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If your child lost something at
school,
We might have it!
The lost and found is over flowing!
(206) 252-8250
HIGHLAND PARK
PTA
1012 SW Trenton St.
Seattle, WA. 98106
Put in
your input
 POPCORN ON
FRIDAYS!
The
PTA is selling popcorn every Friday at lunch for $.25 a bag. Students may
buy pop corn and bring it out to the playground. The PTA will give one free
popcorn to each “Student of the Week”
What
Motivates Kids to Learn?
Kids
are by nature eager to learn. So say two psychologists who describe kids'
inborn optimism and motivation — and explain how to nurture
those traits in your own child.
In an effort to jump-start students' motivation, some schools (particularly
in low-income, urban areas) are experimenting with rewards — and even cash
— as incentives. Read how this
approach has caused quite a bit of controversy.
 How to raise a child who listens
well
by Holly Hanke
Highlights
Be
a good listener yourself
Give
clear, simple directions for everyday tasks
Praise
good listening
Say
what you mean
Be
consistent about consequences
Read
aloud together every day
Play
listening games
Being
a good listener is critical to your child's success at school. If he can't
follow directions, whether on the playground ("Pick a partner and pass
the ball back and forth across the field") or in the classroom
("Take out a number 2 pencil and open your test booklets to page
one") — he'll have a tough time learning. Children who are good
listeners also have an advantage socially — they tend to be very good
friends to others.
Here are seven ways you can help your child become a better listener:
Be a good listener yourself
Don't
interrupt your child when he's telling you a story. Turn your attention to
him when he wants to tell you something. Give him your undivided attention
when he's talking — don't read the paper or talk to someone else at the
same time. If you want him to listen to you, he needs to see that you will
listen to him too. Children return the respect they receive — and children
who have been listened to tend to become good listeners themselves.
Give clear, simple directions for everyday tasks
Get
in the habit of giving your child simple instructions. Make eye contact
with him, and say, "Go into your room and make your bed. Then get your
backpack and meet me downstairs." As he becomes a better listener, you
can add another task or two. In this way, you're not only teaching your
child to listen well, but to be independent as well.
Praise good listening
Saying
"Thanks for being such a good listener" will reinforce your
child's desire to listen. Make a special point of praising him when he
follows directions the first time.
Say what you mean
If
you tell your child "You can have two more cookies," then give
him two cookies — not three or four. Once your child figures out that you
don't stick to your word, he'll tune you out.
Be consistent about consequences
If
you tell your child that you'll have to leave the toy store if he doesn't
stop whining, then follow through without giving
him another chance. Your child will be more inclined to do what is asked of
him if he understands that his actions have clear, enforceable
consequences.
Read aloud together every day
The
time you spend reading together is invaluable for listening and learning.
Before you begin, ask your child to recap what you read the night before,
and when you finish, ask him to predict what might happen next based on
what he's heard so far. For more reading tips,
Play listening games
For
a list of fun activities to promote listening skills,
 Fun activities to
promote listening skills
by Holly Hanke
Do
you feel as if you spend more time talking at your child than to
her? Many children have notoriously selective listening skills — they hear
what they want and seem to tune out the rest. But listening is a skill that
we can help our children improve. Like a muscle, it needs constant exercise
to grow stronger.
Here are some games and activities that will boost your child's listening
skills. Because children learn in different ways, they are organized by
learning style. But any child can benefit from the suggestions in all three
categories.
For auditory learners
Talk to your child all the time. Tell her about an interesting story
you read in the newspaper. Describe a conversation you had at work with a
friend. When you go shopping for clothes, tell her about the shopping trips
that you used to take with your mom. Get in the habit of narrating everyday
chores. If you're in the kitchen together while you're making dinner, for
example, you can say, "I need to measure out two cups of water and
then add one cup of rice..." It may not seem as if your child is
paying attention — but she is. Don't be surprised if you hear her repeating
something you said when she talks to someone else. And remember: Children
are natural mimics, so watch your language!
Make reading an interactive
activity. When reading a book to your child, stop before
turning the page and say, "What do you think will happen next?"
Ask her to explain her answer to see how well she's listened to what you've
read so far. If she seems unsure about what happened, start again.
Ask your child to predict how a
story will end. Read a book aloud to your child and stop
just before the last page. Ask her to guess how the story will turn out,
based on what she's already heard. Then finish the story and discuss the
ending with your child. Was her prediction accurate, or was there a
surprise ending? If the latter, were there any clues to the ending planted
earlier in the story?
