Making The Grade

Making the GradeBack to school prep for parents and students

Gazette Parents:

FEATURING:• Making transitions• Digital learning• Increasing motivation • Choosing a college

Sunday, July 27, 2014 • A special advertising section of The Gazette

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Choosing the right college .........................................................4The decline of walking to school.........................................6Teacher tested ideas to increase motivation ........................7Cyber Chic: New push to get girls into computer sciences .....8Help kids transition back to the classroom .....................10Building a strong parent-teacher relationship ......................12

Going to college is still worthwhile financially .................13Digital learning continues to transform education .........14

Gazette Parents

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Making the Grade: Back to school prep for parents and students


Senior year is often a busy time for students and parents. With schoolwork, activities, prom, senior photos, special events and more, the time flies by quickly. Admissions counselors advise students to maintain a focus on college planning as they glide through the final year of high school.

Choosing the right college is not always easy, but it doesn’t have to be upsetting or distressing either. Different students have different priorities and what makes one school a student’s dream college may make it a repulsive choice for others.

Even so, there are some steps that all students can take that will help them in choosing the right college. Determining what’s important to each individual will help narrow the options and may help them discover some things that weren’t even on their radar before.

Identifying interests, strengths and weaknesses, and reasons for going to college are a good place to start. Some colleges or universities are known for specializing in one specific area, while others provide a wide-range of programs.

At CIVA Charter High School, Principal Randy Zimmerman believes the Senior Seminar class they provide has had a significant impact in assisting students with college planning. “The class helps them to identify their interests, talk with their parents and select three to five careers possibilities. Next they can research schools that fit those fields.”

Zimmerman strongly believes getting parents involved with the complete selection process is a big step in helping students.

In addition to your interests, rank your priorities and pinpoint what aspects of

college life are the most meaningful. For instance, the size of the school, or strength of the athletic program, or location might be a higher priority. Numerically rank each feature by importance to you and see how much it really matters when compared to other features.

Once a few colleges have started to stand out, Chrissy Holliday, Director of Admissions at

Colorado State University-Pueblo, says to visit the college or university’s website. “Explore the degree programs they offer, including majors, minors, and concentrations, to see what matches your areas of interest and talent, and your future goals.”

“The single most important part of your college search is visiting college campuses,” said Holliday. “Do not make a decision until you visit the campus and see whether it is a good fit, if it feels like home. You will spend a lot of time there over the next few years, and you want to make sure you are happy there.”

On your campus visits, make the most it by scheduling a tour, request appointments with admissions counselors, departmental advisors, and others on campus. Holliday suggests “See if you can sit in on a class. Don’t be shy — stop students you encounter and ask them what they like most about the institution.”

The timing of your visit counts too, said Holliday. “A weekend visit or one during the summer will tell you a lot less about the campus, and give you a lot less opportunity for interaction with students, faculty, and staff, than one during the week, in the school year.”

Both Holliday and Zimmerman stress

the importance of applying early for admissions and financial aid, and keep the lines of communication open with the college or university.

“Sometimes students have a much better chance for acceptance when they get their applications in early,” said Zimmerman. “Students should be sending in college applications in September and October of their senior year, not January as many think.”

When students are ready to submit college applications, know the admissions requirements. If they require a higher ACT/SAT score than what you currently have, take the test again. “Always show them you are trying to improve,” Holliday said.

Some high school seniors have a solid plan for their career path while others only have a vague idea, and yet others still have no idea what they want to do. Many students change their minds two or three times before settling on a major. Being undecided is not a worthwhile reason to miss out on college.

“Take courses that appeal to you

and feel out your interest in areas your considering,” said Randy Zimmerman, Executive Director/Headmaster with CIVA Charter High School. “Don’t just focus on general education classes. I’ve heard of many students who do that and feel like they might as well still be in high school.”

Don’t base your decision on cost alone. “We all have to live with the realities of what we can afford, but higher education is an investment in yourself and your future,” Holliday said.

So don’t automatically take the cheapest option. “If you happen to find a cost that is comfortable for you and your family, from an institution that meets your other expectations as well, that is the true deal.”

