Missing School Can Lead To Chronic Absenteeism

September 30, 2016 by 1 Comment

Chronic Absenteeism

Have you ever heard of Chronic Absenteeism? It was a new word for me. Are you one of those parents who make your kid go to school, even when they are sick? Or are you more likely to just let them stay home and figure the rest out later?

We all know things happen, kids get sick, last minute vacations, deaths in the family – I could go on. But that isn’t really what we are talking about here. For most of us, we are very blessed in the fact that we have the tools, resources, and wherewithal to make sure our kids do not fall behind if they do have to miss school. Chronic absenteeism is more than that. There are MILLIONS of children all over the United States who are missing school due to struggling in the classroom, having trouble with bullies, or dealing with challenges at home.  These are the students who are falling behind and struggling to graduate later in life.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8SIX2o2N1c]As a parent, you’re in a powerful position to help your child both improve their grades and increase their love of learning. Parents who get involved with their children’s schools—by meeting teachers, attending afterschool and sporting events, participating in PTA meetings, and volunteering in the classroom—are more likely to be able to advocate for their children within the school community.

A student who misses just two days of school each month — 18 days total in the year — is considered to be chronically absent. However, many parents don’t realize that, even when absences are excused or understandable, absences add up and can greatly impact a child’s education. In the United States, more than 6 million children are chronically absent from school each year.

Chronic Absenteeism

To combat chronic absenteeism, the U.S. Department of Education, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and the Ad Council have partnered to create the public service campaign Absences Add Up. Absences Add Up is part of the My Brother’s Keeper Every Student, Every Day initiative, a broad effort to combat chronic absenteeism led by the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Justice.

The Absences Add Up campaign directs parents and community members to AbsencesAddUp.org, where they can find information about the importance of school attendance and resources to learn how to help children who are struggling in school, being bullied, managing chronic illness, or addressing mental health challenges. The site also provides parents with resources to assist with caregiving, housing and food challenges. For teachers, community leaders, after school programs, and mentoring partners, there is information about how to encourage school attendance and resources to help address issues like poor grades, bullying, and family challenges that cause children to miss school when they don’t have to.

Chronic Absenteeism

Tips and Suggestions

  • Keep track of how many days of school your child has missed.
  • Figure out why your child is absent from school.
    • Are they dealing with a chronic illness like asthma?
    • Are they being bullied or struggling at school?
    • Are they staying home to help care for a family member?
  • Visit AbsencesAddUp.org to find help addressing the underlying cause of your child’s absences.
    • Ask teachers and community leaders for advice and specific resources in your area.
    • Don’t be afraid to reach out to other parents in your area to ask for help and share tips.

Chronic Absenteeism

HELP US SHOW PARENTS HOW TO HELP THEIR KIDS! Spread the word on Social Media.

Twitter:

  • 12 family emergency days + 6 vacation days = risk of not making it to graduation day. Visit AbsencesAddUp.org today. #AbsencesAddUp
  • 2 absences per month = less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. #AbsencesAddUp AbsencesAddUp.org

Facebook:

  • Every Child Deserves A Chance! Attending school every day increases a child’s chances of success in school and in life. That’s why I support the U. S. Department of Education, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, My Brother’s Keeper, and the Ad Council’s #AbsencesAddUp campaign—because every child deserves a chance at success. http://absencesaddup.org/ #EveryStudentEveryDay #MyBrothersKeeper
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Win IMAX film “Flight of the Butterflies” on Blu-ray

August 5, 2016 by 54 Comments

Shout! Factory has just released the breathtaking IMAX film Flight of the Butterflies on Blu-ray.

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Flight of the Butterflies is all at once a natural history epic, compelling detective story, and scientific adventure at its best. This captivating film allows viewers to experience one of the most incredible natural phenomena on earth – the migration of hundreds of millions of Monarch butterflies.   The truly inspiring film is a favorite at theaters and science centers around the country, and will now be available on Blu-ray for home viewing. Bonus features include trailers, an image gallery, a making of featurette, and a special message from Lic. Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, President of Mexico 2006-2012.

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We can’t wait to watch this movie ourselves- the photos alone are breathtaking, I’m excited to see everything in action.

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To get your kids excited to watch the film, OR if they have just watched and are excited and want to learn more about butterflies, here are some cute coloring pages and information about the life cycle of butterflies for them. When you click on the image, it will be bigger and you can print full size sheets.

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One of you can win a DVD for your family. Feel free to enter using the RC code below. Good luck! Ends Aug. 27, 2016.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Walt Disney Worlds Resorts with Scholastic’s Can’t Wait for School Break collection

June 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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Now that the sun is finally starting to peek its head around the clouds and warm that nip out of the air its time to start thinking about family trips. As with most family trips kids will of course be coming, drat. But fear not human parents, with the help of Scholastic there are many tips to be found to make the most of your trip, either during the school year or just making it through a long car or plane ride.

