Sue Scheff: McKay Scholarship – Does Your Child Qualify?

Usually at this time of the year and progress reports are coming out for the first half of the second semester. Parents are reviewing their child’s academic progress and if their school is meeting their needs.

In Florida, the McKay Scholarship is offered to students that may have some difficulties academically where they are attending. 

What is the McKay Scholarship?

The John M. McKay Scholarship Program allows parents of students with disabilities to choose the best learning environment for their children.

The parent of a Florida public school student who is dissatisfied with the student’s progress may request a McKay Scholarship to enroll in and attend a private school or choose another public school that better suits the student’s needs.

Eligible students with disabilities may:

• Remain at their assigned school
• Attend another public school
• Attend a public school in an adjacent district, or
• Attend a participating private school.

 

If you would like to apply to the McKay Scholarship, the time is now for 2010.  Begin filing intent here.

To find out more about the McKay Scholarship, click here.

Read more on Examiner.

Sue Scheff: F-Word in Florida Education

Every February, parents and students alike cringe when they hear that dreaded four-letter word – FCAT.

What exactly is the FCAT?  According tot he Florida Department of Education, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT, is part of the state’s overall place to increase student achievement by implementing higher standards.  The FCAT, administered to students in Grades 3-11, consists of criterion-referenced tests (CRT) in mathematics, reading, science, and writing, which measure student progress toward meeting the Sunshine State Standards (SSS) benchmarks.

Because the state uses the results for a variety of purposes, including student retention and school funding, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the FCAT.  This can be quite stressful for both the children and the parents. 

Some tips were supplied by Weston teachers and school counselors in Our City Weston. 

• Practice makes perfect.  It is beneficial for parents to provide an opportunity for daily FCAT practice.
• Consider tutoring.  If your child needs extra help, take advantage of after-school tutoring and Saturday FCAT camps.  Ask your schools about the times.
• Encourage “active reading.”  This means reading with a pen or pencil in hand.  Use your Post-It notes to designate spots you need to review or that need attention.
• Find the “proof.” Encourage your children to find the proof that answers are correct.  Referring to text for textual support.
• Don’t skip school.  Emphasize good attendance and punctuality for your child.
• Read test questions carefully.
• Instill confidence.  According to the American School Counselor Association the most important thing a parent can do is encourage their child to do his or her best.  Tell them you are proud of them.

February 9-11th the FCAT Writes exam starts.  The reading, math and science exams start on March 9-19th.  For more information visit Florida Dept of Education.

Being an educated parent will help you have prepared children.

Read more on Examiner.

Sue Scheff: Teens and the iPad

Apple’s Steve Jobs recently launched the iPad, displaying the many capabilities that this latest gadget can perform. Reminiscent of an iPhone, only larger, the iPad has practical applications for the gadget loving teens.  Even colleges students will fall in love with this latest tech system.

The iPad offers a wide variety of features that will delight and make life surfing and studying with more ease.

One benefit of the iPad it the ability for organized note taking, especially for those busy High School Juniors and Seniors that are crunching to get their college applications in and keeping their GPA up.  It offers one compact place for notes to be organized and offers the ability to, with ease, to share these notes with a classmate through a simple email. 

Another asset is the calendar feature.  Does your teens need to keep track of when homework is due, exams are scheduled, college application deadlines, study dates, social events or even  his/her job schedule?  iPad offers a simple way to organize your dates, deadlines and keep up with your busy life through your touch pad.

Most all teens love their iTunes, YouTube and pictures. Buying music from the iTunes store is easy and viewing movies or videos should be more comfortable on the larger 9.5 by 7.5 inch screen.

Another cool feature is the iPad can be used as a digital photo frame when not in use and has many ways to import and export photos, including docking it with a computer or downloading via email.

Is the iPad right for you teenager?  The prices range from $499.00 – $829.00 which may be a deciding factor.  Although reasonable priced for the product and its’ enhanced features, not all families are able to afford these extra luxuries for their teens.  College students are another target market that may benefit from this new gadget.  The book reader feature will help eliminate some of the bulky books they are carrying.

Don’t think about the iPad as just a computer. Its true potential lies in its potential as a communications device. – Washington Post

Watch the intro video and read more.

Sue Scheff: Think Before You Post – Teen Expelled for FB Post

Just months away from graduation, 17 year-old Tennessee student, Taylor Cummings, was recently expelled from his high school.  Why? 

