State testing has been a big issue in recent news. This can be worrisome - major tests can frighten students and parents into overpreparation. If you check the Minneapolis School District testing calendar, you can become better informed and be looking ahead to these future steps for your child. If you feel the need to begin preparing your child for the Minnesota Basic Standards Tests, Calendar 2000.org offers educational preparatory exams and activities for your child, as well as more information on the MBST for you.
Have you
been thinking about moving? In this time of many economic crises,
losing a job can be a real worry. If you find your family is forced
to move, use the Great Schools
web site to help you find information about schools in your new district,
or just to discover more about Sandrington. Demographic information
and test scores are available on the site, as well as contact information
for the schools.
Reading is
very important for your children. Reading to your
child increases vocabulary and helps them create a visual connection between
words and letters. Even better, have your child read to you! They
love to read aloud - read at night before you go to bed, or after dinner.
It will be fun for both of you. For some good books to read, look
at the Children's
Literature Web Guide. It will give you a good place to start!
I'm a parent
too. One of the best places I've looked for parenting advice
is my friends; but when they are stuck as much as I (like when my four-year-old
son asked where babies come from!), the National
Parent Information Network can be helpful, too. Run by ERIC (the
U.S. government's Educational Resource Information Center), it offers links
to parenting articles, book reviews, adoption information, and much more for
parents of kids of all ages.
Are you worrying
about your child's hyperactivity? Learning disabilities are being
diagnosed left and right today. This may be an overreaction - many children
just need lots of physical activity - but if you feel that your child truly
has a problem, and has not been making educational progress as a result of
that activity, please talk to me. The school will be more than happy to help
you with this very difficult situation. For more information, visit
the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
This informational site will give you lots of advice on where to begin.
Minnesota
is making a lot of changes to its education standards. This can
be very confusing, because things have changed quite a bit in the past few
months. To keep up with the changes, see the Minnesota Department for
Children, Families, and Learning website. It provides links to the
state standards and many other state department education information!