NHEG EDGuide Newsletter September 2016

1

HIGHLIGHTS
NHEG PAGES
Chief Execuve &
Project Director
Pamela Clark
Resources for students and
their families, Best College
Websites review
Page 7
We did it again!
Page 22
Editor
Bill Naugle
Cover Designer
Aisha Marballie
Proof Reader
Jenni Schreiber
The Need to Believe in the
Ability of Disability
Page 27
Nine Tips for Parents If Your
Child Is Changing Schools
Page 41
On The Cover
Our 10th Anniversary cake from
Recognition Day 2016
2
Founder/ Executive Director of
The New Heights Educational Group, Inc.
Resource and Literacy Center
NewHeightsEducation@yahoo.com
www.NewHeightsEducation.org

Goodbye Summer,
The Tans Will Fade, but the Summer
Memories will Last Forever
Hello Fall,
Pumpkins, Football, Warm Sweatshirts.
Apple Cider, Hayrides, Falling Leaves
and Cinnamon.
Hello
3

4

My thoughts are that we have been married for 28 years and he has
believed in NHEG way before anyone else, before the recognition started
coming in. He is definitely a silent partner and has helped with a lot of last
minute issues.
ON MY MIND
Pamela Clark
5

Ever Dream of having your own Radio Show ?
New Heights Educational Group is a Resource and Literacy Center based in Defiance,
Ohio. We share a concern with families having access to information for those
with special needs, including Autism.
We offer live internet radio shows to discuss various educational topics and we are
looking for a VOLUNTEER to host a half-hour radio show. We would give the
necessary training and the volunteer can choose the time of the show
on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. This show would keep all
listeners up-to-date on anything to do with Autism and other special
needs. This will include discoveries in medical fields. Anyone interested
in applying please email us at NewHeightsEducation@yahoo.com
or call 419-786-0247 for more info.
You can learn more about us by visiting our website
www.NewHeightsEducation.org
Please support our library and
satellite office at:
gofundme.com/9z4paprw
6

Resources for students and their families, Best College
Websites review:
All of the websites provided in this assignment are from bestcolleges.com. This is a website that provides
college rankings to inform about what schools across the country have to offer in terms of top-rated academics
and student lifestyle (Bestcolleges).
I have reviewed every link, and they are what they appear to be. The first link shows you top online schools,
the second link provides online associate degree programs, and the third link shows online bachelor’s degree
programs. The fourth link provides a variety of different degrees categorized by state, and the last three links
provide helpful information regarding, online education, how to succeed and how to finance an online degree.
What I picked up from viewing the bestcolleges links is that each link takes you to the exact same page, just a
different section of information. The page provides the best 50 online colleges of 2016, but after looking
through more of the website you can individually search on your own by selecting a degree, a category and a
subject, and the website will search for schools for you based on your entered selections.
To my understanding to browse the website and research there information is completely free as well as
requesting information from a school, you just have to enter some basic information, such as your name, email
address etc. Overall, the website is very informative. Along with the name of the school they provide an indepth
description of the degree programs that they offer the location/address, out-of-state and in-state tuition
costs and an easy way to view the schools profile.
I would personally use this website because in a sense it helps condense your college/university search for you.
When you are searching for degree programs, it can become a stressful task, because of all the information and
schools to look through. This website allows you to quickly glance at a brief description of the school and there
programs before searching there website. Thus I think that this would be a site worth sharing to others.
http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/
http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-online-schools/
http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-online-schools/#accredited-online-associate-degree-programs
http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-online-schools/#accredited-online-bachelors-degree-programs
http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-online-schools/#online-colleges-by-state
http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-online-schools/#why-online-education
http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-online-schools/#financing-your-online-degree
http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-online-schools/#resources-to-help-you-succeed
7

