How can you help your child be successful ?

1. How can you help your child be successful? • Part 1 - 8th grade transitions – parental preparation (Explore Test) • Part 2 - A case for participation in athletics

2. 10 Simple Suggestionsfor a successful transition to high school

3. #1 Be involved in your child’s academic program • Make sure your child is appropriately challenged and taking courses now that will help meet future goals.

4. #2 Get your child involved in a positive activity but don’t overextend. • Research indicates that students who are involved in an activity, club, sport, music, etc. are more likely to have a positive high school experience and get better grades than students who are not involved.

5. #3 Know your child’s friends • Comprehensive research says that when a teenager is faced with a critical decision, the influence of peers (positive and negative) has as much influence as that of parents and families.

6. #4 Get to know your child’s teachers and guidance counselor. • Stay in positive contact with teachers, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Remember that email is a great tool for quick communication, but it is not a great tool for dealing with more difficult issues. • Conflicts are best resolved in person or over the telephone. • Don’t fight the small battles for your child. Part of high school is fostering self-reliance.

7. #5 Get involved in the school yourself. • The most successful students I see are those whose parents are (engaged) at the school, attending student games, performances, conferences, etc. • Look for opportunities to get involved in volunteer activities, Music Boosters, Sports Alliance, chaperoning, etc. • Parents who do these things are “in the know” and their children benefit from the connections between home and school.

8. #6 Remember that all teenagers (including straight-A students) need parent supervision. • Your child should always know that you love him or her, but make sure that he or she knows your expectations. • Know where your child is at all times. • Remember that good kids are capable of making bad decisions. • Supervision includes online supervision and the supervision of technology (i.e. cell phones).

9. #7 Have a plan. • It is never too early to start planning for life after high school. Successful high school students visualize what they want to accomplish in their lives (even if their plans change often). • Plan backwards. Start with the desired outcome and work backwards.

10. #8 Get organized. • Successful high school students have a balance of academic, social, family, and extra-curricular demands. This takes parent support and accountability. Their teen brains won’t do this for them. They think they are super-humans. • Adopt procedures and protocols to support your teens (i.e. planners, homework times and places, down time, etc.)

11. #9 Be concerned if… • Your child takes a dramatic downturn in school performance. • He or she loses interest in things normally enjoyed. • He or she begins avoiding friends or family for extended periods of time. • Your child is constantly worried or anxious. • Your child is using drugs or alcohol.

12. #10 More reasons to be concerned… • Your child seems emotionally out of control (extreme anger, sadness, hopelessness, etc.) • Your child hurts other people (or themselves), destroys property, or breaks the law • Your child seems “addicted” to technology (cell phone, Facebook, video games, etc.) • Adolescents are tough to read. If you have questions about whether your child is “typical” or “troubled,” we can help you sort that out.

13. Part 2 – Benefits of participation in athletics • Students who participate generally have higher GPA’s • Better Attendance Records • Lower Dropout rates • Fewer discipline problems • (numerous studies including Women’s Sport’s Foundation, Minnesota High School Athletic Association, North Dakota High School Athletic Association, NFHS, University of Chicago, & Iowa High School Athletic Association)

14. Activities are Inherently Educational • Programs provide valuable lessons for practical situations – teamwork, sportsmanship, winning and losing, and hard work. • Students learn self-discipline, build self-confidence, and develop skills to handle competitive situations. • Participation in HS activities is a predictor of later success – college, career, societal contribution

15. Case Studies • Students who spend no time in extracurricular activities are 49% more likely to use drugs and 37% more likely to become teen age parents – US Dept of Educ. • Participation in activities appears to be one of the few interventions that benefit low-status, disadvantaged students – Harvard Ed Review • About 80% of CEOs in the province of Alberta participated in school sports. Typical participation rates in Alberta is 30-35%

16. Case Studies Continued • 95% of Fortune 500 executives participated in high school athletics. (Fortune Magazine) • 47% of Fortune 500 executives were National Honor Society members. (Fortune Magazine)

17. Esko - The class of 2006 • Male Participant GPA – 3.028 • Male Non-Participant GPA – 2.739 • Female Participant GPA – 3.331 • Female Non-Participant GPA – 2.725 • Overall: • 72.34% involved with an average GPA of 3.202 • 27.66% Not involved with an average GPA of 2.732

18. The class of 2007 • Male Participant GPA – 3.115 • Male Non-Participant GPA – 2.523 • Female Participant GPA – 3.359 • Female Non-Participant GPA – 2.781 • Overall: • 80.43% involved with an average GPA of 3.260 • 19.57% Not involved with an average GPA of 2.652

19. The class of 2008 • Male Participant GPA – 3.249 • Male Non-Participant GPA – 2.148 • Female Participant GPA – 3.253 • Female Non-Participant GPA – 2.737 • Overall: • 80.41% involved with an average GPA of 3.251 • 19.59% Not involved with an average GPA of 2.442

20. The class of 2009 • Male Participant GPA – 3.220 • Male Non-Participant GPA – 2.473 • Female Participant GPA – 3.618 • Female Non-Participant GPA – 2.694 • Overall: • 71.43% involved with an average GPA of 3.446 • 28.57% Not involved with an average GPA of 2.558

21. 2006-2009 Senior GPAs

22. Class of 2010 Senior Survey • Plans After Graduation? • 5% Technical Program • 36% Two Year Program • 53% Four Year College (43 Students) • 3% Military • 4% Employment • Of the 43 Students going to a four year college 77% were student athletes.

23. FACT • WE ARE ON THE SAME TEAM! – collaboration with parents is intentional. • Esko students athletes are better prepared for secondary opportunities than the average student. • Esko student athletes miss fewer days of school and have fewer disciplinary problems than average students.

24. My Reality • 1-3% of the overall district budget is attributed to athletics… money well spent! • In general student athletes get far more out of sports than the sport gets out of them!

25. Success breeds success! • Which comes first? • A strong athletic and fine arts program or district wide academic success? • True Team – Byron, Osakis, etc…

26. The purpose? • BEING PROACTIVE!! • Be intentional about the things you want. • Collaborating with parents • The more often they here you say we are here to help your student be successful – the more likely they are going to believe it.

27. Together in Success…