G E A R U P S u c c e s s Pa r t n e r s h i p
Upcoming events
Sept. 10–14 Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) Practice, grades 9–10 Sept. 17–21 Midterm Week Monday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. – Board of Education meeting, Education Center, 2651 Burnet Ave. Auditorium Tuesday, Sept. 25 Open Houses for high schools Friday, Oct. 5 Professional Development No pupils Monday, Oct. 8 7 p.m. – Board of Education meeting, Education Center, 2651 Burnet Ave. Auditorium
Special Advertising Supplement
September 5, 2007
Did You Know? Fast Facts
Thirty years of research shows that parent and community involvement in schools improves student achievement. •••
Make a difference for your child, get involved!
Reading is the Key to Success in School
All parents want their children to be successful readers. Reading, after all, provides the foundation for a great education as well as a lifelong skill that brings knowledge and pleasure. But did you know that it’s not too late to read to your middle-schooler? Even though she can read, you can help improve her skills and encourage her interest in books by letting her listen to you read.
Children who have been read to develop important reading skills in part because parents and caregivers are the best role models. Show your children that reading is important by reading yourself! Take trips to the library and bookstores. The public library is a wonderful place to help children discover—and keep—a joy for reading. Encourage your children to write. Even very young children can and should explore with print. Beginning readers can build their skills through writing. Write with your children! Letters, emails and postcards
are one way to start. Another idea is to set up a message center where members of your family can write to each other. Even easier—put up magnetic letters on the refrigerator to invite young children to play by creating words and sentences. Give books and magazines to your children as gifts. Yard sales and flea markets are great places to buy books inexpensively. Let children select books that interest them. Books on sports, animals, movies, or musicians can sometimes catch their interest. Turn off the television! Children need quiet time without distractions. Providing quiet time will encourage
Serving 3,800 students in 23 Cincinnati Public Schools For more information: phone 513-556-3611 or fax 513-556-1037
Just For Parents:
Managing Manic Mornings
Getting kids fed, ready and to school on time — while you get ready for your day — can be a monumental task. Here are some tips to make your morning routine less hectic:
Prepare the night before. If you’re offering cereal for breakfast, get the cereal, bowls and spoons out and on the counter. Check the weather, let everyone know what it will be and have them choose appropriate outfits. Lunch money, homework, pencils, permission slips, etc. should all be gathered and ready the night before. Make time for breakfast. It serves as a healthy way to start the day both physically and emotionally for the whole family. Get enough rest. This goes for everyone in the household, including you. And if your teen can’t seem to shut down early, at least make sure he’s in his room, quietly reading (not watching TV!) as early as possible. Model a positive attitude. Life isn’t always easy — that’s a fact — but having a positive attitude about doing things that aren’t easy is one of the keys to being a happy, well-adjusted adult. Give your teen this lesson every morning, without the lecture, just by doing it. Get out of bed before the kids do. Give yourself 10–15 minutes alone to have a cup of coffee or mentally prepare for the day. Have your children help. Does the dog need to go out? Your 10-year-old can handle that. Delegating some of the morning responsibilities makes the morning less stressful for everyone. Finish with a loving goodbye. Give them all a hug, including your teen, if she’ll let you. It’s a perfect way to strengthen your family bond and set the tone for a productive day.
children to read more often and for longer periods of time. Talk to your child. Ask him how he felt or what he thought about the stories or books he’s read. If he enjoyed a movie that was based on a book, encourage him to read it. Let him know that the printed version is often much better than the screen version because it isn’t limited by technology or time length. Pay attention to which television programs he prefers and provide suitable books on the same subjects. Get a dictionary to keep at home and, if possible, an encyclopedia. (Check out yard sales, thrift stores and flea markets for used editions.) Encourage your child to look up subjects that puzzle or interest her. And if you don’t have resources at home, help her get to the library. If your student is an avid comic book reader, don’t discourage it. At least he’s reading! Just try to provide other, more worthwhile reading material, like this Enquirer series provided every Wednesday to students by GEARUP. Encourage your child to bring it home!
September 5, 2007
Special Advertising Supplement
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Helping your Child with Homework
Research shows that parent involvement can have either a positive or negative impact on students’ homework. Parent involvement can be used to speed up a child’s learning. And homework can involve parents in the school process. If you are the parent of a middle or high school student, getting involved with homework can give you an opportunity to express positive attitudes about the value of success in school.
