High School

England High SchoolEddie Nally, Principal

Sunday Tuesday Thursday Saturday

Parent PointersCalendar

[~[f@", "~...~~gjJlmake the difference!

Monday Wednesday Friday

7 Plan a specialactivity to celebrate

the end of the schoolyear. Take your teenout for ice cream or fixa favorite meal.

1Encourage yourteen to keep

a journal of heraccomplishments.

ft If your teen lacks~ keyboarding skills,encourage him to takea course in summerschool.

3 [n many schools,teens pull year-end

pranks. Talk aboutwhat's acceptable andwhat isn't.

4 Turn off the TVtonight. Read

instead.5Talk with your

teen aboutwhat makes a goodfriendship.

6Does your teenhave a summer

reading list' Post it andhave your teen checkoff books as she fin-ishes readin~ them.

I

8 Decide on SOIne

educational goalsyour whole family canpursue this aurnmer.

9 Help your teenprepare a. resume.

it will help if he wantsa summer job.

10 Make sure yourteen does some

kind of exercise everyday this summer.

11 Help your teenstart a reading

journal. Have her 'writeabout each book shereads this summer.

1ftAsk your teen~ which school

assignments from thispast year he thinkshe'll remember fiveyears from today.

13 TeenS still needroutirles during

the summer./ Talk withyour teen about howshe plans tal spend hertime.

14Make tonightTeen's Night

in the Kitchen. Yourteen practices cookingskills-and you get abreak.

15 At bedtimetonight, tell

your teen a storyabout yourself at hisage.

16 Encourage, yourteen ro wrue a

letter to the editor ofa local newspaper ona topic that concernsher.

17 Talk [0 yourteen about

the health problemscaused by smoking.

18 Perhaps yourteen can intern

this summer It mavopen doors ;0 a futurecareer.

19 Does yomteen have a

Facebook page? Askhim to "friend" you soyou can see what heposts.

20 Start fhesUmI?er right.

Set limits 01'\ televisionviewing.

21 Help yourteen improve

her vocabulary. Doa crossword puzzletogether today.

ft2 Encourage your~ teen to readduring quiet. times athome. Before bed is aperfect time to read.

ft3 Social media~ makes It easyto hurt eorncoric. T~lI

your teen not to postanything he wouldn'tsay to S0111eOne'sface.

ft4 Find quotations~ that will motivate

ft5 If vour teen is~ fa~ed with a bigdecision, talk about it'within the context ofyour family's valuesor faith.

ft6 Let your teen~ overhear vousay something goodabout her to someoneelse.

ft7 Let Your teen~ be your tourguide this summer.f-lavc hirn plan ~I

family outing.

28 Take your teento the library.

Check out [,1'{0 copiesof the s:;une hook so

you can read together.

rout" teen. Post a

favorite one on themirror your teen uses.

29 At the grocerystore, have

your teen comparetwo sizes of the sameproduct. Which is thebetter buy?--~I--------~--------------~---------------------------------------------------------------------------~© 20 I4 The Parent Insrirure", a division of :--''1S,Inc. _',,1ay be reproduced only as licensed by Parents Still make the difference! '" High School Edition newsletter. \- 00-756-5525

30 Help your teendraw lip a

monthly budget.Be sure to plan forunexpected expenses. June 2014

Parent Pointers i~l1JIT@~Calendar gjJlmake the difference!

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Knov .....where your 2 rr your teen has a 3Ask your teen to 4 Head the 5 Is your teenteen is and who part-time job, insist imagine life 150 Declaration of planning a party?

July 2014 she's with. Knowing thai he save SOJrtC years ago. How about Independence with Limit the guest lisr. B"her friends can head money for college or 150 years in the future' your teen today. present. Walk throughoff trouble before it other future plans. Talk about why it the party occasionally,starts, was written. offering snacks.

