October 1, 2019, 2019

What is "Growth Mindset?" "In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work —brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment." Dr. Carol Dweck We believe this, do you? Watch Dr. Dweck discuss this philosophy with Sal Khan (Khan Academy) here .

Third graders are being schooled in the idea that brains grow when faced with difficulties. Potential is not fixed and stagnant -- children need to know that hard work is not just frustrating, it expands their capacities for learning.

How to help your child succeed in school

Focus on the process, not the product. Encourage kids to self-advocate. Keep a long-term perspective. Maintain a healthy sleep schedule. Love the child you have, not the child you wish you had. Overschedule. Worship grades. Encourage helplessness. Compare kids to one another. Love kids based on their performance.

Keep report cards off social media and the refrigerator. We can tell our kids that we value learning all we want, but when we gush over grades and stick them to the refrigerator, we show them that what we value most are the grades. No matter what kind of report your child gets, humble-bragging about it on social media only feeds parental competition, raises the pressure for kids and teaches them that your love and approval is contingent on the content of their report card.  Focus on the process they used to get that grade. When we invest less energy and emotion in the number or letter at the top of the page, we can begin to ask our children questions such as, What did you do to get this grade? Which study techniques worked for you and which ones did not? What are you going to do differently next time?  Look forward, not back. The best question parents can ask when faced with a grade, whether high or low, is: How are you going to use this experience to be better next time? This technique works particularly well for anxious and overly perfectionist kids, because they can get stuck in a negative feedback loop, obsessing wholly on the numbers and grades. Helping them shift their focus back to the process can alleviate that anxiety, particularly when we help them prioritize the aspects of learning they can control.  Talk about your own failures and successes with your kids, showing them that you, too, are invested in the process of learning. If you berate yourself over failures, so will they. If, however, they see you being brave and learning from your mistakes so you can be better next time, so will they. New York Times, 10-1-19

Parenting Class is Thursday evening During this school year's Parenting Classes we will be discussing the book shown here with the hope that all SBJA kids will turn out to be self-reliant. (You don't want them living in your basement when they're 30, do you?) Join us in finding ways to produce responsible young people on the first Thursday evening of the month at 6:30 pm . Remember, you'll receive $25 tuition credit just for attending!

Rule #2 Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. Imagine your great-grandmother at your side as you roll down the aisles of the supermarket. You're standing together in front of the dairy case. She picks up a package of Go-GURT Portable Yogurt tubes, and hasn't a clue what this plastic cylinder of colored and flavored gel could possibly be. Is it a food or is it toothpaste? There are now thousnads of foodish products in the supermarket that our ancestors simply wouldn't recognize as food. The reasons to avoid eating such complicated food products are many and go beyond the various chemical additives and corn and soy derivatives they contain, or the plastics in which they are typically packaged, some of which are probably toxic. The sweetness, fat, and salt contained in these types of products are difficult to find in nature but cheap and easy for the food scientist to deploy, with the result that food processing induces us to consume much more of these rarities than is good for us. The great-grandma rule will help keep most of these items out of your cart.

What's best to drink? Remember the article in last week's Seabreeze about the best drinks for children? The clear winners were milk and water with 100% juice coming up in third place. Because we want your children to develop healthy habits, students will be given a water choice in our cafeteria. Milk and orange juice will still be on the menu.

WHAT I IF TOLD YOU YOU READ THE TOP LINE WRONG

Eighth graders enjoying Catalina Science Camp

October 11, 11:30 am Please extend an invitation to all students' grandparents.

Check out our Facebook page If you want to see what's going on at SBJA, go to our Facebook page where Ms. Francey Marzicola posts photos and information daily. Here is a good "bird's eye view" of our school program.

Wed-Fri, 10/2-10/4 Seventh Grade Science Camp Thur, 10/3 HSA Board Meeting, 5:30 pm Parenting Class, 6:30 pm Monday, 10/7 Free Dress Day Fri, 10/11 Grandparents Day, 11:30 am Thur, 10/17 Gr. 4-5 to see "Annie" Gr. K-1 to Underwood Family Farm Fri, 10/18 Jeans Day Mon-Fri, 10/21-10/25 Scholastic Book Fair Tues, 10/29 Parent-Teacher Conferences, no classes Wed-Fri, 10/30-11/1 Gr. 6 at Astrocamp

South Bay Junior Academy | office@sbja.com| 310-370-6215 | www.sbja.com