When we started researching the best elementary schools in Frederick, Maryland, I honestly thought it would be simple.

Check ratings. Compare scores. Done.

But after going through school pages, parent reviews, zoning maps, and program information, I realized most parents are actually searching for something much deeper than rankings.

We’re trying to figure out where our kids will feel comfortable every single day.

That changes everything.

Some schools may have stronger STEM programs. Some have better parent involvement. Others stand out because of smaller class sizes, reading support, or safer traffic and pickup routines.

One thing I learned quickly is that school culture matters a lot more than I expected.

Parents usually search things like:

best public elementary schools in Frederick MD,

safest schools for kids,

Frederick schools with strong academics,

schools with good communication,

schools with supportive teachers.

And honestly, those questions make complete sense.

Ratings help, but they don’t tell you everything about how supported your child will feel in a classroom.

If you’re currently comparing Frederick elementary schools, try focusing on:

daily commute,

classroom support,

after-school options,

parent reviews,

teacher communication,

and overall school environment.

That made the process much less overwhelming for us.

Hi!

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned invisible disabilities - ones that aren't visible (like a wheelchair or prosthetic would be) but still impact a person's quality of life and could hinder them in certain situations.

The negative effects of a disability tend to be more pronounced in a learning setting - like school. Thus, most schools are actually required to provide accommodations for disabilities.*

A lot of people tend to think that accomodations are the same for every disability, and thus that they shouldn't bother trying to get them. But this is not the case! Every disability is different, and thus the accommodations will be different as well.

I, for example, am still in school. My disability makes it difficult for me to participate in and focus during group work. And if somebody's eating during class, I won't even be able to function. These factors hinder my learning experience, so my school provides unique accommodations that are specific to my needs.

I can wear headphones, earbuds, or earplugs in class I can leave the classroom if I am experiencing sensory overload I have preferential seating I have extended time on assessments and tests

Never feel like you're being dramatic or making a fuss when asking for accommodations! These are necessary for you to have a good experience, and you are entitled to them.

*accommodations and the formalities/documentation needed to acquire them vary depending on your location and your level of schooling, so make sure to consult a guidance counselor or trusted adult in your school to find out what actions need to be taken.

- keep on feeling the love,

🧸𝑀𝒾𝓈𝑜🧸

In my country,the first uni semester usually starts at October (which means very soon) and i’m more that excited!.However, i can’t help but have some concerns.As a first year, i have no knowledge of the whole “University” concept,that’s why i’m currectly browsing on internet about uni hacks/tips and useful advice from other uni/college students.

Here are some EXTREMELY IMPORTANT notetaking tips by   The Academic Success Center 

BEFORE CLASS

~ Identify main concepts and terms you expect to learn

~ Write questions you hope the lecture will answer

DURING CLASS

~ Take notes in your own words

~ Use consistent abbreviations and symbols

~ Answer any questions you wrote before class

~ Capture main ideas and sufficient detail (definitions, examples, images)

~ Make and visualize connections between concepts

AFTER CLASS

~ Make time to return to your notes after class

~ Transform your notes into a new format (e.g., visual, mind map, quiz questions, study guide)

~ Summarize your notes in writing, verbally, or—better yet—both!

~ Connect current class notes to concepts from the previous classes/weeks

~ Compare notes with a classmate to catch missed info

NOTE TAKING MYTH BUSTERS

MYTH: All you need to do is take notes during class 

FOR REALS: Notes are only as good as what you do with them after class. Learning happens when you put notes to use. Here are a few ways to commit notes to memory:

 • Transform your notes into a new format (summary, visual, diagram, etc.)

 • Explain your notes and main points aloud to someone else 

•Write possible test questions based on your notes

 •Create a study guide that you add to each week with new information and connections you’ve made

MYTH: You should write down everything you hear in lecture 

FOR REALS: Don’t do that. You might end up tuning out content if you only focus on transcription. Or you might get super stressed if you miss a word. Instead… 

• Listen for key points 

• Translate ideas into your own words

 • Listen 80% of the time and write 20% of the time 

• If you know you have a question about a concept, don’t stress. Mark it, so you can review it later with other materials or in office hours

MYTH: Quantity = Quality 

FOR REALS: Excessive note taking may not be quality note taking. Check your balance between listening, learning, and note taking by asking… 

• Am I focused on comprehension during lecture (rather than on transcription)? • Can I recall and explain what I learned after lecture?

 • Do my notes have enough main points and detail for me to use them later in a new way? (e.g. writing a summary, drawing a mind map)

Hello! This is a blog post that was supposed to be posted on Monday, but I’m sorry for delaying this. There will for sure be another blog post on Friday :)

Here’s the link to the notion: https://stxdywithana.notion.site/High-School-Notion-Template-fa6754d76fe34228accaa53e28f2368d

So here’s a detailed tour:

In the school information section theirs information for your school address, principal(s), number, district, and etc.

