Dear Parents and Guardians:

 

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year and to the “new” Leicester School District website. Throughout the summer, we have made significant changes to the website with the goal of providing relevant and timely information about the District and our schools. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with our website’s homepage as well as the links for the individual schools.  These sites will be a helpful resource for pertinent school and district information.

 

In addition to renovating our website, we have been busy preparing for the upcoming school year. I am pleased to welcome Emily Soltysik as the new principal of Memorial School and Kathy Pelley as the Principal of Primary School. I am also pleased to welcome Melissa Provost as Assistant Principal for Memorial and Primary Schools and Tracey Hippert as the new Assistant Principal at Leicester Middle School.

 

On behalf of the Leicester School Committee, the administrative team, professional  and support staff, I welcome you to join us as partners in helping your children reach their educational potential.  If we can be of assistance to you throughout the year, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Sincerely,

 

Paul K. Soojian

Superintendent of Schools

Doing well in school is important whether you are in elementary school, middle school or high school.   Knowing how to effectively study will increase your chances of reaching the highest standard of achievement you are capable of. 

These tips should be adjusted to accommodate the age of the student, but they are sound advice for all students.

·     Study every day, even when your teacher hasn't assigned homework. You can still review concepts you learned in class, practice spelling and vocabulary or read books to improve your comprehension skills.

·     Keep an assignment book to write down class assignments and when they are due. In order for you to study effectively you need to know what your assignments are, when they are due and what is required for them. Make a habit of taking out your assignment book at the beginning of each class period. Check the book every day before leaving school to make sure you have everything you will need in order to ensure you can complete all assignments due the next day.

·     Decide what items are the most important to complete first. These items should be the harder or longer ones. Prioritizing these items ensures that they are completed and that you don't run out of time to finish them.

·     Plan ahead. Start working on projects as soon as you get the assignment. If you have a few weeks to complete the assignment, break it down into small manageable pieces that will be completed at least two days in advance. If you have a few days, make sure you have completed the assignment one full day before it is due. Do your best not to put off an assignment until the night before or the day it is due. Doing this will add stress to your life and the quality of your work will suffer.

·     Schedule your study time for the entire week. This includes the weekends. Do not deviate from this schedule. If you have scheduled one hour for math and you do not have math homework, use this time to review concepts that you have difficulty with. When you stick to your schedule you will get everything completed.

·     Focus on one assignment at a time and concentrate all your efforts this assignment for a set amount of time. Turn off your phone and tell your friends that you will meet them after you have completed your assignment. Do not allow yourself to check your email or on-line social network. You will find that as you focus your efforts on one project at a time that you get more done. You will also find that your work quality will improve.

·     Take breaks as you study. Every hour take a five minute break. Use this time to stretch and move your muscles or grab a snack. Walk around the room or lie flat on your back in the middle of the floor. Taking breaks will help you to not “burn out” in your study efforts.

·     Reward yourself for a job well done. When you achieve your “desired grade” go out with your friends or have a special treat. Permitting yourself rewards for doing well keeps you motivated to continue to do well.