Upcoming
Events
Second Marking Period
10/19/07 – 12/13/07
Nov. 1
Special Education Parent
Advisory Committee Meeting, 6 pm at Highland Park Elem. library
Nov. 2
Gr. 5 trip to Career Fair
at the Career and Technology Center
(Vo-Tech)
Nov. 5
Fundraiser Money due
PSA meeting, 6:30 pm
Nov. 5 & 6
Vision screenings for
grades K-5
Nov. 8
Internet Safety Program at
LAHS auditorium, 7-9 pm
Nov. 7-16
Santa’s Book Bag
Collection
Nov. 12
Open House, 6-7:30 pm
Nov. 15
Internet Safety Program at
IVHS auditorium, 7-9 pm
Nov. 21 (Day 60)
Gr. K only progress
reports issued
Fundraiser Prize Day
Nov. 22-Nov. 27
No School –Thanksgiving
Holiday break
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From the Principal’s Desk
Tips for instilling self-discipline in kids
by Shari
Steelsmith
Tip—Developing
good decision making skills helps children make the connection
between their choices and the consequences.
When we say
we want our children to be self-disciplined and responsible, I think
we generally mean we want them to be responsible for the tasks,
chores and obligations that go along with their age. For example,
we’d like an eight-year-old to be responsible for making her own bed
in the morning. We’d like a 10-year-old to do his homework each
night without constant parental monitoring. We’d like a 12-year-old
to remember to take out the garbage on his own. We want the children
to feel an internal sense of responsibility and then to respond to
that appropriately.
Tools—The
ability to make reasonable decisions is crucial to becoming
responsible. Connected to making decisions is looking at
consequences. Many parent educators believe that children must see
the relationship between what they choose to do and the consequences
of that choice before they can learn to be truly responsible.
·
Offer Choices.
Decision making ability begins with simple either/or choices.
Parents usually offer these automatically to their young
children—“Do you want to wear your red shirt or your blue one?”
Choices become more complex as children grow older. “You can go to
the sleepover at Kelsie’s house, or you can stay with us and go see
a movie.” Or, “You can do your homework right now or you can do it
instead of watching your TV show tonight.”
The more ideas a child considers,
the more likely s/he is to choose something appropriate. You can
help your child by offering them several choices at one time. For
example, “It’s cold out. Do you want to wear your sweatshirt, your
jacket, or your long coat?”
·
Ask for Options.
When children can understand several alternatives, begin to ask them
to list their options. This helps the child begin the process of
thinking up alternatives on her own. For example, let’s say Riley’s
been invited to play at Brandon’s house. He’s not done yet with his
homework, but he’s anxious to go right now. Mom asks, “What’s your
plan for getting the homework finished?” Riley complains, “Can’t I
just skip it today?” “Not doing it is one option,” responds Mom.
“What else can you do?” At that point, Riley offers’ to get up a
half hour early the next morning and finish his homework.
·
Talk About Possible
Consequences. Children
need to know that behavior has consequences and that those
consequences vary depending on the behavior. You can ask questions
like, “What might happen if you skip your homework tonight?” “What
might happen if you don’t set the table like you’re supposed to?”
You can talk about consequences ahead of time, at the moment of the
event, or later. The purpose is to help children think about
a situation, not tell them what to do.
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