1. Build-Up relationships
2. Grow-Up into responsible, compassionate citizens
3. Soak-Up new learning
4. Move-Up and transition to new adventures
5. Chin-Up with new confidence
6. Shape-Up behavior
7. Build-Up self esteem

•   1. LETTING THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
• IT'S NOT WHAT OTHERS THINK, IT'S WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF THAT COUNTS.
• YOU HAVE TO DO EXACTLY WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU AND YOUR LIFE, NOT WHAT'S BEST FOR EVERYONE ELSE.  

•   2. THE SHAME OF PAST FAILURES
•  YOUR PAST DOES NOT EQUAL YOUR FUTURE.
•  ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU DO RIGHT NOW.

•   3. BEING INDECISIVE ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT
• YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE WHERE YOU ARE UNTIL YOU DECIDE WHERE YOU WOULD RATHER BE.
• MAKE A DECISION TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT, AND THEN PURSUE IT PASSIONATELY.

• 4. PROCRASTINATING ON THE GOALS THAT MATTER TO YOU
• THERE ARE TWO PRIMARY CHOICES IN LIFE TO ACCEPT CONDITIONS AS THEY EXIST, OR ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHANGING THEM.
• THE BEST TIME TO PLANT A TREE IS TWENTY YEARS AGO. THE SECOND BEST TIME IS NOW.

• 5. CHOOSING TO DO NOTHING
• YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO DIE, OR WHEN.
• YOU CAN ONLY DECIDE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE, RIGHT NOW.
• EVERY DAY IS A NEW CHANCE TO CHOOSE.

• 6.YOUR NEED TO BE RIGHT
• AIM FOR SUCCESS, BUT NEVER GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO BE WRONG.
• BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO, YOU WILL ALSO LOSE YOUR ABILITY TO LEARN NEW THINGS AND MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR LIFE.

• 7. RUNNING FROM PROBLEMS THAT SHOULD BE FIXED
• STOP RUNNING!
• FACE THESE ISSUES, FIX THE PROBLEMS, COMMUNICATE, APPRECIATE, FORGIVE AND LOVE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE WHO DESERVE IT.

• 8. MAKING EXCUSES RATHER THAN DECISIONS
• MOST LONG-TERM FAILURES ARE THE OUTCOME OF PEOPLE WHO MAKE EXCUSES INSTEAD OF DECISIONS

• 9. OVERLOOKING THE POSITIVE POINTS IN YOUR LIFE
• WHAT YOU SEE OFTEN DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
• YOU WILL HAVE A HARD TIME EVER BEING HAPPY IF YOU AREN'T THANKFUL FOR THE GOOD THINGS IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW.

• 10. NOT APPRECIATING THE PRESENT MOMENT
• TOO OFTEN WE TRY TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING BIG WITHOUT REALIZING THAT THE GREATEST PART OF LIFE IS MADE UP OF THE LITTLE THINGS.

At a Glance: Signs of Stress in Your Middle-Schooler

Kids with learning and attention issues may not realize that they are stressed. Here are some red flags to watch for in your middle-school student:

Red flag: Your daughter’s been complaining of “bad pains” in her head and neck. You take her to the doctor and have her eyes checked, but nothing seems to be wrong.

The issue: When the mind is overwhelmed, it can affect the body. Complaints include body pain, tiredness, headaches and stomachaches.

__________________________________________________________

Red flag: She’s stopped wanting to go to her Wednesday afternoon dance class. In fact, she doesn’t want to do much after school these days other than come home and stay home.

The issue: After a day at school, an overwhelmed student may retreat to a place where she can avoid challenges.

__________________________________________________________

Red flag: You ask what homework your son has and he says, “None.” You find out two days later he had a big math test and failed it.

The issue: A student may become so overwhelmed that he can “check out.” He may lie to avoid facing the challenge.

