Middle School Parent Survival Skills

1. Middle School Parent Survival Skills by Christina Aquino (6th), Kelly Ebel (7th), Hon Tran (8th)

2. Agenda • Welcome and Introductions • Characteristics of the PreTeen and Self-Image Tips • Sleep • School Websites • Teacher Websites • Parent Portal • GPA - Grade Point Average • Organization • Parent/Teacher communication • Attendance/Tardiness • Technology/Social Media/Cell Phones • Traffic & Parking • Chaparral Interventions • Library

3. The Teenage Brain Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWUkW4s3XxY&t=58s

4. Physical Changes • Rapid growth in weight, height and strength • Parts of the body grow at different times • Increased appetite • Increased clumsiness and forgetfulness • Hormones • Physical appearance is extremely important

5. Physical Transition - Positive Self-Image Tips • Remind your child that the changes are normal. Share with your child what it was like for you when you went through this stage. • Talk about what is going on with their body. • Be open to talk about self-image as compared to images seen in the media. • Model healthy, self-care habits. • Have patience with your preteen’s increased insecurity over their appearance. Open discussions and reassurance go a long way! • Get help from your pediatrician or school counselor if you think your child may have a behavioral problem, depression, or an eating disorder.

6. Cognitive Changes • Will act impulsively • Don’t think about the results of their actions • Developing the skills for how to solve problems • Beginning to process information on a deeper level • Increasing the ability to understand the perspective of others “How will this decision affect me and other people?”

7. Cognitive Transition - Positive Self-Image Tips • Model critical thinking by explaining your thoughts behind a decision and how you examined the consequences. • Help your child with decision-making skills • Teach goal setting • Set boundaries • Be available to listen • Patience! Sometimes it seems that it is impossible to communicate. They may say things like “You don’t understand.” “You know nothing.” Get out of my life, but drive me to the mall.” This is normal. Set guidelines for respectful conversation. Remember the transition to independence is full of contradictions and twists.

8. Emotional Changes • Increase in hormones • Sudden mood swings • Emotions ranges from rational to irrational • Worry about what others think and their self image • May have feelings of inferiority and sensitive to criticism • May “break away” from parental emotional support • May act differently toward the parent • Spend more time in room or with friends • May say “leave me alone”

9. Emotional Transition - Positive Self-Image Tips • Remember your child wants to feel normal despite all the turmoil. • Listen and empathize. Avoid telling your child what they should or should not feel. Their feelings are real to them. Feelings happen. It’s about how they handle their feelings. • Consider their ideas and feelings even when your child doesn’t directly tell you what’s wrong (sometimes they really don’t know what’s wrong). Offer support and encouragement. • Remember your preteen will look to peers for acceptance at this time. • Give your preteen your full attention when they do say, “Can I talk to you?” • Listen more than you talk and set boundaries (no yelling or interrupting).

10. Social Changes and Peer Relationships • Spend a majority of their time with friends • More focused on their friends, not parents • Cliques are formed - Know the friends • Feelings of interest towards someone they “like”

11. Social Transition - Positive Self-Image Tips • Teach your preteen good judgement when picking their friends. • Quote - “You are who your friends are!” - Dr. Tenpenny • Know who your preteen’s friends are. • Set boundaries with your child to ensure there is a balance of time spent with family and friends.

12. Sleep - National Sleep Foundation FACTS: • Sleep is vital to your well-being. • Adolescents stay up late and sleep in • Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best. • Teens tend to have irregular sleep patterns How Much Sleep Do Teens Need? https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep

13. Middle School Websites: Chaparral - http://www.chaparralmiddle.org/ General information can be found on your school Website • Middle School Survival Skills presentation • Teacher websites • Counselor website • Parent Portal • Bell Schedule • Block Schedule • Parent organizations • Useful links • Upcoming events, news and announcements • Clubs and Athletics

14. Teacher Websites or Google Classroom • Teacher websites or Google Classroom • Mr. Weeks • Mr. Imai • Some math teachers will use one or both of these Math websites • Big Ideas Math • ALEKS • Get your child’s password for Google so that you can access the account and look at the homework with your child • Teachers will give your child a code to access these sites. • Download Google Classroom on phone

