Internet Safety: A Guide for Parents
Hello ICS families,
As promised, I am posting a number of resources here for those of you who couldn’t make the PTA’s Internet Safety seminar last week that was led by guest presenter Deb McCoy.
Deb McCoy’s complete PowerPoint presentation:
The Electronic World of Kids for Parents
Deb McCoy’s quick tips for parents–these are FANTASTIC:
Managing Your Kids’ Connected Life
I must take a moment to quote this one, because the importance of it simply cannot be stressed enough:
Never, ever allow a computer or TV in your child’s bedroom, for any reason. The average kid (8 to 18) spends 7.38 hours per day, 7 days a week, consuming media. When that consumption goes private, in a bedroom, it diminishes your control over that media diet. It is your job as a parent to know what they are consuming in their media diet, and how much they consume.
Other resources:
- If you want to go REALLY in depth, there is a new book on the market called Talking Back to Facebook that covers many of these same topics.
- CommonSenseMedia.org is an indispensable resource for helping parents navigate every type of media and make sound decisions based on trustworthy information.
- This poster is geared for the classroom, but the “digital citizenship” tips can be practiced and applied at home as well! - Digital Citizenship
- The National PTA maintains a page dedicated to information and resources related to bullying.
Got more tips and resources–or questions? Please leave them in the comments below!
Involvement vs. Engagement
This is a great article discussing the important distinction between family involvement and family engagement:
When we’re involving parents, the parent is generally directed towards completing tasks selected by the school staff – or the parent may be a client who receives services and information.
When we’re engaging parents, the parent is considered a leader or a potential leader who is integral to identifying a vision and goals. He/she encourages others to contribute their own vision to that big picture and helps perform the tasks that need to be achieved in order to reach those goals.
The article contains a number of other excellent examples–I highly recommend reading it in its entirety!
I am embarrassed to admit–I often use the two words interchangeably and had not really thought through the difference between the separate meanings they convey. But from now on I’ll stick to “engagement”!
(Good thing I inadvertently chose the most accurate name for the blog!)
Family Engagement Planning for 2012-2013
Hello folks!
You are invited to join us in May for some long-term family engagement planning! Our goal is to brainstorm and form recommendations for support systems and structures that will help parents and teachers create effective partnerships in 2012-2013. You can attend one of two sessions (both will have the same agenda!):
- Saturday, May 12, 2-4pm
- Sunday, May 20, 1-3pm
If you RSVP to Tr. Jenny (jennyh {at} icscharter {dot} com), she can arrange childcare, but you must RSVP!
For those who are wondering what this family engagement planning is all about–a little history is below!
June 2011: This blog was born!
July-August 2011: We voted on some ways to create a more welcoming environment at ICS. The popular choices were “creating a family-friendly atmosphere” and “ensuring accessible programming”. To tackle these, we decided to create a Family Engagement Working Group and to experiment with bringing programming out to ICS families this year.
Fall 2011: The call went out for interested families & teachers to join the Family Engagement Working Group!
November 2011: ICS teachers spent part of a professional development day studying and dissecting data from a teacher survey on family involvement and from the “involvement” section in the annual family survey. Some key strengths and needs that they identified are as follows:
Strengths
- ICS families overwhelmingly support the school; the majority of ICS teachers perceive parents as “responsive”.
- The majority of both parents and teachers report positive relationships with each other.
- ICS teachers value family involvement–88% of teachers report that parent involvement in the classroom is valuable.
Needs
- “Not enough time” is the leading factor for both families & teachers when asked why they don’t volunteer/use volunteers in the classroom. (85% of families report not enough time; 67% of teachers report the same.)
- The second most reported factor, again, for both families & teachers is “I don’t know how to go about it”. (13% of families and 42% of teachers listed this.)
January-February 2012: The Family Engagement Working Group met to examine the same data + the compiled findings of ICS teachers. The group first brainstormed many ideas, then narrowed the list to three possible projects that would address the needs of ICS teachers & families.
- Idea #1: Support teachers with ideas and a clear structure for increasing parent involvement in the the classroom AND for helping parents who can’t be at school stay connected meaningfully.
