-----Original Message----- From: owner-copernicus-cc@copernicusnet.com [mailto:owner-copernicus-cc@copernicusnet.com]On Behalf Of Copernicus Education Gateway Sent: Monday, June 04, 2001 11:39 AM To: copernicus-cc@gocopernicus.com Subject: THE ELECTRONIC CLASSROOM: Positive Parental Involvement ========================================================== The Electronic Classroom Visit EdGate's Copernicus Learning Communities at: http://www.EdGate.com ========================================================== June 4, 2001 ---------------------------------------------------------- This Issue's Theme: Positive Parental Involvement News in this issue: +CHECK IT OUT! +DID YOU KNOW? +FEATURE ARTICLE: Positive Parental Communication +SPOTLIGHT SCHOOL +IN THE NEWS ========================================================== CHECK IT OUT! Looking for a way to show students practical applications for math skills? It is never too soon to start teaching students of all ages money management skills. EdGate, in partnership with VISA, provides an excellent money management curriculum package. The Practical Money Skills program helps parents and educators teach students about personal financial responsibility. The curriculum includes games, calculators, step-by-step lessons, and contests to test student knowledge of making, managing, and using money responsibly. A Spanish version is available. To find this resource, go to your Copernicus Learning Community, or to http://www.edgate.com, and click on the Practical Money Skills icon. ========================================================== DID YOU KNOW...? That EdGate offers a free tool to help you communicate with parents at home or work? SchoolNotes lets you build a page on the Web to post homework assignments, announcements, reminders, and more. And it is so easy that you can set up and update your page in as little as five minutes. Just type and click! To sign up for your SchoolNotes page, go to your Copernicus Learning Community, or http://www.EdGate.com and click on "SchoolNotes" from beneath the "Educators" tab. ========================================================== FEATURE ARTICLE: Positive Parental Communication Every educator is aware of the importance of involving parents in their child's schooling. But many in the teaching profession are leery of parental contact, not knowing what to expect when they pick up a phone or schedule an after-school meeting with parents. How can we make involving parents an easier, less stressful process? To lower the anxiety, educators can take advantage of traditional methods and new opportunities to build communication channels. One way to reduce the anxiety of involving parents is to emphasize the positive. Instead of only involving parents when something is wrong, let them know when something is right. When parents get more positive comments than negative, they are more likely to support what you do in the classroom. Another way to ease fears about parental involvement is to develop an open dialogue with parents. New Internet products make interaction with parents quicker and easier. Products like EdGate's SchoolNotes allow you to post information on a Web page, so that parents can check what's going on in your classroom. As a teacher, you can update your page in just a few minutes, and even set up a service that automatically notifies parents each time you change your page. Just think how tools like SchoolNotes can improve the school-to-home connection! Imagine that a parent, sitting at work, gets an email, which notifies him or her that you have updated your SchoolNotes page. That parent is able to visit your page, where he or she can see tonight's homework assignment. Then imagine that this parent, arriving home at 5 o'clock, greets his or her son or daughter with "I see we have a writing assignment due." Granted, the average student may not fully appreciate this interaction, but parents will, and so will you. By informing parents of classroom activities and assignments, you empower them, and you gain allies in the learning process. This type of daily contact costs teachers very little in time, but it reaps many positive rewards. The more parents know about what is happening with their child's education, the more supportive they can be. And, unless you tell parents what you are doing, no one else will know the wonderful things that happen in your classroom. For more information about parental involvement: EdGate's Copernicus Education Gateway Parent Channel http://www.edgate.com/pa_index.html Education Week: Parent Involvement http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=12 Partnership for Family Involvement in Education http://pfie.ed.gov/ Project Appleseed: The Parental Involvement Checklist http://www.projectappleseed.org/chklst.html ========================================================== SPOTLIGHT SCHOOLS The spotlight is shining on Alma Elementary School in Gaffney, South Carolina! Alma Elementary School was the first in Cherokee County to have all of its teachers using SchoolNotes, thanks to its dedicated teachers and staff. After initial Copernicus training in September 2000, participants from Alma Elementary School were hooked. Under the direction of Ms. Donna Lee Houle, Alma's Computer Lab Manager and Webmaster, the school organized in-school training in October and the teachers and certified staff members were soon on their way toward integrating Copernicus's Internet-based communications and learning tools into the classroom. Alma Elementary School's teachers and staff are required to produce weekly class newsletters. SchoolNotes has become the basis for those newsletters. Teachers edit and maintain newsletters online, then print them out for students who do not have Internet access at home. In their newsletters and on their SchoolNotes pages, Alma Elementary School teachers include links to Copernicus resources, so students and parents can enjoy them together. Some of their favorite links have been from the Copernicus Discovery Adventures page and other resources, such as FunBrain. In addition, every teacher's SchoolNotes page contains links to the school-wide newsletter and district Web site, so parents enjoy a one-stop information network! ========================================================== IN THE NEWS How Deep Is the Digital Divide? http://www.edweek.com/sreports/tc01/tc2001_default.html Education Week's annual educational technology report analyzes trends on a national and state-by-state level. The report, "The New Divides: Looking Beneath the Numbers to Reveal Digital Inequities" evaluates whether or not schools are using technology wisely and effectively to meet today's challenges and those that lie ahead. Use this data to compare your school's progress. The Right Track to Boost Achievement http://204.176.179.36/dc/edtrust/edstart.cfm Data suggests that schools and districts can narrow student achievement gaps by imitating initiatives other states have used to lift poor and minority student performance. According to the Education Trust, some states that have demonstrated a diminishing achievement gap include Texas, Connecticut, and Virginia. Visit this Education Trust interactive Web site for additional information. Stay Connected this Summer http://www.connectnet.org/ Approximately 98% of U.S. public schools are wired for the Internet, but many students in low-income areas still don't have a place to access the Web over the summer. ConnectNet, a searchable database created by a group of non-profit organizations, offers information about more than 20,000 public places that offer access to the Internet for free. The majority of places are public libraries, but the list also includes a number of community technology centers. Kids Count Data Book http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/kc2001/ The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released the 12th annual "Kids Count Data Book." It compiles comprehensive state-by-state data about the progress and prospects of the nation's youth. According to the report, states cite decreases in the infant mortality rate, child and teen death rates, and the high school dropout rate. The analysis also shows that more than 16 million children have parents who, despite being employed all year, struggle to make ends meet. Community Perspective on Technology http://www.ed.gov/G2K/community/ The Education Department's "Community Update" newsletter is designed to help communities learn from each other as they improve their schools. The May issue focuses on education technology and includes tips for parents as well as resources and descriptions of model programs. The full issue, back issues, and an online form for subscribing to this paper-based newsletter are available online. ========================================================== HOW TO CONTACT US Send us feedback or recommend your favorite educational Web links at http://www.EdGate.com/contact . To change your subscription status or delivery address, or to read past issues, visit EdGate's Newsletter Center at http://www.EdGate.com/edunews . To create a customized Copernicus Learning Community for your school or district, contact EdGate Customer Care at customercare@edgate.com . Copernicus Learning Communities offer easy access to best-of-the-Web resources for K-12 educators, students, and parents. Visit our Web site: http://www.EdGate.com . © 2001 by EdGate.com, Inc. All rights reserved. ==========================================================
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