Helping Your High School Student Succeed

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Helping Your High School Student Succeed

• Jeffrey Fuller
• Director of Guidance
• HFHSCP
• 9-10-09

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How students can help Outline

• Attend class
• Receive good grades
• Set-goals
• Be active participants in their future

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Attend School Daily

• Good attendance will not guarantee good grades.
• Poor attendance guarantees poor grades.
• If a child must absent from school
• The student is responsible for figuring out what
  they missed
• How to get missed work?
• Edline.net
• Ask the teacher
• Ask a classmate
• Planned absences
• Notify the teacher in advance to receive work (1
  day does not count)
• Have the work done when the student gets back to
  school

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Know what to do to get good grades

• Students must
• Be organized Notebooks and agenda
• Manage time Designated study times
• Participate in class Will keep students
  interested
• Take good notes Teachers can help
• Study smart Use strategies
• Test-taking strategies different per subject
• Get help Tutoring everyday after school

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Set Goals

• Setting goals is important at all ages.
• Students should get in the habit of setting both
  short-term and long-term goals.
• Short Hours, Days, and Weeks
• Long Months to Years
• Students should write their goals down.
• Parents should know their childs goals.

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• Goals should be
• Specific
• Measurable
• attainable

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Example of possible Junior goals

• Short-Term
• Specific Get a 90 or better on Mr. Spellmans
  next test
• Measurable Student will know the exact grade
• Attainable Studied hard, know the material,
  should be able to receive an A
• Long-Term
• Specific Attend 4 college fairs before March
• Measurable Have to find 4 colleges
• Attainable Can find more than 4 in the LA area

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Actively participate in your future

• Extracurricular activities do a couple of things
  for the high school experience
• Create friendships
• Create support systems
• Create school buy-in
• Showcase student talents (academics is not all)
• College admissions personnel look for rounded
  students

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Benefits of Extracurriculars

• Spend time with friends and meet new people.
• Enjoy school more
• Provide a valuable service
• Try something new
• Become a leader
• Relieve stress
• Have activities to put on applications
• Develop a variety of skills and talents
• Have fun

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Parents Role Outline

• Get involved in school
• Participate in their academic life
• Communicate
• Understand their concerns and look for warning
  signs
• Encourage a positive environment

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Get involved with all aspects of school

• The more parents put into school, the more they
  will get out
• Create parent networks and bonds
• Attend workshops and gatherings
• Back to school night, Sep. 24th
• Faculty follies!, Feb. 12th
• Actively participate in your childs education
• Empower them to solve the problems, but always be
  there for support
• Create a bond between you and the teachers

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Participate in their academic life

• DO NOT, do their work for them
• Help where help is needed
• Strike the balance of assisting and letting go
• At the beginning of each term
• Sit down with your daughter and set realistic
  academic goals (short and long-term)
• Encourage your child to be involved in
  extracurricular activities
• Show support by attending

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Academic life cont.

• Check Edline.net
• Weekly grades will be posted by 330 on Friday
• Report cards will all be online this year
• Set expectations and standards for school
• On-time everyday and no tardiness
• Lunch packed
• School work in binder
• Create a learning environment at home
• 1 2 hours nightly without distraction or noise
• This should be a family norm
• Keep the computer in a common room and monitor

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Communicate

• How do you solve the teenager mystery?
• Ask specific questions
• Avoid How was your day?
• Ask What was Ms. Fowler wearing today?, What
  was the hardest question on your Biology test?,
  Did you eat lunch with Mary or Suzie today?
• Embody their mind frame
• Remember, you were once a teenager. What were
  your feelings?
• Understand they may not want to talk sometimes,
  but ALWAYS go back if it is an important topic
• What are they interested in outside of school?
• (music, movies, celebrities, TMZ, texting,
  twitter, etc.)

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Kim Kardashians Twitter Account
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Catholicism on Twitter
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The constantly changing friends effect

• Freshman will move through an average of 3 sets
  of friends their freshman year
• Middle school friends may be lost
• What types of students are these new friends?

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Common teen worries

• Grades
• School work
• College
• Drugs
• Alcohol

• Boys
• Peers
• Finances
• Appearance
• Texts and phone

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Look for warning signs of danger

• Changes in disposition
• Loud to quiet, quiet to loud
• Disrespect
• Lying
• Organization
• Erratic (room, school work)
• Behavior
• Out too late
• Finding evidence
• Stealing

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What to do

• If you suspect drinking, drugs, self-defamation,
  suicide
• Talk to them immediately
• Call the family doctor
• Speak with your priest
• Call the school counselor
• Call support agencies in phonebook and online
• Dial 911
• Encourage your child to help themselves
• Be their support tool

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When attempting to change a behavior

• 1st rule It is the behavior and not the child
  that should be changed
• Act like it!
• 2nd rule Let them know what you are doing
• Placing them in the dark will create frustration
• 3rd rule Only attempt to change that 1 behavior
• 4th rule Gradually build-up towards expectation
• Expecting 100 right away will do no good

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How to create a positive environment(and
hopefully avoid future problems)

• Be proactive
• Have outings
• One-on-one
• Family
• Encourage good grades
• Explain your feelings towards them doing well
• Develop a personal connection
• Cookies and milk (Positive reinforcement)
• Meet them halfway
• If they come to you, come back to them

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Prepare for the future

• Set expectations early on
• Plan ahead
• Be knowledgeable

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1 Rule RELAX!!!!!!!!!

• Children embody the spirit of their parents and
  teachers
• If you are stressed, dont show it if you can
• SMILE!!!!!