- Idea #2: Create a clear structure for the room parent program, including training and support from other ICS parents, in order to make the program consistent from year-to-year and class-to-class.
- Idea #3: Focus on the classroom as the main point of entry into school involvement. Increase classroom volunteering opportunities and social events with classrooms/villages/grades.
March 2012: The three options were presented in an informal “sticker poll” for the first part of the day in the family survey room at report card conferences. Idea #1 ran away with 60% of the vote. (But we recognize that Ideas #2 & #3 can be rolled easily into our work on #1.)
May 2012: Join us to get going on this exciting project! The goal after our meetings in May is to emerge with a suggested framework that we can 1) bring to Principals Kristen & Kareem for consideration when planning professional development and other support systems for teachers, 2) bring to the PTA as they develop next year’s programming and projects, and 3) bring to the Parent Board Representatives to inform their work in 2012-2013.
Fun Poll: Help us choose the colors for the new website!
Readers might recall that a few weeks ago I circulated a survey through SchoolReach to get input for the design of our new website. 153 of you responded, and it was extremely helpful–thank you!
Our responses on the design questionnaire closely mirrored your responses on the survey, and included adjectives like warm, welcoming, family-friendly, clean, bright, and “plenty of white space”.
The design team at eSchoolView mocked up two drafts with slightly differing color schemes for the “quick-links” on the left. We would love your vote on which you like best! (And please feel free to leave any other feedback in the comments or email Tr. Jenny.)
Don’t focus too much on the exact text/menu items–we are still working those out and will continue to do so throughout beta testing this spring/summer–for now we just want to nail down “The Look”. Also, note that the picture at the top will not be static–it will be part of a slideshow of great ICS photos!
Look 1:
Look 2:
Cooking with Chef Gabe!
In honor of our Cooking Together, Cooking Forever program, Chef Gabe took some time to share with us a simple, delicious recipe for a summer salad–just in time for some serious summer weather! Thanks so much Chef Gabe!
If you haven’t joined Cooking Together, Cooking Forever yet, it’s not too late! You can create an account anytime and find the first six lessons archived for your convenience whenever you have time to view them. The lessons are designed to teach your children cooking techniques so that families can create simple, healthy, and delicious meals together. So far they have covered knife skills, sauteing, roasting, stewing, and ways to cook common staples like pasta and eggs.
To join, simply visit the website: http://programsfsc.org, create an account, and enter our school’s participation code: 48C2WY. From there, you will have full access to all the videos and materials–and a whole library of recipes!
For those of you who like exact measurements with your recipes, below I have reprinted Rachel Ray’s version of the salad, which is very similar to Chef Gabe’s!
Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
- 5 medium plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 1/4 red onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
- 1 Kirby cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- A generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
- 2 splashes red wine vinegar
- Coarse salt and black pepper
Directions:
Dress the tomatoes, onions, and cucumber with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Let stand while you prepare dinner, about 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve salad with crusty bread for mopping up juices and oil.
What happened to my child? She used to love to read!
One question that came up in the course of our workshops and discussions with parents deserves a post all its own.
Q: What do you do when your child starts refusing (or has always refused) to read independently for pleasure?
Whatever you do, do not force the issue. “Forcing the issue” includes but is not limited to: bribes, threats, and of course, endless nagging/lecturing. Kids know when we desperately want them to do something and it just makes them that more determined not to do it and/or like it and thus prove to us that they’re right and we’re wrong. Reading for pleasure should not feel like a chore, and you, the parent are very much in control of the degree to which such feelings develop.
So, what does “not forcing the issue” look like? A few concrete examples:
1) Create as many NO PRESSURE opportunities as possible for your children to pick up a book. For instance, bring them with you to the library while you’re running errands because you need to browse for some books for yourself. Whatever you do, DO NOT instruct them that they must check out a book or even suggest that they check out a book. Don’t mention it at all. But DO stay for about 30 minutes and browse for yourself. Chances are, they just might wander over to the young adult section while they wait. If they do eventually ask to check out a book, DO NOT venture into “I told you so” or “See, I knew you would find a book you liked” territory. Just quietly let them check it out and say no more. If the book is not quite what you would have picked for them (i.e. too easy, too silly, not “high-quality” enough), avoid mentioning that, too.
