First Day of School for 2013-1014 School Year

The start of the school year   went smoothly for us unlike the couple of years where I was a bit nervous and  uneasy leaving my kids in school on the first day.  I am glad that I am now more relaxed knowing that my kids knows the teachers and their classmates.  I't easier for all of us.  Anyway,  on the first day of school, the kids were allowed to wear non-uniform clothes.  We  set our alarms  at 6 but when hubby and I woke up, the two were already awake.  They were  anxious and excited to go to school and see their friends.  The teachers here give every student a welcome gift with  treats and other supplies in it.

Hubby and I  walked them  down the classrooms.  We brought their school supplies on the registration  day so  they don't have to deal with it on the first day.  They can just sit and  chitchat with their  classmates.  

MY son was a bit nervous on the first day but he got over  it which I am so glad.  Ms. Burrito on the other hand  was very calm, collected and just happy to see her friends.  

My little Filipina is very small compared to  her classmates.  I told her that being small is in her genes.

We were laughing when we looked at this photo because my little man is checking out his classmate.

Here they are in their uniforms.

Sometimes  people think that these two are twins because they are almost the same in size.  Ms. Burrito is just slightly taller than the little mister.  

Essential IT Lessons for Schoolchildren

IT is an important part of the curriculum, but still we find lots of children lagging behind on lots of the essential computer skills we would expect them to understand. The Millennials, as the most recent generation is known, are exposed to computers from  birth, but that doesn’t mean that they are able to perform some of the skills they need to according to the Government and school authorities.

One of the things most children don’t enjoy, but should understand on at least a basic level, is databases. Lots of jobs involve some degree of data entry tasks, so get acquainted with programs like Microsoft Access is a really good way to give them a basic level of understanding. You can get them doing fun activities to test the basic functions, like putting in information about their classmates and ‘searching’ for those with brown eyes or ‘sorting’ alphabetically by surname.

Another important program to get to grips with is a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel. Again, lots of jobs use spreadsheets as a way to keep data organised and to automatically work out things like invoices, so you could combine IT lessons with a little bit of maths to see if you can get them figuring out the SUM function and how to build basic equations in the cells. You could use data from a science experiment in a spreadsheet and see if you can create some graphs.

Word processing is an obvious thing to get to grips with, as they will need to be able to use Microsoft Word and other similar programs throughout their lives. However, IT lessons should be about going beyond the basics and helping them set pages up the way they want, tracking changes on a page and formatting fonts to produce attractive documents for a range of purposes, from formal to fun, so that they can type up their best English work and put it on display.

IT lessons should be all about learning to use a computer in an efficient way, so it’s important that they’re set up for easy use. Some form of document management system will be a good way to get the children used to organizing their folders in a sensible way, and it will allow them to open a range of file types on each of the computers. Teaching good computer practices at this young age will set them up well for their computer future use, so be very clear about the correct way to do everything.

Chad Porter is an IT teacher always looking for new information to bring to the classroom

Back to School Preparation

The school requires every student to  cover and label the books every year.  I bought some book cover  to use for the hardbound books and I use the brown paper to use for the soft covered ones.  

The good thing about buying the  book covers is that they can reuse it every year as long as  it doesn't get tore up.  Ms. Burrito maintained her book covers in great condition so we used it again this year.

The label products that I reviewed from Avery helped me label their book's title and their names on it.

I watched the video on youtube on how to  cover a book without using a tape and I am glad I did as it saved me  from using the Scotch tape I bought.

Helpful Study Hints that Will Help You Score High in Chemistry

In school, there are some subjects that are easy to grasp and some, such as Chemistry, that just seem to befuddle us every time we open the book. Thankfully, taking chemistry tuition regularly can be extremely advantageous for a student and help him really learn different aspects of the subject without any difficulty.

A number of students have already benefited a great deal from following easy tips on how to study Chemistry. This is why tuition Singapore classes are so useful. A good tutor would help you to learn the subject in such a way that you are able to understand and grasp the concepts well. You can start by following good study habits and adhering to your study routine every day.

The first and foremost important tip to follow when you are studying chemistry is to put in practice every single day. Leaving all the studying for one or two nights before a test will simply not help. You need to start early and, as one does with everything else, take it slow and steady.

Highlight the important sections and make the required notes whenever possible: this is a step that will be encouraged by your tutor. While it is good to read everything, there are many topics that have greater importance and learning them thoroughly would help you out at exam time.

Make use of mnemonic devices and short forms of words to make studying easier: as you know, in chemistry, there are a lot of things to memorize and it can all get very confusing. Taking the first letter of elements together and creating a list of words that are familiar to you and easier to remember would help you out a great deal.

