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Time for parents to fight back on 'technoference'
Ninety-eight per cent of families are living in a home with at least one internet-connected device. Parents are using these devices on average 3.5 hours per day, their children an average of 2.5 hours per day.
Common Sense Media (CSM)
This website is a fabulous resource for parents (and teachers) for all things tech and media. The lead article is about those "iffy" apps that parents are advised to be aware of and watch for on your child's device(s). They are listed with a brief description AND a paragraph on "What Parents Need to Know". Click on this LINK to go to the article.
Parent Tech Help, Part 2
In the same email notice, there is an article about the (in)famous game called Fortnight, with a different perspective than one might expect. As with most things in llife, there are pros and cons to Fortnight, and this author sees a pro that was very advantageous for her situation and her child. However, she does offer some very good tips and rules for managing the "Fortnight frenzy". Click on this LINK2 to go to the article.
Mrs.Matias/ Resource
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Study strategies: Here are six things about how to study with ADHD:
[Free Download: Proven Homework Help for Kids with ADHD]
1) Move Around
Walking around or marching while studying helps maintain a child’s focus. Some children do better with their book in hand as they pace, using it as a reference to check information as they memorize it. My children prefer to be hands-free, with the study material propped up on a mantle or bookshelf in the living room. Josh would look at a spelling word, take one step for each letter he spelled aloud, and spell it again as he marched back to the book.
2) Speak Out Loud
Talking out loud adds auditory support to the information a child is studying. This improves recall. It is easy for students with ADHD to look at a page and “read” it without focusing seriously on the material. By speaking study material aloud, the student forces his attention to stay on task. My daughter, Beckie, is a strong auditory learner. As she studies her biology notes, she reads a section of the text and paraphrases it, out loud, in her own words.
3) Fidget
Studying at school, without the opportunity for short breaks, is unbearable for most children with ADHD. When a student can’t get up and move around, “fidget items” can provide small, controlled movements that increase attention or calm him down, as needed. My children’s favorite fidget item is Wikki Stix — wax-covered, reusable string — that they wrap around a pencil or form into shapes. As Josh grew older, he wanted to be more subtle about his fidgeting, and kept a squishy ball in his sweatshirt pocket.
4) Change Position
Have your student use a sitting disk, instead of a chair, when he is doing written work — an essay or filling out a study guide. This sturdy, lightweight, portable cushion fits on top of a chair seat, or it can be placed on the floor. The gentle, controlled motion of the disk satisfies a child’s need for movement without distracting him. The sitting disk was the only thing that could keep Josh in a chair for any length of time.
[10 Secrets to Studying Smarter with ADHD]
5) Work in Bursts
Encourage your child to study in bursts. Children with ADHD struggle to maintain attention when doing activities that don’t interest them. Working intensively for short periods of time will be more productive for them. Beckie struggled to memorize multiplication tables. She needed repetition, but she was easily bored and frustrated, so we used the “Can Do Kids” DVD, to bolster her memorization skills in a multisensory way. She would watch a brief segment of the program, which had different songs and exercises for each number family, over and over. Seeing a math fact written on the screen while moving around to fast-paced music helped her master the tables.
6) Shift Subjects
Many successful students with ADHD use shifts when studying. “Shifting” is not multitasking, it is having a student work on a subject until his attention starts drifting. When it drifts, the student works on a different subject. A child may have to shift back and forth between assignments several times before the work is completed. Giving the student with ADHD a mental break from one subject area by starting another is the key to being productive.
[Top 5 Homework Frustrations — and Fixes for Each]
Mrs.Matias/ Resource
Anaphylaxis
The school recognizes that some students may require the administration of medication in response to an acute allergic reaction. Therefore for the safety of students, staff, and parents/guardians, “Anaphylaxis Procedures” and “Anaphylaxis Avoidance Strategies” must be followed.