2) Create situations where reading is the only “fun” thing to do. Have certain hours of the night or days of the week that are technology-free and where all the adults in the house are doing something quietly together, like reading on the couch to themselves or aloud to each other. DO NOT require your children to participate or even to be in the same room with you. But DO establish a rule that during this time, all electronics/technology in the house are off-limits to ALL family members. Without any other option besides sitting and staring at the wall, eventually they’ll probably land on some activity related to reading/writing/creating—all of which are steps in the right direction! Again, refrain from commenting about it when they do. And hey, if they really want to use the time to stare at the wall, or go to sleep early, that is okay! At least it gives their eyes a break from glowing screens.
3) Create times where the whole family can be partners in crime for reading-related hijinks. For instance, declare one night of the week to be “read at the dinner table night”. Voila! Reading is not a chore, but a delightfully subversive activity that contributes to the breaking of other house rules. Or have one night per week (maybe Thursdays, so it doesn’t affect school-week sleep too much) when lights-out is extended by thirty minutes IF that time is used for reading. Also, if these strategies start to work and your child begins stealing his own reading time, maybe turn a blind eye, just every now and then, if he sneaks a flashlight up for under-the-covers reading late into the night.
Three notes about these tips:
1) You might have noticed a clear trend in all three of these examples: Encouraging your child to read for pleasure mainly involves YOU, the adult, quietly setting the example of reading for pleasure. (Note: This is different from reading for pleasure but stopping every five minutes to nag your child some more about reading for pleasure.) If you are not setting aside time for reading, and your children are not watching you enjoy reading, it is hard to expect them to do it themselves.
2) My husband Alex wants to me to be clear that there are some kids who will just go through a phase of life that can last months or years where they simply do not read for pleasure. He tells me that he did not read a book outside of school assignments from sometime in middle school until sometime in college. And then he just started up again one day and continues to read voraciously today.
3) I cannot stress enough, finally, that the success of strategies like these hinges on creating low-stress opportunities and then allowing children to take or leave them on their own terms, without your stepping in to try to convince them how much they will enjoy it if they just try it. It’s the hardest part, but definitely the most important! (Oh, and you also have to be willing to stay quiet while trying a strategy 2, 3, 5, 10, or 20 times before it works. Like I said, it’s not easy!)
More questions? Leave them in the comments! Amy and Luz and I are thinking about creating a podcast for our next installment. 
The ideas in this post are inspired by parenting strategies recommended by Alex Hoedeman-Eiteljorg who facilitates parenting workshops for CORA Services in northeast Philadelphia. For more ideas along these lines, he recommends: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk, Kids Are Worth It, and Yes, Your Teen is Crazy.
Literacy Q&A’s with Amy & Luz
Hi families! Below are some Q&A’s that came out of our phone conference workshop the other week. We thought a number of you out there might enjoy the tips. Look for another post to come later this week with suggestions and examples of how to encourage those reluctant readers at home to pick up a book purely for pleasure!
Q: Is it important to stop children mid-reading to make sure they know/understand all tricky vocabulary words?
A: Not at all–as long as you are confident that the student understands MOST of the words and is comprehending the story/information, it is perfectly fine to allow students to encounter some new words and use context clues independently to work out the meaning on their own while reading for pleasure. But you can also incorporate a few vocabulary-building strategies that do not interfere with the flow of the story/enjoyment of reading:
- Allow children to underline 2-3 new words to look up later, or use small sticky-notes to indicate a new vocabulary word to talk about.
- If you are concerned that they are not comprehending a book, you can pause after a section or natural break to check understanding by discussing what has happened so far–can they reiterate the main plot points and do they understand what is happening and why? If not, consider having them read a slightly less challenging book.
Q: What counts as “reading” time?
A: Just about anything literacy-related. Read-aloud time is encouraged for ALL age levels (adults too!), and perusing non-fiction books (even for young students who might not technically read everything in them) is a great skill-builder as well. A good rule of thumb: Never discourage any reading-based behavior that your child enjoys, as long as the content is age-appropriate! It’s ALL beneficial. If you are concerned that your child is not enjoying a wide-enough range of reading experiences, simply work on providing more low-pressure opportunities to diversify.
