The Connect
An 8th Grade Newsletter. Edition 2
The First Six Weeks Have (Almost) Been Completed !
It is almost impossible to believe that we are halfway through the first 8th grade trimester. On Friday grades close for the first progress report grading period. It is important to keep in mind that this grade is a "snapshot" of how your child is doing up to this Friday. This is a "living" grade book and grades will continue to change as assignments are entered into the grade book. Please check your student's grades often in Aeries, sometimes grades change drastically in just a week. Progress reports will be sent home shortly. We have noticed many of our students have had some absences due to illness. We know it is very difficult to catch up on missed lessons and classwork, but all missing work has a negative effect on grades. Please encourage your student to set up a time before or after school to make up tests, quizzes, or labs.
Parent Conferences will take place during the week of September 26 - September 30, 2022.
These conferences are a chance for teachers to share strategies for success with parents of students who may be struggling with the eighth-grade curriculum. If your student is receiving A’s and B’s in their core classes, then a conference is NOT REQUESTED at this time. Our time is limited so these conference times are primarily for students who are currently struggling in their CORE classes.
Available conference times on Sign Up Genius - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F4FADA92DA75-student
Each conference will be approximately 15 minutes in length. We will be conferencing from 1:30 to 3:00 each day during the conference week. If you are having difficulty with the sign-up site, please feel free to contact either Mrs. Kaneshina or Mrs. Daley for help.
This upcoming Tuesday, September 19th is is the District Disaster Drill. We will be outside on the basketball courts for approximately one hour. Please wear long pants as the ground gets hot! Sunscreen, water bottles, and hats are a good idea as well! A book or deck of cards will help alleviate boredom! This may be called off if the weather is too warm.
QR Code for Parent Teacher Conference Sign UPs
Reminder: Conferences are not required for students who are experiencing academic success.
Academic Success = A's and B's in Core Classes
How to Help Your Child Succeed at School - by Jessica Lahey - from The New York Times - Part 5
Keep School-Home Lines of Communication Open
The research is clear: Family involvement and positive home-school communication have been associated with improved grades, positive behavior and attitudes about learning, increased participation and increased attendance. Start by finding out how your child’s teacher would like to be contacted, and honor his or her preferences by sticking to that method.
When something comes up, go to the teacher first, and not to the principal. That is unfair to both the principal and the teacher. Besides, the principal most likely was not present in your child’s classroom to witness the events in question, so it puts him or her in an awkward position.
Remember the good moments too. Thank teachers for their efforts on behalf of your child. Thanking teachers lets them know that you respect and appreciate what they do and how they do it. I have an envelope full of these notes accumulated over 20 years of teaching Latin, English and writing, and I often refer back to them when I’m having a bad day or feeling unappreciated. Gratitude matters.
Model: Don’t bash or undermine a teacher in front of the kids. Kids hear what you say about their teachers, and it’s essential to preserve the student-teacher relationship at all costs. It can be confusing for kids when parents say negative things about their teachers, just as it’s upsetting when one parent speaks ill of the other during a separation or divorce.
Promote Self-Advocacy
Starting as early as kindergarten, children need to be encouraged to speak up, tell adults what they need, and stand up to people who are not treating them the way they want to be treated. Self-advocacy is a key part of building a child’s sense of self- efficacy, or the understanding that they have the power to control and change their behavior, motivation and environment.
When your children come to you to complain about how another child or a teacher treated them, ask what they said or did (or what they plan to say or do) to make sure they are heard and understood. Simply asking this question can help children reframe the situation and consider what they can do to effect change themselves.
Expect children to be a part of home-school communication from the first day of elementary school and increase your expectations for their involvement each year until your child is the main conduit of information between home and school. You can provide support, of course, but somewhere around the beginning of middle school, your child should take the lead.
Get support for your efforts to boost their self-advocacy. Let teachers know you are making this shift so they can support your child’s efforts to be more effective in their communication.
Coach your children through talking with teachers about problems and talk through the approaches they can take. You can write scripts or role play if a child is anxious about the discussion. This can actually be a fun way to dispel anxiety and play-act the conversation until your child is comfortable.
If children are facing especially stressful challenges as a result of bullying, special education needs or mental health issues, school counselors can be parents’ greatest ally. Today’s school counselors are mental health professionals who are able to guide students in school and provide referrals as needed to other mental health and academic support professionals in the community. They can even direct parents to low-cost or sliding scale providers if needed, and ensure continuity between school-based services and outside providers.
Model: Talk about how you ask for help and assert yourself even when it makes you nervous. Explain how you make sure your needs are heard and addressed. If you need to talk to your boss about a misunderstanding at work, make your kid a part of a dinnertime discussion about ways you could approach the conversation. We are, after all, our children’s first teachers when it comes to conflict resolution and self-advocacy.
Reminders:
Friday 9/16 - 8th Grade T-Shirt Designs Due
Friday 9/16 - End of 1st Six Weeks of 8th Grade - Grades Close for Progress Reports
Monday 9/18 - Minimum Day All sites
Tuesday 9/19 District Wide Disaster Drill - OR 10/3 if called for Inclement Weather
Monday 9/26 - Friday 9/30 - Parent Conferences Minimum Days All Week
Thursday 9/29 - Student of the Month Celebration
Friday 9/30 - Earthquake Drill
MRS. DALEY AND MRS. KANESHINA
MRS. DALEY- ANGELA_DALEY@ETIWANDA.ORG
MRS. KANESHINA - MATILDA_KANESHINA@ETIWANDA.ORG
Email: angeladaley@me.com
Website: www.kanley.org
Location: 12345 Coyote Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, United States
Phone: 909 803 3300