Also, guidance counselors emphasize the importance of exploring all options for financial aid, from grants and scholarships to work study and loans. There are more opportunities available than most students realize.

Finally, be realistic. Not every campus will be perfect, but you will find the right one for you.

Choosing the right collegeLeslie Massey, Gazette Parents

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It wasn’t long ago neighborhoods were characteristically bustling with kids walking or biking — maybe to meet up with friends or, often to make their way to school. In today’s world, however that mode of travel for kids has seen a steady decline, particularly to and from school.

In 1969, nearly half of all children, aged five to 14 years old, routinely walked or biked to school. That number fell to only 13 percent by 2009.

The conditions that led to this decline, continue to perpetuate the cycle; motor vehicle traffic has increased and parents feel unsafe allowing their children to walk or bike to school. More and more parents are driving their kids to school which subsequently adds to the traffic, thus sustaining at least part of the problem.

In 2002, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a nationwide survey of parents to determine the most common barriers preventing them from allowing their children to walk to school. Over 1,500 adults participated,

citing reasons for their youngest child aged five to 18 years of age. The following six reasons were the primary motives:

1. Distance to school 61%2. Traffic-related danger 30.4%3. Weather 18.6%4. Crime danger 11.7%5. Opposing school policy 6%6. Other (not identified) 15%

The decline of children walking and biking to school is a large contributor towards morning rush hour traffic, and there is evidence to indicate it can be linked to the childhood obesity epidemic, and even kids’ lack of attention in class.

While budget cuts in most districts have drastically affected school busing, many parents don’t feel they have a choice when it comes to driving kids to and from school. Obviously, fewer parents driving would have a significant impact on traffic, and it would be a boost towards today’s youth being more physically active, but

choosing to let your kids walk or bike to school is an option parents have to make based on what’s best for their family.

If you are evaluating the prospect of letting your kids walk or bike to school, here are some tips to consider for young students:■ Teach your child to recognize and obey

traffic signals and pavement markings.■ Choose the safest route between home

and school and practice walking it with your child until he/she can demonstrate traffic-safety awareness.

■ Remind your child to: Stick to well-traveled streets, use

the same route every day and avoid shortcuts

Carry backpacks and bags close to their body, not dangling by the straps.

Put a wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket, not a back pocket.

Cross streets only in crosswalks or corners (never enter streets from between parked cars or from behind shrubbery)

Always look both ways before crossing the street

Walk — don’t run — across intersections Exhaustively talk to your children about

Stranger Danger

Rather than focusing on what age kids are old enough to walk to school, realize you know your kid and your neighborhood best and make the decision accordingly.

The decline of walking to schoolLeslie Massey, Gazette Parents


Leslie Massey, Gazette Parents

All students have days when sitting still at a desk in the classroom is not where they want to be and not where their mind is focused, even the best students. A list of teacher ideas to improve students’ motivation may help turn challenging days into successful classroom opportunities.

1. Children desire to fulfill the expectations of the adults around them. Subsequently, if you convey to your child that you expect them to fail they will typically fail; whereas communicating to your child that you know they will succeed will empower them to expect success. Encourage your student to visualize success to support them in achieving their goals.

2. Discover what learning style is the most straightforward for your student. Some students are auditory learners so exclusively reading textbooks will frustrate and discourage them. Students who are kinesthetic (or tactile) learners prosper from carrying out a physical activity and will find it hard to learn by just listening to the teacher.

3. Providing students with accountability

is essential in creating motivation. Set clear expectations with straightforward standards and deadlines. Knowing their success depends on themselves is a great motivator.

4. Competition is an effective inspiration for students to make every effort. Without publicly embarrassing students, foster a spirit of friendly competition. Games are a fun and engaging way for students absorb the learning material.

5. Showing enthusiasm for your student’s accomplishments builds confidence and determination as well as motivation.

6. Rewards are an indisputable method of motivation for anyone. Sometimes things as simple as stickers or candy helps students look forward to the consequence of a positive effort.

7. Help your child organize papers and assignments so they feel in control of their work. If a task seems too daunting, children will spend more time worrying than learning. Check in with your child regularly, to make sure she’s not feeling overloaded.