But be careful—parent involvement may also interfere with learning. For example, parents can confuse children if the teaching techniques they use differ from those used in the classroom. And parent involvement in homework can interfere with learning if parents do too much, like completing tasks for the child rather than simply helping. When parents or guardians get involved with their children’s homework, communication between the school and family can improve. It can clarify for parents what is expected of students. It can give parents a firsthand idea of what students are learning and how well their child is doing in school. Research shows that if a child is having difficulty with homework, parents should become even more involved and pay close attention. They should expect more requests from teachers for their help. On the other hand, if a child is doing well in school, parents should consider backing off a bit and supporting their child’s own choices about how to do homework. Homework can be an effective way for students to improve their learning and for parents to communicate their support for education. Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework. Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going. Make sure your child has the materials he or she needs, such as paper, pencils and a dictionary. If you don’t have a dictionary or other necessary reference book, the library is a good place to go. Not only will the library most likely have the books you need, it is also a generally quiet and well-lit place. Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance. Help your child with time management.
Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don’t let your child leave homework until just before bedtime. Use a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves getting together with classmates. Be positive about homework. Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires. When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers. Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her. Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher. If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away. Remember that homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills. Stay informed. Talk with your child’s teacher. If you’re not sure, ask about the purpose of the homework and what the teacher expects. Encourage your child to do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Then easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in. Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration. Let your child take a short break if she is having trouble keeping her mind on an assignment. Reward progress in homework. If your child has done will with homework and is working hard, celebrate that success—pizza, a trip to the park—to reinforce the positive effort.
PA R E N T S :
and keep kids lean
The quantity of food packed is also important since portion size is another factor that contributes to overweight kids. One snack bag of pretzels may contain two or more servings. Pre-measuring items such as peanuts or cookies into the correct serving size shows kids just how much they should be eating of such foods. MealsMatter.org is a free Web site that can help take the guesswork out of what to prepare for lunch. The site’s back-to-school health feature contains advice for parents including healthy lunch and snack ideas, nutrition information and recipes. The site also features informative articles, downloadable references, interactive tools and nutrition activities. The following are a few healthy school lunch and snack tips from MealsMatter.org:
Lunch Lesson
How to make peanut butter rolls:
• Take kids shopping and have them pick out foods they like. • Have kids help pack their lunch. Teach them how to pack a well-balanced lunch with appropriate portion sizes. • Pack dinner leftovers for lunch. Use leftover chicken for sandwiches or pasta for a cold salad. • Flour tortillas • Make sandwiches different by using pita or focaccia • Peanut butter breads. • Jelly • Use insulated lunch boxes and refreezable ice • Raisins (optional) packs to help keep foods cold and fresh. • Send hot vegetable or chicken noodle soup -- use thermoses to keep hot foods hot. • Choose healthier snacks such as fresh or dried fruit, veggie sticks or string cheese.
Take a
As your child begins the new school year, it is time to pay close attention to what he/she is having for lunch. It is estimated that over 16 percent of children nationwide are overweight – and that percentage is on the rise. Parents greatly influence what their kids eat and encouraging healthy eating habits is more important now than ever. Preparing nutritious school lunches and snacks is a challenge for many parents. But lunch is the second most important meal for school-aged children and provides one-third of their daily calories. One of the easiest ways parents can ensure they are packing a nutritious lunch is to provide a mixture of whole grains, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables and lean meats.
Spread peanut butter, then jelly on tortilla. Sprinkle with raisins. Roll up tortilla.
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Special Advertising Supplement
September 5, 2007
Where does the
money come from?
half-time status. Interest rates on Federal Perkins Loans are fixed and will not exceed 5 percent. Stafford loans are also need-based, and are available to undergraduate and graduate students in two forms – subsidized loans, which don’t earn interest until repayment begins, and unsubsidized loans, which accumulate interest when the loan is paid out to the student. The maximum annual amount that may be awarded is $2,625 for the first year, $3,500 for the second year and $5,500 for the third and fourth years. For each type of Stafford Loan, repayment begins six months after graduation, withdrawal, or if the student drops below half-time status. Interest rates on Stafford Loans are variable and will not exceed 8.25 percent. The Federal PLUS Loan is available to parents of dependent undergraduate students and is not need-based. Each year, parents may borrow up to the total cost of the student’s education, minus the amount of any other financial aid their child receives. Repayment begins 60 days after the funds are paid out. The interest rate is variable and will not exceed 9 percent. Students may also earn money to pay for school through the Federal Work Study program, which allows students to work part-time while attending classes and encourages community service and work related to each student’s course of study. The jobs may be on-campus or off-campus, and students will earn at least the federal minimum wage – but the rate could be higher, depending on the type of work and the student’s skill level. The total work-study award depends on when the student applies, their level of need and the school’s funding level, and students may not work more hours than their award permits. The student’s employer or financial aid administrator will consider class schedule and academic progress when assigning work hours. Education is too important to pass up, especially with all the available financing opportunities. Check here the first Monday of each month to learn more about how to pay for your child’s education – or your own. To learn more now, or to apply for Federal Student Aid, visit www.studentaid.ed.gov or www.collegeanswer. com.
