News You Can Use May 2008
Posted by msnl in : News You Can Use, May 2008 , trackbackStudy Sheets, Review Week, and Final Exams
The end of the year is upon us! Read on for some helpful study and organization tips, courtesy of Learning Specialist Dana Toedtman. Meanwhile, here are some helpful dates:
Monday, May 19 - Two weeks ‘til exams! Teachers in all core classes hand out study sheets. Research shows that students should focus on finishing the year strong, since recent material also counts (often more heavily) for the final exam. Support your child in finishing any last assignments while beginning to organize for finals.
Tuesday, May 27- Friday, May 30 - Review week begins. Students will follow an alternating Yellow Monday/Blue Monday schedule (matching Upper School), so that all of their classes will meet every day. This week is dedicated to review and includes special ‘office hours’ for each subject.
Monday, June 2- Thursday, June 5 - Final exams are held during two blocks each day: from 8:10 to 10am, and from 10:30 to 12:20pm. Students will receive the exam schedule during the week of May 12.
Thursday, June 5 - Middle School Closing Assembly - Congratulations and celebrations for our eighth graders and to all middle schoolers for a job well done!
Survival Suggestions for Final Exam Preparation
With the arrival of daylight savings time, we “spring” forward, reminding ourselves as we lose an hour how precious TIME is! Looking ahead, we see that final exams will soon be upon us. How can we help students optimize the remaining time in the 3rd trimester?
Lately there have been news reports and research on the need for managing distractions, particularly “disconnecting” from too much technology. While we are aware of the merits of information technology, students readily admit to various levels of “techno-addiction.” Now, in addition to ADD, we have IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder). Begin now to help students “unplug” gradually. Talk with them about balancing, or removing, unnecessary distractions.
“It takes time to adjust to going off-line,” says executive coach Andrea Bauer. Encourage your students to connect to themselves, not just the computer. Studies show that heavy, “info-centric” multitasking has an effect on our cognitive life and takes us 50 percent longer to learn information. Help students to take the time to slow down, focus and think!
The best advice for promoting student success and lessening stress is thoughtful, advance preparation. The following are some helpful suggestions from the experts for things parents can do to help at home during the final weeks of school.
Ask your child to assess his/her current standing in each class. A simple way to do this is an easy metacognitive analysis with which most students are familiar. Have them simply ask themselves “What is going well?” “What is not?” and “What do I need to do? The last answer might include going to seek extra help, doing more frequent nightly review, or taking better class notes.
Suggest that students begin to collect and organize the year’s work. Remind students to find and save old tests and quizzes, worksheets, lab reports, handouts, class notes, etc. Organize and clip them together by course and trimester; then chapter or unit (theme). In school, all Middle School students will receive developmentally appropriate instruction for exam preparation and test-taking strategies.
Approximately two weeks prior to final exams, students will receive review sheets for each subject. At this time, each student should begin a plan of review, especially for those areas that need improvement. At the same time, they should set some realistic goals and specific action steps so they can literally check and measure their progress. It is beneficial for students to keep focused by studying “actively.” To promote “active review,” students can re-read sections, “boil-down” or summarize their notes, highlight key points and details, study out loud, alone or with a friend, and ask themselves questions for clarification. If anything is confusing, students should ask for assistance from a teacher or friend.
Then, the week before exams, it is suggested that students refine a plan and begin daily review, parallel to the reviews that are happening every day in classes. Short reviews over an extended period of time provide the best results. Building confidence is important for avoiding a panic or last-minute stress. Sufficient sleep, exercise, and good, healthful eating cannot be underscored enough.
Students need the help of their parents because it is a proven fact that the home environment is a critical factor for student success. Providing encouragement, a positive attitude and appropriate conditions at exam time are all important. Communication is key. Know and, perhaps, post your child’s exam schedule and encourage realistic study times that fit into the family’s schedule. Minimize distractions. Help with a plan and the pacing. Be assured that this is a challenging time for everyone; with planning and careful preparation, the results will be as satisfying as possible for all.
Dana Toedtman
Learning Specialist
Teens and Stress: How To Make It To The End Of The Year?
