PTA Parent, Tuesday, September 1, 2009

• Time Management
• Reading Tips
• Support Your Local PTA Without Writing a Check
• PSA Campaign

Steps to Managing Time Successfully in College

Key is sticking to task list, dedicating blocks of time

Many college students feel the loss of daily parental reminders or "mom as personal assistant," according to Marianne Ragins, author of College Survival & Success Skills 101. For most students, successfully managing time, handling competing priorities, and avoiding procrastination on a college campus are extremely difficult feats to achieve. Read on to discover what steps your college student should follow to manage time successfully (you might learn a few tips too).

• Start each day, week, and month with a task list. Cross off tasks as you complete them.
• Carry an electronic organizer with an audible and/or visible reminder feature for important tasks.
• Post a wall calendar prominently in your room with days clearly marked in red for the completion of assignments and tasks, particularly those that are extremely important.
• Break complex assignments or projects into smaller bite size segments that are easier to handle. For example, if you have a major research project due in one month, small tasks leading up to the actual project could be discussing the assignment with your professor or teaching assistant, visiting the library and obtaining books on the subject area, or researching relevant web sites.
• Reward yourself for staying on task. If you complete all or the most important tasks on your list for the day or the week, hang out with friends or go to the next party as your reward.
• Dedicate blocks of your time. For example, you may decide to devote two hours on Wednesday evening to Principles of Accounting II and one hour afterwards to Physics I.
• Stop when you get tired of studying or working on assignment, but schedule a time to return to the assignment later. When you return, you may have renewed energy and a fresh perspective to help propel you into finishing the assignment.
• Immediately speak to your professor if you have any upcoming activity, event, or a last-minute change in schedule that could hinder you completing an assignment. He or she may be willing to give you additional time.
• Don't procrastinate. Dive into an assignment as soon as possible. It is much better to start early and complete a dreaded assignment over a period of time. This will allow you ample opportunity to get help if you need it.
• Prioritize! Some assignments may be more important than others. How do you decide? Look at your course syllabus and your class schedule. Assignments that have the greatest impact on your grades should have a higher priority.

The information above is based on advice contained in the book College Survival & Success Skills 101. For more information, contact Ragins at (703) 579-1800 or go to www.scholarshipworkshop.com.

Methods for Encouraging Your Child to Read

Parents can help their children get excited about reading

Young readers reluctant to enjoy a good book can be changed into enthusiastic readers, according to the group Reading Is Fundamental. Some simple activities can generate excitement about reading.

Take your children to the library regularly. Explore the children's section together. Ask a librarian to suggest books and magazines your children might enjoy.

Present reading as an activity with a purpose; a way to gather useful information for, say, making paper airplanes, identifying a doll or stamp in your child's collection, or planning a family trip.

Encourage older children to read to their younger brothers and sisters. Older children enjoy showing off their skills to an admiring audience.

Set aside a regular time for reading in your family, independent of schoolwork: the 20 minutes before lights out, just after dinner, or whatever fits into your household schedule. As little as 10 minutes of free reading a day can help improve your child's skills and habits.

Read aloud to your child, especially a child who is discouraged by his or her own poor reading skills. The pleasure of listening to you read, rather than struggling alone, may restore your child's initial enthusiasm for books and reading.

Introduce the bookmark. Remind your youngster that you don't have to finish a book in one sitting; you can stop after a few pages, or a chapter, and pick up where you left off at another time. Don't try to persuade your child to finish a book he or she doesn't like. Recommend putting the book aside and trying another.

Treat your children to an evening of laughter and entertainment featuring books! Many children (parents, too) regard reading as a serious activity. A joke book, a story told in riddles, or a funny passage read aloud can reveal another side of reading.

Extend your child's positive reading experiences. For example, if your youngster enjoyed a book about dinosaurs, follow up with a visit to a natural history museum.

Excerpted with permission from RIF's Parent Guide Brochure. For more information and reading tips, go to www.rif.org.

PTA Briefs

Unleash Artistic Talents with PTA Reflections^SM
Give your kids another chance to explore the arts; encourage your PTA to host PTA Reflections, a national arts recognition program for students in preschool through high school. Then, get involved. Encourage your child to create works in any of the six arts areas (dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography, or the visual arts) and offer your assistance in promoting and running the program.

The arts help students develop math skills, reading skills, writing skills. They help build social skills, creativity, and self-esteem. By dedicating just a few hours to your local PTA Reflections Program, you are involved in an important aspect of your child's development and help children in your community be better students.

As PTA Reflections celebrates 40 years of achievement in the arts, join communities across the nation in inspiring student works around this year's theme: "Beauty is…" Contact your local PTA to learn how to get involved. For more information about the program, go to PTAreflections.org

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What's New on the PTA Great Idea Bank?

• A new group dedicated to promoting and rewarding school spirit. Join the conversation!
• An active discussion on getting donations from local businesses for PTA events and fundraisers.
• A request for ideas on 9/11 events and volunteer recruitment.

Go to ptagreatideabank.org for more ideas and discussion.

Member Benefits Provider Message

Support Your Local PTA Without Writing a Check

Encourage your PTA Leaders to create a PTA credit card fundraising program that showcases your PTA. Once they do, you can apply for a PTA Visa® powered by Capital One® to contribute 1% of every purchase plus a $25 bonus on your first purchase to help your local, state and National PTA.

Hurry! If your local PTA Leader creates a PTA credit card fundraising program by October 14, 2009, your local PTA will be entered into a drawing to win $1,000, $500 or $250 from OneCause. (See official rules.)

Join OneCause to save money and support your PTA every time you shop at your favorite merchants.

See Official Giveaway Rules and Join OneCause Now at http://www.onecause.com/?ref=PTAParent

OneCause is a National Member Benefits Provider of PTA.

PTA's New PSA Campaign

PTA is proud to announce the launch of the PTA Gateway Public Service Announcement (PSA) Campaign—hitting televisions, radios, and Web pages as children and families head back to school.

In July, the PTA Gateway PSAs were delivered to select markets nationwide, and they're already airing! Soon, your local and state units will be able to send them to additional television and radio stations.

Talk to your PTA about making these PSAs part of your unit's promotional plans for the year. And as individuals in your community see and hear the spots, be prepared to answer questions about your PTA experience and the work PTA does—in your local school community and at the state and national levels.

With your help, we can show families across the country how PTA helps parents enrich their children's learning environments and lives.

Preview the television PSAs—"Homework" and "Swing"—on PTA's YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/nationalpta, and watch www.PTA.org/GatewayPSAs for campaign updates.

PTA Notes

• Want to know all that PTA offers you as a parent and a member? Read the online Back to PTA Handbook, a comprehensive directory of PTA's programs, services and resources.
• Read blog posts from National PTA President Chuck Saylors on the success of School Year's Eve and a tribute to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.
• New PTA Photo Albums: View pictures from PTA's Urban Development Initiative events in Miami and Chicago.
• Listen to Our Children Editor Marilyn Ferdinand and Editorial Manager Randy Craig discuss the new issue on PTA Radio.

100 Ways to Help Your Child and School Succeed

There are many ways that you can help your child succeed! A few small activities each week will pay huge dividends over the course of the year. Here are a few that you can do this week:

• Serve on local community advisory councils and committees. - Participe en consejos y comités de asesoramiento de la comunidad local.
• Work with local authorities and public officials to sponsor or participate in community events. - Trabaje con las autoridades locales y funcionarios públicos para patrocinar o participar en acontecimientos comunitarios.