__________________________________________________________

Red flag: A teacher calls to say your daughter has been unusually difficult. She’s fiddling with her phone, rummaging through her purse...everything but focusing.

The issue: Stress can play out as fidgeting behavior. At home, you may notice she’s having difficulty sleeping.

__________________________________________________________

Red flag: You ask your son if he’s started working on his English project. He flies back at you, “Why can’t you just leave me alone?” I feel like a prisoner here!”

The issue: Anger, aggression and emotional reactions are classic signs of a child who is overwhelmed. It might seem that just about anything triggers him to go off, but it’s a sign that there’s more going on.

Traits & Characteristics of Middle School Learners

Young adolescence is a pivotal time of physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. Middle school learners experience more development at this age than any other stage in their lives with the exception of infancy. The development of middle school learners profoundly impact their educational experience. Therefore, it’s essential for parents and educators to acknowledge the unique characteristics of middle school learners in order to maximize their learning experience.

Physical

Middle school learners experience a wealth of physical changes. Although girls are often more physically advanced than boys, both boys and girls experience disproportionate bone and muscle growth that results in feelings of discomfort, awkwardness and restlessness. Students also experience frequent hormonal imbalances that lead to hunger, excitement or lethargy. When working with students, a variety of activities should be included that will appeal to their senses and keep them actively involved.

Intellectual

Middle school students have short-term memories, as well as, short attention spans. Consequently, students should be presented with limited amounts of new information, allowing them time to retain material. Opportunities should be provided to reinforce prior learning and concepts. Middle school learners look for relationships between lessons and life, and they desire active involvement in learning. They will also begin to clarify their ideas and discuss thoughts with others. Although students can be argumentative and inquisitive, they do not have the ability to fully comprehend abstract ideas. Therefore, activities should help students develop their problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Social

Young adolescents generally desire more autonomy. However, students also crave social acceptance and interaction. Students will begin to interact with the opposite sex, but their same-sex relationships will supersede those with the opposite sex. During this time, middle school learners will challenge significant adults and educators by testing their limits. However, it’s important for all adult family members and educators to continue expressing their love along with rules and expectations. Despite their behavior, middle school learners yearn for adult role models and guidance.

Emotional

Middle school learners are usually self-conscious, persistently judging themselves by their physical appearance and development. Due to fluctuating moods, middle school students are easy to offend yet can be inconsiderate to others. In addition to this, middle school students often believe their problems and experiences are unique to who they are. Despite adult interaction, students feel that adults can’t possibly understand what teens are going through. Overall, middle school students seek to find out who they are as individuals.

Getting to Know Your Class

Transition Tips for Children Starting Middle School

Transition tips for children starting middle school are more important than many parents realize.

There are lots of worries for these students, but the top three areas of worry tend to be logistical, social and academic.

Logistical Worries

The majority of the time a middle school building is going to be much larger than an elementary building. Students are actually afraid of knowing WHERE TO GO! This is a concern that parents can solve for their student before school starts! Being proactive with your child’s logistical worries can cause a major decrease in those worries and will lesson your child’s stress level!  Here are a few tips to solve this worry:

1.  Visit the school building and take a detailed tour BEFORE school starts. You may need to go several times if it is a really large school. Be sure to locate restrooms that are closest to all your child’s classes. Get a class schedule and walk the schedule room to room. Don’t forget to find the cafeteria!

2.  Read the school handbook BEFORE school starts together with your child. If you child knows in advance how much time they have between classes and how long it will take to walk to each class…they won’t be as stressed out. If they understand what the consequences are for being tardy to class, etc. it will ease their uneasiness.

3.  Put a map of the school with your child’s classroom’s highlighted in their binder so they will have it handy the first day.  