After weeks of butting heads with his coaches, Taylor, 17, logged on to the popular social networking site from home Jan. 3. He typed his frustrations for the online world to see: “I’ma kill em all. I’ma bust this (expletive) up from the inside like nobody’s ever done before.” - USA Today

A few nasty keystrokes and a click of the mouse and your life can be turned upside down!  Whether you are a student, business owner, parent, or anyone that uses social networking, remember, what goes online – stays online. 

Google Bomb, The Untold Story of the $11.3M Verdict That Changed the Way We Use the Internet,  is an example of an adult being held accountable.  Free speech does not condone defamation. 

In many schools now there is a zero tolerance for these types of threats.  We have had many sad endings with cyber threats, cyber suicides, cyberbullying, cyber stalking and other various ways that kids are hurting each other via keystrokes.

Taylor Cummings had a public profile on Facebook without any restrictions on who could see it.  This in itself should be a wake-up call to many.  Take the time to secure your privacy settings.  Think twice before allowing your profile to be public. 

Parents should take the time to review their children’s social networking sites.  Especially those that have teens that will be applying to colleges.  More and more colleges are using search engines to research their applicants.  What is Google saying about you?

Take the time to maintain your online image and learn to stop, think and consider what you are about to post or send.  Will it be considered threatening?  Will it be considered defamatory? Is it targeted to hurt someone?  Take the time to educate your children and teens about “what they post today, may haunt them tomorrow…”

Be an educated parent – you will have safer teens.

Read more on Examiner.

Sue Scheff: Teens Helping Haiti – We Help We Need – Organizing Relief

As the world has come together to help with this natural disaster, a group of generous and caring people created a website that will help organize the needs in Haiti. 

We Have We Need is a place where relief organizations can quickly post their most urgent needs and have them matched by generous donors during a time of crisis. This site was built by a group of geeky do-gooders who saw this as an opportunity to use technology to help bring people and donations together in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Haiti. If you’d like to participate in the program, please contact them at help@wehaveweneed.org.

They offer a list of categories including food, fuel, medical, shelter, transportation, telecom and other needs as well as haves.

As parents, we need to encourage your children to clean out their closets, go through the garage, take the time to go through their clothes; teach your kids to donate to those in need.  Learning at an early age to pay it forward is not only rewarding, it can help build good character into their adult lives.

In South Florida there are drop off boxes at fire departments.  Miami Herald reported today about the many compassionate residents in South Florida that are volunteering, donating and much more.  This is the time to come together not only as a community, but as a family.  You can get your entire family involved in helping those in need.

For more information on donating and volunteering visit the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.  Read more on Examiner.

Magnolia Christian School – Lisa Irvine – HelpMyTeen

Learn more about Magnolia Christian School (formerly Carolina Springs Academy – which you may want to Google) since although the name has changed, it is believed the majority of staff has remained. 

Who am I?  I am, what the sales reps (such as Lisa Irvine – formerly Lisa Irvin) for programs like Magnolia Christian School call me – a disgruntled parent.  However what they aren’t tell you is I defeated them in a jury trial – proving my story what what happened to my daughter there, as well as many others, was not posted falsely.  Read my story here.

Sue Scheff: Teens Learning Financial Literacy

During these difficult times, many families are struggling to pay their monthly expenses.  Some parents have lost their jobs, some families have lost their homes and there are those that are on the edge of both.  Living from paycheck to paycheck and raising a family has become more challenging.

What can our teens learn from this?  How can they be prepared financially for the future? As savvy as our teens are today with the information highway, called the Internet, many are still clueless about finances, budgeting, and saving money.

TheMint.org offers excellent parenting tips and advice.

As parents, we understand the importance of literacy. We sit for hours reading with our children. However, children must be “literate” about money matters, too.

Learning how to think about money and manage it wisely is an equally important life skill. We must patiently help our kids “sound out” the many ways to control money. Our kids will learn by doing. Some lessons will be thrilling. Others will be frustrating, even painful.

In the end, we hope that our children will grow into financially responsible adults. The rewards are life-altering: living within their means, free from the anxieties of debt, and secure in their future.

Tips from TheMint.org:

• Every day, we need to create conversations about money - not lectures, but casual commentaries on situations that arise naturally in our days. The aim? To teach children a) how to think about money and b) make responsible decisions in using it.
• We must review our own financial habits so that we are modeling responsible financial behavior. Children quietly observe adults, and parents are “modeling” financial behavior all the time – whether or not we mean to.

