Tip of the Day - Time Management

Break it down!

Do you have an extensive assignment approaching, like your English research paper? Something so large can seem daunting, and you end up putting it off until the last minute. Break it down!

Outline the major due dates - topic, rough draft, bibliography, etc. Set dates for yourself on each part.

Is the required length 10 pages? Write a page a day for 10 days.

Little bits of success are motivating. Big disasters can ruin everything. Need help? Stop by!

Tip of the Day - Self-care/Wellness

Are you getting enough physical activity? Exercise not alone keeps your body functioning at the top of its potential, but assists with stress reduction and can help you sleep. Thirty minutes a day, every day is what is recommended. What are your current levels?

Check out the following resources for more information:

Kids Health
Fitness for Youth

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

Peterson's MyStudentEdge is coming!

This FREE resource will be rolled out to all Perry High School students this fall. It includes:

• FREE ACT and SAT practice tests and test preparation classes
• College searches
• Career searches
• College application help
• Resume building
  
• And much more!

A flyer will be mailed home soon. Watch for it!

Tip of the Day - Study Skills

Flash Cards. Do they work for you? If so, USE THEM! But don't rely only on memorizing a vocabulary word or date. Learn the information in context. For example:

Learning Vocabulary - now you know the definition... learn the word completely by:

• using it in a sentence at least once a day
• find the word in context and define it on the spot
• use the new word in a writing assignment

Learning "Data" (dates, periodic table elements, etc.) - So you can recite what is on the card, but can you:

• Explain why the data is important?
• Identify the information backwards?
  
• Translate it to the larger concept (I know the periodic number of Gold... but what does that mean in relation to silver?)?

Flash cards are simply for learning arithmetic problems. Think of new uses.

Tip of the Day - balancing friends and schoolwork

The grading period interim is here. Are your grades where they should be? where you want them to be? where your parents expect them to be? Many times the first grading period takes some adjusting. New year. New classes. New friends.

Are your friends getting in the way of your academics? Take a step back and see. Am I spending enough time studying? How long am I on My Space or Facebook every night? What are my goals for the future? Do I need to slow down on my social life?

Just because you aren't focusing on being social doesn't mean you can't be social. Form a study group - you get to spend time with friends, but you are also hitting the books.

A Study Group lets you:

• be social
• learn with -and sometimes from - others
• have time to clarify your questions from people who speak your language
• have fun while learning

Need help forming a group? Talk to your teacher or come down to the office and talk to me.

Tip of the Day - Time Management

So now you have several days of data on how you spend every minute of your 24 hours. Now it's time to analyze this time.

Make a second list for each day, this time grouping together like activities. For example, all of your classes should be lumped together - but NOT lunch. Are you in clubs or sports? Those activities should be together.

After you've divided up all of your time into these categories, rank them in order of importance. How do you determine importance? It will be different for everyone. However, be REAL! Do not put "Video Games" before attending school. Ask an adult to help you if you get stuck.

Once your activities are ranked, you should see time that is wasted in your day. Again, ask someone to review this list, because sleeping and eating times are not "wasted" - they are necessary for survival, and I would argue they are the most important items in your day. But if you spend 12 hours sleeping and 4 hours eating, that's another story.

Tip of the Day - Self-care/Wellness

Are you worried about eating correctly? Check out the new government guidelines to ensure you are consuming a balanced diet. You can personalize the site since every person has different nutritional needs based on size, age, and sex. Check it out at www.mypyramid.gov.

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

It's application time!

Seniors should be preparing for their Senior Counselor meeting (schedules will be posted on Monday). We will discuss: college/career plans, testing (ACT, SAT), applications, scholarships, etc. Be prepared for many questions - we want to make sure we're helping you as much as possible.

Sign up for a time ASAP! Schedules will be posted in the Senior Lounge.

Tip of the Day - Study Skills

How do you prepare for a test? Do you wait until the night before and try to cram in all of the information? I admit, I once operated like this. Did I do well on the test? Yes, because I memorized everything. But did I learn the material and completely understand everything? No. I didn't. And it came back to haunt me when I had to apply the knowledge in a new situation. It wasn't until I was in high school that I learned new ways to study that helped me learn rather than memorize. My personal favorite is the note-rewrite.

Every night, read through your notes from class. When I would do this, I would notice that sometimes my thoughts in class were jumbled, and I would write them out again in a more concise fashion. I continued this every night, adding on the the clearer set of notes, and reading that from the beginning every night. When it came to preparing for a test, I found that I was so familiar with the information, and organized in class to ask clarifying questions, that I no longer needed to cram the night before and the material remained with me after the test.

