What Have I Learned So Far…
At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.
Our Quarter is Ending this Thursday!
It seems like yesterday that we started our school year, but here we are… down to the final week of our first quarter. As students work hard this week to finish everything up and get missed assignments in, it’s a good time to reflect on healthy study habits. There are many websites out there that offer suggestions about making school successful. Here are some ideas from https://www.edmentum.com/articles/7-tips-for-parents-to-help-their-child-develop-effective-study-skills/
1. Create a Designated Study Space
Does your child have their own desk or workspace in an area of your home that is conducive to focused studying? Ask yourself if it’s well-lit and away from other distractions. Keep helpful study supplies on hand in this area, like colorful post-its, a variety of pens and pencils, highlighters, and scratch paper.
Encourage your child to take ownership over the area by giving them freedom to decorate, and teach them to neaten up and organize their desk each night so they’re ready to get to work when it comes time for the next study session.
2. Keep a Planner
Time management is an incredibly important aspect of effective study skills. So, ensure your student knows how to keep a homework planner. Have them write down important due dates for homework and projects, especially if their teacher makes these dates known far in advance. Then, the key is to stay on top of these assignments.
Prepare for important tests by helping your child break down the content and make a schedule for reviewing the material in the days leading up to the test. Break down big projects similarly by determining smaller milestones and working with your child to make a schedule for when they will have these components complete. This can offset cramming and procrastination (and build confidence in the process) by making their workload feel more manageable.
3. Take Effective Notes
Have you heard of Cornell Notes? Utilizing this classic note-taking system can help your child process information taught in class and truly retain what they’ve learned. There are even studies showing that writing notes out by hand results in better retention than not taking any notes or using a laptop. Teaching your child to use active reading strategies—like taking notes or highlighting key themes and passages—is also very helpful for retention.
4. Practice for Tests
Simply reviewing content before a test isn’t necessarily the best method to ensure your child is prepared for an upcoming test. Instead, encourage them to try more interactive approaches, like completing practice tests or using flash cards. Asking your child review questions and having them provide short essay-style explanations aloud can also be a great strategy to make sure they truly understand the material.
5. Avoid Cramming
Studying a little bit of a subject every day is much better for long-term retention than studying for a longer period of time a single day. Help your student structure a study schedule that will allow them to space out their practice on different subjects—as little as 10 minutes of practice a day can help! It’s also important to encourage your student to break up their studying with smart breaks. Taking a 15-minute break once every hour can work wonders on keeping them focused and productive.
6. Teach Your Child to Ask for Help
Perhaps your student is struggling with understanding a specific lesson in a particular subject or doesn’t quite understand the night’s homework assignment. When this is the case (and it happens to everyone at some point or another) asking for help is key. Teach your student how to bring up challenges early with a teacher and ask for help—and don’t be afraid to bring up concerns with their teacher yourself either.
Teaching your child how to build effective working relationships with other students and asking their peers for help is another important lesson in asking for, receiving, and offering support.
7. Avoid Distraction
Teach your student how to put their computer away and turn off all other devices that may serve as a form of distraction while they’re studying. Multi-tasking also takes away from learning, so encourage your child to focus on a single subject for a sustained period of time before moving onto another subject. And above all, ensure that your child has healthy sleeping and eating habits in order to maximize their focus and make the most of time spent studying.
There’s no shortage of strategies for parents to help your child build the solid study skills necessary for success in the classroom.
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. - Proverbs 9:9
SBL - What is it?
As I mentioned last week, as a school we hope to share a bit more about SBL with you this year. Each newsletter, you will find a new twist on SBL. This week we find the answer to what SBL is. It stands for Standards Based Learning. Robert J. Marzanno and his educational research team has worked for years to look at how learning works. One thing they discovered was there can be a lot of unnecessary repetition. In each grade level, there are important things that must be emphasized because that is a key part of a child’s growth and learning at that grade level. These important ideas become what is known as priority standards. Every teacher in every grade works with these to make sure students aren’t falling through the cracks.
At ECA, we have a list of these standards. In many classrooms, students also see them but as goals for a unit they might be learning about. They are often called “I Can” statements. When students know the important things they are needing to learn, the goal is for them to team up with the teacher to accomplish these important goals. These goals, or standards, control what we do in our classes and keep us focused on the important things.
John Hopkins Institute for Educational Policy Survey
Last week I posted information about our school’s Fall survey. Keep an eye in your email for a link and instructions how your household can be part of the survey!
K-4 Pumpkin Patch Field Trip - Thursday, October 24
Students in grades K-4 will be going to a local farm for their annual Fall pumpkin patch field trip. Depending on the weather, students may be walking in wet areas, so boots might be a good option for the morning field trip. We will be leaving school around 11:00 and returning later in the afternoon. I know letters were sent home last week with more information.
ASB Barn Party - Thursday, October 24
Students in grades 5-8 will be able to enjoy the end of our first quarter with ASB’s second Fall activity. Students will be going to Pastor Greg Middlestetter’s home for a barn party. Students will be leaving around 5:15 by bus. There will be snacks and games. I know the ASB leaders have been working hard to make this a fun evening for all. The bus will be returning back to school between 8:30 and 9:00. If your child would like to attend, consider your child staying after school on Thursday. Please send an extra lunch if you are unable to feed them and have them back to school before the bus leaves.
Picture Day - Monday, October 28
Just a reminder about picture day that will be next Monday. We will be having a studio come and visit our school on Monday, October 28. If you would like to order pictures, that can be done online by following the information in the picture packet. Even if you do not order pictures, we will still be taking pictures of all students for our yearbook. If you did not receive a packet or if it was lost, you can stop by the office for a replacement, or call the office and we will send another packet home with your child.
AG Program - Monday’s Science Class
Our Monday AG classes are continuing this week. Students will be outdoors doing a variety of things with Mr. Wyatt Johnson. Throughout the year, there may be a few rainy days. Boots and gloves are great things for working outdoors on Monday Science Days. Water bottles are great things to have outside too. Here is a schedule of the days and classes:
Monday, October 21 - Grades 3&4
Monday, October 28 - Grades 1&2
Hot lunch happens every Monday and Wednesday. Additionally, whenever we have a 1/2 Friday, hot lunch will be offered by our Home & School. You can click on the link below to order hot lunch for the week for your child. If you have more than one child, please click the link more than once and turn in one week’s submission for each child. There is a payment option that is included in the form.
Christian Counseling Available - Free Resources:
The NAD (North American Division of SDA) has recently shared new resources for children and teens that offer a safe and anonymous place to talk or text. Here is a news release from the NAD.
We’re excited to announce the launch of www.aruggedjourney.org our newest NAD site providing free online mentoring for guys. A Rugged Journey joins www.gorgeous2god.org (for young women) which has grown in its scope and ministry since its beginning in 2017.
These sites, along with their counterparts on social media, provide free help to our teens/young adults in a space they can ask questions without judgment or fear. The questions are answered by a team of dedicated Seventh-day Adventists at AIM on the campus of Andrews University.
In addition to the confidential Q & A, positive content is provided through videos, posts, etc.
www.gorgeous2god.org/ FB: gorgeous2god/ IG: @gorgeous2god
www.aruggedjourney.org/ FB: aruggedjourney/ IG: @aruggedjourney
Announcements & Upcoming Events
Monday, October 21 - AG Day for 3&4
Thursday, October 24 - Last Day of the 1st Quarter
Thursday, October 24 - ASB Barn Party
Thursday, October 24 - K-4 Pumpkin Patch Field Trip
Monday, October 28 - ECA Picture Day