HillsideCounselor's Corner

1. We never have any homework. Middle School students have some kind of homework every night. We encourage parents to check your child’s agenda book to see if it has been completed. Do you have a designated time and place for your child to do their homework? Be sure when the homework is complete, your child puts everything in their bookbag and prepares the night before for the next day as mornings are usually too hectic. Most teams have a homework hotline address that can be accessed by the parents to see if, in fact, there is any homework.

2. I don’t have any make-up work because we never do anything in school anyway. Every day your child is in middle school is another day they are learning. Encourage your child to attend school every day and to take responsibility for their make up work. Teachers are available throughout the day to assist your child. Hillside Middle School has an absence call in phone line. The office will gladly request missing classwork and homework for your child from the teachers.

3. My teacher hates me. He won’t help me. She never teaches us anything. One of the benefits of the house program here at Hillside Middle School is the fact that teachers are able to teach until the child has learned. If your child does not understand a particular concept, their teachers are available throughout the day, as well as before and after to school to provide Academic Assistance. Please remember to contact your child’s teacher first with any concerns or questions you may have.

4. I can’t find it. One of the biggest challenges of surviving middle school is to keep your child organized both at home and at school. The teachers have a wide variety of techniques that have been proven effective for helping young people stay on top of their school work. Be sure to check your child’s bookbag on a daily basis. Color coding books, notebooks, and folders can be a time saving measure that will give your child more confidence by not have to worry about the "Small Stuff".

5. I didn’t have time to do my homework. Homework is called homework for a reason. If your child does not have time to complete their homework after school, perhaps some time management skills could be explored. Do you have a specific time your child is to do their homework? Are activities after school too time consuming, leaving your child too tired to complete their homework. Talk to your child about setting priorities about school.

6. School is just a waste of time – we never learn anything. Communicate with your child how important their education is to you – ask them to think until they come up with one thing they learned in school every day. Contact your child’s teacher and or counselor to inquire if they really are not learning anything.

7. They did away with report cards because they don’t have enough money to print them. They stopped doing Progress Reports last year. This system doesn’t give out report cards unless you are failing. The Parma City School District sends out Progress Reports at the half way point of every quarter and Report Cards at the end of each and every quarter. If your child has been in school for more than 6 weeks and you have not received a progress report, please contact the office at Hillside Middle School. A change of name or mailing address may have prevented your report from getting delivered. Duplicate reports are always available upon request.

8. "ZZZZZ" "ZZZZZ" "ZZZZZ" If your child is always tired, watch their patterns after school. Are they staying up late watching TV or on their computers? Adolescents need more sleep than they realize. Talk with your child about appropriate activities before bedtime, set a bedtime curfew and stick to it.

9. I don’t care. I don’t feel like it. It’s too hard. Serious comments such as these may signify some kind of problem. Not sure what are the signs you should be looking for in your child? Contact Hillside’s guidance counselor. When something is going on with your child, succeeding in school is not a priority for them.

10. Middle school work doesn’t mean anything. I will start working in high school. If your child does not acquire the skills learned in Middle School, succeeding in high school will be even more difficult.