Message from the Principal

By Anonymous -

We have had three full weeks of school and I want you to know what a pleasure it has been getting to know your children as I interact with them during lunch, passing periods before and after school and in classes.  It was also a pleasure to see so many of you at our Back-To-School Open House last evening.  We hope that you had the opportunity to learn about what your child is engaged in as a learner.  I am excited for our new year and the work our teachers will be doing with your child(ren). We are excited about the Site Improvement Plan that you heard briefly about as teachers work to engage your children in their curriculum.  We are working diligently to support literacy and numeracy, transfer, mindset and all the DLPs, but in particular the Systems Thinking and Communication DLP rubrics.  We are also working to ensure you have more information about your child’s academics and the resources available to you to know what's going on in the life of your child. (Don't forget to take the technology survey based on Mrs. Olson's presentation last night under "Tech Talk" in today's blog.)

We will continue to work on ways to engage your child because we know if students are engaged they:
o   Learn at high levels and have a profound grasp of what they learn
o   Retain what they learn and
o   Can transfer what they learn to new contexts

Be sure to help your child stay engaged.  ‘Jerry L. Parks, a social studies teacher at Georgetown (Ky.) Middle School author of Help! My Child Is Starting Middle School! A Survival Handbook for Parents.’ shares…

‘Children of involved parents typically have higher self-esteem and have fewer behavior problems in school. And students’ grades usually improve when their parents become involved.’ So be a parent who takes an active interest in your child’s work because according to Park it is one of the ‘biggest contributors to a students’ success.’

Top Ways Parents Can Help Their Children Succeed in School

Make sure your child is at school every day possible. “Missed work is generally more of a loss than made-up work is a gain,” Parks says. “There is no substitute for attendance.”
Designate a time and place for your child to do homework. If he does not have homework, have him use the time to read. “Routine is the essence of a child’s life,” he says.
Teach your child character—it “will improve social and academic skills more than anything else,” Parks says. “Some things are simply wrong, and the world your child will grow up in will punish crimes, so give your child a head start.”
Make time every day to talk with your child about the day’s activities. “Let them know you               care, and really listen to what they have to say.”
http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/824-teachers-tips-how-parents-can-help

Have a wonderful Labor Day and remember there's no late start on Wednesday, Sept. 7th.


Susan Rosenthal

 P.S.  Don't forget to subscribe to the OGMS blog by going to ogmspanthers.blogspot.com

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