4.  Practice opening the combination lock so your child will be able to quickly unlock their locker between classes.  

Social Worries

Middle school is social maze compared to elementary school. You are changing classes each period and you will be in classes with a lot more students then you were in elementary school. This can be overwhelming for children that like the comfort of a single classroom with a group of the same children each day. Your child is also thinking about the fact that they are the youngest in this maze. It is easy as adults to downplay our children’s fears, but middle school brings a lot of pressure to be social. Here are some ideas if your child is worried about the social aspects of the transition to middle school:

1.  Remind your child that they will have the opportunity to meet a lot of students by changing classes each period. Talk about this change in a positive light and emphasize the opportunity for more potential friends.  

2.  Encourage your child to get involved at school. There will be a lot more activities to join then there were in elementary school. Sports, clubs, fine arts and other activities can help your child find their niche.

3.  Have a heart to heart talk with your child about being who they are. It is more important to be yourself than to be “cool” and to fit in. Encourage them to hang out with kid’s they like and with whom they are comfortable. Talk about the importance of not compromising their beliefs and convictions to gain “friends”.

4.  Some children need to go over some basic social skills. Talk to your child about how to join in conversations without interrupting and how to be a good friend.

Academic Worries

There is a big difference in the work-load from elementary to middle school. Typically, there will be more homework and more independence is expected from the students. Parents need to do a good job of getting their child ready for the changes that will take place in middle school academically. Some common issues the children will face are: lots of different teachers—each having different expectations, more homework, bigger need to be organized and the work may be a lot harder. Some tips that can help:

1.  It is imperative that you work with your child during the first few weeks of school to create an organizational system that works for them. They have to be organized to stay on top of each class and the homework. If your child is organized it will ease a lot of stress.

2.  Encourage your child to talk to their teachers. There is a stereotype that teachers in middle and high school aren’t as caring or concerned as elementary teachers. This is not necessarily the case! I know firsthand that middle school teachers do care about your child’s success!  Let your child know that it is okay to ask questions if they don’t understand an assignment!

3.  Show your child how Infinite Campus works so that they can stay on top of their grades. Let your child know that you will also be keeping a close eye on if they are turning all their work in, etc.

4.  Work on your child’s time management skills. There will be more projects type assignments in middle school that will require time management. If your child has good skills in this area early on they will have a much better chance of success!

Middle School doesn’t have to be a scary transition for your child if you are willing to take some time and work with them. If you will follow these transition tips for children starting middle school, I think your child will breeze through this transition with flying colors!  

GET TO SCHOOL ON TIME!

BEAT THE MORNING RUSH BY GETTING (MOSTLY) READY THE NIGHT BEFORE!

1. Shower and wash and dry your hair.

 2. Choose your outfit at night, too-lay it out neatly on

your desk chair.

 3. Pack your backpack-don’t forget your homework

and lunch money.

 4. Need to remember anything else? Put a post-it note

reminder by the door.

ORGANIZE YOUR LOCKER!

• Get rid of clutter-trash things you don’t need!

• Hang up your clothes.

• Keep your pencils, pens, and markers in a pencil case.

• Arrange your books and binders in order-from your first class of the day to your last.

Note Taking Habits

{Write the date}

    Main Points-usually a definition, important date or fact.

    Sub Points-Expand on the main point with more information.

    Write out examples and draw a cute shape around it to stand out & remember.

--------------------------------------

Don’t worry about writing everything down word for word.

--------------------------------------

Come prepared so you know key points. Try and read before class.

--------------------------------------

Listen! Some of the most important information is given this way.

--------------------------------------

Don’t worry about making your notes pretty right now.

--------------------------------------

Rewriting Your Notes:

• Color code if you want

     (add a color key)

• Type on computer

     (ex. Google document)

• This is a perfect way to

     revise and study.

• Put your favorite note

    taking technique to

    work.

    (ex. Flashcards)

--------------------------------------

Book Notes:

• Look at summary at the back of the chapter.

• Use the same process

     as lecture notes.

• Draw any tables,

    diagrams, etc. that will

    help you.

• Try & write in your own

     words. It will help you

     remember.

