Finish the School Year Strong: A Boost for Student Success
NHA Communications TeamNHA Communications Team
Articles by NHA Communications Team
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The last few months of the school year are just as important as any other but have the added challenge of competing with what follows – summer vacation.
There can be an urge for students to go through the motions and instead count down the days to a much-needed break. Instead of hunkering down as the days dwindle, their mind might wander to the summer ahead that allows them to clear their head, enjoy the shining sun, and temporarily put away the rigors of another school year.
For some teachers, the answer to helping students finish the school year strong when their minds might be elsewhere starts with a well-laid foundation built on clearcut expectations that are established when class begins in the fall.
“Students in my class already know what’s expected of them and what we're doing for the rest of the school year,” said Heriberto De Leon, a fifth-grade teacher at Vista Charter Academy. “If you set those high expectations, it shouldn’t be an issue to finish out the school year.”
NHA® schools give students a rigorous college-prep education and a strong Moral Focus program to help them develop the knowledge, skills, and moral strength they need to succeed in college, work, and life. That includes continually looking ahead, even at the elementary grade level.
“We’re not really looking at second grade anymore, now you’re looking in third grade,” said Caroline Veraldo, a second grade teacher at Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School.
For middle school students, finishing the school year strong is especially important with high school on the horizon. State testing ramps up and has a big impact on college and career prospects, so seventh and eighth graders have plenty of motivation to practice for those tests at the end of the school year.
By personalizing instruction to meet every child’s needs and strengths, educators at NHA schools work together to help students learn to communicate and problem-solve for what lies ahead in each successive year.
“My co-teacher and I stay motivated. I think it rubs off on them, too,” said Nickeisha Grey, a seventh-grade teacher at Brooklyn Dreams Charter School. “It’s hard because once it starts getting hot, everyone gets a little antsy, but you just try to keep them on track and keep them motivated to continue the curriculum as we get to the end.”
There can be an urge for students to go through the motions and instead count down the days to a much-needed break. Instead of hunkering down as the days dwindle, their mind might wander to the summer ahead that allows them to clear their head, enjoy the shining sun, and temporarily put away the rigors of another school year.
For some teachers, the answer to helping students finish the school year strong when their minds might be elsewhere starts with a well-laid foundation built on clearcut expectations that are established when class begins in the fall.
“Students in my class already know what’s expected of them and what we're doing for the rest of the school year,” said Heriberto De Leon, a fifth-grade teacher at Vista Charter Academy. “If you set those high expectations, it shouldn’t be an issue to finish out the school year.”
NHA® schools give students a rigorous college-prep education and a strong Moral Focus program to help them develop the knowledge, skills, and moral strength they need to succeed in college, work, and life. That includes continually looking ahead, even at the elementary grade level.
“We’re not really looking at second grade anymore, now you’re looking in third grade,” said Caroline Veraldo, a second grade teacher at Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School.
For middle school students, finishing the school year strong is especially important with high school on the horizon. State testing ramps up and has a big impact on college and career prospects, so seventh and eighth graders have plenty of motivation to practice for those tests at the end of the school year.
By personalizing instruction to meet every child’s needs and strengths, educators at NHA schools work together to help students learn to communicate and problem-solve for what lies ahead in each successive year.
“My co-teacher and I stay motivated. I think it rubs off on them, too,” said Nickeisha Grey, a seventh-grade teacher at Brooklyn Dreams Charter School. “It’s hard because once it starts getting hot, everyone gets a little antsy, but you just try to keep them on track and keep them motivated to continue the curriculum as we get to the end.”