If you think this might help you, stop by and I will show you what to do. At first it added about 5 minutes to my nightly homework session, but soon made things work faster.

Tip of the Day - Helping a Friend

Are you concerned about one of your friends? Would you like help sitting down with them to make sure they are okay? Please remember that your counselor is available to help you with not only your problems, but with concerns you have about the health and safety of your friends. We have helped mediate through rough spots, developed scripts and helped prepared a student confront a friend, and, when necessary, jumped in and taken over a risky situation. If you are unsure of how to help, come see us. We have many resources that we can recommend.

Tip of the Day - Time Management

Are you using your planner and still not getting everything done? still forgetting items? For three days, keep a list of everything you do. Yes, everything! From eating to going to class to riding in the car to sleeping, keep track of how long every item in 72 hours takes you to complete. After you have this three-day record, take some time to look it over and see if you have pockets of time that are not being used wisely. If you need help, stop by and I will gladly look at a day in your life and make some suggestions for increasing your productivity.

Tip of the Day - Self-care/Wellness

Are you getting enough sleep? So many students are yawning as they enter the building in the morning. Sleep is very important for many reasons: concentration, health, healing, etc. Your goal should be 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.

Tips for sleeping well:

Develop a routine for your end-of-the-day tasks.
Go to bed at the same time every night.
Turn off the computer, cell phone, I-Pod, etc.
Wake up at the same time every morning.
Sleep in a dark, quiet room.

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

Do you need some help figuring out a career or college path? See your counselor to learn more about the Ohio Career Information System (OCIS). OCIS is FREE and is open to all students. You can search for careers, college majors, colleges, scholarships, and more!

Log on to: ocis.ode.state.oh.us

User name: PerryL
Password: ohiocis03

After you log in, set up your own account so that you can save and build on your information. Need help? See your counselor or Mrs. Meinen from LEAF.

Tip of the Day - Study Skills

Look at your surroundings when you are studying. Is it loud or quiet? Do you have bright light, or are you squinting in the dark? Do you have all of your supplies? Here are some study environment suggestions:

1. Turn off the TV, radio, computer (unless you're using it to write a report), cell phone, I-Pod, etc. A quiet environment provides fewer distractions.
2. Turn on a light. Go into a room with good overhead lighting (like the kitchen). Proper lighting will make it easier for your to read and prevent eye strain.
3. Collect all of your supplies before you begin. Running around the house every minute or two to find something you need will take away precious time.
4. Don't multi-task! Yes, this is a skill we all need, but if you are studying for a U.S. History test, it won't help you to talk on the phone and watch TV at the same time. Concentrate on learning one thing.
   

Tip of the Day - Meeting New People

The beginning of the school year is a great time to try something new. Join a club or sport that seems interesting, and you'll get more than just volunteer experience or exercise... you'll meet lots of new people and develop new friendships. Common interests join people, and by exploring your own interests outside of the classroom, you may meet people that you never expected to find. If you need some help finding a new club, see your counselor. We'd be happy to help you explore your options.

Here are some links to get you started:

Perry High School Clubs and Organizations
Perry High School Athletics
Perritech

Tip of the Day - Time Management

You know that nifty little red agenda we gave you on the first day of school? Use it! After scrolling through all of the Student Handbook information, there are several different calendars. The first is by month. The second, by week.

Use your monthly calendar to:

• Keep track of evening events, like club meetings, presentations, or sporting events
• List birthdays or anniversaries
• Note days off of school
• List due of dates of large assignments - final exams, research papers, presentations, etc.
  

Use your weekly calendar to:

• Keep track of homework assignments
• Plan out big projects - i.e. write pages 1-3 of English research paper on Monday, pages 4-6 on Tuesday, etc.
• Make a "to do" list for the "others" in life - buy a birthday card, call your grandma, bring in lunch money, etc.

Once you get used to writing things down, you will develop a habit. Keep the lists going on paper so that you do not have to remember them in your head.

Tip of the Day - Stress relief

The biggest concern I hear from students and parents is the level of stress our students experience. I do not see this as a Perry-only occurrence, but instead a phenomena that is growing. To compete in our current world, we have to do so much more than in the past, and many people struggle with the balance that is required.

When stress is taking control of your body, here is a tip that helps many people... BREATHE! When your body experiences stress, many things happen, including increased heart-rate and reduced breathing. Take a moment, close your eyes, and concentrate on breathing. The increased oxygen will help you focus and regain control.