December 2023 Newsletter

Thank you BriteMinds Families!

2023 has been an Amazing Year!

Prepare for New Year 2024!

Start New Year 2024 with a motivated mind and a purposeful action plan. While reflecting on last year, create a goal-oriented action plan. Let’s start with, “I will not procrastinate!” Task initiation is a well-fitting Executive Functioning Skill to start 2024!

Not often do we hear students regret turning in an assignment, but they do regret not turning their work in on time. Starting an assignment begins with the mind being free from distractions, ready to imagine what to do, knowing where the resources are, and visualizing how the completed assignment will look.

Instead of asking children: “Did you finish your homework?”

Parents may ask:

“What do you need to start this assignment?”

“Can we read the directions your teacher gave you?”

“Would you like to brainstorm about ideas?”

“How many days do you need to get this done?”

“Wow, it was fun talking about this project, I learned a lot!”

At BriteMinds, students feel validated for their efforts, which leads to a motivated and collaborative attitude. Let's develop a love for learning! 

Why BriteMinds?

For Our Personalized FEEDBACK! 

Parents love our detailed feedback for each lesson, because:

1.    The “BriteMinds Grid” shows:

• all completed homework
• assignments that need to be done
• test scores and performance indicators
• ongoing plans to enhance academic skills and more

2.    Our feedback saves time and prevents frustrating parent-child conflicts

3.    Children feel understood, validated, and motivated

4.    Parents feel informed and can track progress more easily

Daily Feedback to Parents

“BriteMinds Grid” for Aladdin (11^th grade)

Dear Zena and Cassim,

Aladdin worked very hard today to get all his homework done and practice for his upcoming tests! See notes below:

English

• Selected bibliography resources and organized them according to the citation rules.
• Learned the benefits of using primary sources to validate his arguments.
• Edited his essay to align verb tenses and added more details to the paragraphs.
• Used quotes to validate arguments.

Math

• Reviewed the areas that will be covered on his math test tomorrow.
• Covered the factoring and zeros of quadratic equations. We did a few practice problems and I taught him the way to find the factors of any quadratic polynomial.
• Covered the midpoint formula. I gave him the formula, and he told me the teacher gives it to them on tests. We went over a few practice problems in finding the midpoint of a segment.

Chemistry

• Reviewed concepts of this unit; He got every answer on the practice test correct today; AWESOME WORK!!!
• Aladdin is a little stressed about the test tomorrow—he’ll review the concept cards before the test to feel more relaxed.
• I encouraged him to listen to the audio recording of the Chem definitions to prepare for his test.

Mindfulness Through the Holidays

It’s almost winter vacation! Hopefully, the intense stress of tests, finals, and college applications is all behind us and it’s time for fun. Imagine a balanced and relaxing winter break with well-managed screen time, social media, and gaming.

6 Mindfulness Tips:

1. Discuss family schedules, organize events, find time for friends, and routinely self-care!
2. Start the day calm. Listen, talk, and laugh together!
3.  Involve every family member in activities, from stretching to making a candlelight dinner.
4. Prepare yourself to fall asleep instead of passing out from exhaustion. 
5. Connect with friends you can trust, who listen closely, and who are inspirational.
6. Write in your journal, reflect, assess, process, and think about your experiences.

Holiday Fun Facts Around the World

• In Norway, people hide their brooms on Christmas Eve to prevent mischievous witches from stealing them for a joyride.
• The colors of Kwanzaa are red, black, and green. These colors hold symbolic significance, with red representing the struggle, black symbolizing the people, and green representing the future and hope.
• In Japan, Christmas is often celebrated with a special meal from KFC.
• Since 1959, Sweden’s unique TV1 tradition on Christmas Eve is to present Donald Duck cartoons.
• Hanukkah is associated with foods fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly-filled donuts), symbolizing the small amount of oil used to light the Temple's menorah miraculously burning for eight days.
• In South Africa, it is common to celebrate Christmas with a barbeque due to the warm weather during the holiday season.

Fun Holiday Activities to Do as a Family!

Spending time together as a family may very well be one of the best ways to get into the holiday spirit. Fun things you can do this holiday season:

• Game Night: Sometimes a little friendly competition is just what we need to get in the jolly spirit: Jenga, Apples to Apples, Blokus, Guess Who, Labyrinth, chess, and building blocks may bring the family together
• Family Picnic: Involve kids in planning! Kids feel excited being part of the experience of preparing their favorite foods, games, and activities. Invite friends, pack up the car, and drive to your favorite outdoor place
• Make a Family Tree: Making a family tree is not only a fun activity but also an opportunity to learn more about where we come from
• Winter Reading: Pick the coziest spot in your home, grab a nice blanket and your favorite book, and allow your imagination to take you to places you’ve never been before
• Baking: Whether it’s a cake or a small batch of cookies, baking can be a fun experience to do either on your own or with friends and family

BriteMinds Learning Center

310-541-2005 info@briteminds.com

www.briteminds.com