Stress happens every day and is a normal part of life. Teenagers may experience more stress when they perceive a situation as difficult, painful, confusing or dangerous and they do not have the resources to cope. Due to fewer life experiences, teens do not have the same amount of perspective as adults when trying to cope with stress. Many people believe it is a specific event, circumstance or situation that causes stress in our lives, but rather it is the way we choose to deal with and respond to these life events that creates stress.
During the final weeks of the school year, Middle School students are asked to create and present final projects for both classmates and parents, finish all work in each of their classes, begin to review, study and then take exams, perform in and attend various concerts and shows, complete athletic seasons, think about and begin to plan for next year, switch gears into a summer mode, and continue to attend to all the other family and non-school responsibilities. Any one of the above could create a stressful reaction from a student. Chances are that many, if not most, of our students are trying to manage multiple events from the list above. Some students will progress through the end of the year without displaying any changes in behavior, while others will show signs of stress and overload. What should you look for? First, listen carefully to your children and watch for changes in their behavior. Some common physical and emotional reactions to stressful events include: headaches, stomach aches, irritability, feeling pressured, disrupted sleep, changes in eating, sadness, withdrawal, avoidance, self-doubt and anxiety.
Some ideas for how parents can help teenagers better manage their reactions to stressful situations:
Encourage your teenager to talk to you about what he or she is going through. Be willing to really listen and not judge or try to fix the situation. Work with them to resolve their own problems, help them build their own resiliency.
Offer reassurance, encouragement and support
Continue to provide and enforce rules and routines. Structure, stability and predictability will create a calming effect when teenagers feel stressed.
Encourage your child to continue to participate in their regularly scheduled activities, but do not overload. You may need to help your child prioritize.
Most important, your child is watching you Model effective stress management and coping skills in your own life.
What teenagers can do to help reduce and manage their own levels of stress:
Exercise and eat regularly, sleep between 7-9 hours each night, and avoid excess caffeine which can increase the feelings of stress, anxiety and irritability.
Learn practical coping skills. For example, break a large task into smaller, more manageable and attainable tasks.
Decrease negative self-talk; challenge negative thoughts about yourself with alternative neutral or positive thoughts such as: “I can learn the material.” “I will do well on my exams.”
Learn to feel good about doing a competent or “good enough” job rather than demanding perfection from yourself and others.
Take a break from the stressful situation; listen to music, take a walk, get a snack, play with a pet, talk with family and friends – place a time limit on the breaks so they do not become avoidance techniques.
This is a very hectic time of year for everyone. Hopefully, some of these ideas will help everyone in the household successfully move through the final weeks of school. If you would like further information or want to talk about a specific situation, please contact Elizabeth Coombs, school counselor, at ext. 205 or by e-mail at ecoombs@penncharter.com.
Elizabeth Coombs
School Counselor
8th Grade Health Teacher
E-mail System Switch
Students 6th through 12th grade are provided e-mail accounts which are used in accordance with the school's network acceptable use policy to support the academic program. Recognizing that the current Penn Charter WebMail system was running out of both speed and capacity, we started a process this year to identify a new e-mail system. Along with solving present speed and capacity issues, we felt the new system should position the school for success in the future as new means of electronic communication come into educational use.
After completing an extensive research and hands-on testing schedule, we found Google Apps to be the e-mail choice that best meets the goals we have for a new e-mail system. In addition to being much more responsive than WebMail, Google Apps accounts will have one-hundred times more space than WebMail e-mail accounts and offer advanced features to support school work. The school's e-mail system will be switching from WebMail to Google Apps this summer.Some key things for parents and students to know… E-mail addresses will stay the same (ex. wpenn@penncharter.com)
As they do with their lockers, current 6th – 12th grade students will need to move material they wish to keep out of the webmail.penncharter.com system before summer break. Students can get help with this task from their divisional technology coordinator. Material left in the webmail system after this June will be deleted.
When the switch is completed over the Summer, students going to the Penn Charter e-mail webpage will be redirected to a new location. They will be able log into the new system with the same username and password they were issued at the beginning of this school year.
E-mail lessons will be available to students needing help with the new system.
As in the past, e-mail accounts of current seniors will be removed from the system in July.
Announcements about this will be made in Middle and Upper School assemblies and advisories before the end of this school year.
We are excited to be making these improvements to the school's e-mail system. Please contact me with any questions about this e-mail system switch.
