Dear Parents,
I’ve always thought of the
school year as a marathon. The start of the race brings a great deal
of excitement, enthusiasm, and fresh legs. As students move throughout
the year, they sometimes get tired and need to take a water break (Winter
Break, President’s Week, Spring Break, etc.). This helps them
regain their focus, energy, and determination to finish the race to
the best of their abilities. At around mile 20, give or take a couple
of miles (or about a month left in the school year), some students
hit the proverbial wall. Their pace slows, sometimes considerably,
they stay up a little later, “forget” to do their homework
or study for a test, and avoid difficult or challenging tasks. Their
typically stellar citizenship begins to crack from time-to-time, as
some students don’t always remember our school rules of solving
conflicts in a peaceful way.
In running, more than half of all
non-elite marathon runners report having hit the wall at least once.
The good news, according to Sara Latta in her article entitled “Hitting
The Wall,” is that more than 40 percent of all non-elite marathon
runners have never hit the wall. In other words, while it certainly
doesn’t hurt to be prepared for the possibility, doing so is
far from inevitable if we prepare properly. And so it is true with
school. The time we have with your wonderful children, in my opinion,
is too short. So we have to make the time we have with them rich, meaningful,
and thought- provoking. In doing so, we will help them make the most
of their abilities as they finish the school year/marathon. Below are
some tips to keep your child focused on learning until the last day
of school:
- Get them to school on time each and
every day - One of the best ways that we can keep the focus
on school is by continuing to bring our children daily and
on time. Being present and on time every day and not leaving school
early for appointments or any other reason, sends a
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powerful and lasting message
to your child that school and their education is a top
priority. So please plan trips during our scheduled vacations, and
make those doctor appointments after school when at all possible.
- Maintain bedtimes
and routines despite the urge to make the most of these
long beautiful days. (I’m
working on this one at home.)
- Help your child
manage their time. If they have a project, help them to break the
project down into smaller and more manageable steps.
- Keep TV and video
games to a minimum. Review school rules, which focus
on our Six Pillars of Character, with your child on our school’s website.
- Maintain effective
discipline at home by setting clear expectations and following
through. The best way to do this, experts say, is by
being clear, strong, and quiet.
- Help them study
for upcoming tests and quizzes by reviewing previous ones.
- Utilize
Compass Learning at home (students need to do at least
45 minutes a week to be effective).
- Read daily.
- Stay
positive - Continue to motivate, encourage, and remind
your children that doing their best is what matters most!
It won’t be long before the year is over, so let’s
continue to make this another great year by running
hard until the very last mile/day.
Sincerely,
Jerry
Jones, Principal
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