In our house Dad likes his audio books in the car while Mom can’t stand them, but what if the audio books were more kid centered. With audio books the longest of rides are simply eaten away at with a good story and an enthusiastic reader. Scholastic has a few suggestions for children of all ages and I am sure if Mom, Dad and little one look through the list together they will find at least one story they can all enjoy together.

If audio books aren’t for you there are also tablets for the kids and adults, as well as portable music players and digital games for little kids, big kids and adult kids. With your in flight entertainment figured out its time to wrap your head around school work. What are some ways to keep your kid stimulated and learning while on vacation?

Below are a few tips from Scholastic:

1) Give your teacher the heads up at least a week before hand, they will be happy to keep your child in the know with current school work.

2) Double check supplies, make sure you have pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks, etc. Especially if leaving the country or going to a more rural area where office supply stores are not available.

3) Stay in touch, check the class website, email the teacher, etc.

4) Every day is a learning experience if you look and be creative, have your child journal her experiences and feelings (reinforces ELA connections and mindfulness), research the destination (underscores study skills and social studies concepts), bring her own independent reading book for the trip (always a good idea), help calculate mileage and a budget for souvenirs (enhances math connections) are a few suggestions.

5) remember bed time stories, keep the bed time rituals going and read as often as possible. Keep a book log and find topics relevant to your trip. Going to New York City, find a book about it, etc.

6) Bring a tablet or laptop, the internet is a wealth of information for kids and parents from tutorials to video lessons, a topic is just a few clicks away.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Disney. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Learn With Oliver- Language Learning Online

November 10, 2015 by 5 Comments

Languages go hand in hand with traveling. Whether you are visiting another country, or just an area outside of your own town, you never know who you are going to meet and what language they are going to speak. Learning a different language helps you to broaden your horizons.  With the world getting smaller and more diverse, it’s really becoming essential that everyone know at least a second language.

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There are a lot of ways to learn a new language, but many are time consuming and costly. If you are like me, you don’t have time to go to classes and want a way to learn online.

Learn with Oliver might be a perfect solution. Learn with Oliver is an online language learning site. They currently offer Chinese, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Thai.

They also offer a way for people to learn English. For people who are looking to learn English but currently speak Chinese, German, Korean, Russian, French, or Portuguese, Learn with Oliver is an online option as well.

What makes Learn with Oliver a great option is that there are 2 memberships. The basic membership is free forever. That means you get to work on learning a new language without having to worry about an outrageous cost. There is also a premium membership that gives you added features that can make learning a language easier and faster. At only $8 a month or $84 for the year, you get the ability to add notes to your flash cards, enter your own words and sentences, use a sound feature, and get fast essay correction.

If you don’t know a second language, now is the time. A cool new “thing” will only last so long, and it’s appeal even less long.  You know how it is.  But, a second language is forever, and is a great skill for your resume, college application, and makes you more employable.  It also opens up a world to you that was previously closed.  Go ahead and see what you think- there is nothing to lose.  Visit Learn With Oliver and see what you think.

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Back to School with Tutor Time

September 27, 2015 by 2 Comments

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It is Back to School time, and as such, it is also time to choose the right school for your little ones in those formative early education ages, from infants to kindergarten.  This all depends on the particular child, but should of course be considered in order to get your child used to being with large groups of children in an educational setting.  This can be something to get used to not only as thinking time but also as quiet time as well.  Some children have a very hard time with being still, and that is something that they can work on before entering Kindergarten when it will be a problem. There is fun as well, of course- some of  most fun my own son had in early education was craft time.

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Craft Time builds cognitive skills, gives practice to fine motor skills, give the imagination a stretch, and more.  Not to mention, your kids will be so proud of their creations.  Another great item touched upon in early education is health and food.  The importance of proper nutrition for your children has been noted- check out how schools you are looking at promote this.  When trying to pick the right school for your little ones, it is important to come with questions in mind, and asking how they are covered during the curriculum, as well as what kind of setting and how much free time the children will  have.
One such early education facility is Tutor Time child care/learning center of Saddle Brook.  This Tutor Time is geared toward children from Infant through to Kindergarten aged with their Infant Care to Kindergarten specializations.

“Where one-of-a-kinds get started” is the general anthem of Tutor Time: Every child is unique.

At Tutor Time, every child’s individuality is used to his or her advantage in the way they learn, grow, build self-esteem, and develop their imagination.  Tutor Time teaching strategies are designed to maximize the development of each child and to recognize how they learn different subjects in different ways.  Check out a local school near you and see what you think.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Learning Care Group. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Learn Better with Understood.org

May 14, 2015 by 1 Comment

Not every child learns the same way.  There are many different ways kids learn, and when a child has problems learning in the classroom, there are ways to help them succeed. Do you know the signs of learning and attention issues ?

