At North Tampa, we are dedicated to helping students achieve mastery of our core curriculum. We believe that organization is an essential step on their way to success. As the new school year continues, it’s important to remember that we plan and organize in order to discover and enjoy, and by following these suggestions below, you can help your child establish lifelong habits of excellence.
Create a Family Calendar
While digital reminders and push notifications are quickly becoming the norm, nothing can beat an old-fashioned calendar. Work with your child to create a family calendar for major due dates, family events, and extracurricular activities, and color code entries based on the activity or family member. Display it somewhere where everyone can see. Your child can easily plan their study schedule when they know what to expect over the next week or month.
Learn to Use a Planner
Encourage your student to get into the habit of using a planner. Although it can be difficult to commit to writing in a planner, this practice can help your student set goals, track deadlines and assignments, and maintain organization and structure. A planner can also help them learn to purposefully schedule their time. This will make it easier to not only get ahead on assignments, but also to set aside time to study a little bit every day.
Take Good Notes
Even though lecturing and extensive note taking is not a common part of our project-based learning approach, note taking is a valuable skill that all students should be both familiar and comfortable with. Good note-taking practices include:
Before class:
Read or skim the assigned reading.
Review the notes from the last class. Your student should make a note of anything she needs assistance with or has further questions on.
During class:
Headline each day’s notes with the date, topic, and class name.
Suggest that your child numbers each page. This way, when they transfer their notes to flashcards, they can include the page number on the card and easily reference their notes for more information.
Color code accordingly! Assign each class its own color, or switch colors throughout presentations as topics move along. Using color improves recall time for graphs and charts and improves overall performance.
Highlight important words, but keep it to four words per highlighted section.
After class:
If there were any notes that your student missed, suggest that she meet with her teacher to get her questions answered.
Review the notes within the next 24 hours and before the next class.
Write a short summary for each section and then a summary of the notes as a whole.
The Night Before
Preparing for the day ahead the night before helps streamline the morning routine and eases anxiety. Suggest that your child pack their backpack, lunch, and a snack the night before. Packing their backpack is especially important because it ensures that no books or assignments get left at home!
Practice a Balanced Lifestyle
We worship a God who has charged us to work hard and rest well. At North Tampa, we partner with our students as they pursue academic excellence, but we also encourage them to prioritize family time, personal time, and intentional rest.
At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, the faculty, staff, and families work as a team. Our service-oriented approach builds Christian leaders who think deeply, choose wisely, create beauty, and use their dreams to solve problems. Want to learn more about what makes us different? Contact us today.