Teacher tested ideas to increase motivation

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Diana Navarro loves to code, and she’s not afraid to admit it. But the 18-year-old Rutgers University computer science major knows she’s an anomaly: Writing software to run computer programs in 2014 is — more than ever — a man’s world.

“We live in a culture where we’re dissuaded to do things that are technical,” Navarro said. “Younger girls see men, not women, doing all the techie stuff, programming and computer science.”

Less than one percent of high school girls think of computer science as part of their future, even though it’s one of the fastest-growing fields in the U.S. today with a projected 4.2 million jobs by 2020, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Google, with a driverless car and Web-surfing eyeglasses under its belt, has given The Associated Press a look at how it’s trying to change the gender disparity in its own workforce, and in the pipeline of potential workers, by launching a campaign called “Made with Code.”

The initiative begins with an introductory video of girls — silly, serious and brave — meeting President Obama, painting over graffiti and goofing around. The narrator says: “You are a girl who understands bits exist to be assembled. When you learn to code, you can

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fabrics or choreograph dances. There are simple, fun coding lessons aimed at girls and a directory of coding programs for girls. The search giant is also offering $50 million in grants and partnering with Girls Who Code, a nonprofit launched in 2012 that runs summer coding institutes for girls, including the one that helped focus Navarro’s passion for technology.

A preview test run of Google’s online coding lessons was deemed “awesome” by Carmen Ramirez y Porter, 11. “It’s not very complicated. It’s easy and fun and really cool to see how it turns out when you finish,” she said.

National Center for Women & Information Technology CEO Lucy Sanders, a leading advocate for women in computer sciences, sees the Made With Code initiative as a pivotal moment in what has been a long-term challenge of getting more girl geeks growing up in America.

“It used to be that as a computing community we didn’t really talk about gender issues. But now we’re really pulling together, from corporations and startups to nonprofits and universities,” Sanders said. “I’m very optimistic.”

There’s plenty of room for change.Female participation in computer

sciences has dropped to 18 percent, down from 37 percent in the 1980s, and only seven percent of U.S. venture capital deals go to women founders and CEOs. Just 20 percent of the 30,000 students who took the Advanced Placement computer science test last year were girls, according to a College Board analysis, which showed no girls at all took the test in Mississippi, Montana or Wyoming.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, one of the earliest Google employees, points to societal and economic drawbacks if women are not participating in the booming tech economy.

Also, she said, “I miss having more women counterparts.”

Tech firms are overwhelming male — Yahoo on Tuesday released a report showing 62 percent of its global employees are men. At Google, about 70 percent of the roughly 44,000 people it employs throughout the world are men. This year, the search giant commissioned a nationwide study to find out why so few women pursue technology careers, asking 1,600 people about whether they were encouraged to study computer sciences and had opportunities to learn to code.

Their findings, shared with the AP this week in advance of public release: Girls have little exposure to technology

and computer sciences. That doesn’t mean they’re not interested, however. If parents, friends and teachers encourage their daughters to pursue computer sciences, schools offer more courses and more role models step forward, the field can be leveled.

But to capture girls, it’s got to be fun.That was the plan for a “Made With

Code” kick-off event in New York for 150 girls, where indie rockers Icona Pop performed and coders demoed how they make everything from animated movies to designer fabrics with software. Actress Mindy Kaling, who was the event’s master of ceremonies, said she fights gender bias in Hollywood, but when a techie friend told her about Silicon Valley’s gender gap “it was staggering.”

“Just as television and movies need to reflect their audience, I think it’s important that people who create technology reflect the diversity of people who use them,” she said.

Chelsea Clinton, who represented the Clinton Foundation at the event, said she got her own first computer in 1987 from Santa Claus.

“Ultimately computer science is helping to create the future,” she said. “So when we think about the future, we know we need to be doing more in this country and around the world to ensure that girls and women see computer sciences as real, viable options for them.”

Entrepreneur Dez White wasn’t necessarily pursuing a tech career when she asked a patron at her family’s restaurant to teach her to write software. She just had an idea for an app and wanted to make it.

“It was very hard for me to get my head around it,” White said. “I didn’t go to Stanford for code.”