Revisit an old favorite.
Bring out one of your child's most dog-eared, battered books and read it
aloud yet again, only this time pause at key points to let her supply the
words that come next. Or read the story and purposely change key details to
see how well your child is paying attention.
Listen to stories together.
We never outgrow our delight at hearing stories told aloud. Libraries,
bookstores, and community centers usually have read-aloud story times for
young children. Go to fairs and community events at which professional
storytellers will be performing. And borrow or buy books on tape for the
car or the house
Make up silly rhymes.
The more absurd, the better. ("The fat cat ate the hat. Then the rat
ate the fat cat who ate the hat...") This activity will teach your
child to listen for words that sound the same and to identify rhyming
patterns.
For physical learners
Listen to music tapes. Eve Ackert,
an early-childhood education teacher in Connecticut, recommends the Kids in Motion
creative-movement series. To learn the movements for each song, your child
will have to listen closely to the lyrics. It's also great exercise!
Play listening games. You
can rely on old favorites, like Simon Says, or make up your own simple
listening games. For example, you can say, "I'm going to give you a
mission. I want you to bring me the following items: a hairbrush from your
bedroom and a slipper from your sister's room." Each round, you can
add one item, and give her a prize at the end. For the rules to more great
listening games, see telephone, rain and animal noises in our Activity Finder. You
can also find games and worksheets that build listening skills at stores
that sell teachers' supplies.
Cook together. Find
a recipe, read the directions out loud, and let your child do the
measuring, mixing, stirring and pouring.
Use puppets or a tape recorder to
relay instructions Your child may choose to ignore you when
you ask her to clean up her room, but she may happily comply if the request
comes from one of her favorite puppets. Or make clean up a game by taping
your instructions: "Arrange your dolls on the shelf. Then put your
clothes away. Now make your bed..."
Play "story chain."
Everyone in the family will enjoy this. Have one person begin a story
("Once there was a little girl who lived in house way under the
ocean,") and then have another contribute the next sentence, and so
on. Because each person has to listen to what came before to advance the
story, this game enhances listening skills.
For visual learners
"Read" a song together. Buy a music tape and a
corresponding book of lyrics, so you can follow the words along with the
music. Even beginning readers can pretend to read a songbook.
Watch a child's video or television
show together. Shows such as Arthur, Sesame Street,
and Blue's Clues are
designed for parent participation. Ask your child to tell you what the
characters are saying and doing.
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Walk. Bike. Shop. Play. Breathe. City streets are being opened for
people to have fun, celebrate the spirit and personality of their community
and support local businesses. Each event is organized by a local
organization. Because Celebrate Summer Streets are community driven events,
they can be whatever you want. Ride a bike, skateboard and play music, and
get to know your neighborhood businesses.
Read the City's press release about Summer Streets.
Visit a Street Near You
This year the city is supporting art walks, farmer’s markets, parades,
fundraiser 5K Walk/Run events and more by expanding these local events to
include Seattle Summer Streets.
From April through September 2009, be sure to check out the following
Summer Streets celebrations:
- Alki: Sunday, May 31
- Ballard:
Friday, May 15
- Discovery Park: Sunday, June 7
- Greenwood/Phinney:
Friday, April 10
- Volunteer Park: Sunday, June 14
- Magnuson Park: Sunday, June 28
- PARK(ing) Day: Friday,
September 18
- Pike Place Market: every Sunday, June - September
- Rainier
Valley: Saturday, August 8
- Seward Park: Sunday, June 21
- Spawning Cycle Tour: Sunday, September 20
- U-District: Saturday, July 11
Join the Celebration
In addition to attending Summer Streets events, there are many ways you
can get involved:
Raise
money every time
You buy groceries!
Safeway will donate money
To your PTA
every time you shop with your registered
club card.
All you Have to do is sign up!
There is no work or expense to you!
#1 go to www.escrip.com
#2 click on “sign up”
#3 follow the instructions on page
Group
name :
Highland Park
Elementary PTA
Group
ID:
500018903
IF YOU DO NOT
KNOW YOUR CLUB CARD NUMBER PLEASE CALL:
1-877-SAFEWAY
1-877-723-3929
YOU CAN EVEN
EARN MONEY BY SHOPING ON LINE go to www.eScrip.com
for a list of merchants.
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