Core Standards for Parents

Teachers and parents make up a crucial part of the "village" that is supporting your child or you're children's development. It is important for both to do their best to help ensure that they get a good educational foundation.   Below are some basic standards for parents to follow to support the core standards of education.  This is the first five of ten standards. The other five will be in a future blog post. 

1. Make education a priority over extracurricular activities.

It is essential that parents place a priority on education. So many parents place priorities on sports and extra activities that they forget that an education is what their children really need to get ahead in life. If the parent places priority on the extra activity, they are teaching their child that the extra activity is more important than education. This may very well come back to haunt those parents later in life when they cannot convince their child that education is important.

2. Help your children with their homework. If it is too hard for you, find someone who can help.

The parent must set up home time to complete homework. Create a desk space and a consistent time frame for completing homework. Hold the child accountable for completing homework before extra activities can be attended. I am sure everyone has heard of the TV show, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. If the homework that is brought home with your child is too difficult for you, think about that show and get some help. Homework can be hard and there is no reason to be embarrassed about not knowing how to answer the questions. As the parent, what you can do is help the child learn how to find the answers either using the internet or asking someone who may know. There is never anything wrong with asking for assistance. It is a good lesson for your child to see you using resources.

3. Create "Teachable Moments" for your children.

Be legitimately interested in helping your child learn. If you are active in your child's education, then they see the value in their efforts. A teachable moment is when out of nowhere an opportunity presents itself to teach your child something. For example, you are cooking and you are adding ingredients. Use that opportunity to ask your child about fractions and get them involved in using the measuring cups. Use vacations to work on geography; make your child pay for dinner with cash and see if they can figure out if they got the right amount of change, or figure out a 15 percent tip. There are so many teachable moments out there. Don't miss them.

4. Support your child's teachers. If you disagree with them, discuss it privately away from your children.

Your child needs to learn about and respect authority. If they see and hear you not supporting their teacher, then the teacher will lose credibility in the eyes of your child. Your child has now learned that teachers are wrong and can be talked about in a negative way. You and the teacher must be a team. If you disagree with the teacher, discuss it with them privately and away from ear shot of your child. You entrust your child to this person for eight hours a day. You want your child to perceive the teacher with the highest amount of respect.

5. Require your children to be better than you were at their age

I always thought of this as a good indicator of the success of a parent: Are their children held to a higher standard. Not that this is always attainable, but none the less, a good practice for which to strive. I fear that a lot of times, especially in the urban sectors, parents will say that they did the same thing their child is doing and it didn't hurt them. Typically this is a comment related to poor behavior. My thought is always, "Don't you want better for your children?" Didn't you learn the lesson that poor behavior leads to negative consequences? Parents need to hold their children up to a higher standard, if for no other reason than to improve our society.

  

Summer Activities to Keep Your Kids from Back Sliding!

Use the daily activities in these fun activity calendars to prevent your children from forgetting what they have learned during the school year while they are out for the summer!

Children and Sports

Children and Sports

As spring approaches your children are probably going to be asking about joining a sports team.

Sports help children develop physical skills, get exercise, make friends, have fun, learn to

play as a member of a team, learn to play fair, and improve self-esteem. American sports

culture has increasingly become a money making business. The highly stressful,

competitive, "win at all costs" attitude prevalent at colleges and with professional athletes

affects the world of children's sports and athletics; creating an unhealthy environment. It

is important to remember that the attitudes and behavior taught to children in sports carry

over to adult life. Parents should take an active role in helping their child develop good

sportsmanship. To help your child get the most out of sports, you need to be actively

involved. 

 

This includes:

•providing emotional support and positive feedback,

•attending some games and talking about them afterward,

•having realistic expectations for your child,

•learning about the sport and supporting your child's involvement,

•helping your child talk with you about their experiences with the coach and other

team members,

•helping your child handle disappointments and losing, and

•modeling respectful spectator behavior.

