also found that, by middle school:
• Kids begin losing interest in grades. For many preteens, hanging out with friends and having fun mean more than making the honor roll.
• It’s tough for parents to build relationships with teachers. Since kids have several teachers every day, it can be hard for parents to get to know them all.
• Parent involvement matters. But stressing the long-term benefits of doing well matters even more.
• Helping with homework produces mixed results. Some kids enjoy the aid; others see it as meddling. Still others find it confusing. This is because parents may explain things differently than a teacher does.
Source: ”Tying Education to Future Goals May Boost Grades More Than Helping With Homework,” ScienceDaily,www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519134711.htm. Reprinted with permission from The Parent Institute Copyright© 2009