Make a time-table: If you try to cram in too much study material all at once, it will not help you in any way. In fact, you are more likely to end up tired and stressed out. Thus, dividing your time well is very important. Assign a certain time slot for different topics so that you can have a thorough learning of each topic.

Read and re-read: When you are reading about a new topic in chemistry, you need to put in some amount of effort in understanding new concepts. Hence, reading the material many times over can be helpful. You can also make notes and list down questions that you might not know the answers to. It is only with a thorough reading of a certain chapter that you would be able to locate areas where you need help.

Solve as many problems as you can: Chemistry is, after all, a subject that deals with a number of chemical formulate. Hence, practicing how to solve these problems can help you score immensely in tests.

Chemistry tutors in Singapore help students by making use of such helpful tips and encouraging them to read and study this subject every day. As long as one follows the right study methods, he will find that learning chemistry is not so difficult to do and he can score high marks in his examinations.

James Liao a.k.a The Educationist of Singapore, a MASTERS scholar from NTU, has been on the forefront of Singapore's education fabric for more than a decade. Through this period he has helped many students improve from F9 to A1 in Chemistry, Physics, A.Maths and E.Maths. As a result, these same students managed to qualify for Junior Colleges and most of them have already graduated from NTU, NUS and SMU.

Butterfly Windchime

Another  thoughtful neighbor of ours is the Fancher's whom my children called Lola and Lolo (Grandma and Grandpa).  They are always there for us, they attend to  all of the kids special  occasion and events.  They gave Ms. Burrito a set of  Friends Bracelet and Butterfly Wind chime

She  painted the  wind chime and  hanged it in our kitchen window.  She  themed it up with our  curtains with butterfly design in it.

My crafty little lady.

Thank you so much Lola Ruth and Lolo Don!

5 Tips to Keeping Kids Safe Online

In today's modern world, technology is all around us and social media has become the hottest mode of communication. Kids are using the Internet for school work, entertainment, and to catch up with their friends. They are at risk of attacks by child pornographers and pedophiles, not to mention cyberbullying from their enemies. Parents need to know important tips about keeping their children safe online. Here are five tips to keep them as secure as possible.

Restrict their time online and monitor them closely

A good starting point is to limit the time children spend on the Internet. They can be given a block of time in the evening when a parent is home to provide close supervision, ensuring children are only going to suitable sites and are not getting in trouble. 

Limit texting

Parents can easily put a limit on their children's texting plans. As the account holder, parents also have full access to texts and can request transcripts in order to see everything that goes out and comes in on the phone. It's possible to block certain numbers. Charges can be pressed if there is any form of harassment or inappropriate content, such as photographs that display nudity. It’s probably a good idea to monitor most of your child’s cell phone usage. It also helps to give them a used or older model cell phone that may not have the most up-to-date Internet browsing capabilities. By limiting your child’s access you’ll have a better chance at keeping them safe when they go online.

Don't allow underage children to have social media accounts

Social media can open up a world of trouble for children and should not be used by children that are not in their teen years. Even teens can be limited. One of the best things a parent can do is have an open door policy in which they inspect their children's social media accounts on a regular basis. There should be no secrets.

Put filters on home computers

There are a variety of companies and software available to put filters on home computers. This will ensure that children cannot go to inappropriate sites. Windows 8, 7, and Windows Vista have parental controls where parents can block inappropriate sites. Parents can purchase great software as well, including WebWatcher, SpyAgent, and IamBigBrother as well. There are also kid-friendly search engines such as yahooligans and Ask Jeeves for Kids that will keep children away from dangerous sites. 

Set clear ground rules

Parents need to be very clear with their children about what is acceptable online. They should also make sure lines of communication stay open. Children should always feel free to tell their parents when there is a problem.

Having open lines of communication will be important throughout your child’s life as they grow into being an adult. Communication is vitally important if your child feels like they are being watched or followed when they interact with folks online. The internet isn’t going to go away and the ease of access for pedophiles is only growing. Help keep our kids safe!

Article provided by the Law Offices of David Michael Cantor of Phoenix, AZ. David and his team focus on Criminal Defense in Arizona.

Hello Kitty Girl

A good family friend of ours sent these Hello Kitty gifts for Ms. Burrito for her birthday.  Hello Kitty is such a  great brand for  little girls doesn't it?  I remember when we were traveling and my daughter  was wearing her HK outfit,  somebody told my daughter "Every  Girl's Best Friend is Hello Kitty."  

The Dias Family really knows how to tickle the soft spot to my daughter's heart.  She love the jewelry box and the  cupcake stand.

 

Thank you so much Tita Demcy, Tito Greg and Akesha for the   wonderful presents.