Lanier Middle School Student Services
Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because
we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. - Artistotle
Your middle school student…
 Middle school students are full of contrasts.
 They can think abstractly but are willing to try new
things.
 They yearn for independence but can still find
childlike wonder in the world.
 They’re serious one minute, silly the next.
If we want more students to succeed, we must begin to
focus more attention and time on building students’ capacity
to improve their own future. – Southern Regional Education
Board
Self-discipline & Academics
 Recent studies by psychologists have shown that self-
discipline is key to academic success.
 A study of eighth-graders found that self-discipline
was strongly associated with marking period and final
GPAs.
 less frequently absent
 did more hours of homework
 spent less time watching television
 began their homework earlier in the day compared to
children with low self-discipline.
The Six Habits of Success
HSTW and MMGW
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Build and maintain productive relationships with
peers and adults.
Organize, manage time, and develop study skills.
Develop strong reading and writing skills.
Develop strong mathematical skills.
Set goals and make plans to reach them.
Access resources needed to achieve goals.
#1 - Productive relationships
 Consistently and actively works toward group goals
 Sensitive to the feelings and learning needs of all group
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members
Willingly accepts and fulfills an individual role within the
group
Consistently and actively contributes knowledge, opinions
and skills
Values the knowledge, opinions and skills of all group
members and encourages their contributions
Helps the group to identify necessary changes and
encourages group action for change
#2 – Organization & time management
Planner should be used for a
 Keep locker and backpack
variety of purposes:
neat.
• Write down assignments
 Maintain class
• Track appointments
organizational system
• Describe goals and plans
 Utilize extra time
• Record grades
productively
• Show how time is spent
• Chart assignments
Encourage your child to use their agenda
book to record school assignments and plan
• Track habits
ahead for long-term projects. Request to
see what they are working on and what is
coming up that is due.
#2 - Study Skills
 Turn off the TV set, silence the cell phone, no video games and
limit internet activity.
 Make it a house rule. These can all be time-consuming distractions that draw your
child away from the task at hand – homework!
 Designate a quiet well-lit spot for studying.
 Avoid places with distractions, such as people coming and going.
 Establish a routine that allows for balanced leisure activities.
 Focus on one thing at a time.
 Allow more time for homework than you think you will need.
Note Taking
Use the speaker’s style to identify
important points
 Listen for important points that
might be emphasized when the
speaker:
Keep up with the speaker
 Write only the important ideas such
as names, places, dates, events,
examples, terms, definitions,
causes, effects, evaluations, cross
references: make it brief, but clear.
Be alert to the speaker’s stance
 Some lecturers attempt to persuade,
as well as inform, listeners; when
applicable, note ideas/references
/opinions that provide insight into
the speaker’s point of view.
Review notes shortly after a lecture
 Develop study questions and identify
main ideas.
 Fill in details for clarity.
 Look up and add the definitions of new
words/terminology.
 Identify information that is unclear
and/or questions that need to be
answered.
 Add symbols to highlight important
ideas and key words.
 Delete irrelevant information.
 Review the overall organization of the
material; rewrite for clarity, as needed.
 Write a summary of the significant ideas.
#3 – Reading Skills
 Show your child what reading has to offer.
 Find a type of book that intrigues or interests your
child.
 Make reading material easily available.
 Encourage reading for reading's sake.
 SAT question of the day www.collegeboard.com
 Make it a family affair!
 The Lanier family is reading for 20 minutes during silent
sustained reading every Tuesday and Thursday.
#3 – Writing Skills
ENCOURAGE WRITING
 Exchange Post-it® notes with your children.
 Ask children to put their wishes and wants into writing and to
suggest how they may work toward or contribute to getting what
they want.
 Help children create a family newsletter or website to share with
family members near and far.
 Make writing practical and useful in everyday life
 Ask children to find a "golden line" in their reading—a sentence
that especially attracts them and makes them aware of what
clever or colorful writing looks like.
 Write letters to their future selves.
#4 – Math Skills
 Do assigned homework & practice skills
 Helps learned skill taught during class, take notes on any questions
 Encourage them to communicate with the teacher
 Follow up with teacher on questions from HW
 Learn how to approach math problems
 Review the material
 Make sure they understand the words
 Your child should put special or new terms into their own words. If they can
explain something, they are more likely to understand it.
 Prepare for tests
 Write a summary of what will be on test: describe each problem type, the
steps in solving the problem, and do an example
#5 – Set Goals
Students who have developed solid goals for the future, take
their academic studies more seriously.
S=
M=
A=
R=
T=
Specific, in order to reach a goal, the goal must be
detailed.
Measurable, you need to have a way of knowing
that you have reached your goal.
Action-oriented, what is your action plan to reach
your goal?
Realistic, is your goal doable?
Timely, give yourself enough time but not too
much time
#6 - Access Resources
 Blackboard
 Homework club – Monday,
 Pride Time – Mon -Thurs
Wednesday and Thursday
after school in the library.
 SOAR – weekly positive
reinforcement for students
who have A’s, B’s and C’s, all
work completed and 80+
passport points.
 Tutor –Ask your child’s
counselor for outside
resources if this is an option
you wish to pursue.
40 minute block of time
designated for intervention.
 After school – Monday,
Wednesday and Thursday
are late bus days. Your child
can let a teacher know ahead
of time they need some
additional assistance and
teachers will establish a time
with your child to come in.
Mandate that your child utilize available resources at school to help them succeed.
Motivation
6 Beliefs of Motivation:
1. All students can learn given the tools to do so.
2. Repeated failure teaches students to be unmotivated.
Success reinforces success.
3. Everyone has the need to feel competent and influence
events in their own lives. Motivation increases if these
needs are met.
4. Mastering challenging tasks improves self-concept.
5. Classrooms need to be safe places to take risks in order
for learning to take place.
6. Motivation increases if adults treat students respectfully.
Help your child’s success
 Provide a good place to study
 Help your child set academic
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goals
Use rewards and consequences
Attend all parent programs
Insist on daily attendance
See all interim reports and report
cards
Keep in touch with the teacher –
discuss accomplishments and
setbacks
Help with time management
Deal effectively with homework
Encourage independent problem
solving
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Listen
Monitor activities and jobs
Encourage a healthy lifestyle
Encourage positive activities
Be aware and be informed
Set limits and boundaries
Focus success on effort,
improvement and personal
progress
 Help your child see him/herself
as the beneficiary of doing well
in school
 Give praise and positive
reinforcements for success
If your child isn’t succeeding?
Symptoms of academic
underachievement
Possible causes
 Repeated failure to complete school or
homework assignments on time.
 Lack of self-discipline. Depression or
low self-esteem.
 Academic performance is below the
student’s intelligence.
 Power struggle.
 Heightened anxiety that interferes with
student’s performance during tests.
 Depression and low self-esteem that
contribute to academic
underachievement.
 Poor organization or study skills that
contribute to academic
underachievement.
 Passive aggressiveness.
 Exposed to chaotic environment.
 Has become lazy. Has repeated school
failures.
 Poor study skills.
We’re here to help!
 Rebecca Aguilar, Director of Student
Services
 Mitch Kamins – Cavaliers & Patriots
 Latoya Kosh – Hornets & Hokies
 Kathryn Crump Teague – Captains &
Highlanders
 Dayle Ranallo – Eagles & Spartans
 Christi Campbell – Transition
Counselor