Hello,
I hope that you have had a smooth transition into the new school year. Hopefully the homework routine, as well as the morning and nighttime routines, have been established.
One of the most important events of the school year, Back-to-School Night, is quickly approaching. This is when your child's teacher explains her goals for the class. She shares information about her teaching style and methodology, how she grades, and the requirements for a good grade, as well as upcoming projects. This is valuable information that helps to set the tone for the rest of the year. Listed below is the important information that you should take from the night:
- An overview of the school day
- Knowledge of what the classroom looks like
- What it's like to sit in your child's seat
- The homework policy
- How to contact the teacher
This is not the time to talk to one-on-one with the teacher or ask specific questions about your child. Save those conversations for another time; tonight, focus on experiencing your child's daily routine.
Continue reading to learn questions that you can ask the teacher at Back-to-School Night.
Best Regards,
Betty Bodenweiser
SAT, ACT and SSAT Schedules
Ask the right questions at Back-to-School Night to help your children get the most out of their school year.
- What is the policy on late work and make-up work? How does it affect the student's grade?
- How do I teach my child to complete homework independently?
- How can I check on my son's or daughter's progress in school? Should I call or email the teacher?
- How do I know what the homework is? Is there an online homework calendar?
- May I volunteer in the classroom?
Your child studies many skills in school: how to read, write, speak in front of others, and much more. But there is one skill that usually is not taught in school, and that is the most important skill of all: how to study.
Here are 11 illustrated tips for elementary and secondary-level students that serve as a good outline for mastering study skills:

1. Plan your days. Time management is a valuable life skill. Planner books can help. Mapping out all major school deadlines, due dates, and events as well as family and personal activities in one place helps kids visualize their week, manage their time, and stay on track.

2. Bring order to your world. Organize your materials. Keeping notes, projects, and books in logical order helps children find what they need, right when they need it. Decrease hunting for materials time and increase actual study time.

3. Break up projects. Divide large projects into more bite-sized pieces. Review concepts one at a time.

4. Take good notes. Learning how to think by writing and taking good notes is a skill that will last a lifetime. Search for main ideas. Draw arrows to connect ideas. Add a star for the important concepts. Learn to write quickly and legibly.

5. Repeat repeat repeat. Slow and steady wins the race, and this is the best way to study. Review your class notes and materials daily at home.

6. Learn with others. Studying with friends in small groups outside of school can make work seem like play and turn tedium into accomplishment.

7. Harp on it. Be dogged and determined and follow through with action. Getting work done consistently and with care and on time is one of the best ways to achieve success in school and later in life as well.

8. Zone out and focus in. Concentrating is so important. Don't let distraction get in the way, keep cell phones in pockets, and watch out for chatty classmates.

9. Listen hard, ask questions. Students can get tripped up by sneaky test instructions or tricky homework. Prompt your kids to listen carefully and to be bold about asking questions if they don’t understand an assignment or test directions.

10. Work hard, play hard. There is a time for all things, including fun. Reward your kids with a fun family activity, a favorite snack, a board game, or a sing-along. Let them know you see the effort they are making. Cheer them on with words of encouragement and don't forget to laugh and be light of heart. It all helps.

11. Finally, know that help is close at hand. If preparing for tests is a tough ordeal and your child is losing confidence, a lack of study skills could be at fault. Luckily, there are places to go for help. For example, here at Foundation for Learning we have a great record of helping kids improve study skills.
On the very strange planet of Tri-Gravito the Yellowers, Reddians and Blueys live on three different planes of gravity. Each group's floor is the next group's wall. It is very confusing and even dangerous for everyone. An emergency plan has been proposed that all residents should wear brightly colored yellow, red or blue outfits in order to avoid severe injury. As you can see here, only the leader from each group is wearing the colored safety uniforms. The entire population of 15 people is visible in the picture.
QUESTION:
How many more of each color uniform (yellow, red and blue) are needed?

This intriguing work of art, minus the colors, is "Relativity" from 1953, by M.C. Escher. More works by Escher may be found here.
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LAST ISSUE'S PUZZLER: Mona Lisa Mischief, with ANSWER
The mischievous criminal known as Dr. Phi has struck again! Last night at midnight, the geometry-obsessed prankster was seen breaking into the Louvre Museum in Paris, France and stealing Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting. Based on the evidence, police authorities are worried that Dr. Phi has sliced up the priceless work into odd-shaped bits and pieces. It is up to you, students of the world, to unravel the mystery. Dr. Phi left behind a ransom note and the strange image seen below. The note reads:
"Tell me the name of the rectangles shown
And unharmed I'll return it—we'll just call it a loan!
BWAH HA HA HA!!! - Dr. Phi."
QUESTION: What is Dr. Phi talking about? Fill in the blank below:
This image shows many examples of a _______________ rectangle.

ANSWER: Golden rectangle.

EXPLANATION: The Greeks discovered a proportion they named the golden ratio. When this ratio is used to form a rectangle, it is called a golden rectangle. The Greeks considered the golden ratio and golden rectangles to be beautiful and used them extensively in their architecture. In fact the golden ratio proportion is found throughout the natural world and even in human hands and faces and eyes!.
You can learn more here about golden rectangles and how they relate to the Mona Lisa.