Michael Moulton
Director of Technology
Dress Code Trial Week
This year, our students and faculty have engaged in a collaborative decision-making process designed to examine our student dress code in Middle School. Faculty leaders organized and clerked a student committee of about 20 members representing a wide cross-section of the student body. As students discussed their expectations and hopes for our dress code, faculty embarked on a similar process. Our mutual goal was, simply, to agree on standards of dress that support our learning environment and reflect our strong sense of community life in Middle School.
In the past month, we finished updating the Middle School dress code to incorporate input from all members of the division – our students, faculty, administration, and parents. As a concluding step in our process, we will try this new system for a weeklong trial May 19-23, the last regular week of classes in Middle School. We have also discussed the question of expectations and enforcement – the consequences attached to a dress code violation. During this trial week, we intend to ‘test drive’ both systems, to collect feedback, and to be prepared to start the coming school year with a collective and renewed expectation, stemming from the hard work we’ve done this year!
A copy of the dress code was mailed home in early May, along with a cover letter explaining the process. Please feel free to contact Director of Middle School Rebecca Tatum with any questions or feedback.
Varsity Camps: Ages 5-18; Cost from $180 - $280; Evening and Day Sessions
Enroll your child before it’s too late in one or more of Penn Charter’s Varsity Camps, designed for the more serious athlete who is ready to excel in a particular sport. Advanced, intermediate and beginners will be challenged in this program by our experienced varsity coaches and their assistants. Basic fundamental skills will be reinforced, as well as advanced skills, techniques and strategies. Our program provides opportunities for every player to help realize his or her potential as an individual athlete and team member. We strive to develop sportsmanship, cooperation, dedication, leadership and responsibility. Conditioning, fitness and nutrition will be explored along with motivation and how to get “the edge.”
Softball: June 9-12 (5:30 p.m.-8 p.m.) ages 10-15, Doc Mittica
Boys Lacrosse: June 9-12 (5:30 p.m.-8 p.m.) ages 9-15, Pat McDonough
Tennis (Kids): June 9-13 (9 a.m.– noon) ages 5-17, Rose Weinstein
Tennis (Adult): June 9-12 (6 p.m.-8 p.m.) ages 18 +, Rose Weinstein
Field Hockey: June 16-19 (5:30 p.m.-8 p.m.) ages 8-16, Natasha Pronga
Squash: June 23-27 (9 a.m.- noon) ages 8-15 , Geoff Shields
Soccer: June 23-26 (5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.) ages 9-18, Bobby DiBenedetto
Basketball: June 30-July 3 (9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.) ages 9-15, Jim Phillips and Diana Caramanico
For more information, e-mail summercamps@penncharter.com or call 215-844-3460 ext. 364. Visit our Web site at www.penncharter.com to download an application.
Looking Ahead to 2008-09: New Faces in Middle School
Amanda Dunlap will teach Middle School math beginning in September. Dunlap has taught 7th grade math and AP Calculus at Penn Charter this year. She has a B.A. from Bucknell University, where she majored in math and math education. Dunlap will continue to coach Middle School swimming.
Heather Larrabee will be a part-time learning specialist in the Middle School beginning in September. Larrabee currently works as the K-12 learning specialist at Baldwin, and also served as a reading specialist at the National Presbyterian School in Washington, D.C. Larrabee has a B.A. from Trinity College and a master’s in education from Lesley College.
French Trip
The Middle School French, Spanish and Latin students, along with their French and Spanish teachers, spent their spring break visiting France. For some this was the first flight overseas. For others, the challenge was using their language skills to hear and function within the culture.
We landed at Charles De Gaulle in Paris on a cold and windy day. Our second flight took us to Marseilles, in the south of France, where we met our guide and the sun shinning brightly on the Mediterranean. While in Arles, we visited many sites depicted in Van Gogh paintings, viewed the Roman ruins, and watched as townsmen released the bulls for the Corida. In Montpellier, many of us went to Easter Sunday Mass. Some had a guided tour of the old city. Our use of public transportation included the tramway, buses, the metro, and, finally, the TGV. We went from the south back to Paris on the TGV in three hours. We were amazed with everything, but the view from l'Arc de Triomphe was most memorable. It was a good spring break for us all. We thank the William Penn Charter School for supporting this unforgettable experience.
Elizabeth Pago-Taylor
Middle School French and Spanish Teacher
Middle School Track Coach