6 Playa game 7 Cut out a cartoon 8 Bring up a sticky 9 Talk about honesty 10 Learn a tongue 11 Teens often feel 12 Does yourthat builds math your teen will situation before it and why it is twister. At peer pressure teen have too

skills, such as cards, enjoy. Leave it by her occurs. Ask what your so important. Find dinner, challenge to try alcohol. Talk to much free time? Helpdominoes or chess. place at breakfast. t.een might do. Listen examples of people everyone to repeat your teen about ways him look into local

and ask questions. who demonstrate it three times fast. to say no. volunteer opportunities.honesty.

13 Have breakfast 14 Encourage your 15 Remember that 16 Bow out of 1 7 Most teens 18 [s your teen's 19 Be touristsWith your teen teen to listen teens learn from power struggles aren't aware of room messy? in your own

today. Talk about what to music he doesn't Your actions more than and let your teen what's going on in the Set: the timer for a hometown today. Visitshe likes best about normally listen to your words. Focus experience the world. Make it a point I5-minute pick-up blitz a local historical siteher friends. today. on setting a good consequences of to watch the news and before she goes out with your reen.

example. misbehavior. discuss it. with friends.

20 Check vour 21 Compliment 22 Discuss a 23 Ask your teen 24 Is Y':"lr teen 25 Don't criticize 26 As you doteen's summer vour teen about controversial for suggestions rurrnng into a or correct your errands, help

reading list. Is he things ;he's doing well issue with your teen. of nutritious snacks to summer couch potato' teen in front of peers. your teen talk withmaking progress' this summer. Ask, "What do you have on hand. Linlit TV time and people about the jobs

think?" encourage outdoor they do.activity.

2.7 Set aside some 28 Be an attentive 29 Accept your 30 Encourage 31 Ask your teen tonme to spend listener! teen's mistakes. healthy eating. tell you some of

one-an-one with your This will improve Allow them to be Allow your teen to the things you've doneteen today. communication with learning opportunities. choose some fruits together that he most

your teen. and vegetables at the enjoyed.grocery store.

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Parent Pointers j~ITr~~Calendar "He"'; \~ make the &ife;;en(~!

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Look for a movie 2 Help your teenthat's based on a develop skills she'll

August 2014 book. Read the book need when she leaveswith your teen before home, such as doingseeing the film. laundry or ironing.

3Let your teen help 4 Will your teen 5 Set a goal of 6 Choose a number, 7 At your teen's next 8 Ask your teen to 9 Take a walk withyou make a family need a checkup spending more then have your checkup, let. her put gas in the car. your teen and

chore chart. Everyone or immunizations time with your t.een. teen list ,111 the things spend some time alone Teach him how to use a1.1 five senses tocan check off jobs as for school? Make an Be creative-can you he can think of that with the doctor so she check the oil.

Iobserve the world

they are finished. appointment today. rearrange work lO be come in that" number. can ask questions in around you.horne one afternoon? privacy.

10 Have your teen 11 Visit the 12 Want. t.o let your 13 Think of 14 [f vour teen 15 Some teenage I 16 Challenge yourcheck the ads public library teen know you a location br~aks a rule, parties involve teen to do a

in the Sunday paper this week. Look for a love her? Give her a anywhere in the world. don't set a punishment alcohol. Check with secret good deed for afor the best buys on book your teen and genuine and specific Take turns telling one in the heat cf the moment. the host's parents friend or neighbor.back-to-school items. you might both enjoy. compliment. thing you would like Wait until everyone before you allow

Ito see there. has calmed down. your teen to attend.

17 Enjoy some 18 Don't "label" 19 Teens need 20 Encourage your 21 When your 22 Can your 23 Talk about yourphysical activity your teen (Sue to have a say teen to make teen tells you teen sew on teen's goals

with vour teen. You'll is the shy one). Kids in their day-to-day decisions. Involve him something important, a button? It's a basic for the coming schoolboth get exercise and it tend to live up to roles lives. Review a few of with some decisions repeat it to make sure life skill that everyone year. Post the listmay lead t.o inrcresting cast for them by their vour household rules on your family's plans you understood. should learn. where you call bothconversation, parents. together. and purchases. see it often.