 

Although this involvement takes time and creates challenges for work schedules, it

allows you to become more knowledgeable about the coaching, team values, behaviors,

and attitudes. Your child's behavior and attitude reflects a combination of the coaching

and your discussions about good sportsmanship and fair play.  It is also important to talk about what your child observes in sports events. When bad sportsmanship occurs, discuss other ways the situation could be handled. While you might acknowledge that in the heat of competition it may be difficult to maintain control and respect for others, it is important to stress that disrespectful behavior is not acceptable. Remember, success is not the same thing as winning and failure is not the

same thing as losing.  If you are concerned about the behavior or attitude of your chi

ld's coach, you may want to talk with the coach privately. As adults, you can talk together about what is most important for the child to learn. While you may not change a particular attitude or

behavior of a coach, you can make it clear how you would like your child to be

approached. If you find that the coach is not responsive, discuss the problem with the

parents responsible for the school or league activities. If the problem continues, you may

decide to withdraw your child.  

As with most aspects of parenting, being actively involved and talking with your children

about their life is very important. Being proud of accomplishments, sharing in wins and

defeats, and talking to them about what has happened helps them develop skills and

capacities for success in life. The lessons learned during children's sports will shape

values and behaviors for adult life.

K-12 Students' Veiws on Digital Learning

Do you know? Ten Things Everyone Should Know about K-12 Students’ Views on Digital Learning

§  1. Use the Internet to help with homework at home? Over 50% of students in grades 6-12 say that they do that at least weekly; for 29% of high schoolers, it is a daily event with 68% saying their primary Internet access is through a 3G/4G device.

§  2. Learning anytime, anyplace, any pace? 41% of students who have not taken a fully online class would like to take a virtual class; they see the #1 benefit as being able to learn at their own pace.

§  3. What do kids think about flipped classrooms? 6 out of 10 students say it would be a good way for them to learn.

§  4. Pixel or print – what is your reading style? 1/3 of students in grade 6-8 say their preference is to read a digital book for schoolwork; put that hard copy book away – 44% of students want to read on a digital reader.

§  5. Learning via YouTube? Yes, 29% of students have used an online video to help them with their homework.

§  6. Teacher – I have a question! 30% of students say that being able to text their teacher during class (and getting a personalized response) would help them be more successful in science.

§  7. Who is today’s gamer? 75% of students in Kindergarten through second grade are using computers and mobile devices to play educational games on a regular basis.

§  8. Tweet-tweet? 34% of high school students are Twitter users now – a three-fold increase since 2011 when only 11% of students acknowledged tweeting as part of their social media profile.

§  9. Where do kids do school group projects in 2013? They do them on Facebook – 38% of students say that they regularly use Facebook to collaborate with classmates on school projects.

10. Students are mobilists! Students’ personal access to mobile devices has reached several significant tipping points: 80% of students in grades 9-12, 65% of students in grades 6-8 and 45% of students in grades 3-5 are smartphone users now; middle school student tablet access doubled from 2011 to 2012 with 52% of those students now tablet –enabled.

5 Steps to Motivate Your Child

A big part of life is doing things we don’t want to do — and not making a huge deal about it. But when you’re 8 or 9, having to finish your homework or practice piano for 30 minutes can feel like the biggest burden ever. Here’s how to give your child a dose of perspective while making it easier for her to manage (you’ll keep your own sanity intact, too!): 

1. Think small. Breaking projects down into smaller components helps your child avoid the feeling that she’s about to climb Mt. Everest. Ways to do it: Have her study for Friday’s spelling test a little bit each day or practice piano 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes before dinner, and 15 minutes after.

2. Make like Goldilocks. Keep your child motivated and involved by setting “just right” goals together: If they’re too easy, your child might become bored — and if they’re too challenging, she might feel frustrated and give up. Don’t expect a LeBron James performance from your basketball player, but explain that he’ll need to shoot hoops a few times a week in the backyard (outside of practice) to make progress. 

3. Fork over some power. Whenever possible, leave room for choice so that your child has a sense of control: Do you want to start with math or reading tonight? Would you rather sign up for dance or gymnastics? When she can buy into the task, it feels easier for her to tackle. 

4. Offer up praise. By acknowledging your child’s efforts, you teach him to value and believe in himself. This type of encouragement will help him keep working when the going gets tough. 

5. Try a reward. Note that we did not say bribe. There’s a difference! A reward is something you offer as incentive in advance. For instance, you might say: If you can start and finish your homework without being asked for one week, you can take a friend to the movies. A bribe, on the other hand, is usually an act of desperation and is often given before the child completes the desired task. When used correctly — offer them for one or two behaviors at the most — tangible rewards will spark your child’s natural drive, desire to please, and love of learning. 