Join Our Hands-on
History Lesson
During Homeschool Days, students and
their families can enjoy hands-on activities
and revolutionary experiences designed to
make colonial dramas come to life in a way
that is educational and interactive. Plus,
visits can be tailored to make your trip
unforgettable with on-site lodging, 18thcentury
tavern dining, entertainment, and
much more! Inspire the next generation of
dreamers with a Colonial Williamsburg
experience.
Colonial Williamsburg’s Homeschool Days
For more information:
September 10-25, 2016
https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/plan/groups/homeschoolers/?
utm_medium=email&utm_source=iContact&utm_campaign=HomeschoolApr2016&NCK=8885281012
The Revolutionary City invites your group to embark on an 18th-century adventure. Experience a
colonial capital and meet the citizens who helped build a nation. Colonial Williamsburg offers a variety
of ways for groups of all sizes, interests, and ages from kindergarteners to senior citizens, from scouts
to families to explore the 301-acre town, browse our world-class indoor museums, and discover
something new about the creation of America. For more than 70 years Colonial Williamsburg has
provided a premier school field trip destination, offering schools assistance in addressing educational
standards and individually tailoring an experience that fits unique classroom needs. Once your students
step into the Revolutionary City they are fully immersed in 18th-century Virginia’s colonial capital city.
Our interactive programs and cross-curricular investigations will engage students’ minds. They will see
and experience life as the founding families did in the 1700s, and our professional tour guides will
make their learning fun! Choose one of Colonial Williamsburg’s School and Group Tours’ packages or customize your own
group experience with the help of our trained staff.
8

NHEG’s Volunteer of the Month program recognizes the dedication and
work of some of our most active volunteers. NHEG relies on volunteers to
help with our education programs, our special events, public outreach,
and other activities that help fulfill our mission of supporting literacy for
children and adults by offering a range of educational support services.
Contact us to learn more about volunteering.
This month we recognize a special group of volunteers: those that have
gone above and beyond what is needed in their everyday duties. NHEG is
an all-volunteer organization. We have volunteers from all around the
world!
9

10

Dial 347-934-0450 for Priscilena Shearon
Congratulations Briana & Priscilena
Congratulations Briana on sharing her show episodes on
itunes and watchknowlearn.org!
She has had 12,313 views on watchknowlearn and has a
five star rating.
Also congratulations Priscilena on using
watchknowlearn.org. She has 208 views on this site and a
4 star rating.
They are making us look good. :-)
11

To be a volunteer, it takes...
Generosity, a willingness to give
your time to others
Understanding, because their lives might
be very different from your own
Empathy, an ability to put yourself in
someone else's shoes and feel what they
must feel
Compassion, to truly care about making
someone else's life better
Patience, because the process doesn't
always go as smoothly as it might
Dedication, to stick with the project and
see it through
You've shown these qualities and so
much more, so thank you for all that you
do.
Public Service Bulletin Board
Up Coming Holidays
September 5 Labor Day 2016
October 10 Columbus Day 2016
October 31 Halloween 2016
November 6 Daylight Saving 2016
November 11 Veterans' Day 2016
November 24 Thanksgiving 2016
12

· 1-1/4 pounds ground beef
· 1 medium onion, chopped
· 4 garlic cloves, minced
· 2 cups salsa
· 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
· 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
· 1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
· 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
· 1 envelope taco seasoning
· 1/4 teaspoon pepper
· 6 flour tortillas (10 inches)
· 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
· 2 cups crushed tortilla chips
· Sliced ripe olives, guacamole, chopped tomatoes and sour
cream, optional
1. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
Drain. Stir in the salsa, beans, enchilada sauce, chilies, taco seasoning and pepper; heat through.
2. Spread 1 cup meat mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with two tortillas, a third of the remaining meat
mixture and 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and meat mixture.
3. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with tortilla chips.
4. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with olives,
guacamole,
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 40 min. + standing
YIELD:12 servings
13

We have a huge collection of data regarding various disabilities and how to manage the
education of your kids on various disabilities ranging from Autism and ADHD to
Prader-Willi Syndrome. We have hands-on experience in dealing with kids from
various backgrounds. If you have any questions or information to contribute,
please contact us.
Autism spectrum disorder
ADHD
ALS
Bipolar disease
Cancer
Celiac disease
Cerebral palsy
COPD
Cystic fibrosis
Down syndrome
Driver education
Dyslexia
Disabled persons
Edward's syndrome
Fragile X syndrome
Hearing loss
Irlen syndrome
Neural tube defect
Paralysis
Phenylketonuria
Prader-Willi syndrome
Rett syndrome
Sickle cell disease
Spina bifida
Spinal deformity
Stroke
Tay-Sachs disease
Traumatic brain injury
14

