Watch for monthly SOS notices coming home in the student's book bag. Insert them into the family folder. Please read and review often.

May

Dear Parents:

For this month we wanted to remind you of the importance of the organizational skills we’ve been trying to reinforce this year.  Not only do they help us during the school year, but they can help us in the future.

 Where does organization help in the future?

• College

• Jobs
• Budgeting Money
• Paying Bills
• Remembering important dates

What does organization eliminate?

• Stress

• Chaos
• Confusion

 And most importantly?

• Organization leads to success!

Over the summer months, please help your child to keep these organizational skills in practice.  If they have any type of summer job, have them use a calendar to keep dates for babysitting, mowing lawns, etc.  Have them keep their rooms neat and organized.  Make sure that they have a few reading books to tackle over the summer so that they won’t have as difficult a time getting back into the swing of school in the fall.  Most of all, have a safe, restful and wonderful summer. 

April

Dear Parents:

Last month the newsletter presented the idea of keeping an organized home as well as being organized at school.  In order to help you further in this endeavor, we did a little research into what an organized home looks like.  This is what we found:

 10 Traits of an Organized Home:

• Lack of clutter because everything has a place.  The band-aids are always in the same place.  All videos, DVDs are in a cabinet near the VCR/DVD player.  Today’s mail is sorted into individual family member’s baskets or folders.

• Refrigerator, freezer and pantry are stocked and organized.  There’s a planned menu for each week.  A grocery list in progress is posted near the fridge.
• Clean laundry is put away.  Dirty laundry is in hampers or is being laundered.
• Family calendar is updated daily and color-coded by person.
• Chore list is clearly posted.  Everyone does his or her share as a member of the family.
• There is a key rack, shoe rack and pegs for jackets and backpacks near the door.
• Toys are separated into containers by category and can be put away quickly.
• There is a portable file box into which bills and paperwork are organized.
• Home appears adequately clean.  Family has a daily system to pick up clutter and a weekly system for cleaning the house.
• Family members have time for one another because their home is organized.

We hope this helps to set the tone in keeping you and your children organized and in developing the important organizational skills necessary in life.

(Taken from http://library.adoption.com/organizational -skills/10-traits-of-an-organized-home/article/20...)

March

Dear Parents:

Your children have been doing a good job staying organized here at school.  One of the things we want to stress for the month, is the importance of being organized in all areas of our lives, including at home.  Please help make sure that your child’s working area at home remains clean and functional with everything in its place.  To help your child realize the importance of organization, try to get organized at home too.  “Organization can make the difference between a busy and productive family and one plagued by disagreement and disorder.”  Here are some things you can do to promote organization at home:

• Keep a large master calendar that shows schedules, appointments, and deadlines.

• Establish habits and routines for school and home activities.
• Develop specific routines to address problem areas, i.e. laying clothes out the night before, etc.
• Organize essential and like materials in one place.
• Allocate time on a regular and frequent basis to get rid of clutter.
• Promote regular, healthy patterns for eating, sleeping and exercise.
• Remember that the best habits, routines, and systems are flexible, creative and based on need.

(Taken from Practicing Organizational Skills at Home, www.hellofriend.org/parents/organizational.html)

February

How much time does your child spend playing computer games and watching TV?  Have you ever actually timed them to find out?  Our goal for this long winter month (29 days!) is to begin monitoring how much time is spent doing outside activities as compared to time spent on homework.

Things to think about:

• How much time does your child spend on the computer each day?

• How much time does your child spend watching TV each day?
• How much time does your child spend on the telephone daily?
• How much time does your child spend on homework each night?
• Is the time spent on homework quality time?
• Could your child answer 3 questions, or tell you 3 things about what they studied?

To help answer these questions, spend some time this month monitoring what your child actually does during the evening hours. Limit their free time if the balance between homework and other times is not a good one. Also, pick up a textbook and quiz them about what they have been studying. Remember, you are always the first and best teacher and role model for your children.  If you are interested, they will be too.

January

Dear Parents:

 Happy New Year, everyone! And a happy and fruitful third quarter.  (Can you believe it?)  After a long Christmas break, we’re ready to get back to our “school routine”.  To help your child get back into the swing of things, we’d like to remind you to check student homework assignment notebooks regularly, as well as making sure that assignments are completed and sent back to school.  We will be handing out the January calendars this week, so please help your child fill them out with all the important dates coming up for this month.  This calendar should be stapled somewhere inside the assignment notebook for easy access.

 As always, if you have any questions or concerns, be sure to get in touch with us as soon as possible.  We are always here to help.

December

Just Say No to Green Slips!

Please help us eliminate Green Slips! The emphasis for December and the upcoming new year 2008 is to wipe out Green Slips. What a great New Year's Resolution for your child! Please check to make sure your child's homework is satisfactorily completed and turned in on time. Check the manila envelopes and sign any tests that need to be returned. With your help, we hope to make Green Slips a thing of the past. Also, the 7th grade teachers would like to wish you and yours a most wonderful Christmas season. Thanks for all your help!

November

It’s Time for Our First Quarter Report Card From the Classroom

Here are a few statistics that we have gathered on our 59 students

  45        Honor Roll                                               39      In Extra Curricular Activity

 619      Plus Marks on Report Cards                     95      Check Marks on Report Cards

  143     Late (green) Slips                                     10      No Gym Clothes

To Home

How did the first quarter go at home?  Now would be a good time for you and your student(s) to assess their effort and performance.  What kind of grade would you give yourself and student for

             Checking assignment notebook and manila envelope daily

             Making homework time a priority

             Providing a quiet place for student(s) to do homework

             Checking in on student(s) when doing homework

             Ask to see homework

The 7^th grade staff feels that we are off to a fairly good start, but we also recognize that there is room for improvement.  We thank you all so very much for your efforts in helping your student(s) get organized and establish good work habits.  Working together is a sure path to our students’ success.

The Holidays are Coming.   Yikes!

Nothing new this month to add to the chaos.

Instead, Practice, Practice, Practice the September and October suggestions.

Goal for November:                 “Consistent” Effort @ School and @ Home!

October

Thanks to all of you for your efforts so far. We had a great turn-out on Parent Night. It was good to see all of you there. By now your children should be showing you their assignment notebooks and take-home envelopes every night. We will continue to monitor and refine the assignment notebook and the school-to-home envelope process through the month of October and ask that you do too.

We're sure that all of you have experienced a "Crazy Night" here and there. Those nights where you've run to practice for this, an appointment for that, and before you know it, it is 10:00 and you and your child are crying because there's no more energy or patience left for the homework that hasn't been started yet. Therefore, for OCTOBER, we will be concentrating on establishing set homework times and learning to prioritize assignments and other duties. Many of you have seen the September calendars the students have been working on. These need a little more practice which we will provide during the month.

Things to think about at home:

• Have a calendar at home of family events and appointments to manage your time.

• Make homework a priority - always schedule time for it.

• Have a specific, special and quiet place for homework to be done. Turn off the T.V.

• Establish an allotted time to do homework in. Check with your calendar to adjust this time if/when necessary. Make sure your system allots enough time to get homework done. Also, plan for long-term projects. Don't leave due dates until the end as unforeseen things can change your calendar and homework time.

• Check on your child during homework/study time. Make sure they are working quietly.

• Continue to check assignment notebook and homework every night.