8 Tips for Studying

 1. Put on comfortable clothing.

2. Turn off all distractions.

3. Get a healthy snack and water

bottle.

4. Get all study materials together.

5. Gather colorful post-it notes and

pens.

6. Organize notes, textbooks, and

throw out unnecessary papers.

7. Take breaks.

8. Study in chunks, don’t cram last

minute.

24 Tips for Studying and Taking Tests!

At School Before Test Day:

• Have a positive attitude
• Be alert
• Keep track of important dates
• Participate in class
• Stay organized

At Home Before Test Day:

• Create a study routine
• Study in a quiet spot
• Do your homework
• Have your test supplies ready
• Get a good night’s sleep

Test Day:

• Wear comfortable clothing
• Eat a good breakfast
• Relax before the test
• Take 3 deep breaths
• Read all the directions carefully.
• Read all possible answer choices
• Cross out wrong answers
• Write answers neatly
• Do your best work
• Don’t rush
• Reread your answer
• Work at your own pace
• Skip hard questions until the end
• Answer all the questions

BE RESPECTFUL!

Recognize that everyone is different.

Empathy is to recognize and connect.

Self monitor. (think First)

Personal space. (give a little room)

Earn trust through your actions.

Cheer on others and their success.

Treat everyone as an equal.

6 “Soft” Skills Our Middle School Students Need!

These six social and study skills for middle school students will stay with them long after they leave the classroom.

1. How to mono-task.

Kids need to know how to do one thing at a time. Sustained concentration takes effort with tasks we are not comfortable doing.

2. How they study best.  

We tell kids to study all the time, but they don’t realize that the process may look different for different people. Some people have to write things down to remember them. Others need to say them out loud. Personally, I remember things best if I walk around the room while I’m studying. For some kids, “study” means “look at your notes for a predetermined period of time.” No focus necessary. This is not effective studying.

When kids need to study, talk about ways to retain information, and kids come up with a plan for how they’ll spend their study time. After they take an assessment, ask them to reflect on the effectiveness of their study strategies.

3. How to use meta-cognition.

This goes with the previous learning goal. As an adult, I can read a paragraph, realize that I wasn’t paying attention or didn’t understand it, and then go back and read it again. Most kids don’t do that. They don’t read for understanding; they read because someone told them to read. If they have decoded all the words in a given text—whether those words make any sense or not—they’re done.

Help them learn how to check their understanding as they read and figure out the parts they don’t get the first time. Model this, especially when we’re reading nonfiction.

4. How to prioritize.

Whenever I have a job I don’t want to do, I procrastinate by doing something else. That way I’m still doing something productive, so I don’t feel bad about not tackling whatever I should’ve been doing. Kids do the exact same thing with projects. If told to do a research presentation, they’re going to have 17 really intricate slide transitions before they do a single bit of research. Ask them, and they think they’ve spent their time productively working on their project.

Help them to learn how to focus on the difficult parts of a project first, then move on to the fun stuff. At the beginning of a class project, help them create a list of steps that have to be completed in order. Ask them to spend a few minutes at the beginning of the activity prioritizing what needs to get done first and how they’re going to accomplish it.

5. How to play to their strengths.

In group work, help them create strategic plans. Let your good readers read, let your neat writers write, let your good artists draw the cartoon for your project, and let the leaders decide what pages you’re reading for homework tonight. It’s okay if not everybody does the exact same things.

6. How to read—and maybe even write—for pleasure.

Helping students is my favorite part of my job. Lucky for me, it’s also the most important. Kids who read independently for pleasure go on to have greater success academically, professionally, and personally according to several well-documented studies. Modeling a love of reading, making room for passion in writing, and pointing kids toward the right books are all hugely important components of teaching middle school.

There are skills I want our kids to have. If our students leave a little better at these six things than they were at the beginning of the year, I’ll feel that we’ve done something to prepare them for the future, no matter what that future holds.