15. Parent Portal - Aeries • Log into Parent Portal - located on your school website Parent Portal... • Check this website frequently (at least once a week) • Your child’s current grades • The number of missing assignments • Look up the most recent homework assignment posted to Gradebook

16. GPA - Grade Point Average To figure out your child’s grade point average: _____ Math _____ Language Arts _____ Science _____ Social Science _____ PE _____ Elective • Eligibility Criteria (Extracurricular) • Must have 2.0 and no more than 1 F Grade Point Average Key A = 4 B = 3 C = 2 D = 1 F = 0 Use the key to figure out how many points each grade earns and then divide by 6. ➗ by 6

17. Organization - School • Binder Reminder • Double check assignments written in binder reminder with teacher website or google classroom • Sign the binder reminder each night • Look to see that the assignments are complete • Only have student fix glaring errors • School rules and guidelines p.11 • Commonly asked questions p.21

18. School Organization - Continued... • Color Coordinate Folders with spiral journal • Backpack check • Weekly/Monthly etc. • Have a box at home to organize/store away loose papers/graded paper etc.

19. Organization - Home What Parents Can Do: • Help your student get organized: • Put school supplies like pens, pencils, paper in a location that is easy to access. • Show your student that their homework is important by: • Asking nightly about homework. • Look to see that homework is written in the Binder Reminder. • Check to see if nightly homework is complete. • Help your student without doing the homework by: • Helping your student on the difficult problems not all of the homework. • Elicit help from the teacher if your student is repeatedly struggling with a concept.

20. Parent/Teacher Communication • Ask your child for each teacher’s syllabus and review homework policy • If you or your child need clarification or have questions regarding the class, coach your child to get help from their teacher during break, lunch, or after school directly. • Parent/teacher conferences - Initiated by parent and/or teacher • If an issue becomes unresolved, you can reach out to the teacher by email. • If still unresolved, contact your child’s counselor for assistance.

21. Attendance/Tardiness Rule of Thumb - No more than 10 absences/tardies for the year. Basically 1 each month. • Being present in class every day is important to learning. • Frequent or extended absences can take their toll on student achievement. • School districts receive funding for student attendance only on days when students are in school.. When is a student tardy? • A student is tardy when he/she is late to class. Does Tardiness Affects School Success? • Lower grades • Lower scores of standardized assessments • Lower graduation rates • Higher rates of absenteeism • Failure in high school • Higher High School dropout rates

22. SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY • Classroom laptops • Not for personal searches • Not for personal chatting • Notification of inappropriate use • Personal devices (e-readers) • For academic use only in the classroom • Parent consent form / liability waiver

23. Social Media Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat, YouTube, Kik, Twitter, texting, etc. Expert ADVICE 1. Don’t post any words, pictures, video footage of or about anyone else. 2. Be conscious of what you are posting about yourself (Once it’s online, it’s there forever.) https://cdn.netsmartz.org/tipsheets/SocialMediaSafety_teens.pdf

24. Cell Phones Middle School Policy Cell Phones: Students may bring cell phones to school; however, they must be turned off at all times during school hours. Any student whose cell phone disrupts a classroom or is visible during school hours will have their cell phone taken. The first time a cell phone is taken, the student may pick it up from the office at the end of the day. A second violation will result in the phone being taken and held in the office for a parent to retrieve. If the violation occurs again, additional consequences will be assigned. The office phones can be used to contact parents in case of emergencies. If your Middle School student has a phone think about…. • Monitor • Limit Usage - Time restrictions • Store phone at night in a central location

25. Traffic and Parking Traffic Safety Video - Video Traffic Flow - Map Tardies and absences Drop off Tips

26. Chaparral Interventions • Student/Teacher Intervention: Students can meet with teachers before or after school or during lunch for help (students need to set this up ahead of time; parents can help set this up) • Parent/Teacher Conference: Parents contact and arrange to meet with individual teacher or all teachers • Counselor/Teacher assign After School Intervention • After school intervention • Parent, teacher, counselor initiate SST (Student Study Team)

27. Library Open Daily • 8:30 - 1:45 • Break and Lunch • Permission During Class Fines • Every year students need to clear book fines to participate in end of the year activities • Turn library books in on time or renew the book Textbooks • Cover and protect textbooks • Rainy days - protect with a plastic bag in the backpack

28. Exit Slip • Q & A