For Parents
Welcome to our course site! I hope that it is an informative and helpful resource for both you and your student as they begin their studies in advanced biology. I would like to share some information about how our class is structured to ensure that your student has as many opportunities as possible to learn and master the course content. Please select one of the links below to learn more about the structure of our AP Biology class.
Parents as Educators
You are your child's first and most important teacher, and even though your student is a high schooler on the brink of adulthood, your expertise as teacher at home is still needed. To help your student achieve their maximum success in AP Biology, your support and guidance at home is critical. Below are some tips that I share with parents each year that have aided my students in the past.
I hope that your student's experience in my class is a positive one!
Parents as Educators
You are your child's first and most important teacher, and even though your student is a high schooler on the brink of adulthood, your expertise as teacher at home is still needed. To help your student achieve their maximum success in AP Biology, your support and guidance at home is critical. Below are some tips that I share with parents each year that have aided my students in the past.
- Ask your student what they learned in class today. Starting a conversation about what they learned in class is often the best indicator of what's going on at school!
- Encourage your student to study and keep up with the reading.
- Encourage your student to attend tutorials if you see that they are struggling with a concept or assignment.
- Monitor your student's grades on assignments by checking Skyward. Be sure that the email address registered with the system is current so that you can receive notifications regarding your student's grades.
- Encourage your student to keep track of their grades in Skyward.
- Encourage your student to communicate with their teacher about grades, tutorials or questions they have about class materials or course content. This will help them learn to advocate for themselves, especially when they are having to do this with a college professor!
- Open a line of communication with your student and with your student's teacher. The best (and preferred) way to reach me is via email, as I check it frequently during the school day and can get you a rapid reply.
- Encourage your student to get an adequate amount of sleep each night...this is crucial to their success not just in this class but in ALL their classes! A well-rested student is a happier, better prepared student!
- Encourage your student to form study groups with other kids in their class.
- Provide your student an environment conducive to study at home.
- Ensure your student attends class each day. Good attendance is critical to academic success.
- Encourage your student to come in and complete makeup work in a timely manner when they are absent.
- Make sure your student has this site bookmarked so they have ready access to it while studying.
I hope that your student's experience in my class is a positive one!