Freshman Parent Orientation

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Freshman Parent Orientation

• Class of 2013

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Strategies for working with adolescents

• Students who do well in school are good
  listeners. Yet parents and teachers complain that
  children, particularly teenagers, dont listen to
  them, while teens complain they arent listened
  to. How can adults model good listening skills
  for teens?

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• Listen to teenagers with your eyes as well as
  your ears.
• As hard as it is in our busy lives, stop what
  your doing and make eye contact.
• Not now - later doesnt work with teenagers. If
  you arent available when they want to talk,
  you may not get a second chance.
• Listen for points you can agree with, not the
  points you dont accept. Dont interrupt. We
  dont like it when people finish our sentences.
  Teenagers hate it, too.

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• . Teens want to know what adults value and what
  they think, but they hate being talked down to or
  told that their views are immature. Respect their
  viewpoints, share your ideas and concerns, and
  dont provide a solution unless asked for one.

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Notes for Parents

• As adults we forget how tough it is at times to
  be a teenager. We say things like these are the
  best days of your life.
• Most teenagers have not developed the coping
  skills that make life easier.
• Teenagers are often in a battle on all fronts.
  Loyalty to friends family - relationships -
  school - self-esteem.
• A very selfish time of life when sons daughters
  view the world through a single dimension -
  theirs. Its probably not wise to fight this
  front too hard, for it is short lived and they
  dont hear us any way.
• Different communication styles between males
  females.
• Masters of telling us what we want to hear.

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Communication between School Home

• Expectation that teachers will respond between
  24 48 hours.
• Shared goal of helping students become
  self-advocates.
• Dont rush in to fix.
• Observe your teenager outside of the home as a
  more accurate measure of growth.

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• Principals weekly email
• Naviance
• Back to School Night
• Parent Information Exchange
• Evening Presentations
• WA web page
• Individual Meeting with Guidance
• Parent Teacher Meetings
• Quarterly Progress Reports
• Quarterly Report Cards

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GPA Starts NOW
Student A- tough freshman year Fresh. Soph. Jr.
Sr. Cum. 2.0 3.2 3.2 3.2 2.8 Student B-
consistent Fresh. Soph. Jr. Sr. Cum. 3.2 3.2
3.2 3.2 3.2 Student C- woke up junior
year Fresh. Soph. Jr. Sr. Cum. 2.0 2.0 3.2 3
.2 2.6
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