HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS, STUDY SKILLS, AND NAVIGATING ONLINE RESOURCES MR. GAUDET, 6 TH GRADE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL MS. EVERITT, 6 TH GRADE SCHOOL COUNSELOR MS. LONG, 6 TH GRADE MATH TEACHER, PIXAR TEAM Supporting Your 6 th Grader

Agenda Organizational Skills for your student Study Skills for your student DDMS website Parent Portal Blackboard

Organizational Skills Organization is not a “one size fits all” concept 6 different classes = up to 6 different organizational methods Physical organization  Backpack  Lockers  Binders  Folders Mental organization  Agendas  Time management

Organizational Skills – How to Help at Home Encourage “check-ups” – regular time to go through binder/bookbag/folders to reorganize Encourage new methods & tweak old ones Practice, practice, practice Review your child’s agenda regularly & consistently – compare against other sources of information (teacher websites) Communicate with your child  “What do you feel is/isn’t working?”  “How do you feel you’re doing with organization?” Communicate with your child’s teachers Step in when help is needed!

Study Skills Students struggle to be more independent in middle school and are more reluctant to ask for help. Middle School = more homework So many ways to study!  Flash cards (paper or online)  Re-reading notes  Graphic organizers  Reworking problems  Summarizing  Memorizing

Study Skills – How to Help Provide an appropriate time & place to study. Monitor homework completion.  Ask to see agenda & completed HW assignments regularly Help your child develop an organizational system. Help your child break down larger assignments.  Reduce anxiety, reinforce time management skills, reduce procrastination Communicate with your child’s teachers. Focus on the process, not the content. Reflect on what works – and what doesn’t.

Helpful Tips Give your child some choices/options  Where to complete homework & study  When to complete homework & study Balance “hovering” with “independence”  Ask your child “What’s your plan?”; help them modify if needed, but try not to control the situation.  Tell your child “Show me what you’ve done” and “Show me what else you need to do” at various intervals. Consistency, consistency, consistency  Try to keep the structure and schedule the same – but they get (some of) the independence during their work time. Step in when needed  You know your child best.  Ask “How can I help?” – try not to jump in and start “fixing” things

Organizational & Study Skills - Resources

DDMS Website General school info  Links to Parent Portal  Blackboard  Teacher address

DDMS Website 6 th Grade Website

DDMS Website – 6 th Grade Website

Teacher addresses

DDMS Website – 6 th Grade Website Links to the Team Blackboard websites

Pixar Team Website

Teacher Websites/Blackboard Students do NOT need a username/password to browse (except for Math – they need their login)  Username = Student ID/lunch number  Password = Student ID/lunch number –OR – last name Allows you to see what your student is learning Often a great source for extra practice Teachers update  Daily  Weekly

Parent Portal