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PTA Take Your Family to School Week
Next month, families of kindergarteners through high schoolers will have a special opportunity to talk to their children's teachers and principals, see what their children are learning, and have fun with other families. February 8-14 is PTA Take Your Family to School Week.
Find out what events yourschool has planned, put them on your family calendar, and plan to attend! Consider helping out in planning or hosting, as you are able.
If your school isn't already planning an event, it's not too late to get started! Learn more at www.pta.org/familytoschool. |
No more excuses — parental control software helps parents supervise their children's computer usage, even when the parents are away from the computer, and the software is becoming simpler to use, according to TheOnlineMom.com.
Nearly everyone knows of a friend or neighbor's child that stumbled across an inappropriate website or accidentally deleted important files. How can you make sure this doesn't happen in your house? It's easy... and getting easier, according to TheOnlineMom.com. And it's even more important in this post-holiday season with new laptops and desktops received as gifts. Use this primer to learn about parental controls.
What are parental controls?
Parental control software allows parents to:
- Manage time spent on the Internet or on the computer
- Limit what their children are allowed to see and read online
- Select which computer programs children can use
- Monitor and log all Internet activity
Managing computer time
For all children, managing time spent at the computer is as important as monitoring the amount of time spent watching TV. Like the TV, computer use should not be an automatic right; rather it should be a privilege earned by good behavior and respect for the rules of engagement.
Most parental control software allows scheduling of times when the computer, and by extension the Internet, is and isn't available to your children.
Filters and blocking software
When it comes to controlling what children are allowed to see and read, most security suites will typically offer to block websites matching specific categories such as pornography, violence, drugs, or chat. Some blocking software will refer to its own database of matching sites, which is constantly updated for new additions, and others will analyze page content in much the same way that search engines do.
Protect files and turn off applications
All parental control software programs will also allow parents to "turn off" applications that are normally available to older users. Typically these would be e-mail services but could also include financial applications, games, movies, or other entertainment programs available off the desktop or elsewhere.
To spy or not too spy?
Finally, there is the "spyware" side of parental controls. This can be a useful tool if you want to monitor how adventurous your children might be getting with their Internet searches. Typically, these monitoring features will log every attempt to visit a banned website or simply record every website visited, good or bad. They can even send notifications real-time, so you can be at work and see which sites your children are attempting to visit.
This abridged article is reproduced from a two-part series on parental controls originally published on TheOnlineMom.com, a website offering tech information and advice to parents. Both articles can be found in full at TheOnlineMom.com.
The value of kids' use of online social networks can be debated, but what is indisputable is that kids are using them to socialize and form relationships. Authors Charlene C. Giannetti and Margaret Sagarese offer these tips for encouraging openness and proper use of technology:
- Consider your child's age when buying a device. Does a 10-year-old really need a camera phone? Can you be sure your 11-year-old won't misuse that camcorder? If you decide to go ahead and buy, remember that these devices don't come with proper-use manuals. That message must come from you.
- Focus on the behavior, not the technology. The technology may have changed, but kindness and decency should still be at the top of everyone's list. If your son is going to break up with a girl, he shouldn't send her an e-mail to do so.
- Talk about public versus private. A young girl may think it's okay to pour out her innermost thoughts on a public website. Point out how that information may be used against her to fuel rumors.
- Learn how your child is furthering romance on the Internet. Mention this article; then ask, "How are kids in your school using the Internet?"
- Talk about romance and relationships. Kids may have a lot to teach parents about new technology, but parents have more to teach their children about relationships and romance — on and off the electronic highway. If parents neglect to talk about the excitement and beauty of love, adolescents will get that information from peers, the media, and, yes, the Internet.
For the full article, go to the Child Safety section of PTA.org.
Q: Beyond encouraging my child to sound out words, how can I help him learn to read?
A: You can use a variety of exercises to help children "decode" words, according to licensed reading specialist Jenny Rich. Learn her strategy in an online Our Children article found exclusively on PTA.org.
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Sponsor Message
 The AXA Foundation, a Proud National Sponsor of PTA, offers a signature program, AXA Achievementsm, which provides resources that help make college possible: access and advice.
Access: more than $1.3 million a year in scholarships
Advice: a comprehensive resource for information to help students and parents plan for college.
Currently underway: AXA Achievementsm Community Scholarship
- More than 300 scholarships of $2,000 to students across the nation
- Application deadline is February 15, 2009.
Encourage graduating high school seniors to apply. More information and downloadable applications are available at http://www.axa-achievement.com/.
The AXA Foundation is also the exclusive awards sponsor of PTA Take Your Family to School Week. As part of the many programs being offered in schools to engage parents during PTA Take Your Family to School Week, AXA can provide free workshops on topics such as planning for college and other financial issues facing families. Visit the AXA website designed exclusively for PTA members, www.axa-achievement.com/PTA, to learn about the workshops that are available, and speak with your local PTA leadership about having a workshop presented in your school. |
There are many ways that you can help your child succeed! A few small activities each week will pay huge dividends over the course of the year. Here are a few that you can do this week:
- Work with others to establish a parent resource center at the school.
Trabaje con otras personas a fin de montar un centro de recursos para padres en la escuela.
- Help create a school toy/book lending library and visit it regularly.
Contribuya con la creación de una biblioteca de libros o juguetes, y visítela con frecuencia.
Note: Links to outside sources may require user registration.
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