Finding financial aid for college tuition
Education beyond high school is a valuable investment of time, effort and money. Don’t let money worries end your dream of a college education. There are several ways to finance even the most expensive postsecondary education or job training. Understanding financial aid and the resources that are available is an important step in the college planning process. The largest source of financial aid is the federal government, followed by state governments, colleges and private organizations. Financial aid comes in three forms: grants and scholarships, loans, and work study programs. Grants and scholarships are often referred to as “free money.” They are funds that are used for education that do not have to be repaid. Grants are awarded based on financial need and are given out by state and local governments, as well as colleges and universities. Scholarships are awarded for a variety of reasons. They can be given for academic or athletic achievement, economic need, community involvement or volunteer work, based on a parent’s employer, membership in organizations, or even unique personal characteristics. To be considered for most scholarships, student must complete an application. Scholarship opportunities are often available online or from school counselors. Students may also apply for a variety of loans, or borrowed money, to finance their college education or job training. However, student loans are a serious obligation – much like a car loan or mortgage – and students should carefully consider how much student loan debt they are willing to carry. There are several different types of loans available for both students and parents. The federal government sponsors the Federal Perkins Loan Program, Stafford Loans and PLUS Loans. Federal Perkins loans are available for undergraduate and post-graduate education, and they are awarded based on financial need. Undergraduate students may be awarded a maximum amount of $4,000 per year under this program, and repayment begins nine months after graduation, withdrawal, or if the student drops below
Parents:
starting early gets students in shape for school
If there are young children in your home, it’s never too early to help them develop a love for learning. Before entering school, young children should learn a basic knowledge of themselves, their families and the world around them through play and interaction with caring adults. Here are some tips for preparing young children for academic success:
• Read to your child daily and talk about what you’ve read. • Visit the library. Check out books and attend story times. • Sing rhyming songs and finger plays. • Put your child’s name on clothing and toys to help him or her recognize their name in print. • Encourage your child to write his or her name. • Help your child learn basic colors by pointing and naming objects like, “green trees,” “red apples,” “blue coats.” • Give your child puzzles and games that require counting and problem solving. • Let your child scribble, draw and write, cut and paste. • Sing the alphabet song with your child, and provide letter magnets or other toys that will help him/her begin to recognize the letters of the alphabet. • Take your child to the zoo, parks, the grocery store, the post office, and the pet shop. Talk about the sights and sounds of your day. • Make time for your child to play – to sing, dance, climb, jump, run, and ride tricycles or bikes. • Choose childcare that promotes learning through well-planned, fun and interesting activities. (Source: National Education Association)
Tips for keeping your child safe
What will your child do after school? Will he be home alone? Before you leave your child home alone, you should make sure that he feels safe and comfortable and can handle the responsibility. Most children are not ready to be left alone until they are at least 11 or 12 years old, but it will depend on your child’s maturity level. You may want to gradually let him stay home alone for very short times to make sure he is ready. Some things to review before you leave your pre-teen or teen home alone include:
1. Make sure that she is comfortable staying home alone. 2. He should know his full name, address and phone number. He should also know how to reach you at work. 3. She should know how to deal with situations that may arise while she is alone. She should know to not open the door if someone knocks in any situation. She should not open the door even if the person knocking says they have an important package or even if they say they are a policeman. Instead of opening the door in uncertain situations, she should know to call you first. 4. Review what to do in emergency situations, such as a fire. Make sure he knows how to call 911 and knows to get out of the house in case of a fire. 5. Be clear about any chores, homework, or other things that she is supposed to do. 6. Have a routine established when he gets home, including locking the door and checking in with you as soon as possible. 7. Teen-proof the home. Remove guns and lock away alcohol or medicines. 8. Be clear about the rules, such as not leaving games on the floor.
HOME ALONE
September 5, 2007
Special Advertising Supplement
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College Planning Checklist
By: Kristen Merica-Clay, M.Ed., Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation, High School Scholarship Program
Planning for college should begin during a student’s ninth grade year and continue throughout high school. The following checklist will help high school students plan for college.