24 Give your teen 25 "Because I said 26 Have your teen 27 Talk to your 28 \'V'atch the news 29pop some 30 Make time toa hug today. so!" rna v be draw a window teen about on TV with your popcorn and go shopping

frustrating for teens picture. She can look people he admires. teen. Choose one story watch a silly rncrvio wirh your teen-just toto hear. Explain your out the window and Discuss the reasons and compare it with a with your teen. look. You may learn31 Have yourteenreasoning. draw' what she sees! why he admires them. newspaper article on things about each

",'rite to a friend the same topic. other.today.

© 2014 The Parent Institute", a division of ?-'T[S, Inc. May be reproduced only as licensed by Parents Sti1l1J111ke the diffmncel" High School Edition newsletter. 1-800-756-55251

England High SchoolEddie Nally, Principal

A summer job can teach yourteenager valuable lessonsAsummer job may be your teen's

first step into the workforceand can help him prepare for thedemands and responsibilities of"the real world." Summer jobs teachstudents many valuable lessonsabout respect and responsibility-important ingredients for schoolsuccess.

A summer job can teach yourteen how to:• Be on time. Punctuality is

crucial in the workplace. Otherswill depend on your teento show up when expected.

• Work with others. Your teenwill have to get along with hiscoworkers and take directionfrom a supervisor.

• Behave professionally. Anemployee's behavior and

how he communicates reflecton the company. Your teen willneed to be on his best behavior.

• Dress professionally. Mostworkplaces have dress codes oruniforms.

• Interact with customers. Manyentry-level jobs involve workingwith the public. Your teen willneed to be polite and helpful toall kinds of people-even thosecustomers who may not treat himin the same courteous fashion.

• Think about his future.Experience in a job can help yourteen decide if a line of work isright for him. If he wants to be aveterinarian, but faints at the sightof blood during his shift at theanimal shelter, he may need torethink his career goals.

Copyright © 2014, The Parent Institute@ www.parent-institute.(om

May 1014-Vol. 21, No.9

Attendance isstill importantfor your teen

As the end of theschool year drawscloser, some teensdecide that school isalready over. They

sleep late and miss their firstclass or two. They go out forlunch and don't come back.

Remind your teen that atten-dance is as important at theend of the year as it was at thebeginning. And her attendancemay have a bigger impact on herfuture than she realizes:• If she is planning on getting

a job right after high school,showing up to work ontime every day will help herachieve a successful workrecord and receive a positiverecommendation from anemployer.

• If she is planning to go tocollege, she will get off toan easier start if she hasdeveloped the habit of goingto all her classes on timeeveryday.

So make sure your teen keepsgoing to school. She'll get a tasteof adult responsibility. And thatis just as important a lesson asthe things she'll learn in theclassroom. I

Practical ideas for parents to help their childrenI

Copyright © 2014, The Parentlnstitufe'" , , www.parent-institute.com

Don't let your teen's work beginto slide as nicer weather arrives

As soon as the daysbecome longer, students'attention spans seemto become shorter. It'slike there's something in

the air that entices kids of all ages toskimp on studying in favor of extratime outdoors.

To make sure your teen is stillfinishing his homework:• Talk about it. Ask questions

about his assignments: Whichone was the most interesting?Which one was the most difficult?This will remind your child thateven if he doesn't care about hishomework, you still do.

• Time it. If your teen averagedthree hours of homework eachnight during the winter, a newIS-minute homework averageshould make you suspicious.

A question like, "Why are youspending less time on homeworknow?" might be enough to fix theproblem.

• Combine it. Suggest that yourteen do his reading on the frontsteps. Or let him shoot hoopswhile you quiz him on scienceterms. That way, he can enjoy theoutdoors-without sacrificingany of his homework time.

"Wemust return optimismto our parenting. Tofocus on the joys, not thehassles; the love, not thedisappointments; thecommon sense, not thecomplexities."

-Fred G. Gosman

Show your teen how to manageyear-end school assignments

High school studentsare often faced withan array of finals andyear-end assignmentsas the school year draws

to its close. This much homeworkcan be daunting.

To keep year-end homeworkmanageable, remind your teen to:• Remember that homework

comes first. Some teens like todo homework when they first gethome from school. Others workbetter after some time to unwind.Still others are best later at night.But homework must get done ontime. And it must have top priority.

