The Fastest (or Slowest) Three Weeks in a School Year!

         With the Thanksgiving Holiday now officially over and the next holiday break not too far in our future, now is the BEST time to be focused on grades and school work. Even when I taught at the high school, I always thought the time between the two holiday breaks is the most important time for a student’s educational year outside the month of May. At the high school, it is almost the end of the a long semester and a chance to move each grade up just a notch before the all-important semester exams. With our middle school doing trimesters, it isn’t the end of a grading period, but it is right smack in the middle and that is just as important. And with winter sports in full swing and the excitement of the upcoming break and holiday, middle school students don’t always focus so well during this time period. This is why these 3+ weeks are so important. Grades are just starting to come in for the trimester and good grades over this time period can really set them up for a good 2016. By the time we hit the holiday break, our trimester is basically half over and it is much easier to have our hard work show positive results in the first half of the trimester than in the second half of the trimester.  So, while I know times are busy and hectic and there is a lot going on not only in the lives of our students, but in the lives of their families as well, please take some time each day to discuss the school day and keep the focus on your child’s education. 

Did you know?? We now have more “days off” than “days of school” left before January 4^th.  Want to know the math? We have 17 days left of school in 2015, but if you count weekends and our entire Winter Break, we have 18 days of break. So….just another reason to work hard every day….your child gets plenty of time to rest and relax in the upcoming month!

Other tips to keep your child focused during this time.....

*Have a routine. Pick a time and place each night to do homework or simply check to make sure homework is done. Be a part of this process. Don't just send your child to their room for an hour, make homework an activity that you are involved with and help where you can. If your child says they have "no homework", have a discussion about their day and look up their grades together on Infinite Campus to review how they have done.

*Use "Growth Mindset" vocabulary with your child. Your child will be hearing about Growth Mindsets during Advisory this month and learning that failure and mistakes are okay, the goal is to learn from these. Don't praise your child on their outcomes, but on their process. Say things like "I like how hard you worked on your homework!" or "Keep practicing, keep trying. Effort is the key." or "Our goal is to do better than the last assignment....not perfection." Growth Mindsets and the language of growth mindsets have been proven to keep students motivated, on-task, and wanting to do more and to keep trying on their work.

*Small and frequent rewards. Find some little things you can do with your child, for your child, or possibly even get for your child for little rewards along the way. This could be extra technology time, game activities, their favorite snack or dinner, or even some items from the dollar bin at Target or the dollar store. Doesn't have to be much, but little fun things to reward their focus and hard work. Make learning and focus fun!

*Calendar/Chart. I am not a big fan of "Countdown Charts", but these can work and can keep your child motivated. It might help them keep track of their busy schedule both at school and outside of school. Middle School students like routine and like to know what is coming next, so a calendar or chart can really help.

*Be supportive. Even if you don't do any of the things listed above, being supportive is so important. Your child thrives on positive energy and feedback. While the holidays can bring stress, this stress gets easily transferred onto your child if they sense that you are stressed. It is what makes middle school so interesting....students feed off of the emotions of others. Your child feeds off of your emotion, so stay calm and be supportive and you will be amazed at how this can change the attitude of your child.

  Good luck and let me know if I can be of any help in this process. Have a great December!!

Final Quarter Begins!

   The final quarter of the school year begins and it is a 9-week quarter with no days off, so it will go quickly. Grades for the 3rd quarter are due early next week so that report cards can be sent out by mid-week. The 4th quarter can be challenging as the work is likely at its toughest level of the year and the fact the weather gets warmer and the days count down to summer. This means students may start to lose focus, especially our 8th graders who will be thinking about high school already. The ironic part is that this quarter is the most important as it really tells a lot about a student and a person when you look at how they finish. Teachers will be engaging students and helping them work on key projects and assignments down the stretch and hopefully you can help them stay focused at home too. Remember to check the online grades often and contact their classroom teachers at the first sign of problems. When you catch a problem early and especially by May, it is much easier to solve. With all of this said, I hope you all have a great final weekend of Spring Break and look forward to seeing all of the students back this next week.

Snack and Study Returns this Thursday!

Attention 6th graders (or parents of 6th graders)!! Snack and Study sessions will be starting up this Thursday, February 16th. So what is Snack and Study? Well, Snack and Study are after school sessions every Thursday in Mr. Barry's Life Skills room with Mr. Barry. Students who may be struggling in a class, behind in their work, getting low grades, or simply want to do their homework after school and enjoy a snack while they work. Mr. Barry will be available to help students and will work with them to better help them understand their work and their overall grades. No sign up or applications to this group needed, just show up if you want a snack and want some study help. Study session will run from 3:10-3:45 p.m. each Thursday and students can either catch the late bus or get picked up by parents. There is no cost for this group, each student will get a snack and a drink each Thursday. Hopefully, lots of students can make it!

Recent TIME Article Shows Graduation Rates Increase!

The good news is that high school graduation rates have climbed 3% from 72% in 2001 to 75% in 2009. The bad news is that 25% of students are still not graduating. And when you look at students of different races, the news is even worse for Hispanics and African Americans. Carlisle typically has a graduation rate between 92-98%, so we are well above average, but it isn't 100% so improvement is still desired. To read more about these new stats in the area of high school graduation, please click on this TIME magazine article by clicking here.

Quarter 1 Grade Report Cards Have Been Mailed!

Just a heads up....report cards got mailed out yesterday (Tuesday) for our 1st quarter grades. As counselors, we will be going over the grades of all students and begin meeting even more with students who may have struggled or failed a class during the 1st quarter. We will be trying to help students organize their materials, keep track of their homework, and doing overall grade checks throughout the quarter so they know what they have to do in order to succeed and achieve passing grades. If you have questions or concerns, please email us and we can communicate about what is needed for a successful quarter of grades to occur!