Dear St. Bernard Middle School Parent/Guardian:

Here at SBM, we are working hard each day to help your child master the skills necessary for success at school.  We’d like you to be a part of their success by helping to ensure your eagle internalizes what he or she learned each day.  You can do that with what I call “The Daily Learning Review.”

What is a daily learning review?  A daily learning review is a conversation that reviews the learning from that school day.  A daily learning review is not the same as studying; it’s simply reviewing what was LEARNED in each subject of the day.

Oftentimes, students tend to talk about what they DID in class.  They can easily say they “did some worksheets” or “worked in groups,” but can they tell you what they learned?  When they can, learning will grow exponentially.  The mind is a muscle, and reviewing what was learned strengthens the muscle and deepens the understanding of content.

So begin the conversation with any subject you choose, and ask your eagle what he or she learned in that subject.  It may take a few days to get them to do this more quickly, but you will get in the habit. You may have to look in their school bag or on the LMS page (students can help you with this), but you want to hear things like multiplying fractions, understanding author’s tone, how chemical reactions work, or causes of the Cold War.  You don’t want to hear “groups,” “worksheets,” etc.

AFTER your eagle has remembered what was learned for the day, then he or she should begin homework and get all papers organized.  Even if there is no homework, a daily learning review should happen regularly.  This helps students consolidate their understanding, see the big picture, and retain new learning.  If you want to hear more about this, call or email me anytime.  I’m always willing to talk about the literacy of learning.

HAPPY LEARNING!

Mrs. Angela D. Seibert, Principal