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In the U.S., 1 in 5 children struggle with learning and attention issues.  These kids are as smart as their peers, and with the right strategies and support, they can succeed in and out of the classroom.  But parents sometimes feel alone in their search for support and information about what they can do to help their child academically, socially and emotionally.

My own son is struggling with reading- he has an incredible vocabulary, good comprehension skills, and is great at math and science- but reading is a real struggle for him.  Not every child learns the same way or at the same pace, and that’s OK.  As a teacher and a mother, I know it will all even out in the end, and that there are many ways of teaching and of learning.  Children learn in many ways, and the younger you identify your child’s strengths and learning styles, the better off they will be.

 Understood.org is a free, one-stop, easy-to-use online resource and community designed to empower parents of children ages 3-20 with learning and attention issues.

Resources are available for parents at all stages of this journey – those who don’t yet know why their child is struggling, as well as those who have been dealing with these issues for some time.

Visit Understood.org to experience “Through Your Child’s Eyes,” a series of interactive simulations and videos that enable parents to experience firsthand how seemingly simple tasks become complicated when seen through the eyes of a child with reading, writing, math, organization or attention issues.

It can be overwhelming when you find that your child needs extra help, but it doesn’t have to be.  You can find the resources you and your child needs to get them back on track quickly and painlessly.
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Rosetta Translation Services

November 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Speaking another language can be difficult when in a foreign country, especially if that particular country is quite different from your native language and culture. For a small taste of this, try walking into your local ethnic market, of a different ethnicity then yourself of course, and try going grocery shopping. This will give you an idea of a different culture without veering too far from home.

pic2I say to try this, because we all need to step out of our comfort zone sometimes and into another person ‘s shoes.  Those of us who take for granted our ability to understand everything, should try to remember that it’s not that easy for visitors or tourists.  For those of us who love to travel, this means us ourselves from time to time.  Hey, I don’t speak Slavic!  Let’s say you are in a foreign country and, God forbid, something horrific happens where you need medical records translated into another language or legal documents, even financial information. Who can you trust with these sensitive translation services? Well that is where translation companies like Rosetta Translations can be a huge help. They are located in London and specialize in legal, financial, technical and medical translations.  These translations can be tricky and involve sensitive information that you can’t trust with just anyone, but only with the most professional of services. The service provided by Rosetta is guaranteed a consistently and excellent quality of translation in each of these various fields by making sure each document translation is given to the most appropriate specialized team of highly qualified translators, proofreaders, and editors. In this way, errors are a minimum and work quality is a maximum.
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Happy Birthday, Mr. President

September 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Please read the full article on This Girl Travels!

OK, so maybe it wasn’t the President’s birthday- but it was my son’s.  When I asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate, he told me he wanted to “finally” see Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson (third president of the USA and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence). “Finally” is a relative term- he was turning 7.   So, off to Charlottesville, Virginia we went.

20140729_094659Charlottesville was the perfect place for this trip, because it has so much to offer in terms of Presidential history (and homes).  In and around Charlottesville, you can see the homes of four of the most influential presidents in American history- along with Thomas Jefferson, you can visit the homes of James Madison, George Washington, and James Monroe. That is a lot of history for a little area.  You can visit all the homes with a special pass should you so choose. The “President’s Passport” is one ticket that gives you access to all the homes of the four presidents. (Other added bonuses include free admission to 9 museums and historic sites in Alexandria if you show your paid ticket at the door, free wine tastings along the Monticello wine trail, savings at shopping areas, hotels, restaurants, and more. This is a good pass to get if you plan on spending a few days in the area.)

WP_20140729_10_24_02_ProOur first stop, of course, was Monticello.  I was impressed to see that they offered “family” tours with a guide who made the time spent even in “no touching” areas fun for the kids.  She had a small bag packed with visual guides, books, photos, and toys that the children could see, touch, and play with to help them get a better idea of what she was explaining and the times that Jefferson lived in.  She also aimed the tour at them, using language they could understand without “dumbing down” the tour whatsoever- she used appropriate language and explanations, scaled to ability and age- but never assumed the children were unable to understand or grasp the knowledge.  This was something that the parents appreciated and the children thrived on- they all enjoyed the tour and remembered what they learned. (My son, of course, had to buy a stuffed Thomas Jefferson from the gift shop, just like the guide had.  It was his birthday, after all.)  There were also hands on activities to try one’s hand at when the tour was finished, such as using a quill pen and ink or playing with “old time” toys and games.
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