Kenton Elementary PTA

The Parent-Teacher Association of Kenton Elementary School in Independence, KY

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September 14, 2017

2017 PTA Fall Harvest Festival

Saturday, September 30th from 12-4pm.

Great chance for kids, teachers, and parents to get to know each other and have fun!  There will be over 20 games/activities for all grade levels, hot food, a cake walk, chances to duct tape a teacher to the wall and MORE!  NKU college students will help run the games and give out prizes.

The Fall Harvest is a FUN event for Kenton students, their families, and friends!  We can only make this event happen with your help!  If you are interested in helping us out with any of the festivities, please contact us at ketonpta@gmail.com.

**Drink and Cake Walk donations are needed for the event.  Donations reduce festival costs so more goes straight towards the school/students.  We need:

  • Bottled water (any brand) and Coke* products.  *Kenton County requires us to sell Coke products only.
  • Homemade or store bought goodies are welcomed for the cake walk including: cookies, brownies, cake pops, cakes, and any other sweet treat you can provide.
    • The drink and calk walk donations are accepted at the school office until the day of the Fall Harvest Festival.

There will be games and activities for the kids. Wristbands are $6 for the kids who will play games. The Cake Walk, Duct Tape the Teacher, some games, food, and outside vendors will cost extra.

YES! Jason “The Great” will return and perform his magic beginning @ 3:15pm; it is a show that you do not want to miss!

Jason “The Great” and Lucas

Thank you for your support – it is greatly appreciated! Without your generosity we would not be able to make all of this happen and provide funding for our children’s future!!

September 14, 2017

2017-2018 PTA Membership Drive Contest

A special “Thank You!” to those of you that have already signed up to be a member of your child’s PTA; it is truly a valuable way to be connected and get involved in your child(ren)’s educational experience!

It is not too late to sign-up to be a PTA member – membership is only $5 per person!  Family, friends, and neighbors are welcome to join too!!

Members have a voice in what the PTA does for your child and they support technology, books, and activities in the classrooms!  Your child can also request to sponsor their teacher or another teacher/staff member for $5 each.

For each membership, your family has a chance to win an Amazon Echo Dot (only one is available to win)!!

Please see the membership form for details.

October 6, 2016

Help Your Child Develop Good Study Habits

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As parents we know the evening homework and study drill. Whether we sit with our young students to help them complete their assignments, or monitor our teen’s progress in their studies, we want to help them cultivate the kind of willpower and self-discipline that’s required to build healthy study habits.

But we don’t always know how to do it.

Malcolm Gladwell tells a fascinating story in his book, “David and Goliath.” The story goes that one researcher looks over a crowd of entrepreneurs and asks how many of them had been diagnosed with a learning disorder as students.

Surprisingly, over half of the audience raised their hands—that’s a room full of successful entrepreneurs who had been diagnosed with learning disorders in their youth.

How could this happen?

Gladwell concludes that the obstacles they faced created their incentive to develop skills and strategies to overcome their weaknesses—ultimately launching them ahead of their classmates. They became more successful than their peers, who had no need for self-discipline; they could skate through school with ease.

One of the most fascinating studies I’ve read in the last decade was conducted by University of Pennsylvania researchers, Angela Duckworth and Martin Seligman. Ten years ago they performed a longitudinal study on two groups of adolescents to measure how self-discipline affects student performance.

They discovered that self-discipline accounted for more than twice as much impact as their IQ—in grades, test scores, school selection, school attendance, hours spent doing homework, hours spent watching television (inversely) and the time of day students began doing homework.

These findings illustrate a major reason why students fall short of their intellectual potential: failure to exercise self-discipline. Nowhere is the need for self-discipline more apparent than in study habits.

It’s typical to find students who are loaded with potential, intellectually or athletically, who end up severely under-performing because they lack self-discipline.

So how can you instill great study habits for your kids?

I know of no “magic wand” to build willpower. However, as I’ve worked with many teachers over the decades, I’ve seen positive outcomes through “gamifying” good study habits.

Here are three tips:

1. Create a competition

Years ago, I was teaching college students and we decided to build self-discipline into our routines.

We named one competition: “Do it if you hate it.” We all chose one activity that we absolutely loathed (cleaning our room, taking out the trash, etc.). Then we purposefully did that act daily.

The result? It not only was amusing, but we harnessed our lazy dispositions. The competition becomes even greater if you add incentives for those who improve the most.

Mark my words, if your child is actively practicing self-discipline in one area, it will be easier to practice it in others—like studying—as well.

2. Find a peer to keep you accountable

There is power in emotional support from peers, so we paired up with a “buddy” for accountability.

Every pair was aware of each other’s  responsibilities. While the accountability was friendly, knowing we’d be asked about our habits enabled us to better stick to our standards.

We picked a friend who knew us well—one that could read whether their friend was lying or exaggerating. Accountability produced results.

I have said it before: we all do better when we are watched, and we all do better when we are encouraged. Have you considered how you could set up a buddy system?

3. Stretch your study time

Many people make studying far too labor intensive. Try having your child visualize what they want and then allow their brain to rest.

Remember, our brains work much like a muscle. If you work out consistently, you will build muscle mass. But if you work out too many times a day, you will damage your muscles. We call this practice “reps and rest.”

We must work our willpower, and then rest it with another act. Have your child or teen choose just one study question as they relax with an activity like reading, playing outside or taking a nap. Have them avoid activities that rob the brain of effort like video games, television, or surfing the internet.

Teach your child to recognize they must cultivate the willpower to study—one step at a time. What’s the phrase? “You eat an elephant one bite at a time.”

And help them to celebrate minor victories as they build their discipline of studying. Then . . . watch their grades improve.

Tim Elmore is the founder and president of Growing Leaders, an organization equipping today’s young people to become the leaders of tomorrow.

August 25, 2016

PTA Fall Harvest

Saturday, September 24th from 12-4pm.

Great chance for kids, teachers, and parents to get to know each other and have fun!  There will be over 20 games/activities for all grade levels, hot food, a cake walk, chances to duct tape a teacher to the wall and MORE!  NKU college students will help run the games and give out prizes.

  • The Fall Harvest is a FUN event for Kenton students, their families, and friends!  We can only make this event happen with your help!  Please fill out a PTA volunteer form if you can help, and we will email you closer to the event.
  •  Drink and Cake Walk donations are needed for the event.  Donations reduce festival costs so more goes straight towards the school/students.  We need:
    • Bottled water (any brand) and Coke* products.  *Kenton County requires us to sell Coke products only.
    • Homemade or store bought goodies are welcomed for the cake walk including: cookies, brownies, cake pops, cakes, and any other sweet treat you can provide.
      • The drink and calk walk donations are accepted at the school office until the day of the Fall Harvest Event.
http://www.kentonpta.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/received_10207092719852049.mp4

August 25, 2016

2016-2017 PTA Membership Drive Contest

Sign up to be a PTA member today for only $5!  Family, friends, and neighbors are welcome to join!

Members have a voice in what the PTA does for your child and they support technology, books, and activities in the classrooms!  Your child can also request to sponsor their teacher or another teacher/staff member for $5 each.

For each membership, your student(s) have a chance to win a Kindle Fire and $50 Amazon gift card (only one is available to win)!!

Please see the membership form for details.

October 25, 2015

Schwan’s Cares

Campaign starts MONDAY, November 7th!

Schwan's Cares

Click this image to start your order today!

 

After the 45-day fundraising campaign, we will still earn 5% back on every purchase for the next 90 days.

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