For more information for parents, teachers and kids, visit www.themint.org.

Be an educated parent, you will have smarter teens!

Read more articles on parenting your teens and money.

Sue Scheff: Hope for Haiti – and a chance for family time

George Clooney, Ellen, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Hudson, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Bono, Justin Timberlake, Sandra Bullock, Taylor Swift, Mary J. Blige, Adam Lambert, Michael Douglas, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and many, many more will be on the phones on Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. EST.  This is a commercial-free telethon across ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, the CW, CNN, BET, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT.

What a perfect opportunity to get your kids involved and help others in need.  Get your teens involved!  Teach them how they can make a difference.  Do they receive an allowance?  Do they have jobs?  Encourage them to give what they can and feel good about paying it forward. 

Teaching our children young and by example will make them a better person and help them to understand how fortunate we are.  When disasters happen, we need to come together not only as a nation, but as a FAMILY.

So this Friday night, make it a party at your home! Put the TV on and  make the call to donate and have a chance to talk to one of your favorite celebrities! 

Watch video intro and vist on Examiner.

Sue Scheff: Reader’s View Gives Fantastic Reveiw of Google Bomb

Google Bomb: The Untold Story of the $11.3M Verdict That Changed the Way We Use the Internet

John W. Dozier Jr. and Sue Scheff
Health Communications, Inc. (2009)
ISBN 9780757314155
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (01/10)

First of all, I have to say “Google Bomb” may be the most important book anyone that has Internet presence should read. Owning a number of online businesses myself, I was eager to read this book because I wanted to know more about Sue Scheff’s experience and the successful outcome of a lawsuit. Her case was the first in Internet defamation and landed her $11.3M. But, there was so much more I learned than her story.
Written by Sue Scheff herself, as well as John W. Dozier Jr., a Internet law attorney, “Google Bomb” not only tells of Scheff’s experience with defamation by nasty people but also the emotional trauma she went through. For a site that started off being a helpful site to parents of troubled teens, it ended up smeared all over the Internet as deceptive. The interesting aspect is that the disparaging comments went viral and ended up on the top of the Google search engine. Consequently, potential visitors to Scheff’s site were redirected to derogatory and defaming information.

Dozier’s parts of the book follow Scheff’s comments and experience. They intermingle, giving the reader a fuller understanding of how others can control your site by, for e.g., creating anchor texts on their site but using your information and directing the visitors to their site where the defamatory information exists. Or, in other cases, the anchor texts are used by competitors so the visitors are directed to their sites instead of yours.

Dozier also explains how you can protect yourself against such attacks and gives suggestions of some Internet companies that offer this service. He also goes into copyright violations, cyberstalking, the Striesand Effect, hacking, spamming, and theft of trademarks. As I mentioned before, this could be the most important book you could read. It sure is for me. I used a full container of sticky tabs to mark important information and areas I need to re-read and implement.

“Google Bomb” is highly recommended because it gives you important information of what could happen to innocent people if not protected or on top of matters. Unfortunately there are many laws not in place to protect us on the Internet so we have to take our own responsibility to be cognizant and one way is to sign up for Google Alerts. This book isn’t meant to scare the site holders, but to inform them of what could happen if not aware. Awareness is the key, and by reading “Google Bomb” I can guarantee you will become more aware than you were before.

On www.readersview.com

Sue Scheff: Help Haiti – Get teens involved in volunteering

The world is coming together to help the many victims in Haiti.  This natural disaster has left many homeless, hungry, without water and destroyed much of what little many had.  Many organizations, such as the Red Cross, are diligently working to bring relief to Haiti. 

What can you do? Donating money is always needed (if you prefer to make a $10 donation by text message, send the word “HAITI” to 90999), however some people are financially strapped and/or you may have children/teens that would like to be part of helping these people in distress.

In South Florida, Fill The Truck For Haiti Initiative, has begun.  You can encourage your family, friends and neighbors to collect are non perishable food items, toiletries, bed linen, first aid kits, new items of clothing, cots, bottled water, towels, flashlights and batteries, children formulas, diapers etc.  For more information call, 754-214-3895.  They are also looking for volunteers.

Encourage your teens to find ways online locally that they can get involved in.  Giving back, volunteering and just being part of helping others can help everyone!  Pay it forward, the rewards are priceless.

Also on Examiner.