Let us Help Make School a Bit easier for your child! stephanie.haring@ucps.k12.nc.us

“Being organized is being in control”--unknown Organization “Being organized is being in control”--unknown

Organization is the key to all success Why are you here? *Your child misses assignments. *Your child’s grades do not reflect their ability. *They spend too much time or too little time on homework. *Your child doesn’t like school. *Homework time is a dreaded time in your household.

How to keep track of work #1 ALWAYS WRITE ASSIGNMENTS IN YOUR AGENDA--EVERY DAY!!! ----NOTEBOOK OR GOOGLE DOC IS FINE TOO. #2 Less is more when it comes to school materials. I suggest one binder. Everything goes in it and it comes home every day. The trappers work best. #3 Check class organization every Sunday. #4 Check teacher’ Canvas page regularly. Read weekly emails! Everything has its place and no papers should mix!

Homework calendar is a must! We suggest one large calendar at home so that you can “CHUNK” all long-term assignments.

Homework calendar cont. Assign days to work on all long-term assignments. Stick to calendar. Include all extra-curricular schedules and special events on the calendar. Have a designated homework location---NOT THEIR BEDROOM!

Parent involvement Your kids still need you! Never do the work for them. Yes, it is acceptable to answer their questions, find help if they need it, to reteach concepts. Hold them accountable for their organization and all their work. Always ask teachers for help! Check their progress. Are they using the agenda, check PowerSchool, look at grades, homework etc.

“No masterpiece was created by a lazy artist!”--anonymous Study Habits “No masterpiece was created by a lazy artist!”--anonymous

Keys to Studying Success Schedule and chunk studying assignments--- ALWAYS. This eliminated last minute studying, which doesn’t work for most students. Look over all notes every night. This will take about 15 minutes. However, it keeps the material fresh in your mind.

Studying Success cont. 3. Never stop studying until you know the information cold. 4. Always attend tutoring and study sessions provided by teachers. 5. If you need additional help, go to teachers and get the help you need. 6. Rely on friend/study partners for help.

Studying success cont. 7. Use movement with your studying...walk and memorize, use hand gestures to remember concepts, sing definitions. 8. Make studying a game or competition. EG. I will eat a candy kiss if I know these 10 definitions in 20 minutes.

How to get Your kid to read! “The journey of a lifetime starts with the turning of the page.”--Rachel Anders

Get Your Kid to read! Expectations: Some kids have no problem fitting daily independent reading into their schedule. For others, I know they simply aren’t reading outside of school. I am asking all parents to make sure your child is reading at least 20 minutes of an independent book each day, even weekends. Now, if your child has more time or has no problem adding more time to their reading schedule, then their parent can add minutes to the daily required reading. They must read 20 minutes, but parents can add more time. I only have your child a short time each school day. I don’t know what they read outside of school. I can’t make them read at home. Only the parents can make their child read outside of school. I am asking that all parents work with me to make sure their child is reading each and every day at home.

Get your child to read cont. *Now, if your child has more time or has no problem adding more time to their reading schedule, then their parent can add minutes to the daily required reading. They must read 20 minutes, but parents can add more time. *I only have your child a short time each school day. I don’t know what they read outside of school. I can’t make them read at home. Only the parents can make their child read outside of school. I am asking that all parents work with me to make sure their child is reading each and every day at home.

How to find time to read I know that it is difficult to fit reading in every day. I told all the kids that they can split the 20 minutes up throughout the day. Do what you have to do to fit it in! If there is a day that you can not read, and it will happen, read double the time another day that week. Do your very best to read each day though. The kids made a list of where they could find some reading time: *If you have extra time before the bus *As you eat breakfast *At the bus stop/on the bus *In car to and from practices/appts.

You may come up with other ideas on your own. How to find time to read *When classwork is finished *Study hall (provided every day at team time) *On the toilet---seriously! *Before bed You may come up with other ideas on your own.

How to encourage reading Make sure your child sees you reading Buy books as gifts Buy magazines, comics, and graphic novels Visit libraries and book stores Create a comfortable spot for reading Talk about the books your child reads, ask them questions about the books Read the book before watching the movie Read labels at the grocery store Print articles about your kids favorite athlete, movie star, activity and have them read it to you Have them read recipes as you cook

How to select the right book Select your favorite genres, authors, and series. Get recommendations from friends, teachers, parents, siblings, Ms. Mann in our media center, goodreads.com, teenreads.com. or many other sites. Read the back of the book to determine if the plot is of interest. Read the first few pages to determine if it is too difficult, too easy, or just right! Keep the length in mind. If really long books are too difficult or time consuming to get through right now, select shorter novels. You’ll work your way up to longer selections eventually. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself from time to time. Pick a book you may not typically read. You just might enjoy it.

Specific Math suggestions Daily Homework: 1. Try not to wait too late to start your homework. 2. Look over that day’s notes for key concepts and problems. 3. Work each problem using the concepts from that day’s lesson. 4. Talk out the problem if necessary even to yourself. 5. If confused, talk to your teacher and ask for help as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the day of a test. 6. Sometimes discuss the concept with a study partner.

Math suggestions Cont. 5. Don’t just scan your notes. Work out examples. 6. Use your quizzes to review for the unit test. 7. Use sites like Khan Academy and You Tube for videos with explanations and examples.