• • • • • • •
Get to know your high school guidance counselor Develop good study skills Explore different careers Evaluate your skills and interests and learn how they relate to careers Take college preparatory courses Participate in extracurricular activities Learn about the college planning process
Freshmen and Sophomores
• • • • • • • • • •
September Discuss your course load, college plans, and test scores with your school counselor Request college applications Arrange college visits Register to take the SAT/ACT, if necessary Search for scholarships October Verify your transcripts are accurate Find out which financial aid applications are required at your choice colleges Ask for letters of recommendations to include with applications Work on admissions essays Attend college fairs and financial aid nights
Seniors
• • • • •
September Discuss college with your family members Review your courses with your counselor Collect college catalogs Sign up to take the PSAT Get organized — create folders to keep copies of applications and set up a calendar to track important dates and deadlines October–November Attend college fairs and financial aid nights Take the PSAT Search for scholarships and financial aid Learn about federal and private loans
Juniors
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• • • •
November • Continue completing applications • “Early Decision” deadline is often November 1 or 15, pay close attention to deadlines • Search for additional sources of financial aid • Search and apply for scholarships December • Complete school applications by December 1 • Collect family tax and financial information for financial aid applications • • • • January Complete and submit your FAFSA as soon after January 1 as possible Fill out and submit required financial aid forms — follow directions carefully Make copies of all applications Complete scholarship applications by their deadlines
December • Review your PSAT results with your counselor • Talk with friends who are in college about their experiences • • • • • • • • January–February Identify characteristics you want in a college Attend college fairs and financial aid nights Register and study for the SAT and/or ACT Continue to search for scholarships March Plan campus visits Narrow the list of colleges you are considering Estimate how much each college will cost Discuss the colleges you are considering with family
February–March • You will begin to receive admission decisions from colleges • When you receive your Student Aid Report (SAR), review it carefully • If you are selected for verification, provide the college with all needed documents and information • Pay attention to deadlines concerning financial aid and college decisions • • • • April Analyze and compare financial aid award letters Make a decision — most colleges request a reply by May 1 – and send your tuition deposit Notify other colleges that you will not be attending Mark your calendar with deadlines for housing, meal plans, financial aid, etc.
April–May • Compare college requirements to your transcripts • Select senior year courses • Take the SAT and/or ACT • Take Advanced Placement tests, if necessary • Get a summer job Summer • Improve reading and vocabulary skills • Search for scholarships and ways to pay for college • Start working on college application essays • Talk to people in careers you find interesting • Decide who you will ask to write letters of recommendation
May–June • Send final transcripts • Return all necessary forms • Enjoy your graduation • • • • • • • Summer Attend orientation Purchase college supplies If you still need money for college, research additional sources of funding, such as private loans Finalize your budget Send thank you notes to the people who wrote letters of recommendation If you have questions, contact the admissions professionals at the college of your choice For more information about college planning talk to your counselor or visit www.collegeanswer.com
25 Ways to help your child’s school
1. Share information with a student or class about one of your hobbies or interests. 2. Share information with a student or a class about your career. 3. Share information with students about a country you visited or in which you lived. 4. Tutor a student or a small group of students in reading, math, or science. 5. Help coach an athletic team. 6. Help coach an academic team. 7. Help check a student’s written work. 8. Help paint a display or poster or help put together a bulletin board. 9. Help build something (shelves in a classroom or new piece of playground equipment). 10. Help answer the phone. 11. Demonstrate cooking from a particular country or culture. 12. Share your particular expertise with faculty (such as use of computers). 13. Set up an internship or apprenticeship for a student at your business, organization, or agency. 14. Host a one-day ‘shadow study’ for one student or a small group of students to follow you and learn about your career. 15. Help chaperone a field trip. 16. Serve as an officer on the PTA. 17. Help design a parent or student survey for the school. 18. Help conduct and or tabulate results of a survey about the school. 19. Volunteer to be part of a ‘telephone tree’ to distribute information quickly. 20. Go to a school board meeting. 21. Go to a PTA meeting. 22. Help design a brochure or flier about the school. 23. Help translate at a parent-teacher conference for people who don’t speak English well. 24. Weed or plant flowers around the school entrance. 25. Ask your child’s school how you can help.
Helping your Child with Tests
You can help your child do his or her best on tests by doing the following: Make sure your child attends school every day so he can learn what is needed to do well in school — and to do well on tests. Take an interest in your child’s school work and in the results of the tests she takes in school. Provide a quiet place at home for your child to do homework assignments that reinforce what she is learning at school. Work with your child at home as well as with his school and teacher to help him become a good reader. Good reading skills are important to success in school and to doing well on tests. If your child’s reading skills are lagging, or if she has limited interest in reading, talk to your child’s teacher about ways to build reading skills and increase interest in reading. Ask your child’s teacher about the tests your child takes — classroom quizzes and tests as well as required achievement tests. Ask about the subjects, knowledge and skills that are tested — and how the test results will be used to help your child be successful. Don’t judge your child’s abilities — or let others judge your child’s abilities — on the basis of his score on a single test. Any test provides limited information about what your child knows and is able to do. Always encourage your child to do his best on tests.
For more information about GEARUP or to volunteer, contact:
Steffi Cappel, EdD 513-556-3611 steffi.cappel@uc.edu