Summer vacations are coming to an end. Students will take their summer adventures and memories into their 2012 school year. Here are some tips for the start of the new academic year:
1. Encourage students to remember the best times of vacation by writing about them or creating a photo album for their school assignments. Seniors can write about their summer experience for their college application essays.
2. Urge students to take a well-balanced course load, one that has variety in subjects, as well as, some more challenging level classes. Students need to be exposed to many subject areas. i.e. Math, English, Sciences, Languages, Social Sciences, Arts, etc. A broad spectrum of subjects will not only enrich their understanding of how things work but also help them understand their own likes and dislikes, as well as their strengths and weaknesses
3. Encourage the student to take AP courses, as these can provide college credit and potential savings for you at the college level. If the student intends to take AP classes in the later years, make sure all pre-requisites are taken.
4. Make sure the new year starts with good organizational skills and the use of a good planner, binders, folders, etc.
5. Agree on the strategy to note homework, book reports, quizzes, tests or project deadlines in a different format on the planner. For example use color codes or icons (i.e. starts, circles, etc) to help students recognized that each type of assignment might require different preparation time commitments and can plan their study time and social activities appropriately.
6. Once they attend the first day of classes, discuss with them how each class will be graded. Have a clear understanding of the importance of daily homework required by some of the courses, how it will get done and a plan to turn assignments in on time.
7. Insure that students will keep a folder for finished assignments that need to be turned in. You do not want to have students get a bad grade because they did not turn in assignments on time.
8. If your student is struggling with a particular subject, ask for help from professionals like Chyten. Every child should have a chance to get a good report card.
Yes, it is time to buckle down and get back into the academic mode. We’d like to be your partner to help your student achieve his or her potential in school academics and to reach top scores in college entrance exams.