Keeping it casual is key! The more a child senses you want him/her to do something, the more he/she will resist! Example: Make a habit of checking out a wide array of books from the library and make them all available without ever “pushing” for the type you think is most important. When they finally do pick up a new kind of book, definitely reign in your desire to make a huge deal about it.
**Note, if your child’s teacher has given a specific reading assignment for homework with guidelines about what to read, how long to read, what skills to practice, etc., we do recommend you follow the assignment! We are talking about supplementary reading time outside of school-related reading practice. If you are wondering if a reading-related activity meets the requirements of a certain classroom assignment, never hesitate to check in with your teacher!**
Q: How important is it to correct mistakes (such as grammatical mistakes when speaking, or spelling mistakes when writing)?
Amy’s list of reading resources!
1) commonsensemedia.org - This site offers book reviews so that parents and kids can anticipate a book’s appropriateness. They also offer reviews of movies, tv shows, games, apps, websites, and music, and tips on media literacy, internet safety.
2) WhatshouldIreadnext.com - Enter a book you like and the site will analyze their database of real readers’ favorite books to provide book recommendations and suggestions for what to read next. This can be helpful when you’re stuck.
3) Other sites that offer book reviews and even invite kids to post their own book reviews:
goodreads.com
teenreads.com
kidsreads.com
spaghettibookclub.org
worldreading.org
4) storybird.com - Create a beautiful e-book together, or let kids explore and make their own. Start by choosing a piece of art work from their collection (you can search by theme) and then begin writing! It’s simple and lovely and the results are easy to share.
5) Experiment with writing a blog together – here is an example written by an ICS mom and her daughter - http://shereadstoo.wordpress.com/. Share it with family and friends – invite others to comment on the books you’re reading – start a conversation online about great books.
6) Looking for more ideas for supporting literacy at home? Readingrockets.org has tons of helpful articles for parents and teachers with ideas about how to support literacy learning.
Welcome to National Nutrition Month!
In honor of National Nutrition Month, our children are receiving a daily nutritional tip during the morning announcements as a way to reinforce our effort to celebrate healthy eating habits! In the same spirit, the ICS cafeteria has a few fun school bag surprises in store. Students will have a chance to win with each breakfast purchase through this week. So, let’s get our plate in shape! Let’s get healthier! And let’s help our children to make smart choices about what we use to fuel our bodies.
For inspiration, check out this video from Real Mom Nutrition about the choices we, the adults, make for our children and how influential they can be. (The example she uses is sports, but it applies equally to all kinds of activities, parties, and kid events!)
Finally, don’t forget to sign up for Cooking Together, Cooking Forever, a free family cooking series brought to you by the PTA:
- Simply visit: www.programsfsc.org.
- Click on the user sign up button.
- Enter our school’s group invitation code: 48C2WY and your email address–and that’s it!
During the month of March, we’ll be revisiting the topics that Cooking Together has covered so far (and we’ll throw in just a dash of ICS spice while we’re at it)!
Literacy fests are for grown-ups, too!
So, who’s reading the One Book, One Philadelphia 2012 selection Create Dangerously yet? I will admit, it came up on my library queue once already last month and I forgot to pick it up. So I decided to get in line for the electronic checkout instead and was able to “pick it up” last night from the comfort of my couch. (Yes, I am one lazy reader!) I was only able to read the first few pages before bedtime, but am hooked already and am looking forward to reading more tonight!
Also, I’m definitely going to read the companion kids’ book, Running the Road to ABC, with my little one at home!
The Free Library has an impressively extensive calendar of events lined up as part of the festival, which continues through March. You can check out the whole list for yourself, and below are some remaining highlights that caught my eye.
For the grown-ups!
First Friday Reception at Vivant Art Collection
Friday, MARCH 2, 6:00 P.M.
Vivant Art Collection, 60 N. 2nd St., 310-612-4636
Stop by the Vivant Art Collection as it highlights the vibrancy of Haitian art and culture through a selection of works by contemporary Haitians during Old City’s First Friday. Refreshments will be served.
The Black Mozart
Saturday, MARCH 10, 8:00 P.M.
