Parent Education - January

This is an exerpt from Reaching Teens in their Natural Habitat by Danny Holland.

VOICES OF INFLUENCE
Increased Time = Increased Strength (pgs 27-28)
Whatever you look at most will gain strength and eventually be the strongest attraction in your life. Let me give you an example. I used to have a fascination with Jeeps. I loved looking at Jeeps, checking out the modifications Jeep owners made, and even studying the Jeep concept vehicles. I would dream of taking my new Jeep Rubicon top down, wife and kids strapped in, onto the beach and giving its thirty-three-inch B.F. Goodrich Mud Terrain tires a workout as waves crashed around us. You get the picture. The more I dreamed about having a Jeep, the more often Jeeps caught my eye. I noticed every Jeep that passed me even when I was driving on the interstate at seventy-five miles per hour. By allowing Jeeps to repeatedly capture my attention, I unintentionally trained my eye to notice them.
And what captures our attention is not as important as what keeps it. So study and be an expert in whatever keeps your child's attention. It might be something educational and positive. It might even give you a clue as to what your child's purpose is in life. It might be a musical instrument, sport, or civic or church activity. And once you find that captivating item or activity, go out of your way to feed that source of attention.
While I was growing up, my father was the news director of a popular radio station, but he was laid off when the ownership changed. I was a teenager at the time, and suddenly I became interested in playing the bass guitar. I had a cheap one, but I quickly outgrew it. After nearly twenty months, my father had not found a job. But even though money was tight, he made a huge investment in my future by buying me an eighteen-hundred-dollar instrument and a thousand dollars worth of accessories for Christmas. I understand something today that I didn't know then: my father saw my attention and energy being drawn toward something positive, and he fed that source of attention. Even though some might see his purchase as a poor financial decision for a man in his position, he saw my interest as the opportunity of a lifetime. It's been said that the opportunity of a lifetime must be seized during the lifetime of the opportunity, and that is never truer than when it comes to our kids and their interests.

Upcoming Trips and Events

CHAPERONES NEEDED
Tuesday, January 13, we will be accepting registrations at the office for the 6th and 7th grade class trips as well as the new 8th grade trip to the City Museum in St. Louis.

6TH GRADE - CREATION MUSEUM
-The cost for the students this year is $70. We will only be taking one coach so chaperones will need to drive or carpool. The cost for chaperones is $30 plus your driving expenses. There is no limit to the number of chaperones.

7TH GRADE - APPALACHIA MISSION TRIP
-The cost for the students this year is $140. We will only be taking one coach so chaperones will need to drive or carpool. The cost for chaperones is $70 plus your driving expenses. There is no limit to the number of chaperones.

CITY MUSEUM - 8TH GRADE END OF YEAR TRIP
-There is 8 spots available for chaperones on this trip. This is a day trip leaving bright and early in the morning and returning around 8pm on May 20. The cost is $32. Registration will also start Tuesday, January 13. Chaperone registration for this trip is first come first serve.

HOLIDAY WORLD TICKETS FOR MAY 20
-If you plan on attending Holiday World on May 20 with your 7th grader, you may purchase a ticket through the school at a discounted rate. The student price for the trip is $25, including the ticket and travel. The adult price is $20 as you must drive yourself to the venue. Tickets must be paid for when you order them at the office. The last day to order tickets is Friday, February 6.

Parent Education - December 08

The following are disciplinary techniques to consider from the book Getting it Right with Children written by Madelyn Swift.

Disciplinary consequences
- Consequences should be fair, reasonable, direct and related to the behavior.
- Don't ask, "Do you understand?" Instead, have them repeat what you said.
- Use words to help you get a point across. For example, say, "you need to pick things up" not "I need you to pick things up."

Direct child to remedy or amends
- "The paint is spilled on the floor. The sponges are in the cabinet."

Problem? Think!
- Help guide your kids through alternatives and problem solving. Do not abandon children who have not developed problem solving skills.

Take action
- Be sure to follow through on what you say. Discipline doesn't have to be damaging, but it has to be definite.

Use Humor
-Humor: either you have it or you must develop it. Humor is situational.

8th grade Holiday World changed to St. Louis City Museum

The 8th grade Holiday World trip on May 20 is being changed. The 8th graders will now be going to the St. Louis City Museum. It is not your conventional museum but an entire building filled with caves, secret passage ways, climbing, seven story slides and more! We will leave early in the morning and return late evening (8pm). The following day is their last day and graduation. The students will love the museum. It will be a blast! Check out their website at www.citymuseum.org.

Merits vs. Demerits

I want to clear up the difference between merits and demerits in Renweb, as many parents have mistaken a merit for a demerit. I apologize for the confusion. Let me take a minute to explain the difference between the two. A demerit is a consequence for student behavior that is against the policies of ECS. A demerit accumulates for the year and removes them from the discipline free trip each quarter. In most cases a demerit is given, the parents are called to notify them of the incident that took place involving their child. A merit is simply a way for ECS to track student behavior. Every behavior incident entered in the computer is emailed to me. I then look at the child's history to check for patterns or issues. One child, for instance, might have gum in first, second, third and fourth periods (4 different incidences). Each teacher tells the student to get rid of it and logs it in as a merit. The teachers in periods 2-4 don't know that the student has already been warned by the previous teachers. In a case like this, gum is not the issue. The student is being disobedient. It is important to know that merits do not dismiss a child from the discipline free trip each quarter. Thank you for your patience with the new system. We are working very hard to make it as smooth as we can. I have heard mostly good things about it from you, the parents, and we believe it will only get better.

Welcome to the 21st Century

This is new to me. I am going to learn how to do this. More to come.......