Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Winter greetings to all parents!

Hopefully, after our break, students are well rested and sponge-ready to absorb new knowledge and develop new skills. One of the most important habits that students should learn is the art of discipline: making oneself complete a task even when one has not the desire. Another really important habit that needs to be honed before ninth grade is the skill of listening. Listening is an active concentration that must be triggered manually. In other words, we each have to forcibly push away distractions and audibly search for the treasure in the words being spoken.

Regarding homework, we ask that you parents and guardians go beyond simply asking about homework to actively check your child's agenda and the teachers' TeacherWeb sites for verification.  Often, children dismiss an assignment as unimportant when, in fact, it is a foundation to the next lesson or a practice to improve a skill. Please also require them to show you assignments and explain them. If they state that it's at school, remind them to bring all assignments home for your inspection before they submit it to their teachers.  Also, if you email us periodically for an update; we will be happy to update you.  Just be patient with us.  Together, we can succeed in preparing your child to have a smooth transition to ninth grade.

Thanks so much for your support from the other side.