Elementary

Parent/Teacher Conferences (October 22 & 23): Families with three or more students in the elementary will receive an email this week with details on how to sign up. If you fit this category, and don’t receive an email by Thursday evening, please contact the front office. All other families will receive an opportunity to sign up next week.

 

Elementary Play: Mr. Kohl’s 5^th grade class will be performing this Friday. The play will open with a short recitation by our 6^th grade music classes at 8:35 in the auditorium. All are welcome!

 

Speech Meet: Speech Meet selections are to be memorized by October 9.

 

Secondary

Speech Meet: Secondary (7^th-9^th) Speech Meet selections are due October 2.

 

Honors Applications: Applications are due to my box by this Wednesday at 3:30.

 

Study Tip of the Week

Flashcards are a super way to commit material to memory. Whether it is multiplication facts in the elementary or the periodic table for a secondary science class, using flashcards can be a huge help, if they are used wisely. Here are a few tips:

1. Have the student make the flashcards himself. This is a valuable part of studying. Write the question on one side (5 + 6) and the answer on the back (=11). Make sure that the material is written correctly (spelling and neatness) so that the student is not studying incorrect or confusing material. Also, make sure that the answer is written lightly enough so that you cannot see it through the card.
2. Have the student go through the stack of cards. Every card that he gets right should go on the ‘right’ stack and the ones he gets wrong go on the ‘wrong’ stack. Study the ‘wrong’ stack a few times and then go through it again dividing it into two stacks. This will allow him to focus on the information that needs the most attention. Eventually, remix the cards and test on all of them, repeating the process until he has it down.
3. Break study time into small bites. It’s usually best to focus on two or three intense fifteen-minute sessions rather than a solid hour with the attendant distractions and bathroom breaks.

 

Cheers,

 

Matt Whitling