15

Missed a show? Check out past shows here:
http://www.newheightseducation.org/education-talk-radio-nheg
As they explore a new topic on education every week. . .
It is with a heavy heart that we say
goodbye to a long standing a NHEG
volunteer.
Lisa Schroder started with us
on 10/2/14 as a Proofreader
16

17

18

Help us Reach Our Fund-raising Goals
Please collect the following items and share with NHEG to help us reach
our fundraising goals.
TerraCycle
Outsmart Waste
Cell Phone Brigade® E-Waste Brigade® Inkjet Brigade® Laptop Brigade®
DONATE YOUR OLD CAR, BOAT OR RV Make a Car Donation | Make a Difference
Call 1-800-240-0160 and a friendly car donation specialist will schedule your
pick-up appointment.
A public charity 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization
19

http://agrandelife.net/back-to-school-resouces/
http://www.momsandcrafters.com/8-free-back-to
-school-resources/
http://cleverclassroomblog.com/2013/08/back-to-schooltips-and-resources.html
20

21

New Heights Educational Group
HONORED AS SILVER STEVIE® AWARD WINNER
IN 2016 AMERICAN BUSINESS AWARDS
Stevie winners will be presented with their awards on June 20 in New York
Defiance, Ohio – May 2, 2016 – The New Heights Educational Group was named
the winner of a Silver Stevie® Award in the Organization of the Year - Non-Profit
or Government category in The 14th Annual American Business Awards today.
The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards
program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit
nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.
Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will
be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New
York on Monday, June 20. Tickets are now on sale. More than 3,400 nominations
from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this
year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Startup of the Year,
Executive of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Marketing
Campaign of the Year, Live Event of the Year, and App of the Year, among
others. The New Heights Educational Group was nominated in the Organization
of the Year - Non-Profit or Government. Pamela Clark, Executive Director, said,
“We are truly honored to receive recognition from the Stevie Awards, which they
have done for the last four years. We will treasure this year’s ABA award for
years to come, and appreciate them recognizing our team of over 80 volunteers
and our work. We work hard to better education in our community as well as
nationally, and in bringing opportunities to all families regardless of school choice
or beliefs. Some of the judges’ comments can be seen below:
“Excellent company filling a need in the educational industry”
“Nice job, New Heights Educational Group.”
“Sounds like a nice organization with a solid cause.”
A public charity 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization
“Literacy and leadership programs have NHEG addressing student development at
the earliest stages.”
More than 250 professionals worldwide participated in the Judging
process to select this year’s Stevie Award winner.
22

23

Believe in Yourself
A Manifesto for Youth
by Marilyn Price-Mitchell,
Coaches often utter the words “believe in yourself” to young people struggling with self-confidence. But
what does it mean to believe in yourself? And why is it so important to the development of healthy and
successful youth?
No one in the world of psychology is better known for the study of what these words mean than former
Stanford professorAlbert Bandura.
Psychologists refer to the concept of self-belief as self-efficacy and define it as a belief in one’s capability to
accomplish goals that influence the events in one’s life. In other words, when you believe in yourself, you are
better able to follow your dreams!
Learning to believe in yourself is at the core of The Compass Advantage—a framework for understanding how
children and teens learn to chart their own paths toward young adulthood and throughout life.
According to Bandura, self-efficacy is a determining factor in how we feel, think, behave, and motivate
ourselves in the world. He maintained that when you believe in yourself, you take positive actions on your
own behalf and approach life as a challenge to be mastered.
In my interviews with young people over the years, it’s no surprise to discover that, deep down, what they
most want is to believe in themselves—in their own inner compasses.
I Have a Dream: What it means to “Believe in
Yourself”
From the outside, our children are very different from one another. They have diverse backgrounds, interests,
capabilities, and career aspirations. But if we look deeper—to a young person’s internal world—they have
much more in common.
The following statement, backed by years of
research on self-efficacy, was co-written with teens
from the Bainbridge Healthy Youth Alliance. It is
designed to be used as a resource for families,
schools, and communities—to discuss children’s
hopes and dreams and the types of adult support
that most benefits kids on their journeys toward
adulthood. What does it mean to believe in
yourself? Teens helped come up with beautiful
words!
24