Developmental Characteristics

Every child’s development is unique. Although children develop through a generally predictable sequence of milestones, we cannot say exactly when a child will reach each and every stage. Every child has his or her own timetable. The characteristics below are offered only as a reference to give you a better understanding of your child.

The Eleven -Year-Old

Physical Development

• Vast appetite for food, physical activity, and talking
• Growth spurt of early adolescence for some girls, may feel awkward and clumsy
• Girls ahead of guys in physical maturity; boys’ big growth spurt may not start until 14; Boys worry if they are ever going to grow
• Wide differences among individuals in rate of development
• Curious about opposite sex; girls usually interested first
• Tiredness; need for more sleep
• Often uncomfortable with questions and observations about how much they have grown and physical changes
• Increased need for personal hygiene

Social and Emotional Development

• Less overt affection and attention shown to parents, with occasional rudeness; tests limits
• Impulsive, unaware
• Focus on self, alternating between high expectations and poor self-concept
• Have tendency to return to childish behavior, particularly when stressed
• Experience extremes of emotions
• Inclusive/exclusion; height of cliques, seek to belong, discovery of telephone
• Experimenting with behavior, roles, appearance, self-image
• Difficulty with decisions but need to be able to make some choices for themselves
• Demand privileges, but may avoid responsibilities
• Feel unique; believe that no one else has ever felt the way they do; suffered so much, or been so misunderstood

Intellectual Development

• Mostly interested in present, limited thoughts of the future
• Intellectual interests expand
• Increased ability to de-center and see world from various perspectives
• Development of ideals and selection of role models
• May experiment with dangerous risk-taking behaviors
• Even if students can make abstractions, they learn best when activities are active, hands-on, and related to personal experiences
• Concerned with rules, standards of behavior and fairness, especially for themselves
• Do not distinguish between what they are thinking and what others may be thinking; assume that every other person is as concerned with their behavior and appearance as they are; better at planning than carrying out the plan

The Twelve -Year-Old

Physical Development

• High energy, but much rest needed
• Growth spurts; girls ahead of boys; wide differences among individuals in rates of development
• Physical activities and sports valued
• Eating patterns change, over concern for dieting
• Feel awkward and may worry about body
• Increased need for personal hygiene

Social and Emotional Development

• Struggle with sense of identity
• Moodiness
• Can be enthusiastic at some times; lethargic at other times
• Friendships with both sexes are important
• Complain that parents interfere with independence
• More likely to express feelings by actions than words
• Peer vocabulary (slang) important
• Less overt affection and attention shown to parents, with occasional rudeness; test limits
• Impulsive, unaware
• Experience extremes of emotions
• Inclusion/exclusion; height of cliques, seek to belong, discovery of telephone
• Experimenting with behavior, roles, appearance, self-image
• Difficulty with decisions but need to be able to make some choices for themselves
• Demand privileges, but may avoid responsibilities
• Feel unique; believe that no one else has ever felt the way they do; suffered so much, or been so misunderstood

Intellectual Development

• Hormonal and physical demands of puberty may cause slowing of rate of cognitive development during early adolescence
• Increased ability to think abstract in intellectual pursuits
• Learn best when involved in activities that are active, hands-on, and related to real life
• Concerned with rules, standards of behavior and fairness, especially for themselves
• Lack of understanding of cause and effect as well as feelings of omnipotence and invulnerability  (”It can’t happen to me.”) can lead to dangerous risk-taking behaviors--smoking, drugs, drinking, etc.
• Mostly interested in present, limited thoughts of future
• May show emerging ability in a particular skill or content area
• Show improved abilities to use speech for self-expression
• High interest in current events, politics, social justice; also pop culture, materialism
• More consistent evidence of conscience
• Idealistic; may offer “ideal” solutions to complex problems
• Development of ideals and selection of role models
• May question parents’ political beliefs and other values

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

 Benjamin Franklin