Ready for Report Card Season?
HOMEWORK CLUB K-12
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Comprehensive School Support
Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday
3:30pm-6:30pm
The K-12 Homework Club prepares students for report card season by offering activities that enhance organizational skills, such as checking planners and cleaning out backpacks. It focuses on homework completion, project work, and test preparation, while helping students master study skills and build confidence. The program improves executive functioning by prioritizing tasks, managing time effectively, planning, and organizing. Students engage in academic enrichment tasks and fun activities to boost test-taking abilities, writing composition, critical thinking, and presentation skills. Additionally, the club promotes accountability, leadership, self-advocacy, social skills, and communication.
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Navigating Smartphones
Essential Tips for Parents
In today's digital world, smartphones are a big part of our children's lives. While these phones offer many benefits, it's important to guide children on how to responsibly use Smartphone technology.
Here are some key tips from BriteMinds:
1 Set Clear Boundaries
- Screen Time Limits: Decide how much daily screen time is appropriate.
- Usage Rules: Establish when and where phones can be used, like no devices during meals.
2 Open Communication
- Encourage your child to talk about their online experiences.
- Be approachable vs. punitive, so children feel comfortable discussing concerns.
3 Teach Online Safety
- Privacy Settings: Show your children how to protect personal information.
- Stranger Awareness: Discuss the risks of interacting with unknown people online.
4 Use Parental Controls
- Utilize features to monitor and limit credit card use, content access, and app downloads.
- Regularly review these settings as your child matures.
5 Lead by Example
- Model responsible smartphone use.
- Limit your own screen time to set a positive example.
6 Stay Informed
- Keep up with new apps and digital trends.
- Understand the platforms your child is using.
7 Discuss Cyberbullying
- Explore what cyberbullying is and how to effectively handle it.
- Encourage children to speak up if they experience or witness bullying.
8 Promote Balance
- Encourage activities beyond screens, like sports or hobbies.
- Plan device-free family time.
9 Foster Critical Thinking
- Teach your children to question online content.
- Discuss how to verify information sources.
10 Prepare for Mistakes
- Use errors as learning opportunities.
- Support children in problem-solving issues they encounter.
BriteMinds promotes embracing technology, while encouraging students to critically assess their usage and habits, fostering healthy skepticism and critical thinking.
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Building Brains with Stories: The Impact of Narrative on Developing Minds
Children are natural storytellers, often without even realizing it. Their stories provide adults a glimpse into a world with fewer biases, revealing children’s perceptions of themselves and others. As they develop their identities, children experiment with various roles, much like trying on costumes, helping shape their language, understanding, and storytelling skills. They may create original stories or reenact familiar tales, such as fairy tales or family stories. This process, imagining and shifting into roles, not only enhances their comprehension and vocabulary, but also enriches their sense of identity and creativity, making them a valuable source of unfiltered narratives and insights.
How might your child imagine the stories behind ancient cave paintings?
Chauvet Cave the discovery of 36,000-year-old art » Ancient Art Archive
At BriteMinds, we help children explore historical stories, encouraging them to integrate themselves into these narratives and understand their place within the broader world, fostering both language skills and self-awareness.
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Welcoming Generation Alpha
Generation Alpha, following Millennials and Generation Z, is influenced by rapid technological advancements, societal shifts, and global challenges, continuing evolving trends of digital connectedness and social change.
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| Generation
Time Period
Influencers | Main Characteristics | | Generation Alpha
2010-Present
Influenced by digital culture
(YouTubers, Tik-Tokers) Ryan Kaji, Children of celebrities on social media | Tech-native, born into a fully digital world; highly tech-savvy; accustomed to AI and automation; value creativity and innovation; influenced by social media personalities. | | Generation Z
1997-2009
Greta Thunberg,
Billie Eilish, Emma Chamberlain, Zendaya Coleman, Lil Nas X | Grew up during the Great Recession
likely had access to the Internet by adolescence; digital natives; socially conscious; value diversity and inclusivity; entrepreneurial mindset; mental health awareness; active on social media platforms. | | Millennials Gen Y
1981–1996
Mark Zuckerberg, Beyoncé, Serena Williams, Malala Yousafzai, Elon Musk | Remember pre and post 9/11 childhood. Experienced large parts of childhood with and without Internet use;
tech-savvy; value experiences over possessions; collaborative; diverse; focused on social media and connectivity; environmentally conscious; adaptable to rapid technological changes. | | Generation X
1965–1980
Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jordan, J.K. Rowling | Likely impacted by living through the AIDS epidemic; saw the fall of the Berlin Wall; independent, adaptable, skeptical of authority, work-life balance, tech-savvy beginnings, experienced the rise of personal computing and the Internet; resourceful and pragmatic. | | Baby Boomers
1946–1964
Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, Hillary Clinton, Elton John | Grew up in the wake of WWII;
likely had a strong stance on the Vietnam War; optimistic, ambitious, focused on self-fulfillment, value hard work and achievement; believe in the "American Dream;" experienced post-war prosperity and social change; competitive and goal oriented. | | Silent Generation
1928–1945
Queen Elizabeth II, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Rosa Parks | Values stability and traditions; prefers conformity, discipline, hardwork, and loyalty; experienced the Great Depression and WWII; civic-minded; respect for authority and institutions. | | |
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Recognizing that each generation is uniquely shaped by shared experiences, BriteMinds tailors lesson plans to emphasize and integrate valuable lessons from each generation, ensuring education is relevant, impactful, and resonates with all learners.
Check out our previous newsletters for activities and other inspiring stories.
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BriteMinds Tutor Misa Teaches in Japan (Part II)
On What We Can Learn from Each Other:
"I feel that American schools provide students with many opportunities to express themselves. The Japanese education style, especially the traditional one, is more teacher-centered, with students in a more passive role.
Another lesson that Japanese students, schools, and even society can learn from America is to embrace diversity. Japanese society is beginning to have these challenging conversations, but schools still have a long road ahead.
I believe Japanese students, and Japanese culture, in general, excel when it comes to manners. At the start and end of class, we have a routine greeting that helps students switch to 'learning mode,' while showing respect to teachers and peers. That acknowledgment feels wonderful. I also appreciate that students clean the schools themselves every single day.
Another thing I appreciate in Japanese education is the emphasis on neat penmanship.”
At BriteMinds, we believe in incorporating strategies from all over the world to give students a balanced and cultured education. Thanks, Tutor Misa!
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Student Story
The Enchanted Lamp
At Thanksgiving, Grandpa Randy found an old, dusty lamp in the attic. During dinner, he showed it to his grandchildren, who rubbed it, hoping for a genie. Instead, the lamp softly glowed, enchanting the room. Each flicker revealed snippets of Grandpa's childhood Thanksgivings, with laughter and games he played as child echoed around the room. The children watched, wide-eyed, as magical scenes danced on the walls, sharing a timeless bond. They listened eagerly to Grandpa’s tales, feeling the warmth of many generations. This Thanksgiving was truly magical, bridging past and future. As the night ended, Grandpa put away the lamp, leaving behind memories of a truly enchanted Thanksgiving.
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