• Keep track of key dates. Few highschool students can successfullyremember when all their many

assignments are due. Your teenshould write due dates down ona calendar and check it daily.

• Jot down reminder notes duringthe school day. Putting a "Bringhistory book home" sticky note onthe front of her notebook reallycan help your teen remember tobring her book home.

• Be careful about distractions.The TV, computer and cell phonemay not be a problem when yourteen has a lesser workload. Butat the end of the year, when theworkload may be doubled, sheshould make a stronger effort toavoid distractions.

Source: P. Benson and others, What Teens Need to Succeed:Proven Practical Ways to Shape Your Own future, Free SpiritPublishing.

2 • High School • Parents still make the difference! • May 2014

Are you helpingyour teen resistpeer pressure?

Peer pressure is a factoflife for teens. It canbe positive: Your teendecides to volunteerbecause her friends do.

But it can also be negative: Your teenskips a class because her friend isskipping.

Are you helping your teen resistnegative peer pressure? Answer yes orno to the questions below to find out:_1. Do you tell your teen to takepride in her own accomplishmentsby saying things like, "You shouldbe proud ofyourselffor .... "?_2. Do you encourage your teento sign up for classes and activitiesthat actually interest her?_3. Do you remind your teen torespect herself and to never doanything that will make her losethat self- respect?_4. Do you encourage your teento think of herself as an individual?_5. Do you help your teenpractice different ways to say no?

How well are you doing?Mostly yes answers mean you'redoing a great job of helping yourteen resist negative peer pressure.For no answers, try those ideas.

Practical Ideas for Parents to HelpTheir Children, ISSN; 1523-2395

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Published monthly September through May byThe Parent Institute", a division of NIS, Inc., an

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Publisher; John H. Wherry. Ed.D.Editor: Rebecca Miyares.Illustrator: Joe Mignella.

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Research outlines five keytasks for parents of teenagers

Did you think that mostof your big parentingjobs were over? Hardly.According to researchcollected by the Harvard

School of Public Health, parents ofteens have five key parenting tasks:1. Love and connect. Spend time

together as a family and spendone-an-one time with your teen.Do familiar things like cooking ameal or watching sports, and addnew things like volunteering as afamily.

2. Guide and limit. Figure out what'snon-negotiable-issues like safety,health and school attendance. Letyour teen know you won't givein on those things. But talk abouthow you can work together tocompromise on issues like clothes,hair and schedules. Give himpractice in making choices andthen living with the results.

3. Monitor and observe. Knowwhere your teen is going-andwho he's with. Talk with otheradults (teachers, coaches) whomight notice any changes in yourteen's behavior. Keep in contactwith the school about his gradesand attendance.

4. Model and consult. Be a good rolemodel. Take care of your health.Put your values into practice. Yourexample is more powerful thanany words you speak.

5. Provide and advocate. If yourcommunity doesn't provide whatyou think teens need, get active.Network within the community toprovide the support you know allteens need. Work with others toadd positive guidance and removenegative influences.

Source: A. Rae Simpson, Ph.D., Raising Teens:A Synthesisof Research and a Foundation for Adion, Harvard School ofPublic Health, www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/raising-teens.

Involve your teen in settingexpectations for next school year

The end of the schoolyear is a great time foryou and your teen tothink about what she hasaccomplished this year.

It's also important to think aboutwho your teen is now, and how shehas changed.

Talk with your teen about yourgoals for her next year, and ask herabout hers. When setting expectations:• Be realistic. Asking your teen

to come up three letter grades inher weakest subject won't work.A goal such as "Next year, Jessicawill turn in her English homeworkevery morning" is much morelikely to happen.

• Play to your teen's strengths.A strength is something yourteen loves and is good at. Sayshe adores her guitar. Tell heryou would love to see herplaya more challenging piece.She might even try writing asong of her own.

• Avoid over-identification.Just because your teen hasthe same dry sense of humoras her uncle does not mean sheis destined for the same careeras her uncle. It's difficult notto compare children to familymembers, but don't let thisaffect your expectations.

