Friday Focus

Monday, January 30, Parent-Teacher Conferences, No School. See schedule online...

Coping With Math

Are you fighting with your child over math? Do his math papers keep getting "lost" or come home marked incomplete, fix, or do over? Or worse, has he stopped trying to do math?

Students are being introduced to more abstract math concepts. If they've missed basic concepts along the way, they can't keep up in class.

When this happens, they get anxious and defensive. Their lack of confidence grows and can cripple them in school and in life.

This is when parents must step in. Taking these steps can help:

• Really listen to your child. Express some sympathy when he complains, "I don't get it!" Say it's tough. Then ask questions to find out what part is confusing.
• Get familiar with the math concepts your child is learning. Look through his math text.
• Don't try to reteach your child. Your approach might conflict with the teacher's.
• Make the teacher an ally. Ask how she views your child's progress. Are his difficulties common for his grade? What special help can you, she, and the school provide?

Be prepared to eliminate clashes when your child is frustrated by math.

Jump Rope for Heart, Hoops for Heart

Did you know the average heart beats 100,000 times each day? Good health and physical fitness are important to everyone. Students in grades K-3 will be participating in Jump Rope for Heart while students in grades 4-8 will be participating in Hoops for Heart on Wednesday, February 15.

This is a fun event that encourages community service and is educational. Our student will also be learning lifelong fitness skills in the process of raising money to fund lifesaving research and educational programs!

Please visit the websites below to learn more about how your family and friends can help support your child's participation in Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart.

If you have any questions or if you're interested in volunteering at the event, please contact our office at 415-585-5550, ext. 23.

What is Hoops For Heart?...

Let Your Child Experience the Consequences

Elementary-age children are still developing their ability to store and retrieve information. So they forget their books, their homework and even their lunches.

It's tempting to keep track of your child's things. But this won't help him in the long run. His success in school will depend on his ability to take responsibility for himself and his belongings.

Doing these things will help him get started:

• Write down what you expect your child to do. Post lists of his morning responsibilities, weekly chores, and items he needs for school.
• Show your trust. Let your child know you believe he can be responsible for what's on his lists.
• Establish a routine. Have your child show you his completed list before he can play.
• Help your child figure out where to store things when he's not using them.
• Set a good example. Know where you put your keys. Check your calendar to prepare for the next day.
• Show your child how to keep his own weekly calendar. Use your child's daily planner to help her learn how to be organized.
• Let your child experience the consequences of forgetting. Don't bring his homework to school when he forgets it.
• Praise your child when he remembers to do what he's supposed to do.

Want to learn more about teaching your child to be more responsible?

Check out this info [PDF] on the web...

Cultural Celebrations at SFAS

School-wide celebrations and activities during February will help all students to respect diversity and seek to understand others' views, beliefs, and cultures. In the process, we are creating a climate of broader social acceptance and respect. We want students who are responsible and treat all people with respect.

All students will have the opportunity to decorate an Asian lantern as we learn about how people groups celebrate the Lunar New Year. Decorated lanterns will be on display throughout our school. Everyone will also design and decorate an African mask as we explore the continent of Africa.

A Cultural Heritage Day at the end of the month will celebrate the diversity amongst the families at our school. Watch for more information next week.

Try Counting Off Instead of Reasoning With Your Child

Are you frustrated trying to find an effective and positive way to discipline your children? Most parents want their kids to listen and they want to enjoy their family life. 1-2-3 Magic offers parenting solutions that are easy-to-learn and that WORK!

Thomas W. Phelan, a psychologist and author, has a saying about children: "They're not little adults!" So they don't respond to reasoning the way an adult would.

Phelan says many parents try reasoning when their child misbehaves. Then they become frustrated when it doesn't work and yell at their child. Phelan suggests that you:

1. Tell your child. "You know, Jake, Mom is tired of yelling. So I'm going to stop. When you misbehave I'll say one. If you keep going, I'll say two. If you still keep going, I'll say three, and you go to your room for time-out."
2. Keep your voice steady when the time comes for counting. Speak just loud enough for your child to hear. Or say nothing, and simply hold up fingers, as long as your child can see them.
3. Escort the child to his room if you get to three. He should stay for about one minute for every year of age.

To learn more about 1-2-3 Magic, check out Dr. Phelan's website.

www.parentmagic.com...

So Why Don't We?

Anybody who knows me can tell you I'm not an animal person. But even I know that dogs, for example, show gratitude. They'll circle, bark, jump up, and lick someone's face. It's their instinctive way to acknowledge or thank her. Other animals surely do the same sort of thing in their own ways.

Evidently a humpback whale off the California coast thanked her rescuers for cutting her free from ropes that were threatening her life. If she didn't, it sure looked like it. The story was carried in the San Francisco Chronicle last month.

Humpback whales are those huge creatures whose complex vocal sounds resemble singing. They are also incredibly acrobatic and can be seen to soar majestically from the water and splash down. On the second Sunday in December, a 45- to 50-foot humpback was spotted between the Northern California coast and Baja California. It was entangled in long nylon ropes.

Rescuers said at least a dozen crab traps--each weighing about 90 pounds--were strung together by the ropes. And the female humpback was not only snared in them but being pulled downward by their weight. She was struggling to keep her blow-hole out of the water and was in serious jeopardy.

Four divers spent about an hour cutting the ropes off the whale's tail, left front flipper, and mouth. It was extremely risky for the men in the water. One flip of a humpback's massive tail can kill a human being. But she stopped struggling and lay passive in the water as the ropes were cut off her to set her free.

As soon as the enormous whale was free of the entanglements, she began swimming around in circles. Like a puppy happy to see its owner, she swam to each of the divers in turn, nuzzled him gently, and moved to the next one. Then she moved out into the open waters off the coast of San Francisco. Amazing!

When I read the news story, it made me wonder about human ingratitude. I've always tended to excuse my own and that of others with neglect. Or maybe just forgetfulness. But I wonder now if that could be mistaken.

If gratitude is natural and instinctive to animals, that would seem to imply that human ingratitude is deliberate. It is the suppression of a natural urge. It is a choice to think that I am due any breaks or good fortune that come my way.

All of us have had parents or mentors, friends or teachers, employers or strangers who have helped. Gone above and beyond. Made critical differences.

If gigantic leviathan can express gentle thanks, then why can't we? Who do you need to thank for help they've given you? How can you express gratitude to someone who's made a huge difference in your life?

--Rubel Shelly