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 1723 Race St., 215-717-7103
Join Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra as they explore the significant impact of the swordfighting, baton-wielding, Afro-French composer Joseph Boulogne, Le Chevalier de SaintGeorges on the history, politics, and music of the late 18th century. Works by Saint-Georges will be performed alongside Haydn’s Symphony No. 85, “La Reine,” and Mozart’s legendary Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit blackpearlco.org.
WHYY Meet-and-Greet with Edwidge Danticat
Thursday, MARCH 15, 10:00 A.M.
WHYY, 150 N. 6th St., 215-351-0511
Be the first to meet 2012 One Book featured author Edwidge Danticat at this special event in WHYY’s state-of-the-art Dorrance Hamilton Public Media Commons. The reception will be followed by a live taping of Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane. Reservations are required. For more information, visit whyy.org/memberexperience or call 215-351-0511.
The Artist at Work: An Afternoon with Edwidge Danticat
Saturday, MARCH 17, 4:30 P.M.
Historic Church of the Advocate, 1801 W. Diamond St., 215-232-4485
The author of Breath, Eyes, Memory; Krik? Krak!; and Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work will be on hand for an afternoon of literature and learning. Through performances, discussion, and readings, participants will explore how Danticat’s work has touched so many lives. For more information, contact: events{at}artsanctuary{dot}org.
For the kids!
Children’s Haitian Quilt Square Workshop
Participants will learn about the history of quilt culture in Haiti in a hands-on workshop. Each person will also create their own quilt square to take home.
- Thursday, MARCH 1 , 4:00 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Logan Branch, 1333 Wagner Ave., 215-685-9156
- Saturday, MARCH 3, 1 :00 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Wynnefield Branch, 5325 Overbrook Ave., 215-685-0298
- Tuesday, MARCH 6, 4:00 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Haddington Branch, 446 N. 65th St., 215-685-1970
- Thursday, MARCH 8, 4:00 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, West Oak Lane Branch, 2000 Washington Ln., 215-685-2843
- Friday, MARCH 9, 10:30 A.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Northeast Regional Library, 2228 Cottman Ave., 215-685-0522
- Saturday, MARCH 10, 2:00 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library, 125 S. 52nd St., 215-685-7424
- Thursday, MARCH 15, 4:30 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Fumo Family Branch, 2437 S. Broad St., 215-685-1758
Haitian Music and Folklore
Learn about the celebrated tales of the island through the rhythms popular in Haitian culture. Each participant will have the opportunity to create his or her own rhythm instrument and play along.
- Saturday, MARCH 3, 2:00 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Lawncrest Branch, 6098 Rising Sun Ave., 215-685-0549
- Tuesday, MARCH 6, 4:00 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Andorra Branch, 705 E. Cathedral Rd., 215-685-2552
- Wednesday, MARCH 7, 4:00 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Frankford Branch, 4634 Frankford Ave., 215-685-1473
- Thursday, MARCH 8, 6:30 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, Katharine Drexel Branch, 11099 Knights Rd., 215-685-9383
- Wednesday, MARCH 14, 4:00 P.M., Free Library of Philadelphia, McPherson Square Branch, 601 E. Indiana Ave., 215-685-9995
Sunday Family Jam at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
Sunday, MARCH 11 , 12:00 P.M.
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, 1020 South St., 215-733-0390
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens’ Sunday Family Jam will feature “What’s Your Story,” a book-making activity, in their back gallery space. Explore Isaiah Zagar’s mosaic-tiled labyrinth and then “Create Dangerously” in this fun project for the whole family! Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children 6-12, and free for children under 6. For more information please visit phillymagicgardens.org.
Next week: Workshops galore!
**Update: Please note that the Tuesday evening workshop has been cancelled due to lack of interest.**
If you’ve been feeling left out of the Independence Reads! fest because it hasn’t fit your schedule yet, here are five more opportunities that are bound to work for many of you out there!
Look over the options, find one that works for you and sign up using this online form!
You can still purchase any of the three featured books using this form!
Can’t wait to see you there! Any questions, just post in the comments or email Tr. Jenny: jennyh {at} icscharter {dot} com.
