1.  Part 1 - 8 th grade transitions – parental preparation (Explore Test)  Part 2 - A case for participation in athletics

3.  Make sure your child is appropriately challenged and taking courses now that will help meet future goals.

4.  Research indicates that students who are involved in an activity, club, sport, music, etc. are more likely to have a positive high school experience and get better grades than students who are not involved.

5.  Comprehensive research says that when a teenager is faced with a critical decision, the influence of peers (positive and negative) has as much influence as that of parents and families.

6.  Stay in positive contact with teachers, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Remember that email is a great tool for quick communication, but it is not a great tool for dealing with more difficult issues.  Conflicts are best resolved in person or over the telephone.  Don’t fight the small battles for your child. Part of high school is fostering self-reliance.

7.  The most successful students I see are those whose parents are (engaged) at the school, attending student games, performances, conferences, etc.  Look for opportunities to get involved in volunteer activities, Music Boosters, Sports Alliance, chaperoning, etc.  Parents who do these things are “in the know” and their children benefit from the connections between home and school.

8.  Your child should always know that you love him or her, but make sure that he or she knows your expectations.  Know where your child is at all times.  Remember that good kids are capable of making bad decisions.  Supervision includes online supervision and the supervision of technology (i.e. cell phones).

9.  It is never too early to start planning for life after high school. Successful high school students visualize what they want to accomplish in their lives (even if their plans change often).  Plan backwards. Start with the desired outcome and work backwards.

10.  Successful high school students have a balance of academic, social, family, and extra-curricular demands. This takes parent support and accountability. Their teen brains won’t do this for them. They think they are super-humans.  Adopt procedures and protocols to support your teens (i.e. planners, homework times and places, down time, etc.)

11.  Your child takes a dramatic downturn in school performance.  He or she loses interest in things normally enjoyed.  He or she begins avoiding friends or family for extended periods of time.  Your child is constantly worried or anxious.  Your child is using drugs or alcohol.

12.  Your child seems emotionally out of control (extreme anger, sadness, hopelessness, etc.)  Your child hurts other people (or themselves), destroys property, or breaks the law  Your child seems “addicted” to technology (cell phone, Facebook, video games, etc.)  Adolescents are tough to read. If you have questions about whether your child is “typical” or “troubled,” we can help you sort that out.

13.  Students who participate generally have higher GPA’s  Better Attendance Records  Lower Dropout rates  Fewer discipline problems ◦ (numerous studies including Women’s Sport’s Foundation, Minnesota High School Athletic Association, North Dakota High School Athletic Association, NFHS, University of Chicago, & Iowa High School Athletic Association)

14.  Programs provide valuable lessons for practical situations – teamwork, sportsmanship, winning and losing, and hard work.  Students learn self-discipline, build self- confidence, and develop skills to handle competitive situations.  Participation in HS activities is a predictor of later success – college, career, societal contribution

15.  Students who spend no time in extracurricular activities are 49% more likely to use drugs and 37% more likely to become teen age parents – US Dept of Educ.  Participation in activities appears to be one of the few interventions that benefit low-status, disadvantaged students – Harvard Ed Review  About 80% of CEOs in the province of Alberta participated in school sports. Typical participation rates in Alberta is 30-35%

16.  95% of Fortune 500 executives participated in high school athletics. (Fortune Magazine)  47% of Fortune 500 executives were National Honor Society members. (Fortune Magazine)

17.  Male Participant GPA – 3.028  Male Non-Participant GPA – 2.739  Female Participant GPA – 3.331  Female Non-Participant GPA – 2.725 ◦ Overall:  72.34% involved with an average GPA of 3.202  27.66% Not involved with an average GPA of 2.732

18.  Male Participant GPA – 3.115  Male Non-Participant GPA – 2.523  Female Participant GPA – 3.359  Female Non-Participant GPA – 2.781 ◦ Overall:  80.43% involved with an average GPA of 3.260  19.57% Not involved with an average GPA of 2.652

19.  Male Participant GPA – 3.249  Male Non-Participant GPA – 2.148  Female Participant GPA – 3.253  Female Non-Participant GPA – 2.737  Overall:  80.41% involved with an average GPA of 3.251  19.59% Not involved with an average GPA of 2.442

20.  Male Participant GPA – 3.220  Male Non-Participant GPA – 2.473  Female Participant GPA – 3.618  Female Non-Participant GPA – 2.694  Overall:  71.43% involved with an average GPA of 3.446  28.57% Not involved with an average GPA of 2.558

22.  Plans After Graduation? ◦ 5%Technical Program ◦ 36%Two Year Program ◦ 53%Four Year College (43 Students) ◦ 3%Military ◦ 4%Employment  Of the 43 Students going to a four year college 77% were student athletes.

23.  WE ARE ON THE SAME TEAM! – collaboration with parents is intentional.  Esko students athletes are better prepared for secondary opportunities than the average student.  Esko student athletes miss fewer days of school and have fewer disciplinary problems than average students.

24.  1-3% of the overall district budget is attributed to athletics… money well spent!  In general student athletes get far more out of sports than the sport gets out of them!

25.  Which comes first? ◦ A strong athletic and fine arts program or district wide academic success? ◦ True Team – Byron, Osakis, etc…

26.  BEING PROACTIVE!! ◦ Be intentional about the things you want.  Collaborating with parents ◦ The more often they here you say we are here to help your student be successful – the more likely they are going to believe it.