While high school age students certainly are not immune to the summer brain drain of knowledge, there are also numerous other items and things they forget during the summer that can affect their new school year:

Students usually get new computer passwords and locker assignments at school each year but not always. High school students have a tendency to forget these even on their own computers.

High school students often have items that go with them from year to year such as athletic equipment, laptops, art supplies, watches, and so on. Many have a tendency to misplace these items over the summer and forget where they are when the new school year begins.  The last thing most students want to think about at the end of a school year is starting the next grade however, making a list of these items and where they are can save time and money at the end of summer.

High school students can forget their organizational skills.

High school students can forget their study habits over summer break.

These students often have deadlines for class registrations and need to complete paperwork and enrollment forms over the summer that they forget about. This can lead to changing class schedules and not getting in to desired classes because they are full.

Many extracurricular activities including sports and associations require signing up before the school year begins and students are preoccupied with summer activities and can get left out.

High school students often take more responsibility in their lives and parents take less. This can result in students forgetting they need physicals or other medical requirements before attending school.

Transferring high school students often forget to get transcripts from their old high schools over the summer.

High school students often forget to return library books they checked out during the previous school year.  This can result in fines and revocation. The same applies to returning text books to the school.

Older high school students often depend on themselves for transportation. Many forget to renew their driver’s licenses or pay their auto insurance over the summer leading to last minute panic at the start of school or even worse.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.

Being aware of where your child stands and where he or she should be upon entering the ninth grade will help you help him or her become academically prepared. By starting high school at a proficient level they will not be in a catch up mode. Students who enter high school academically behind will often struggle throughout all four grades.

Math Skills Needed
Ninth grade is often an important year for math subjects. In addition to the development of basic math skills, this year might be a student’s first introduction to algebra and more complex geometry concepts.
A student entering ninth grade needs an understanding of measurements of area of shapes as focus will be on learning mathematical equations for three dimensional objects. Familiarity with pyramids, cubes, circles, cones, spheres, and cylinders including congruence to solve geometric problems is helpful.

These students are expected to understand the impacts of the four basic math operations on whole and mixed numbers, as well as fractions, decimals, and integers. They should comprehend the inverse relationship of positive and negative numbers. These students should be able to apply properties of real numbers to solve problems that are associative, distributive, equality, inverse, and closure properties.
They should b e able to solve real-world problems by selecting correct operations with integers, ratios, rates, proportions, percents, decimals, and fractions.

Students entering ninth grade should know standard numerals for integers, fractions, decimals, percents, exponents, scientific notation, absolute value, radicals, and ratios. They should understand rational and irrational numbers in real-world situations and associations between fractions, decimals, and percents in real-world context.

Writing Skills Required
Writing skills are imperative for success in high school. By the time your child completes eighth grade he or she should

Be able to express a viewpoint in writing.
Solve problems by writing.
Combine relevant ideas.
Write at a higher level than their speech.
Use a writing a subject appropriate writing style

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.

High school can be full of ups and downs for students. This is an exciting time of great self discovery as well as the awkwardness of fitting in. There will be new experiences such as dating, driving, and preparing for college. This is a time when many life long bonds are formed and nostalgic memories generated. While your student might seem self reliant, there are things parents can do to support this transition.

Discuss your young person’s future plans. Get them thinking about college and making career choices.
Let them know that grades now carry additional weight as they will appear on their transcripts and follow them to college. Meet their teachers and attend open houses. Develop the lines of communication with the educators should you have questions or should challenges arise later. Most educators say student academic achievement is often higher when parents are involved and aware of their student’s performance.

Visit the school prior to enrolling and discuss course selections with your student. Meet with the guidance counselor or at least make sure your student does. Many high schools allow students to make course selections based on individual needs and goals. In addition there might be honors and advanced placement courses. This is a time of discovery for many students and they might change their direction after completing a course. This is acceptable and they should be encouraged to try new subjects. While students need to maintain acceptable grades they must also pursue what interests them.

At this stage of life peers can often have a great influence over your student. The friends they choose can sway their direction. Many times this can be a positive experience. Encouraging your kid to get involved in activities, can have some weight as to the friends they make. Communicating with your student during high school is critical. Your role as a parent is slowly changing from teaching consequences and disciplining to guiding.  By staying involved you can help your child stay on the right path.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.

When your children are little, you (at least on some level) often wish they were just a little bigger, just a little more independent. Then, they turn into teenagers, and all you want is for them to be small again. However, in many ways, parenting a high school student is similar to parenting a preschooler. Here are ten common mistakes that many parents make with high school students; avoid these and you and your teenager might get through these years a bit easier.

1. Being a “helicopter parent.”Jumping to your child’s rescue at every turn inhibits their ability to problem solve. Provide love and support, but do not “fight their battles” for them.

2. Being completely “hands off.” Remember that this person is still a child, and, though more independent than that preschooler, he or she still needs your involvement.

3. Neglecting physical safety rules. Teenagers are notorious for risky physical behavior. Failing to enforce safety rules could have tragic results. Periodically remind them.

4. Ignoring emotional issues. Your child’s feelings, no matter how “silly” you think they are, are real to them. Validate their feelings with the power of listening

5. Expecting too much. There is a difference between high expectations and realistic ones; the common sense area of the brain is not fully developed until the early 20’s. Remind yourself of that- as often as needed!

6. Ignoring slipping grades. If you notice this happening with your child, investigate. Slipping grades could be the sign of learning challenges or other issues.

7. Becoming adversaries. Teenagers are trying to figure out who they are and are often critical of their parents. Try not to take things to personally, this too shall pass.

8. Becoming “buddies.” Your child needs a parent is to offer guidance and support; they have plenty of friends. They still need boundaries.

9. Failing to enforce limits. When your child was a preschooler, you might have used time-outs as a consequence for misbehavior. Though this is no longer appropriate for high school students, you still need to make sure your child knows that there are consequences for every bad choice.

10. Failing to praise the child. You cheered for your child when they learned to walk and use the potty; now cheer for them again when they do good things! Work hard not to criticize them and make it a point to praise them every time you catch them doing something right.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.