Read Books On-Line for FREE!

It’s going to take a couple of years and probably a few major court battles but Google and another organization called the Internet Archive is working to create a searchable internet databases of all the world’s books.  There have been other efforts along these lines such as the Gutenberg Project which currently offers 25,000 free online ebooks  and Lit2Go which comes from Florida's Educational Technology Clearinghouse.

The Google project can be found here:  http://books.google.com
They have already scanned thousands of books from major universities all across the nation.  You can search their database and read the books right off the screen like this:

As you might imagine this book scanning project has caused an eruption of copyright issues.  Currently you can only read selected pages from most of the books that are available.  The Google Book project might someday charge a small fee to read or download a book or it might eventually be free or a combination of for free and pay books. 

My Data Button

We are pleased to announce the launch of the DoDEA “myDATA Button” initiative. This initiative provides parents with a web-based “button” linked to the Aspen Student Information System Parent Portal by School Year (SY) 2012-2013.  Loyd School was chosen as one of the Pilot Schools for the program.  Please visit the web site for information on how to register for the program and use the data portal.

The portal will provide families with access to their child’s electronic academic records, such as unofficial transcripts and student performance data at any time and any place.

Providing parents with this access will allow them to better plan and manage their children’s educational needs, particularly during school transitions. This project is a reflection of our belief that providing parents access to their children’s educational information contributes to better engagement in school matters, and ultimately, better educational outcomes for students.

myDATA for Parents

The myDATA Button portal is currently available only to the schools who are participants in the pilot launch of the portal. A phased deployment for all DoDEA will take place no later than school year 2013 – 2014. Read More... 

---

myDATA for Students

Student access is only available to students in grades 4-12 in schools that are participating in the pilot. Students will be provided their logon credentials by their school administration.

---

Bill Gates' Advice for Helping Your Kids Succeed in Life!

In Bill Gates' book, Business @ The Speed of Thought, he lays out 11 rules that students do not learn in high school or college, but should. He argues that our feel-good, politically correct teachings have created a generation of kids with no concept of reality who are set up for failure in the real world.

RULE 1 - Life is not fair; get used to it.

RULE 2 - The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will
expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3 - You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of
high school. You won't be a vice president with a car phone, until you earn both.

RULE 4 - If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.

RULE 5 - Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.

RULE 6 - If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

RULE 7 - Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try "delousing" the closet in your own room.

RULE 8 - Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades; they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9 - Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off
and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do
that on your own time.

RULE 10 - Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have
to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

RULE 11 - Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.              

Tips for Keeping Kids Healthier during Spring Break

Spring break is a time of freedom that all kids need to reset for those last few weeks of school. Many kids want to sit around and play video games or watch television the entire break, but that’s not a healthy choice. Keeping kids moving during spring break maintains good health and gives moms and dads the opportunity to get a little exercise in as well.
Get off the couch and out into the sunlight. Not only is sitting around on the couch all day not a form of exercise, it keeps kids and adults out of the sun. Sunlight causes a chemical reaction in the body that creates vitamin D. Sure, milk is a good source of vitamin D, but kids and adults cannot drink enough milk or eat enough vitamin fortified food to measure up to the amount of vitamin D the body produces in just 15 minutes of direct sunlight.
Take the time to learn something new and stay active. Spring break is also a great time to start a new activity that doubles as family fun.

If you care staying in town check out the local Parks and Recreation Services for family activities to enjoy...

Phenix City City Parks and Recreation

400 8th St, Columbus, GA 31901 » Map (334) 291-4723

Kelly Hill Recreation Ctr

9079 Marne Rd, Fort Benning, GA 31905 » Map (706) 544-3079

Fort Benning Directorate of Family Morale Welfare and Recreation

2783 Eckel Ave, Fort Benning, GA 31905 » Map (706) 687-6648

Phenix City City Parks and Recreation

400 8th St, Columbus, GA 31901 » Map (334) 291-4723

Columbus Parks & Rec

1835 Riverland Dr, Columbus, GA 31903 » Map (706) 687-5813

Tips for Helping Your Child With Homework

Here are a few general tips to help you help your child with homework.

1. Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to work. Make sure it is away from the television set and other distractions.
2. Make sure your child has the supplies he or she needs—paper, pencils, a dictionary, and a computer.
3. Establish a set time for your child to do homework each day. Plan together when extra time will be needed for big assignments such as research reports.
4. Show that you value homework by doing your own homework. For example, if your child is reading a book for language arts class, you can read a book, too.
5. Help by providing guidance and encouragement, not answers. Your child won't learn unless he or she actually does the work.
6. Talk with your child's teacher to ensure that you understand the goals of homework assignments and any special requirements your child will need to meet.
7. Help your child set priorities. Help your child determine which assignments are more challenging than others and do them first—when he or she is freshest and most alert.
8. Watch for signs of fatigue or frustration. Let your child take a short break if needed.
9. Celebrate success. Reward your child for working hard with an occasional special treat—a pizza or a trip to the park, for example.

IPad Tips and Tricks

If you have an ipad here are some neat short cuts and things you can try…

iPad Tips and Tricks
1.Quick Email Delete - Quickly delete an email message by swiping over it in your inbox. This work in Notes and other apps too. *** Managing-
At the present time, there aren’t many options for managing the email you acquire on your iPad Email. You can’t create your own organizational folders just yet. So, the best way to stay organized is to delete items once you know you won’t need them, or forward them to a different email account to store them, away from your default account’s Inbox.

2. Cap Locks - Double-click the shift button (up arrow) on the keyboard to Lock the capital letters

3. Quick Number - To quickly insert a number from the alpha keyboard, hold down the number button and then drag to the number. You will return to the alpha keyboard.

4. Hidden Apostrophe Key on the Keyboard - This is a great tip for any app, like Notes, Pages or Mail, that you type into using the iPad's virtual keyboard. Rather than having to go to the second screen of the keyboard every time you want to type an apostrophe (which is a real pain) just tap and hold on the ! key and a hidden apostrophe option will appear - then just slide your finger up to access it.

5. Add Alternate Extensions - Change the URL extension in Safari by holding down the .com button.

6. Capture iPad Screen - Hold down the home button and the Sleep/Wake Button at the same time. This will capture the screen and save it in your Photos.

7. Go Home! - No matter which screen you are on, tapping the Home button will take you immediately to your Home Screen.

8. Add Extra Apps to Your Tray - There are four apps in the iPad's Dock (the shelf along the bottom of the Home Screen) by default, but you can have up to six apps here for quick access. Press and hold any icon on the Home Screen until the icons start to wobble, then drag two more apps to your Dock.

9. Save Time Using Spotlight - Instead of wading hopelessly through your music library looking for that one song you want, or endlessly hacking through your Contacts. It's much quicker to make use of the Spotlight search - it can search both iPod and Contacts. Flick right on the Home screen to access Spotlight search, or press the Home button. It also works for launching apps.

10. Redefine your iPad Home Button - Double-clicking the Home button takes you to the home screen by default, but you can redefine its action in General - Home. To help save you time you can set it to bring up Spotlight search or the iPod application.

11. Add a Web Page to the iPad Home Screen - If you visit a web page frequently then save time ponderously locating it in your Safari bookmarks by adding it as an icon to your Home screen. Tap the + icon in Safari then tap "Add to Home Screen".

12. Use the Magnifying Glass - You're entering text but you realize you've made a mistake a couple of lines back. You either fumble about with your finger trying to get back to the exact place, or you use the magnifying glass. Touch and hold your finger in the right area and the magnifying glass appears, enabling you to fine tune your insertion point.

13. Password Protection - You can password-protect apps like iTunes so that a family member can't buy every U2 record with your credit card. Go to Settings, then General, then Restrictions. Press Enable Restrictions and type a password, then turn on the restrictions you want for the apps available. Note that this password is different from your iTunes password - you'll need to tap in both.

14. Copy and Paste - You can quickly copy and paste text by holding down, then tapping Copy, then going to a different window, and holding down and tapping Paste. To select a paragraph of text tap four times.

15. Lock Screen Orientation- Go to Settings, General, Switch "Slide Switch" to Lock

16. Screenshots- You can take a screenshot on your iPad by pressing Home and then the Sleep/Wake button. The screen will flash and you'll hear a click, indicating that a photo has been taken. Your screen shots are saved automatically in your Photos gallery. Here, you can view or email them as you see fit

Sherri O. McKendree

Loyd Educational Technologist

706-544-8976 or 706-442-0231

sherri.mckendree@am.dodea.edu or fizzpro@aol.com

Orthopaedic surgeons offer tips to steer clear of injuries from backpacks

Choosing the Right Backpack

The correct use of both of the wide, well-padded shoulder straps will help distribute the weight of the backpack.

