Text Box: Chuckey-Doak Middle School Text Box: You can’t make your preteen love middle school, but you can motivate her to do well there. First, though, you need to figure out what doing well means. If your idea of a job well done involves nothing less than straight A’s, you should rethink some things. It’s unwise—and unreasonable—to demand perfection from your preteen, especially during the middle-school years. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect her to do well. It just means that you need to be reasonable. If you’re not sure what “reasonable” looks like, talk to her teachers or guidance counselor. They may be able to offer some insight about her abilities. Beyond that, help your middle schooler stay motivated by modeling motivaText Box: tion yourself. Show her what a motivated person looks like. Talk to her about your own struggles. Let her see you work toward your goals—even if you stumble along the way. “This sales report kept me up for a few nights, but I finally finished it!” Let her share your successes and your failures. To motivate your middle schooler even more: Encourage her. Middle schoolers need love and support from their parents (no matter what they may say). Sometimes, putting your arm around your middle schooler’s shoulder may be all it takes to get her through a rough patch. Use realistic praise. Don’t call your preteen a “genius” just because she Text Box: did so-so on a test. She’ll see right through it. Instead, use more down-to-earth words like “creative” or “hard-working.” Show your preteen that you notice these real qualities in her. Let her make her own choices. Whenever possible, have your preteen make decisions. By giving her the freedom to make her own choices—even if it’s about something as simple as what color shoes to buy—she’ll realize that her input is important. And feeling important is a great motivator. For more information about parenting, visit the Parent Involvement Coordinator’s web site at http://www.greenek12.org/ PARENT/ Text Box: Special points of interest: January 27th—Middle School Basketball Tournament begins at CDHS February 6th—8th grade TCAP Writing Practice Tuesday, February 13th—PTO Meeting 6:30 Thursday, February 15th—Valentine’s Dance Friday, February 16th-Monday, February 19th—Mid-Winter Break February 22—Report Cards Text Box: CDMS Geography Bee Winner Announced Text Box: On January 12th, several students competed in the school level geography bee sponsored by Mrs. Sue King and Mrs. Linda Hensley. Finalists in the competition were Chris Blakley, Alex Keys, and Garrett Ware Text Box: from the eighth grade. Kaylah Hammer, Keith Hillyer, and Kohl Tarlton represented the seventh grade, and Simeon Roberts represented the sixth grade. The competition winners were as follows: Text Box: 1st place—Alex Keys 2nd place—Simeon Roberts 3rd place—Kaylah Hammer Congratulations to all the students who participated.

Local History Book On Sale Now!

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Regional History Day Competition

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Giving Back

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Shining Stars

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Up Close with the Faculty

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Up Close with the Students

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Important Reminders

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Text Box: Look for Meaningful Ways to Motivate Your Preteen Text Box: The Knightly News Text Box: January/February 2007 Text Box: Volume 3, Issue 5