Today, she hires coders for her firm Goinvis, which sells privacy apps that allows users to send texts that self-destruct at a set time and emails that disappear from an inbox after they’re opened.

But in addition to her day job, as a successful female African-American entrepreneur, she realizes she needs to be a mentor as well.

“I think young women don’t even realize computer sciences are an option. It’s not laid out like nursing and social work,” she said.

Next year, she’s planning to organize a technology retreat for high school girls, and she tries to hire women for her growing company.

“It’s hard. We have to really look. Their numbers are very, very slim,” she said.


The dawn of a new school year is an exciting time. Kids may not want to say goodbye to days spent lounging by the pool, but such disappointment is often tempered by the prospect of returning to school with friends.

For parents, getting kids ready for a new school year is about more than updating their wardrobe or organizing carpools with fellow parents. Reacclimating kids to the routine of school after a relaxing summer is a significant undertaking, and the following are a handful of ways for parents to get a head start as the school year draws closer.

Establish a routine over the last few weeks of summer.

Summer vacations typically lack the structure of the school year, and that lack of structure can help kids unwind and make the most of the freedom that summer vacation provides. But as summer starts to wind down, parents can begin to reintroduce some structure into their kids’ lives to make the transition back to school go more smoothly. Plan morning activities so kids can readjust to waking up early each day. In addition, serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time you typically serve it during the school year so kids’ bodies can begin to readjust as well.

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rigors of the classroom.

Help kids transition back to the classroom


Take kids along when shopping for school supplies.

If you plan to buy your child a new computer or other supplies for the upcoming school year, take him or her along on your shopping trips. Kids who get to choose their supplies might be more excited about returning to school than those youngsters who are given what they need without offering their input.

Monitor or assign summer reading.

Many students are given summer reading lists to keep their minds sharp over the summer and prepare them for upcoming coursework. Parents should monitor kids’ progress on such reading lists and even discuss the books with their kids when possible. Read the books along with them if you think it will help engage them. If kids were not assigned summer reading lists at the end of the school year, assign your own books, rewarding kids when they finish a new book. Kids who read throughout the summer may be more likely to start the school year off on the right foot than those who don’t crack a book all summer.

Encourage kids to sign up for extracurricular activities.

Many school-aged athletes get a head start on the new school year by trying out for sports teams. Such tryouts often commence a week or two before a school year is scheduled to begin, and this can help kids ease their way back into the school year. But even nonathletes can begin pursuing extracurricular activities before the first school bell of the year rings. Theater programs may begin auditions or encourage interested youngsters to attend orientation meetings before the dawn of the school year, and such sessions can be a great and pressure-free way for kids to ready themselves for a new school year.

The arrival of a new school year can be both exciting and daunting. But parents can help their youngsters readjust to school in various ways after a relaxing summer.

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Once a school year begins, many students spend more time in the classroom with their teachers than they do at home with their parents. That’s especially true in dual-income households where both parents work outside of the home. Though many parents would love to spend more time with their children, doing so can be difficult when both parents must go to work every day. Because kids spend so much time with their teachers, it’s important for parents to work toward building a strong parent-teacher relationship. Such a relationship fosters communication, which can help a young student do his or her best in and out of the classroom, something that’s a goal for parents and teachers alike.

Meet your child’s teacher at the beginning of the year.

Teachers have many students come in and out of their classroom on any given day, so it can be hard for teachers

to initiate a relationship with parents. Parents have significantly fewer children to look after, so they should take the first step toward building a relationship with teachers. Introduce yourself at the onset of the school year, providing phone numbers and e-mail addresses where you can be reached. Let the teacher know you’re available for discussion any time during the school year and that you look forward to the coming school year and working with the teacher as the year progresses.

Attend “Back to School Night.” School events like an open house or a

“Back to School Night” are a great way to help kids grow acclimated to their school. But such events also make great opportunities for parents to learn more about their kids’ teachers than they might have learned during their introductory meeting. Such events may allow teachers to explain the curriculum for the upcoming year, and teachers may feel encouraged

when parents show an active interest in such events.

Make parent-teacher conferences a priority.

