December 2013
Madison Public Schools
Matthew Mingle, Director of Curriculum
Take advantage of winter break
to start preparing for college
It is never too early for your teen to start thinking about college applications.
And December—especially winter break—can be a
productive time for teens to think about the future.
If your teen is:
• A freshman or sophomore, she can use
this time to start looking at college websites
and brochures. If she has an idea of what she
would like to study in college, she can focus on
schools with strong programs in that area. She
can also look at requirements for her potential
course of study—that way, she can talk with
her counselor about making sure she takes the
appropriate classes in high school.
• A junior, she can narrow down her list of
colleges she’d like to visit. Springtime is when
many colleges have open houses. Make travel
plans now, if necessary. You might also suggest
she research and study for college entrance exams, write a practice college
application essay or update her résumé.
• A senior, she should be wrapping up her college applications—many are
due in January. Remind her to make copies of her applications before she
sends them so she’s not starting from scratch if one gets lost in the mail or
if the file doesn’t go through. And celebrate when she has completed all
her applications!
Source: “Applying to College: FAQs,” Big Future, https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/
applying-to-college-faq.
Writing can help teens solve problems
Studies show that writing about thoughts and feelings has a big impact on
helping people cope. So the next time you notice your teen is upset about
something, hand him a pen and some paper. You’ll be helping him heal—
and helping him strengthen his writing skills at the same time.
To help your teen get the most
• Encourage reflection. Have
out of writing:
him ask himself how writing his
thoughts down made him feel.
• Help him get started. What is
he upset about—and why? How
• Respect his privacy. If your
does he feel about his situation?
teen knows you aren’t going to
Suggest that he write as if he
read his writing, he will be more
were talking to a friend who
honest—and get more out of the
doesn’t know anything about
experience.
the situation.
Source: A. Enayati, “How words have the power to
heal,” CNN Health, http://tinyurl.com/m7hj2dx.
Teens can take action on
cyberbullying
Teens spend much of their
time texting their friends
or chatting with them
online. Not surprisingly,
these are the channels that
many bullies use to harass other
students.
Cyberbullying is serious. To combat it,
encourage your teen to:
• Delete harmful messages without
reading them. Bullying is magnified
when others help spread the message.
• Report bullying. Telling a trusted
adult can help prevent bullying.
• Talk with other students. Everyone
should agree that bullying is unacceptable
at your school.
• Work with the school. Students can
be effective leaders in preventing bullying.
Source: “Cyberbullying,” National Crime Prevention Council,
www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying.
Participate in a service
activity with your teen
Working on a community service project is a
rewarding way to spend time with your teen.
Talk about what you can do together. Let
your teen make arrangements. Not only will
she be making a difference, she’ll also learn
useful skills to use in school and on the job.
Help your teen plan ahead
Long-term goals require effort and commitment—and the need to plan far into the
future. Unfortunately, long-term thinking
can be challenging for teens.
To foster your teen’s longterm planning, review:
• Setting priorities. • Time management.
• Persistence.
Source: W. Sears and M. Sears, The Successful Child: What Parents
Can Do to Help Kids Turn Out Well, Little, Brown and Company.
Copyright © 2013, The Parent Institute®, www.parent-institute.com
Stick to good attendance
December 2013
How can I teach my teen to
take on more responsibility?
Q: Senior year is nearly half over and I am worrying about
whether my son can ever leave home! He has problems at
school because he doesn’t get work done on time or forgets to
hand it in. He runs out of gas regularly and I have to go pick
him up. How can I get him ready for college?
A: When he gets to college, he is in for a rude
awakening. Presumably you won’t be driving
halfway across the state when he runs out
of gas. And his professors are not going to
send him an email asking him to please
turn in his paper for History 101.
Ease him into taking responsibility for
himself and his school work. You can:
• Dial back on your rescues. If your
teen runs out of gas, he may have to call
a friend. He’ll learn to check the tank before
he heads out. If he forgets to turn in his chemistry homework, he runs the risk of getting a zero.
• Review ways to stay organized. Encourage your teen to use a
planner to schedule study time and keep track of assignments. Help him
figure out a way to remember what he needs to bring to school.
Your son can learn to be responsible for his work. With some practice, it will
become second nature.
Do you promote working with teachers?
High schoolers have several teachers. Odds are, your teen probably likes
some better than others. But learning to get along with authority figures is
an important life lesson. Are you doing all you can to help your teen work
out problems with teachers? Answer yes or no to each question.
___1. Do you help your teen keep
things in perspective? She
doesn’t have to love a teacher
to learn something in the class.
___2. Do you remind your teen
that she needs to be courteous
and respectful to her teachers?
___3. Do you help your teen figure
out the root of the problem if
she is having trouble in a class?
___4. Do you encourage your
teen to work out issues with
her teacher?
___5. Do you ask to speak to the
teacher if the problem becomes
overwhelming? Together, you
can draw up a plan.
How did you do?
Each yes means you’re helping your
teen learn how to work productively
with all teachers. For each no, try that
idea from the quiz.
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Attendance makes the difference between
school success and failure. After all, your
teen’s classes are still going on even
when she’s not there. Her classmates are
continuing to learn. And students who
have dropped out of school often report
that falling behind in their classes is one of
the reasons they dropped out.
As tempting as it is to ease into winter
break, continue to stress perfect attendance.
Questions to ask when
setting limits for your teen
As your teen grows older, he still needs limits
on what is—and isn’t—allowed. It’s helpful
to keep these rules simple and meaningful.
When setting rules for your teen, ask
yourself the following questions:
• Has my teen given his input about
this rule?
• Will this build my
teen’s independence?
• Am I setting a good
example of following
this rule?
• Are the consequences
for violating this rule clear?
Touch base with your teen
at four key times each day
Spending time with your teen is critical.
Research shows that there are four key times
to touch base during the day: early morning,
after school, dinnertime and bedtime.
Dinnertime is the most important. Just asking, “What’s one thing you learned in history
today?” can lead to a 15-minute conversation.
Touching base doesn’t always need to be
in person. Call your teen, or send an email
or text message.
Source: “Busy Parents Add to Teenage Angst,” BBC News,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/1937276.stm.
Copyright © 2013, The Parent Institute®, www.parent-institute.com
Helping Students Learn®
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