It can be exciting to see your children graduate from elementary school and move on up to middle school or  junior high school. However, with these milestones come significant changes that your children may not be prepared for. You can help to ease their anxiety and fear by talking to them and explaining the many changes that they will see.

One of the biggest changes that your children will encounter when transitioning from elementary school to junior high is that classes no longer take place in one classroom. Students are given a schedule that outlines the classes and the rooms that they will have to go to in order to attend these classes.

Some students will be overwhelmed by transitioning from elementary school to middle school.  Just the prospect of getting lost trying to find their classrooms seems to be enough to frighten most new middle schoolers.   The good news is that most of the classes are usually centralized on the same floor to make it easier for students to navigate.

First time students of junior high students are usually given orientation a few weeks before school starts. At orientation your teen will receive their first schedule and will typically be given time to get familiar with the layout of the school and to find their classrooms.  This orientation is huge in helping the process of transitioning from elementary school to middle school.

Take the time to attend this orientation with your teen so that you can show them around and help them to get comfortable. After the orientation, discuss any concerns that your teen may have. Most fears are eased when they are given the chance to explore at orientation.

The transition from junior high to high school is much like the atmosphere in junior with one exception. High schools are usually bigger and house four grades instead of three, which means that many more students. Your teen will enter high school as a freshman and the atmosphere will seem very different.

Again, attending orientation should help to ease any concerns; however, a major difference is that not all classes are centralized as they may be in junior high. Your child will possibly have to navigate the entire high school to get from one class to another. Also, in high school, your teen may be given the opportunity to choose some of his or her own electives.

There are simple ways to introduce your teen to the transition between the three school levels: elementary, junior high and high school. Make sure you discuss any fears or concerns that your teens express and attend orientation with them to help them navigate and get familiar with the layouts of the schools. With a little guidance, your teens will transition successfully.

Real Life Guidance Report to Helping Your Teen With High School offers parenting help and shows you how to help your teen deal with the pressures of high school and also help them to be more independent!

Ten dorm room must-haves

(ARA) – As teens get ready to head off to college, chances are you’ll hear more discussion about what to pack than what courses to take. Striking a balance between bringing the essentials for living on one’s own and fitting it all into a dorm room not much bigger than a walk-in closet, can be daunting.

“The best strategy is to travel with the necessities, and then order additional items once you’ve checked out the lay of the land,” says Ginny Bean, founder of Ginny’s catalog and Ginnys.com. “In many dorms, for instance, students have access to a communal microwave and television, so these popular items may not be necessities. Incoming students may also want to wait and see what their roommates have.”

The top 10 dorm room must-haves, according to Bean, who has two college-aged sons of her own, are:

Coffee maker – Long nights of studying have turned many incoming freshman into coffee drinkers. For any student who doesn’t want to walk to the corner coffee shop whenever she gets tired, a coffee maker is pretty much an essential.

Alarm-clock radio/CD player - What coffee can’t accomplish, an alarm clock must. With space at a premium, combo items are wonderfully practical. And since most dorm policies prohibit playing a large stereo at full volume, a smaller unit is perfect.

Laundry hamper - Wheeled hampers are great for lugging heavy clothes back and forth from the laundry room. In addition to storing dirty clothes, a hamper can double as a storage space or an impromptu end table.

Shelves or closet organizer – Few students have ever found enough room in their dorm dresser to hold all their sweaters, jeans and other bulky items. Shelving units and shoe racks can provide a lot of extra storage space and help curb the urge to use the dorm room floor as a second closet. Another nifty invention is the door-mounted jewelry organizer which takes up less space than a jewelry box, and has lots of hooks for keeping necklaces, bracelets, scarves and other accessories handy and tangle-free.

Rolling storage cart - A cart with drawers is great for holding all those awkward-to-store items: sheets, hair styling tools, hats and gloves, even food. And, since it has wheels, it can easily be moved out of the way or positioned to use as a temporary writing surface or nightstand.

Fan - Even if a dorm room has air-conditioning, it may not be reliable. A free-standing or window fan is a good backup.

Stocked toolbox - There’s no more borrowing dad’s tool kit when you’re away from home. At minimum, a college toolbox should contain the dorm life survival essentials: a regular and Phillips-head screwdriver, hammer, nails, screws and wrench. Having some putty or spackle to repair walls at the end of the year can be key to saving deposit money.

Dishes for two - Even if a student has a meal plan, he’ll want dishes in his dorm room for snacks, take-out and eating on the run. Remember forks, knives, spoons, plates, bowls, cups and mugs. And don’t forget the can opener.

Sheets and towels - Check with the college housing office for the correct sheet size to buy for the mattress, and always include a pillow.

Sandals - Anybody who’s ever shared a public bathroom will understand how important these are.

Do you remember when you were in school?  You could hardly wait for the school year to end and summer vacation to begin.  The closer a new school year came, the more you had back to school blues.   Now it seems as if the summer months fly by and the summer break seems to get shorter and shorter.   Your children probably feel the same way as the new school year is drawing near.

What can parents do to help with their children’s back to school blues?  Here are some ideas of how to help your child prepare for the new school year that’s just around the corner.

