ParentInfo, September 1, 2007

Last Updated on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 at 5:03 AM

In this Issue:

* Welcome New Subscribers!

* Student Support Tips

* Testing Window Reminder

* Good News on AP Exams

* High Attendance Day

* Library Card Sign-up Month

* Teens and Happiness

Welcome New Subscribers!

Welcome to all of our new subscribers who signed up at the Kentucky State Fair to receive ParentInfo. We also welcome the rest of the many new subscribers who have signed up for the new school year. We hope you will find at least some of the ideas and information in these semi-monthly e-mails helpful as you raise your child(ren) and help guide them to success in Kentucky’s public schools!

Student Support Tips

By now the reality of the new school year has set in for most families in Kentucky.

You’ve bought the new clothes, shoes and school supplies. So now what can you do to motivate and support your children as they work their way through the 2007-08 school year?

Parent involvement and support is critical to the success of each child, school and school district. Here are a few tips on how you can take an active role in your child’s education:

Make school a priority. Have your child prepared to learn each day.
Set realistic and measurable goals and expectations. For most children perfection is a fleeting ideal and almost impossible to achieve. Instead, urge overall excellence. Encourage your child to do his/her personal best. Then be sure to let them know when they’ve done a good job.
Show your interest in schoolwork and activities. Ask questions every day about your child’s classes, homework, activities and friends. You may have to work to keep a dialogue going, but try your best to do so.
Determine a specific time and location for homework to be completed. A well-supplied quiet area away from distractions is best. Help your children budget their time and homework load if they are having trouble getting everything done.
Limit television, video games and movies by encouraging more reading time.
Communicate with your child’s teacher. Often, e-mail is the most effective and efficient way to do this. Ask your child’s teacher what he/she prefers. Contact your child’s school when you have a question or concern.
Check the school’s Web site regularly. Stay on top of school news and events.
Support school rules for student discipline.
Volunteer at your child’s school by joining the PTA and attending school activities and open houses
Prepare for and attend parent-teacher conferences.
Encourage your child to get involved in extra-curricular activities at school and in the community

Testing Window Reminder

Just a reminder to 8^th-grade parents or those with sophomores or seniors in high school: September 17-28 is a state testing window.

During this time, middle and high schools will be giving the state-mandated EXPLORE (8th-grade students) and PLAN (10th-grade students) tests, and high schools will be administering 12th-grade on-demand writing assessments. Check with your child’s school to find out exactly when the tests will be given. If at all possible, try to avoid scheduling doctor or dentist appointments during this time.

Good News on AP Exams

The number of Kentucky public high school students taking Advanced Placement exams and scoring at high levels continues to rise, according to data released from the College Board.

In 2007, 13,246 Kentucky public school students took 20,787 AP exams. Nearly half scored a 3, 4 or 5(the highest score) on the tests, qualifying them to earn college credit for the course at Kentucky’s public colleges and universities. Private and out-of state schools set their own credit-granting policies.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Based on their performance on the rigorous AP exams, students can earn credit, advanced placement or both for college.

Currently, 34 AP courses are offered in Kentucky, many through the Kentucky Virtual High School. Schools and districts determine prerequisite requirements for student eligibility. Common criteria include grades, teacher recommendations and test scores.

High Attendance Day
The Kentucky Directors of Pupil Personnel (KDPP) is sponsoring the 2nd annual statewide High Attendance Day on Tuesday, September 11. The event is meant to encourage and stress the importance of school attendance. Attendance is directly correlated with students’ opportunity to succeed. This event is meant to foster positive attitudes about the importance of school.

Schools throughout Kentucky will compete for the highest average student attendance. The categories of competition will include elementary, middle and high schools. Winning schools will be announced within two weeks after High Attendance Day.

“We instituted the statewide high attendance day to promote our organization, but more importantly, we want to stress that school attendance is critical for our children,” KDPP President Rita Byrd said. “If students are not in school, they cannot learn to their full potentials.”

Library Card Sign-up Month

September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a time when the American Library Association and libraries across the state want to remind you to sign up for and use your library card. You can find a list of Kentucky libraries online.

Libraries may require some form of identification, proof of residency or the signature of a guardian for children signing up for a card. Libraries offer books, magazines, audio and video resources, and other multimedia materials. Many also offer free Internet connections for those with a card. In most cases, borrowing privileges are granted on the spot.

Studies show that children who are read to in the home and who use the library perform better in school and are more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifetime learning.

So if you or your child doesn’t have a library card, now is the time to sign-up for one.

Then once you have it, don’t forget to use it! The American Library Association offers a list of 52 ways to use your library card in the coming year.

Teens and Happiness

If you’re the parent of a teen, this story may come as a bit of a surprise.

Most young people are generally very happy, optimistic about the future and have goals in place to achieve a happier tomorrow. That’s according to a recent study by MTV and the Associated Press.

Among the other findings:

Parents are seen as an overwhelmingly positive influence in the lives of most young people.
Religion and spirituality are an integral part of happiness for most American young people.
Almost no respondents mentioned anything financial or material as a source of happiness when asked an unaided question about what makes them happy. But many young people report financial woe as a source of unhappiness
Nearly two-thirds of today’s young people credit cell phones, the Internet and other technologies with making them happy. In fact, many say they would be more stressed without technology.

More than 1,200 young people ages 13 to 24 were interviewed for the quantitative part of the research study. The qualitative portion of the study included extensive field research with small discussion groups in diverse American cities around the country.

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