When choosing a backpack, look for some of the following features.

• Wide, padded shoulder straps

• Two shoulder straps

• Padded back

• Waist strap

• Lightweight backpack

• Rolling backpack

Top of page

Injury Prevention

Always use both shoulder straps. Tighten the straps so that the pack is close to the body.

To prevent injury when using a backpack, do the following:

• Always use both shoulder straps

• Tighten the straps

• Pack light

• Organize

• Remove items

• Lift properly

• Build muscle strength

Tips for Parents

Parents also can help.

• Encourage your child or teenager to tell you about pain or discomfort that may be caused by a heavy backpack.
• Do not ignore any back pain in a child or teenager.
• Talk to the school about lightening the load.
• Be sure the school allows students to stop at their lockers throughout the day. Team up with other parents to encourage changes.
• If your child has back pain that does not improve, consider buying a second set of textbooks to keep at home.

Healthy Snacks for Busy Families!

Being a mom, you know what it's like to always be on the go, go, go! You may be picky about what your kids eat, but do you always pay attention to what you eat? These delicious and super-easy snacks will keep you satisfied and on track all day long. Jam packed with vitamins and minerals, these easy-to-grab goodies will give you (and your kids) the energy you need to get through the busy day.

Read more on FamilyEducation: http://recipes.familyeducation.com/slideshow/mothers/58338.html#ixzz1QhFOF0m8

Help DoDEA Design 21st Century Schools!

DoDEA IS ASKING FOR YOUR IDEAS ON LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS IN THE FUTURE

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is seeking your insight and ideas on how future learning environments are designed, constructed and furnished.

In January of 2011, President Barack Obama released a report (Strengthening our Military Families) that identified education as one of his key areas.  Complementing this initiative, the Department of Defense has committed to an ambitious military construction program that will build or significantly renovate over 100 DoDEA schools. From now until 2016, this modernization initiative will replace an aging inventory of facilities with state-of-the-art schools to support dependent education for the next 45 years. 

School districts across the nation, including DoDEA, are facing major facility challenges due largely to the aging infrastructure and the related costs. Providing a safe, secure and educationally appropriate facility for all military children is a critical responsibility for DoDEA.

Parents and community members are invited to share ideas at: http://21stcentury.dodea.edu/. 

“We really need input from our students, parents and the community to help design educational facilities that optimize success for students in the 21st Century,” said Fitzgerald. “Our schools need to support the teaching and learning process in a way that helps our children grow and learn in the 21st Century."

Submissions can be in the form of videos, images, written narratives or audio files. All student work must be submitted by a teacher using the established Intranet site to ensure adult moderation. 

The site provides registration information, guiding questions, and the process for submitting ideas electronically. 

DoDEA has established a three phase plan entitled, Facilities for 21^st Century Learning. Phase 1, which has already occurred, brought together experts from industry, educational leaders, and futurists.  Phase 2 focuses on receiving ideas and input from you, our customers.  Phase 3 will involve a thorough analysis and synthesis of all submitted ideas and input. 

“We are seeing dramatic changes in how students communicate, interact, and learn,” said DoDEA Acting Director Marilee Fitzgerald. “School facilities of the future must be flexible and adaptable, allowing us to adjust to deliver student-centric education for a 21^st century, knowledge-based economy.”

DoDEA will take innovations in education, curriculum delivery, use of technology, and the growing expectations for sustainability and energy conservation into consideration as the process moves forward.  

The deadline for submission is June 16.  Don’t miss this opportunity to influence the future of education within DoDEA. Visit the site today at: http://21stcentury.dodea.edu/. 

Free Parent Summer Activity Guides!

To help keep K-5 students from forgetting what they learned in school this summer vacation, the folks at Tech4Learning are giving away guides for parents which include specific and practical Pixie activities across the curriculum to do at home with their child. 