1.  A couple of weeks before school starts, begin to get them back on a “school night” schedule.  Whatever schedule works for your family (in bed by 8 p.m. and up by 7 a.m., in bed by 9 p.m. and up by 7 a.m., etc.), begin to implement it in increments to get them used to going to bed earlier and getting up earlier for the school day.

2.  Listen to your child’s concerns.  Think about how you felt when you had to return to school.  Acknowledge their fears when they first happen; don’t push them aside.  Then talk things over with your child; tell them a story about when you were a child in the same situation.

3.  If you’re allowed, go to the school a couple of days or weeks before school starts.  Take your child on a tour of the different classrooms or areas in the school that they’ll spend time in.  Meet the teacher if they’re available.  Be sure to take them by the lunchroom, library, office, school nurse’s office (if there is one), and most importantly, the restrooms.

4.  Have a “dry run” for getting ready each day for a few days before the first day of school.  Plan to set everything out the night before just as they will be during the school year, and then have your child get dressed and ready to leave to see how things will work.  This will also allow you to see if there are some areas of the morning routine that need to be tweaked to work better.

5.  Create a special place for your child to do homework and leave their backpack so needed items are less likely to be lost.  You may want to create a routine where you go through your child’s backpack with them each night, gathering any papers that need to be signed, assignments they need to do, and jot down any important dates on the family calendar.

6.  Have a back to school blues-buster party.  The night before school starts, plan a special meal, watch a favorite movie on DVD, and plan a back to school blues-buster dessert.  Choose whatever will cheer up your child and give them a good feeling about the first day of school.

Your child is not the only one in the world to deal with back to school blues.  It helps to talk things over, be prepared, and then celebrate the new beginning.  You might find that you’re able to handle your own back to school blues better, too.

Also be sure to grab your copy of Real Life Guidance to Helping Your Teen With High School.  This offers parenting help and shows you how to help your teen deal with the pressures of high school and also help them to be more independent!

With school starting up again soon many people are searching for facts about distance learning.

(ARA) – Seventeen million pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students in the U.S. will get at least some of their education virtually by 2015, according to new research from Ambient Insight. More than four million of these students will get their entire educations virtually, from full-time virtual schools.

While each family has its own reasons for choosing full-time virtual schools, the most common driver is the ability for a student to work at his own pace and level, regardless of what other students are doing. The proliferation and proven success of virtual schools like the national network of Connections Academy schools has also fueled the e-learning education boom. “More parents today know about the solid academic track record of virtual schools. They see that technology helps deliver a more personalized education for their children, so that students’ studies are tailored to their abilities, needs, and interests,” says Connections Academy’s Senior Vice President for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Patricia Hoge. “Virtual schools are increasingly the go-to option for students who aren’t thriving in a traditional bricks-and-mortar classroom setting.”

Virtual schools can be a great alternative for lots of different kinds of students — whether they’re ahead or behind their peers, have learning challenges, are pursuing athletics or a host of other circumstances. Yet despite the growing popularity of virtual education, some parents still don’t know how virtual schools work, or hold onto outdated or incorrect viewpoints on this latest education innovation.

Here are educators’ top facts about distance learning in grades K-12. These facts should help parents understand virtual education today:

Fact: Virtual public school is not home school

The two are very different. Virtual public schools deliver public education in the comfort of the student’s home. Like all public schools, they are tuition-free to students. State-certified teachers deliver a rigorous curriculum that correlates to state standards. Schools provide students with a variety of curriculum materials and learning resources – sometimes even computers. Virtual private schools are also available.

Fact: Not all virtual schools are created equal

Parents need to do their homework to pick a high quality virtual school that’s the best fit for their child. Look for a school with a track record of delivering student academic achievement and high levels of parent and student satisfaction. Other key quality benchmarks include: accreditation from AdvancED; full-time, certified and highly qualified teachers; state-of-the-art technology resources; and community activities like clubs and field trips for students.

Fact: Certified teachers do the teaching

At Connections Academy full-time virtual schools, students learn at home under the guidance of a certified teacher. Assisting the student in day-to-day activities is an adult Learning Coach, who is typically a parent, but also could be another family member or responsible adult caregiver. The teacher works directly with both the student and Learning Coach to develop an individual learning plan, provide instruction and evaluate assignments.

Fact: Students use textbooks, pencils, microscopes and interactive curricula

In virtual schools, the computer is a tool for teachers and parents to manage and track assignments, communicate (along with the phone) and deliver interactive curricular materials. However, students complete many assignments “unplugged,” and spend time reading textbooks, using workbooks, reading library books and doing hands-on experiments – just like a traditional school.

Fact: Students regularly socialize and interact with peers

Virtual students have opportunities to interact with each other. Just like all kids, they choose to IM, text, or talk to each other on the phone. Connections Academy sets up a number of field trips each month so students can get together as a group. Many of the students also find that the flexibility of virtual education makes it possible to be involved in activities, such as sports and volunteering.

In many states, parents can still enroll their children in full-time virtual school programs for the coming school year. In states where virtual public schools are not available there are fee-based virtual private school options.  

With facts about distance learning  listed above, you should be armed with great information to help make the right choices for your education.

To learn more about virtual school and if it’s right for your family, visit www.ConnectionsAcademy.com