In the personal section, you can add in your name, class, student ID, and more.

You can keep track of these hours/credits to know how many credit hours you have and how many you need to still get. feel free to delete and customize this tracker to your liking.

Whatever you put on the list (or board) for assignments will copy over to the month view below it.

On this list, it starts off with the status, and course, which you can customize, and the type of assignment, meaning a test grade, assignment grade, or final grade.

Next to that, there’s the name of the assignment, the due date and the file.

Now go to the left side of the notion app and expand the notion by clicking the arrow.

The quick notes page is a page to type or jot down quick notes without having to use a bunch of paper.

Clicking on this will bring you to the page where you can track you grades. By the type of assignment, assignment/test/quiz name, the due date, the grade out off 100 (which averages), and the class percentages (which also averages).

We start off with our class information like the teacher, their email, room number, and floor. There’s also a link to a page where you can copy and paste your syllabus. Also a link to the grade tracker, which links back to the universal grade tracker page. And there’s also a link to put your class page there, like your PowerSchool, Schoology, Google Classroom, or others.

Below that, there’s a reminders and to-do list.

Next, there’s a table here for you to put all of your notes, and you can classify them by unit, chapter, or module. Also you can link the notes file there also.

Almost towards the end, there’s an assignment table featured to just keep track of your assignments, this doesn’t date back to the central assignments page.

Lastly, there’s a central assignment tracker there that dates back to the assignment tracker.

All of the courses have the same layout.

Going back to the expander on the left hand side, there are two pages after you list of courses.These pages lets you view your assignments as a whole.

I saw a post on Instagram a few days ago about tips for college and decided to share some of my own tips based on my experiences.  For reference, I am an American college sophomore about to start my second semester.

it’s kind of early holidays however we don’t want to completely forget what we’ve learnt however we value mind-off time however this is year twelve however physical and mental collapse ain’t welcome please and thank you so here you go.

some baby itty-bitty lil light things to do here and there so holidays aren’t advancing you towards that next spicy burn out sesh but also so we don’t return to school as useless as the school planner they hand out at the start of the year... if we actually even go back hah... the idea is that these are short and pack a punch:

open your math/bio/chem/phys/whatever textbook to a random chapter and do three random questions - make sure you mark your responses and if you struggle, congrats! you found an area you’re a bit rusty on and can revise briefly now or note it down for later. the main thing is- ensure you do something about it some point soonish.

pick a syllabus objective for a subject or a topic in a subject and blurt out everything you know - write, draw, sketch etc. down everything you know, or if you’re super lazy, just say it out loud. if it’s on paper, check what you’ve written and add things you’ve missed by looking at notes or a textbook. active recall, peeps.

watch a khan academy vid or a crash course vid - five minutes while lying in bed and then you can go back to that episode of glee whatever. what i like to do with my current glee obsession: between each episode, watch a biology video related to ecology. expose that brain to info again.

set a timer for fifteen minutes and do as much of an assignment as you can, and do it as focused as you can - if you can, stretch it out to a few pomodoro sessions (twenty-five minutes work, five minutes break, repeat) but lately my motivation and concentration has been pretty low so i’ll opt for fifteen minutes on my history assignment, and then i’ll disappear into the pool for an hour and then hop out and do another fifteen. the key is the bite-sizedness of this method: do this four times a day and that’s an hour of focused assignment work. for holidays, that ain’t bad at all...

make a mindmap - pretty easy on the brain and can be fun (pull out the ol’ coloured pencils). make links between topics (i do this for bio a lot) and summarise main categories/characteristics/points of info. will probably do a whole post on mind maps, i- cannot recommend enough. good study tool when it comes to exam season as you get a nice umbrella view of what you need to cover.

drill through flashcards for eight minutes - don’t know why, but eight minutes is the magic number for flashcards. don’t have any? quizlet, or time to make some. don’t have to be pretty. facetime friends and drill them together.

read through the exemplars for the assessments coming up - if you haven’t already, have a squizz at the sample responses for each assessment that have been released by your state currriculum authority. note what you have to do to achieve a high level response, and what’s the difference with a high level and mid or low level response. try to maximise your marks. look at the assignments you’re doing right now and see how you’re comparing so far. keep doing this throughout the year. 

organise your binder/papers/folder/desk/bag/pencil case - not really a proper study thing, but staying on top of your shiz can seriously keep you efficient and improve that academic performance. if you’re like me, by the end of the term, your bag and desk are a wild jungle of paper and just- trash. finally got the time to reorganise- so do it. 

Studying away. This is before things get crazy. I'll post an after picture tonight.