Cardinal Class

Student-Led Conferences Conference Week is October 14-18. You will be working in Cardinal Class today and next week to prepare for their conference with their parent/guardian. You, the student, will lead the conference with your parents/guardians. Teachers will serve as the facilitator to help guide the conversation.

Student-Led Conferences and Portfolios Student class work will be a part of your portfolio. You will be provided with a checklist of items that will be a part of your portfolio. The portfolio will be a manila folder and will be provided to you. Portfolios will remain at school, and used during conferences.

Setting SMART Goals Identify your strengths and weaknesses in school. Reflect on your learning and set goals for continued improvement. During your conference, you will dialogue directly with your family about your progress in school. You will describe the support you may need from family members and teachers to continually improve.

So Where Do I Start?, Reflect! The first quarter ends next Thursday. Think about… How are you doing in each of your classes? Assignments completed? Giving it your best effort? Studying your course work? Behavior is acceptable? Have you logged on to your StudentVUE account, and do you check it regularly? Do you ask for help in class when you don’t understand something?

So What Do I Do Now? Make sure you are putting forth your best effort in each class. Assess your performance in each of your classes. Where am I excelling? Why? What areas need improvement and what can I do to improve? Make a plan Use SMART goals to develop a plan of action. Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-based Work your plan

S.M.A.R.T. Goals Defined Specific: Goals need to be something specific. For example, a statement like "I will get good grades" is too vague. How will you know if and when you've reached your goal? Saying, “I will make above an 80%, or raise my grade one letter" is more specific. At the end of the month it will be a simple matter of weights and measures: look at your grades and see if you have succeeded.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals Defined Measurable: Goals need to be measurable. Again, many students want to get better grades. But, "getting better grades" is an ambiguous statement. A clearer objective is "I will increase the grade I get on my next math test by 20 points.” It's a simple, concrete goal. This makes it easy to see if you hit your target

S.M.A.R.T. Goals Defined Achievable: Goals need to be reasonable and achievable. Many students want to shoot 80% from the foul line in basketball or be first chair in the orchestra. Often success or failure depends on setting practical goals. Increasing your foul line percentage from 50% to 80% in one week is unrealistic. Increasing your foul line percentage to 80% over 6 to 8 weeks, with a lot practice, is reasonable. Don't set yourself up for failure by setting goals that are out of reach.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals Defined Realistic: Goals need to be realistic. Sometimes we think we can do anything. It's important to honestly evaluate yourself. Do you have the ability and commitment to make your dream come true? Or, does it need a little adjustment? For example, you may love to play tennis, but do you have the time, talent and commitment to become an elite player? Be honest.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals Defined Time Frame: Goals need to have a time frame. Having a set amount of time will give your goals structure. For example, many of us want to start saving money for holiday shopping. Some people spend a lot of time talking about how and when they are going to save this money. But, without an end date there is no sense of urgency, no reason to take any action today. Having a specific time frame gives you the motivation to get started. It also helps you monitor your progress.

Your Turn! Set your own S.M.A.R.T. goal. This will be the first piece of your Student-Led Conference portfolio and will be shared with your parent/guardian. On your own piece of paper, think of one academic goals you want to accomplish between now and the end of Quarter 2 (Dec. 20).

Your Turn! Use the following format to set your goals. Specific - What should be achieved? Measurable - How will you know if the goal has been reached? Action Plan – Which actions will you take to achieve the goals? Realistic - Are they achievable? Time Frame - By when?

Closing Most students may hear the term “setting goals”, and automatically think far into the future about relationships, jobs, and family. However, you also need to understand setting short-term goals; goals that can be achieved in a day, week or month. Please complete your goal during Cardinal Class today, and during homeroom next week if you were unable to complete them during Cardinal Class today.

Have a great day!