NHEG Organizational Chart
25

The Need to Believe in the Ability of Disability
Scott Barry Kaufman Scientific Director, The Imagination Institute
Our society has clear expectaons regarding students who don’t fit the norm. In a 2004 naonal survey
reported in Educaon Week, 84 percent of 800 surveyed special and general educaon teachers did not
believe that students in special educaon should be expected to meet the same set of academic standards
arculated for students without disabilies. These beliefs are important, as they guide policies that either
encourage or hinder students with disabilies from receiving the same opportunies to flourish as everyone
else.
The diversity among those receiving disability-related educaonal services is enormous. But regardless of this
diversity, the majority of these students oen share one common experience: their classificaon involves the
use of an IQ test. To be sure, even the harshest crics of IQ tesng acknowledge that IQ scores are related to
academic achievement. On average, IQ test scores account for 40 to 50 percent of academic achievement —
which is very high in psychological and educaonal research. This also means that 50 to 60 percent of student
achievement is related to within-child factors beyond IQ, such as specific abilies, creavity, grit, movaon,
emoonal and cognive self-regulaon, passion and inspiraon, as well as external variables such as
community, school, and instruconal characteriscs.
Unfortunately, all too oen educaonal policies and systems reward those with a high IQ, and limit those
who, for a number of potenal reasons, don’t perform well on IQ tests. Many believe that a person’s
intelligence is a genecally determined, largely fixed, global, and enduring trait that explains most of a
student’s success or failure in school. The reality is this: intelligence is not fixed, it takes many different forms,
and IQ test scores are not sufficient metrics by which to form accurate expectaons about any
parcular individual’s likelihood of future academic success. They can only provide a range of possible levels of
expected achievement.
This is captured in a measurement stasc called the Standard Error of the Esmate. As reported in a
2004 Naonal Center on Educaonal Outcomes (NCEO) report, for any given IQ test score, half of the
students will aain standardized achievement test scores below or equal to their IQ score. Equally important,
and frequently unrecognized — for any IQ test score, half of the students will obtain achievement scores at
or above their IQ score. This holds at all levels of intelligence. So what ps the scale of achievement one
direcon or the other for different students?
26
(Continued on Next Page)

The Need to Believe in the Ability of Disability
(Continued from Previous Page)
We believe that expectaons play a much larger role than most people realize. Educaonal psychology
research first labeled this as the “Pygmalion Effect.” More recently Elisha Babad found that teachers’
expectaons can have systemac effects on their grading, as well as students’ performance on standardized
achievement tests. Similarly, Kathleen Coon reported that teacher expectaons affect students’ achievement
and atudes, including offering fewer opportunies to learn new material, insincere praise, providing less
smulang and lower-level cognive quesons, and providing less effecve but me consuming instruconal
methods. Peer expectaons also play an important role, as children with disabilies are very sensive to the
overt and covert signals they are receiving from their friends.
Despite a teacher’s best effort to suppress their expectaons, communicaon “leakage” oen sll comes
through loud and clear. Jan Pieter Van Oudenhoven and Frans Siero reported that even though teachers gave
students thought to be learning disabled twice as much verbal praise, they also displayed more negave
nonverbal feedback such as discouraging head movements. Implicit signals can have a big impact on
intellectual performance, and this is reflected in the brain. In a recent study, Kenneth Kishida and his
colleagues had people take an IQ test alone and then in a group seng. In the group situaon, the
parcipants received their score and were told their rank in the group. In this situaon, in which implicit
signals of social status were broadcast to everyone in the group, everyone performed worse. Those who
suffered the most though were those who were told they were the “low performers.” Not only was their IQ
score lower than their earlier performance, but they also showed brain changes in areas associated with fear
and working memory (amygdala, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens) suggesng that such
lowered expectaons brought about anxiety which prevented them from showing their true colors. Low
expectaons literally shut down their brain.
Just how prevalent are expectancy effects? Researchers have reported that of all students treated with high
expectaons, about 10 percent demonstrated substanal improvement. Any other large-scale social program
that could move 10 percent of the below average students into higher achievement levels would be heralded
as a success. Examples of social policy decisions that have been made based on roughly the same strength
include the reducon of the risk of dying from a heart aack by taking aspirin and the impact of chemotherapy
on breast cancer survival.
27
(Continued on Next Page)

