10 Ways to Help Your Kids Do Well in Math

Mastering mathematics is absolutely essential for future opportunities in school and careers. Your children will need to reach a certain level of competency in math to take many advanced high-school courses, to be admitted to college, and to have a wide variety of career choices. Here's how you can help them maximize their math-smarts. by Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.

Make Sure Your Children Understand Mathematical Concepts
Otherwise, math becomes a meaningless mental exercise of just memorizing rules and doing rote drills. Have your children manipulate objects to figure out basic concepts. For addition, they could add one, two, or more blocks to a pile of blocks and then tell you how many blocks are in the pile.

Help Them Master the Basic Facts
Mastery of a basic fact means that children can give an answer in less than three seconds. Considerable drill is required for children to give quick responses. Use flash cards to help your children learn the basic facts. When they don't know an answer, have them lay out objects to solve the problem.

Teach Them to Write Numbers Neatly
Twenty-five percent of all errors in solving math problems can be traced back to sloppy number writing. Improve your children's number-writing skills by having them trace over numbers that you have written. Suggest they use graph paper to keep the numbers in problems neatly aligned.

Provide Help Immediately When Your Children It
Math is one subject in which everything builds upon what has been previously learned. For example, a failure to understand the concept of percent leads to problems with decimals. If a teacher is unable to help your children, provide the help yourself or use a tutor or learning center.

Show Them How to Handle Their Math Homework
Doing math homework reinforces the skills your children are learning in class. Teach them to begin every assignment by studying the textbook or worksheet examples. Then have them redo the examples before beginning the assignment to make sure they understand the lesson.

Encourage Them to Do More Than the Assigned Problems
Considerable practice is necessary for your children to hone their math skills. If the teacher only assigns the even problems, having them do some of the odd ones will strengthen their skills. The more time your children spend practicing their skills, the sooner they will develop confidence in their abilities.

Explain How to Solve Word Problems
Mathematicians have an expression: To learn to solve problems, you must solve problems. Teach your children to read a word problem several times. Also, have them draw a picture or diagram to describe it. Make it easier for them to understand the steps in a problem by teaching them to substitute smaller numbers for larger ones.

Help Your Children Learn the Vocabulary of Mathematics
They will never get a real feeling for math nor learn more advanced concepts without an understanding of its vocabulary. Check that your children can define new terms. If not, have them use models and simple problems to show you they understand how the term is used.

Teach Them How to Do Math "In Their Head"
One of the major ways to solve problems is by using mental math. Kids should use this method frequently instead of using pencil and paper or a calculator. When helping your children with a problem, help them determine when it would be appropriate to use mental math.

Make Math Part of Your Children's Daily Life
Mathematics will become more meaningful when your kids see how important it is in so many real-life situations. Encourage them to use math in practical ways. For example, ask them to space new plants a certain distance apart, double a recipe, and pay bills in stores.

Source - https://www.familyeducation.com/

Severe Weather Conditions

The following summarizes TDSB's guidelines regarding Severe Weather.

Weather Guidelines

Children need an opportunity to get exercise and free play time outdoors,  however, weather conditions sometimes warrant that indoor recesses, lunch periods and pre-entry periods be considered necessary for student and staff safety.

Conditions warranting indoor recesses

•  Rain, thunderstorms, lightning, hail, extreme winds and extreme cold.
•  Cold weather:  When temperature and/or windchill factor indicates -28C or lower children will remain indoors due to risk of frostnip and frostbite.
• When temperature and/or windchill factor indicates –20 to –28C, recesses may be shortened to 10 minutes and lunch recess be 20 minutes depending on local conditions.  Children should be monitored closely for signs of frostnip, frostbite or difficulty breathing.

CBC Canadian Music Challenge

Check out LKS' entry into the Canadian Music Class Challenge!

https://youtu.be/Kf-vNz-xvp4https://youtu.be/Kf-vNz-xvp4

The grade 7 and 8 students will be performing their entry at their concert on December 15th from 6 to 8!

Huddle Up Leadership Committee

This past Wednesday, our Huddle Up Leadership Committee had the opportunity to join 3000 other students to stand up against bullying at the Argos Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Rally at Nathan Philips Square.  They all took this pledge:

Together, we will huddle up as one team for one dream – to celebrate, embrace, and encourage uniqueness in ourselves and others.

I promise to stand up and speak up so that everyone is part of our team and this dream.

