Julie Lythcott-Haims, former assistant dean of student affairs at Stanford Law School, has authored a book, How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success. The book was released in early June. Last week, it ranked fifth and eighth respectively on The New York Times monthly best-seller list in the categories of Education and Family and Relationships. It has been reprinted six times. She recently spoke at Houston High School. The free lecture was presented by the Germantown Education Commission, Germantown Municipal Council of PTA and the Germantown Education Foundation. Read an article about her lecture and see a video here. The 2015-16 Parent-Student Handbook for the upper school is online only. No paper copy has been sent home. You may see the handbook by going to the Harding website hardinglions.org, then under "Academics" (at the top), choose "Upper School," and then the handbook. Or you may click here. After fall break, classes resume on MONDAY, October 12.
Please do not ask to extend your student's break by an extra day. We have much to do! The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) will be given to all Harding Academy juniors and sophomores on the morning of October 14 (the Wednesday following fall break). For juniors, this is the qualifying test which determines National Merit recognition. For sophomores, it is a practice for the next year's experience. The SAT suite of tests (PSAT is among them) has been redesigned, and this is the first administration of the new version. What can students do to prepare for PSAT? The College Board has partnered with Khan Academy to provide free personalized prep materials for students to use. Go to this site to see what is available: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat Why do students take the PSAT? It is preparation for the SAT. Historically, students who take the PSAT/NMSQT score higher on average on the SAT than those who do not. Also, qualifying for National Merit consideration can translate into scholarship dollars. This is my philosophy about My Big Campus--
Mr. Steve Douglas and Mr. Hank Sampson, representatives from Graduate Services and Herff-Jones, will be on campus to present class ring offerings to the junior class the week of homecoming. Here is the schedule for events involved in class ring orders: Tuesday, September 29 Ring presentation to junior class (9:35-10:15, auditorium) Wednesday, September 30 Parents may view ring offerings, talk with reps, and even go ahead and place orders (2:30-5:00, foyer) Monday, October 12 Ring orders will be taken at lunchtime (11:35-12:05, foyer) By Michael Bonesteel, Washington Post "A new study entitled "Sports and Health in America," conducted by National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health — found that 26 percent of parents of high school athletes hope their kids go on to play professional sports. "In other news, 26 percent of parents of high school athletes are delusional, because the odds that their kids go on to the professional ranks are absurdly low." In a recent meeting at Harding Academy, 78 students in grades 9-12 indicated an intention to play college sports. That is 20% of ALL Harding students (not just those playing sports). And 21 of those students said they might play two college sports. NCAA reports that about 5.75% of high school athletes will play beyond high school. In the Class of 2015, 4 Harding students signed to play college sports." |
Mrs. SemoreHead of Upper School Archives
May 2016
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