Panther Press Articles

In case you missed the Panther Press Articles from the gifted support class, here they are:

Panther Press Article for November 2008

Gifted Support News

 November is Parent/Teacher Conference time.

In order to help you plan ahead, I wanted you to know that I will be available for conferences at M. M. Seylar Elementary on the evening of November 20th and during the day of November 26th. If you would like to request a conference with me, please make sure to check off my name on the conference request form that the classroom teachers distribute. If neither of these dates are convenient for you, I can also make arrangements to have our conference on the evening of November 25^th, but in order to accommodate this request, I will have to ask you to come to meet with me at West Rockhill Elementary. I hope this isn’t too much of a hardship. A phone conference may also be an appropriate option.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Jill Zanine

Panther Press article for October 2008

Gifted Support News

Starting the Year Off on the Right Foot

As a teacher, parents often ask me, “How can I help my child be better organized and manage his time better?”  Usually this question pops up after a child has completed a long-term assignment, one that was assigned weeks ago, in a rush at the last moment.

Time management is something we all struggle with, but there are a few things parents can do to help their child with this difficult skill.  First of all, be sure to impress upon you child the importance of writing down homework assignments and other school responsibilities in their agenda book.  Classroom teachers assist their children with this by keeping a list of their classroom assignments on the board and giving their students time each day to copy these assignments down.  Be sure to check at home that your son or daughter is filling out their assignments each and every day. 

Also encourage your child to record  “responsibilities” that may fall upon his or her shoulders, but not necessarily those of classmates.  For instance, if your child is involved in a school activity like Reading Olympics, he or she probably has made a commitment to read a certain number of books.  These “assignments” won’t be on the classroom homework board, but they should be included in a student’s agenda because they will take time to complete.

I also encourage parents to get a large calendar to display extra-curricular or other activities and social engagements.  Sometimes a child plans to complete an assignment on a particular evening, not realizing that she will be spending several hours at an older siblings basketball game.  Or maybe the student anticipates working for several hours on Saturday afternoon, but has forgotten that that was the day the family was visiting grandparents.  Having a visual reminder of these “other” time commitments will help a child have a more realistic view of just how much time is available to get work done.

Last of all, talk with your child about his or her plan for getting a long-term assignment done.  Has your child set goals?  Are they realistic?  For a young child, help him or her to recognize the steps that need to be completed, and together make a plan for when to get them done.

Keep Thinking,

Mrs. Zanine

Printable Version