This year the focus of the committee is Kindness and Caring.  The team is made up of grade 6, 7 and 8 students who are leading school wide efforts to promote a kind and caring school community.  Last month, the Huddle Up team ran a school wide activity that had students walking around the class and stop and say one kind thing to a classmate.  Here is a link to some highlights of the rally.

http://www.argonauts.ca/2016/11/24/huddle-up-rally-nov-23/

What is kindness and caring?

• Showing understanding and  treating others with compassion, generosity, and a forgiving spirit
• Being gentle, friendly, considerate, and willing to help
• Showing concern or sympathy for others and being sensitive to the needs of others
• Offering support and giving your time, talents, and resources to help others
• Talking positively about others
• Considering the needs of others, not just your own

What does kindness/caring look like and sound like?

• Doing something nice for somebody––a random act of kindness
• Smiling at those you know and those you don’t know
• Saying “Good Morning”
• Reminding someone how special he or she is
• Volunteering time to help others in need or donating to a charity
• Asking “How can I help?” or “How are you?”

What can families do at home? 

Parents, guardians, caregivers and family members are the first and most important character educators of children. Working together with the school and community, we can guide our children towards common beliefs. When families reinforce kindness and caring at home, it becomes a way of life for children.

Tips for Supporting Character Development and Reinforcing Kindness and Caring

• Use kind and caring language at home with family members and friends
• Model and teach respectful manners
• Listen to your children and be clear about your ideals
• As a family, take part in community service projects or civic activities
• Establish family traditions and enjoy family celebrations together
• Identify and talk to your children when you witness a random act of kindness
• Teach your children to be responsible and discerning with their choices in media, entertainment and online interactions
• Teach your children how to resolve conflict in a respectful and caring way
• Encourage kindness, caring and empathy by asking: "How would you feel if...?"

Power of One

Today we learned all about the POWER OF ONE!  We had the pleasure of learning with two actors today who presented three bullying scenarios.  Through their dramatic presentation and interactions with us as an audience we defined bullying as any situation where, because of a power imbalance, systematic behaviour occurs that is HURTFUL, PURPOSEFUL, and REPEATED where one person picks on another with the intent to cause harm and isolation.  The actors explained that they will be acting out skits to show us the negative effects of specific types of bullying, the roles that people play that make bullying possible, and what each child can do to prevent bullying from happening in their school.

We will all be taking the Power of One Bully Prevention Oath and will be signing this contract.  Look for it in the hallway real soon!

I will not bully others.

I will not stand by while others are bullied.

I will report and deal with bullying whenever I see it...

...because I have

THE POWER OF ONE!

Toronto Argonauts' Huddle Up Bully Prevention Program

We are very pleased to be working the the Toronto Argonauts' Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program this year.  Thank you to the parent council for providing the funds for this fantastic opportunity for LKS students.  A leadership committee has been selected made up of grades 6 to 8 students who will be working with Ms. Shklar, Mr. Iceton, Ms. Chandra and Ms. Dacyshyn in partnership with the Toronto Argonauts to:

1. raise awareness about bullying prevention in our school
2. create a positive and inclusive school enviornment
3. advocate the Huddle Up message: "Be a Friend: Support, Report and Defend."

I look forward to sharing highlights of our meetings and events.  Mark your calendars now for a special visit from a Toronto Argonauts player on Friday, February 24, 2017.

Students and Parking Lot Safety

Dropping Off Students

We encourage students to walk to school whenever possible.  If you are walking, drop your child off in the playground.  If you are driving, please do not stop at or near a crosswalk to drop off or pick up your child as this creates a hazardous situation for children.  When driving, please use our Kiss and Ride program.

Kiss and Ride

The Kiss and Ride drop off loop is provided in the morning to help improve safety and alleviate congestion in the teacher parking area.  Parents are asked to drop their child off at this location whenever possible.  Parents should drive into the parking lot and drop off their child at the sidewalk entrance to the school yard.  Drivers should then leave the Kiss and Ride area.  While in the parking lot, we ask that you watch for children and drive carefully.   Please do not park in the Kiss and Ride area.  The space is very limited and we must keep traffic moving to ensure students arrive to school safe and on time.  

Parking

Cars entering the parking lot are to do so slowly and are not to pass other cars as a child may exit from the driver’s side of the vehicle.  If you wish to walk into the school yard with your children or need to be in the school, please park in the parking spots in the parking lot near the pool or on the side streets close to the school.  The parking in-front of the school is for staff only.  Parking on Marquis Avenue is only permitted in the designated spaces on the north side of the street.  Do not park along the south side of the street.  This limits access for residents and emergency vehicles and narrows the street for accessing the Kiss and Ride drop off area.  Parking your car in an area not designated for parking may result in a ticket from the Toronto Parking Authority.