Each guide helps parents:
  • Support learning at home through fun, curriculum-related activities,
  • View important curriculum concepts covered at each grade,
  • Build stronger relationships with their child with collaborative projects.
Explore the guides!
Special Offer for Parents
For a limited time, parents are also eligible for a nearly 50% discount on single copies of Pixie, Frames, Share, and ImageBlender! Parents simply visit their online store and select the products they wish to order and enter HUCLV100 as the discount on the checkout page. 
We hope the Parent Guides will help you make this summer a perfect learning vacation!
PS – We encourage you to explore the guides yourself and forward this email out to parents!

Healthy Eating Habits for Children

We should all be focusing on encouraging healtier eating habits in our children while they are young to prevent health problems associated with obesity and un-healthy eating. 

Dr. Newsom from Martin Army Community Hospital provided this list of snack items that might be healthier than the ones the children are eating. You, as parents can use this information to help your children make healthier choices, at home and at school.

Here are some websites that can provide additional information on healthy snacks.

http://cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/healthy_school_snacks.html

http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/index.html

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Important Questions

Prepare yourself for parent-teacher conferences by thinking about what information parents really should have.
Here are some examples.

• What will your students learn this year in key subjects like math, science, history, and English?
• Are there challenging academic standards in place at your school, and how do they compare with those at other school districts? Show these standards to parents.
• How will you inform students about the academic standards they're expected to meet? What kinds of projects and assignments have you planned that will help your students meet higher academic standards?

• What kind of information do you use to evaluate students? How do you know if they're academically ready to move on to the next grade?
• How are grades determined in your classroom?

• What can they do at home to complement what is happening in the classroom?
• How can they know on a daily basis what homework has been assigned?
• How can they support your efforts in implementing higher academic standards?

• What if their child is a slow learner and falls behind, or is a fast learner and is bored?
• Are summer school, tutoring, or other programs available for students who need more help?

1. What skills and knowledge will your students be expected to master this year?
2. How will your students be evaluated?
3. What can parents do to stay more involved in their child's academic progress?
4. How do you accommodate differences in learning?

Keeping Your Kids Safe On-Line

Like any new technology the internet is full of potentially good outcomes but it comes with plenty of potentially negative outcomes.  This has always been true of any new technology.  Try to remember that the technology itself isn't good or bad, its how we choose to use it that's good or bad.
First, some of the good stuff we can get from the internet:

• Improved communications via email, instant messaging, internet phones and video.
• Data storage and sharing across the world
• The potential of networking ideas and knowledge without boundaries
• The democratization of information

Then some of the bad stuff:

• Internet crime such as online scams
• Misuse of information for negative results
• Character attacks and "cyber-bullying"
• Exploitation of children and child predators

So how do you educate yourself on the bad stuff so you can help kids avoid it?  It should be no surprise that there is a whole bunch of websites out there that can help you:
http://onguardonline.gov/index.html 
This site provides some practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help people guard against online fraud and protect personal information.
http://www.safekids.com/ 
They advertise themselves as a "Family Guide to making the Internet and technology fun, safe and productive."  Try this site for more detailed information about protecting kids on the internet.
http://www.be-cyber-safe.com/
Be Cyber Safe is a good overview of the dangers that are out there for kids while they are online.  It's full of information and links to additional resources.  Definitely a good site to check out.

Writing Strengths and Weaknesses in Your Child

Writing doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Take this quiz to learn your child’s strengths and weaknesses, and use this printable writing activity to help encourage his developing skills.

Preventing Cyberbullying

What Parents Can Do 

• Don’t put a computer in your young child’s bedroom. Keep your computer is a busy area of your home.
• Set up e-mail and chat accounts with your children. Make sure that you know their screen names and passwords and that they don't include any personal information in their online profiles.
• Regularly go over their instant messenger "buddy list" with them. Ask who each person is and how your children know him or her.
• Discuss cyberbullying with your children and ask if they have ever experienced it or seen it happen to someone.
• Tell your children that you won't blame them if they are cyberbullied. Emphasize that you won't take away their computer or cell phone privileges - this is the main reason kids don't tell adults when they are cyberbullied.
• Watch out for signs that your child is being bullied online - a reluctance to use the computer or go to school may be an indication.
• Contact your child's school, local police or your Internet Service Provider if the bullying is severe. It's a criminal offence to threaten another person.

Please let us know of any in-appropriate activities that your children talk to you about so we can help guard against it in our school!

Many of these points were adapted from National Crime Prevention Council 2003 and Media Awareness Network