Archive for the ‘PTChat/EdChat’ Category

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Spring Break Survival Tips

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Spring Break has just ended for many or is around the corner. Children may also have some time off for Easter, then comes summer vacation. Many parents struggle with making their child’s breaks from schools meaningful and safe. Many parents do not have the luxury of taking work off that week and this can be a time of worrying for these parents. During this past Wednesday’s #PTCHAT (Parent Teacher Chat) educators, administrators, and parents gathered to discuss ways to survive Spring Break. Even if you missed our recent Spring Break edition of #PTCHAT, you will still be able to use the fantastic tips provided to us by our star panelists, Mary J Davis (@marybabysteps) and Rajean Blomquist (@Rajean). Mary Davis is a wife and mom to 3, a freelance writer, and a blogger for Everydaybabysteps.com, Adventuresinfreelancing.com, and Nevertoolateforcollege.com. Rajean Blomquist describes herself as a seasoned and saucy PR pro and mama to four.

Image from Wordle.net

Parentella: We are talking about surviving Spring Break with @marybabysteps and @Rajean! For us, watching movies, going out for walks, the science center, and IMAX movies are a huge hit.
MaryBabySteps: @rajean I’m so not ready for my kids’ spring/easter break. It’s hard with their different ages.
LiteracyNetwork: Teachers often say students lose skills during breaks so it is great to keep up…but in fun ways
kyteacher: 7 more school days until Spring Break…not that I’m counting.
cybraryman1: Children’s Museum in Atlanta is outstanding. Great (more…)

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Posted in PTChat/EdChat, Parent teacher communication, Shelly Terrell | 1 Comment »

Should We Still Have Bake Sales in Schools?

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

This month as we celebrate National Nutrition month we should think about nutrition in our schools. In order to raise money, many schools and clubs sale unhealthy snacks like brownies, cookies, pizza, and candy. Sweets and other goodies are fine in moderation but these are sold so often that if a child does not practice self-control these could lead to childhood obesity. In light of this, the Child Nutrition Act has made changes regulating the food sold at schools in the lunchroom, vending machines, and fundraisers.

During this past Wednesday’s #PTCHAT (Parent Teacher Chat) educators, administrators, and parents gathered to discuss healthy alternatives to bake sales.

Image from Wordle.net

Parentella: We will start by offering our prayers and thoughts to those in Japan. Our topic is Bake sales in schools. Should we have them? What are your thoughts on the regulation change? Also, learn by state rules for these bake sales.
shop4schools: Fundraising is SO important but sometimes I don’t think we take advantage of the easy tools we have to raise $$.
patriciasmeyers: I miss the sweet snacks in my school but I should be a good example for our students
AyaAcademy: an iTunes download (more…)

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Posted in PTChat/EdChat, Shelly Terrell, extracurricular activities | 8 Comments »

What Do Children Learn By Joining the Girl and Boy Scouts?

Friday, March 11th, 2011

In 2011, the Scouts had over 41 million participants from 216 countries. The Scouts have been active since 1908. Not surprisingly, many notable people were part of the scouts including Neil Armstrong, Steven Spielberg, Gerald Ford, Lucile Ball, and Mariah Carey. The Scouts are a popular organization and famous for their delicious cookies. However, does participation in the Scouts spell out a recipe for success for our children?

During this past Wednesday’s #PTCHAT (Parent Teacher Chat) educators, administrators, and parents gathered to share their experiences with the Girl and Boy’s Scouts.

Image from Wordle.net

Parentella: Over twenty of NASA’s career astronauts were former Girl Scouts. The first American woman to spacewalk was a former Girl Scout. Were you a scout growing up? (or are your kids?)
Campus Bound: I was college admissions officer for 25 years & scouts were always best applicants
tjhouston:On my honor: Wikipedia article for the scout promise from all over the world http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Promise
soapdivine: it was a way to socialize with peers outside of school, learn character traits, skills, responsibility, compassion.
cybraryman1: Boy Scouts taught me many skills and prepared me to face a lot of challenges
padgets: well I think scouting should be an experience every kid should have
neocharles: Even though I haven’t been to a thing since I got my Eagle, I still live by this and the Scout Law daily
justicefergie: scouts are important b/c it teaches kids (more…)

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Posted in PTChat/EdChat, Shelly Terrell, extracurricular activities | 6 Comments »

The Changing Roles of Dads

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Households and families look much different than they did 50 years ago. Many households consist of two working parents and in some cases the father stays home while the wife works. How has this dynamic impacted children and society?

This past Wednesday’s #PTCHAT (Parent Teacher Chat) focused on the changing role of dads. This was one of our most active and lively chats featuring these incredible dads as panelists, @Benspark@dadarocks @dadstreet @whithonea @buckdaddy and @ryflinn. These fathers who are active on social media and also blog brought a nice perspective and insight to the conversation.

Image from Wordle.net

Parentella: Dads as panelists providing perspective about the changing role of dads. So the first question: Do you think a father’s role is changing?
cybraryman1: “Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad”
ryflinn: My blog about my role as a dad http://wp.me/p1odDr-n. The role of a father has always been a (more…)

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Posted in PTChat/EdChat, Parent Perspectives, Shelly Terrell | 6 Comments »

#PTChat Topics for March

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

Here are the topics coming up for #PTChat this month.

3/9/11: Do organizations like the Girl & Boy Scouts have a positive effect on children?

3/16/11: National nutrition month – Bake sales & Candy Sales fundraisers under attack

3/23/11: Spring Break Survival Tips

3/30/11: Test Prep Tips

If you’d like to be a panelist for the #PTChat, leave a comment here with your Twitter handle and we will be touch. Be sure to follow us to make sure we can send you a direct message.

What it means to be a panelist:

You are an expert on the topic and you love to talk to people. Having an opinion is okay too! Our goal is to increase conversations. You will be sent questions/main topic points ahead of time . You may choose to tweet about the chat ahead of time (suggested not required) and join the fun.

The chat starts at 9 p.m. EST on Wednesdays. Be there!

Posted in Aparna Vashisht, PTChat/EdChat | 5 Comments »

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