Copyright © 2014, The Parent Institute'"r~---

Q: My son can never make uphis mind. How can I help himlearn how to make a decision?

A: Growing up means makingdecisions. That's tough for mostteens. But for some, it can leadto almost total paralysis.

To help your son learn to makedecisions:• Give him opportunities to

make low-risk decisions.Suppose he is responsible formowing the lawn every week.On Monday, say, "The lawnneeds mowing before thisweekend. You decide whenyou want to mow it."

Don't nag him during theweek. Let him decide when tomow the lawn and when hedoes, be sure to thank him forgetting the job done.

• Teach him to write down thepros and cons. When he'sfaced with a choice, have himmake a list of the positivesand negatives for each choice.Often, seeing things in blackand white makes the choiceeasier.

• Remind him that mistakesare just opportunities to learn.Some teens are afraid to makedecisions because they areworried about making thewrong one. Let your son knowthat in life, things don't alwayswork out the way we plan-and that's okay. He will learnsomething from any choice hemakes, even if it's simply whatnot to do next time.

• Help him set deadlines for hisdecisions. "You h~ve untilTuesday to decide if you wantto accept Mr. Smith's joboffer."

May 2014 • High School • • .,en's stUi make the diffe<ence! • 3L

Copyright© 2014,TheParent Institute(j} www.parent-institute.com

It Matters: Summer LearningSummer reading will payofffor your teen next school year

Consider threemajor benefits ofsummer school

Your teen may belooking forward to asummer job. Or hemay be thinking abouttaking a break from his

studies. But there are some reasonshe may want to consider going tosummer school.

While summer school isn't forevery student, it can help your teen:1. Master a difficult subject. If he

anticipates that a science ormath class is going to be a bigchallenge for him, taking it inthe summer will give him moretime to concentrate. This can bea great option for students whoare worried about earning goodgrades for college admission.

2. Gain credits to graduate. If yourteen failed a course, summerschool will give him an opportu-nity to take it again. Or if he hasbeen in ESOLclasses, he may wantto try a class taught in English.

3. Free up space for an art or musicclass. A student in a demandingacademic program, or one whois taking classes to prepare for acareer, may not have room formusic or art. Taking a requiredclass in the summer will allowhim to include these enrichingclasses in his schedule.

If your teen decides to take a classover the summer, make sure heunderstands how important it willbe to complete homework andassigned reading. Because summerclasses are taught in such a shorttime period, missing even one day'shomework can put him far behind.

Teens love summer. They lookforward to vacations, sleeping

in and time with their friends. Butsummer can also leave teens withtoo much time on their hands.Research shows that teens stronglybenefit from time spent reading.

This summer:• Challenge your teen to read

at least four books. One studyfound that the more booksstudents read during thesummer, the higher theiracademic gains.

• Encourage your teen to keeptrack of new words she learns.Teens who read one millionwords a year add at least athousand words to theirvocabularies. And it doesn'tmatter what they read.

• Go to the library often withyour teen. Students who use

the library over the summer aremore likely to read regularly thanthose who do not.

• Ask your teen to write reviewsof what she reads. Studentswho read more are better writ-ers. Writing ability is even moreimportant now that collegeentrance tests require studentsto complete a writing sample.

Source: "Highlights of Research on Summer Reading andthe Effects on Student Achievement," New York State Library,www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/research.pdf,

Replace teerls' screen time withsummer enrichment activities

Does your teen planto spend countlesshours mindlesslywatching television,texting friends and

scrolling through social media thissummer? Don't let your teen's onlyexposure to light come from anelectronic screen!

Instead, encourage your teen to:• Volunteer. If he has a lot of free

time this summer-he shoulddefinitely share some of it.Ask him to talk to community

4 • High School • Parents still make the difference! • May 2014

organizations to find out how hecan donate his time.

• Pick up a new hobby. He canteach himself to play chess, learnto paint with watercolors or takea class through the communitycenter.

• Plan a trip. If your teen'sfriends are just as bored as heis, suggest that they plan aninteresting day trip somewhere.They could go to the zoo, visit amuseum or check out somehistorical sites in your area.

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