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Middle school can be a difficult time for kids. They’re no longer elementary students, but neither are they quite ready for that “young adults” label. While it’s important for kids in the middle years to have some autonomy, it’s also important for them to have consistency and discipline in their lives to enable success. As a parent, you are becoming very familiar with mood swings. Add to that a school campus change, new interests, and classes that are more difficult, and you are in for some interesting and challenging experiences.
So what’s a parent to do? Thanks to the Internet, a lot of help is out there for you.
- Your school’s website can help:
- Calendar page—Keep track of their activities and events.
- Staff page—If you have questions, contact your child’s teacher via email.
- Quick Links—Useful information at the click of the mouse.
- Scholastic offers a series of articles:
- What to expect in each grade
- Getting ready for school
- Learning who’s who at school
- How to stay connected with your child
Outside the classroom, allow your child a good balance. Children this age start to come into their own. They develop interests, pay more attention to what’s going on in the world, and acquire a sense of empathy. Nurture these new ideals by talking to your children often, encouraging them to expand their extracurricular interests.
Now that you’ve done your homework, encourage your child to do the same. Kids Health allows children to walk through the steps to prepare for middle school on their own. It also offers advice from the kids themselves.
We look forward to seeing you on the first day of school!
Need some tips for a successful school year? Here’s number one: get involved! Staying involved in your school’s community is a great way to try new things and learn about yourself. Schools offer many extracurricular activities such as sports, clubs, or fun elective classes. Here are some no-brainer tips on getting more involved in high school:
- Join a club. This is the easiest way to get involved. With many offerings such as yearbook, photo, drama, and cooking clubs, you’re sure to find that perfect fit. Plus, there’s no limit to which clubs or how many clubs you can join!
- Volunteer. Not only does volunteering help the community, but it also helps you. There are many service opportunities available in the world, such as school beautification projects, reading to small children, or even selling tickets for a school dance. If you keep your eyes peeled, you can find the opportunity to volunteer that fits you the best..
- Participate in a sport. Instead of sitting in the bleachers cheering on your school’s team, why not be the one playing for the cheers? Joining a sport is not only a way to get involved, but it also provides a way to make sure you get in that daily exercise time. Participating in a team sport will also help you brush up on your teamwork skills. By working with a team, you can strengthen your leadership and commitment to achieve excellence.
- Don’t hold back! By trying out a variety of extracurricular activities, you can find out what you’re interested in. Furthermore, staying involved in your school (especially high school) looks great on a resume. Colleges and universities often look past the GPA and at your extra-curricular involvement when considering you for admission. Studies show that when students are involved in their community, they are more successful in their other endeavors. By showing that you are involved in your community, colleges can better determine whether or not you will succeed at their school.
Getting involved can be fun. Spending time doing things that interest you can help you find where you want to go in life. If you’re in a journalism club, maybe you will want to become a writer for the local newspaper. If you volunteer a lot, perhaps you will want to go into a more service-oriented field, such as practicing medicine in a foreign country. The possibilities are endless! Get involved, and you are destined to succeed.
For more tips on getting involved, check out these sites:
Trouble getting a child out of bed in the morning is not a rare occurrence, but did you know that not getting the proper amount of sleep has a variety of consequences, including a decrease in I.Q.? Children who don't get enough sleep have trouble focusing on schoolwork, and their brains are not as adept at storing the information they do learn.
There are a variety of reasons children do not get enough sleep: Many kids are overscheduled and overburdened. After school activities, sports, music, video games, and homework quickly fill a child's evening hours. Parents sometimes have a busy schedule as well, making bedtimes later and mornings earlier.
Many parents would be surprised by how many hours of sleep their children should actually be getting every night. A general guideline from WebMD tells us that children 3–6 years old need 10–12 hours per day, and children 7–12 still need a full 10–11 hours, while 12–18 year olds can get by with only 8–9 hours of sleep a night.
A one hour difference of sleep can mean years for a child's intellectual capacity. Fourth and sixth graders were tested in a study by Dr. Avi Sadeh of Tel Aviv University for three consecutive nights. According to NY Magazine, one group went to sleep 30 minutes earlier than the other group, which stayed up an extra half hour. The performance difference that single hour created was an astounding two grade levels. The scores were further apart than the scores of a normal 4th grader versus those of a 6th grader. By losing a single hour of sleep, a child loses up to two years of his/her potential brain power.
In the same NY Magazine article, another study testing pre-kindergarteners found similar results. Every hour of lost sleep on the weekends, due to later bedtimes, caused a loss of seven points on a standardized school-readiness test. Elementary school students who had sleep problems also showed a loss of seven points on a vocabulary test. The reduction of seven points is the same I.Q. reduction as that due to lead exposure.
High school aged children suffer similar symptoms. A University of Minnesota study of more than 7,000 teens showed that the students who earned A's averaged 15 minutes more sleep than those who were earning B's. The students with C grades slept 11 minutes less than the B students and 10 minutes more than those earning D's. The results from this study were almost identical to those from another study of 3,000 high school students in Rhode Island. The numbers speak volumes. Every minute counts.