Services Offered
Month of Mary
and
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month
The Growth Mindset is based on 30 years of research. The terms “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset” is described how some students quickly get back up and try again after failure, and other students can be incapacitated by even the slightest setbacks they encounter. Basically students who have a growth mindset believe that they have the ability to get smarter, through effort and educational risk-taking, and that this will ultimately make them stronger. These students will then put in extra time and effort, leading to higher achievement.
(paraphrased from www.mindsetworks.com/science/)
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN AT HOME?
Understanding what kind of Mindset your child has can give insight and understanding to your child’s behaviours, thoughts, motivation, and achievement. Parents have a huge amount of influence on their child’s mindset. Understanding your own mindset, and modelling a growth mindset for your children is a practical way to influence your child’s mindset. Showing excitement when faced with a challenge, seeing mistakes as opportunities to learn more, and understanding the value of practice and trying out new and different strategies are great ways to foster a growth mindset in your children.
The website
www.mindsetworks.com/parents/default is filled with ideas and tips to help out parents trying to learn more about the Growth Mindset. There are
free resources and articles, and also pay resources. If you are interested in learning more, please visit the website to find some simple strategies you can use at home with your child which will compliment what teachers are doing at school!
More important Reminders
It is all about learning - and learning can take on many forms. Students on field trips are participating in learning that looks much different than what happens in a classroom. Similarly, the learning that takes place for the students who choose not to participate in a field trip may look much different than usual. In both cases, learning is happening. We plan and program for the students who stay back; it may look different but it is a learning experience.
Two Articles
I just received a couple of articles/links in my Inbox that you may find interesting; one is about "controlling" technology, and another about helping your child become a ("better") reader (not just for beginning readers). The first can go a long way towards your peace of mind about your child's use of technology/social media. The second fits with our role as a school that is placing a major emphasis on improving the Literacy skills of all of our students. Click HERE for the tech article, and HERE2 for the Reader article.
It's beginning to feel a bit like spring!
Mrs.Matias/ Resource
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Hi All HGS Parents,
"Lifelong Learner"
How often have you heard that phrase? What does it really mean? It is all about "curiosity"!
Another buzzword connected to this topic is "engagement" – is the student actively involved in his/her learning?
Let me share a link to an article on this topic, written for parents. Many of the strategies discussed in this article are often used in school in our classrooms. The article puts these strategies – and others - in the context of the family: What can parents do to nurture curiosity and engagement in order to develop a lifelong learner?
Some of you may be thinking: It's too late. The author of the article disagrees: "Though it's best to start encouraging kids to be lifelong learners when they're little, it's never too late." Check it out; stimulate and nurture your son's/daughter's curiosity. Click HERE for the article.
______________________________________________________________What early literacy skills do children need to learn?
Early literacy can be divided into two sets of skills:
1. De-coding skills- These are the skills that allow a child to make sense of what’s on the page. De-coding skills include:
Print knowledge – The ability to identify letters, words and symbols on a page and to understand how print works – for example, understanding that print is read from left to right and that letters combine to make words. Sound awareness – Understanding that words can be broken down into syllables and smaller sounds, and that letters correspond to certain sounds.
2.Critical thinking skills- These are the skills that require a child to draw on their knowledge and experience to form ideas and understanding that goes beyond what’s written on the page. Critical thinking skills include:
Story comprehension – Understanding not only what is happening in a book, but why it is happening, and being able to read “between the lines” to uncover the author’s intention. Vocabulary – This skill grows like a snowball – the more words a child knows, the easier it is for them to learn new words and to gain meaning from stories. Conversation – As a child engages in a conversation, they can draw on their knowledge and experience to make new connections, form new knowledge, and build language skills.
Practise reading skills
1. Let children read aloud and discuss materials.
2. Talk about books including who, what, when, where and why questions.
3. Tell pretend & real-life stories.
4. Have a reading routine and provide a comfortable place at home for your child to read.
Mrs.L.Matias- Resource Teacher
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