Parent-teacher conferences are a great opportunity for parents to speak to their children’s teacher one-on-one. Unlike an introductory meeting or an open house at the beginning of the school year, a parent-teacher conference allows parents and teachers to specifically discuss students in private. Teachers may provide insight into how a child is performing and behaving in the classroom, offering advice as to how to improve that performance or suggestions as to how to encourage kids to keep up the good work. Such conferences may be your only opportunity for a one-on-one discussion about your child, so make sure you’re on time and that you don’t miss these conferences. Your child’s teacher will appreciate it, and you can use this as an opportunity to ask any questions.

Keep the channels of communication open.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve spoken to your child’s teacher, don’t be afraid to e-mail the teacher to check in or see if you can lend a helping hand. In addition, if your child really enjoys a teacher’s class, don’t be hesitant to share that with the teacher. Teachers appreciate compliments just like other professionals, and parents should express their gratitude to those teachers who are working hard to make learning fun for their youngsters.

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Going to college is still a worthwhile financial investment despite soaring tuition costs and burdensome student debt, according to a new government study.

From 1970 to 2013, the average college graduate has earned about $64,500 a year versus $41,000 for someone with only a high school diploma, according to the analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Over a full working career, total earnings of the average college graduate topped those of a high school graduate by more than $1 million, the study found.

“Once the full set of costs and benefits is taken into account, investing in a college education still appears to be a wise economic decision for the average person,” the study concludes.

But the picture isn’t nearly as bright for college students as it may seem.

The comparative value of a college degree is due partly to the steadily

declining fortunes of high school grads rather than to sunny prospects for those attending college.

In fact, in the past dozen years, annual salaries for those with bachelor’s degrees have fallen 10.3 percent, according to the New York Fed. That’s even worse than the 7.6 percent drop for high school grads.

It’s unclear why college students have fared so badly, although the sluggish employment market for recent graduates has been well chronicled.

“The average wages of college graduates have been falling for the better part of a decade, with the pace of decline accelerating after the Great Recession,” the study says.

The study also found that college grads majoring in fields such as engineering, math and computers, and health care outearned those studying liberal arts or education.

“Not all college degrees are an equally good investment,” the report said.

By Walter Hamilton, Los Angeles Times

Going to college is still worthwhile financially

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Technology is an important part of many people’s daily lives. Devices like computers, tablets, smartphones, and video games are now so widely used that it’s hard to imagine a life without email, the Internet or text messages.

Even children are proving adept at using technology, which can be a valuable tool for educators attempting to reach today’s youngsters. Digital learning is learning facilitated by technology. Not only can digital learning be done in the classroom, but also it can extend to home life as children continue to explore lessons through hands-on interaction with digital devices.

According to data from Project Tomorrow’s “Speak Up” study, an initiative of the nation’s leading education nonprofit organization, students are frustrated with the lack of technology in their schools and by the lack of sophisticated use of that technology. The study indicates that students want more of the following: social-based learning; tools that increase untethered

learning; development of and connection to a

personal network of expert resources; and

a digitally rich learning environment. Students acclimated to technology

at home are not content to merely rely on textbooks or CDs in the classroom. They’re more interested in interactive, Web-based tools that enhance communication and collaboration.

As a result of this shifting landscape, parents should expect to see more lessons and homework involving interactive technology. To make this

transition go more smoothly, teachers and parents can work together to ensure kids are making the most of the exciting developments in education.

The following are just a handful of the changes that figure to come about as a result of the transition to digital learning: lesson plans, assignments and

tutoring opportunities available online for continued reference;

learning-centered chat rooms for peer-to-peer interaction and sharing of materials;

digital content in the way of high quality academic materials available through interactive apps and not stagnant PDFs or text materials; software may range from video lectures to learning games.

increased availability of teachers and professors; students and parents will be able to reach out to educators beyond school hours if assistance or further clarification of assignments is needed.

supplemental material that comes at the pace of the student, rather than the pace of an entire classroom; interactive and adaptive software enables students to spend more or less time on lessons to achieve the best level of learning.

digital communication with educators, including online conference scheduling;

smartboards, tablets and laptop use more heavily integrated into classrooms.

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Digital learning continues to transform education


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Making The Grade

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