The Need to Believe in the Ability of Disability
(Continued from Previous Page)
We acknowledge that expectancy effects
will vary by individuals and
some children with severe disabilies need alternave strategies to meet goals and standards. But many
children with disabilies are being denied the right to appropriate and demanding expectaons. Stereotyping
students with disabilies on the basis of a disability label or standardized test score is not supported by the best
evidence from the field of psychological and educaonal measurement.
Since educaonal policies are part of the current presidenal discourse, we believe it is crucial that local, state
and naonal achievement goals not be at the expense of the educaon of students with disabilies. Many socalled
“disabilies” can be strengths in the right context, and many people with disabilies have a wide array of
abilies. Less focus on “how smart is this child” to “how is this child smart” is a movement in the right direcon
that recognizes the only proven law in psychology — the law of individual differences (i.e., there is no one-sizefits
all learning method). All children have a need — a need to achieve. The bigotry, or blindtessm of having
low expectaons for individual students with disabilies or unique needs must be recognized, understood, and
minimized, if all children are not to be le behind and the diversity of our naons brain power is to be
increased to compete in the new global economy.
28

29

30

A few years ago, a 19-year-old girl named Jolene walked into a Boston emergency room late at night. She had an infection after a botched ear piercing.
When the doctors and nurses examined her, they asked Jolene if she felt safe at home. She said yes.
What the doctors didn’t know was that she had been dropped off at the hospital by her trafficker, who was forcing her to sell sex up and down the
northeast.
Jolene’s story is real. Although she did not escape her trafficking situation that night, she eventually did—and today, she is an advisor on human
trafficking for Massachusetts General Hospital.
Healthcare professionals are uniquely positioned to be able to interact with trafficking victims. In one study, 88% of the sex trafficking survivors surveyed
reported having contact with a healthcare provider while being trafficked.
Yet as Jolene’s story shows, sometimes healthcare professionals don’t recognize the signs of human trafficking. In another study, 95% of ER doctors and
nurses surveyed had never received formal training on human trafficking.
A few weeks ago, the House of Representatives introduced a bill that would improve current human trafficking trainings for healthcare workers, as well
as ensure that more workers receive the training. Since its introduction, more and more members of Congress have signed on to it.
Will you join us and call on Congress to pass this critical legislation?
Take Action Now!
It’s vital that our doctors and nurses are adequately trained to identify and support victims of human trafficking. Trafficking victims should receive
health care that is tailored to their needs.
We hope you are proud of the critical role you play in combating human trafficking. And we recently received news to make you even more proud! For
the sixth consecutive year, the independent nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator awarded Polaris a four star rating for sound fiscal management,
accountability, and transparency. Only 4% of the charities rated have received this exceptional distinction for six years.
We couldn’t have achieved this without you. Thank you for your willingness to stand with us in this fight. Let’s keep it going.
31

NHEG has the opportunity to win some classroom supplies.
Please vote for us!
https://www.educents.com/wishlist/index/index/wishlist_id/26794/
This is our referral link. http://www.educents.com/signup-bonus.html?r=270976
We will receive $10.00 in Edubucks credit once someone uses this URL to create an account and
make a purchase of $25 or more on our site.
Help us save even more on educational products!
Congratulations Khrista-Cheryl Cendana
The New Heights Educational Group is recognizing Khrista-Cheryl Cendana from Riverside,
California for her volunteer service. She has been a volunteer with NHEG since January 15, 2015 and
has donated over 100 hours. She is further receiving the Presidential Volunteer Service Bronze
Award.
Pamela Clark, Founder, Executive Director of the organization stated, “It is quite an achievement,”
“Ms. Cendana has been a valuable asset to our organization and has shown a great work ethic.”
The NHEG currently has over 75 volunteers from around the world and has been recognized
nationally and internationally for its work.
32

1 National Cherry Popover
Day
2 VJ Day, WWII
3 Skyscraper Day
4 Newspaper Carrier Day
5 Labor Day
6 Read a Book Day
7 National Salami Day
8 International Literacy Day
9 Teddy Bear Day
10 Swap Ideas Day
11 911 Remembrance
12 Chocolate Milk Shake Day
13 Uncle Sam Day
14 National Cream-Filled Donut Day
15 Felt Hat Day
16 American Legion Day
17 Constitution Day
18 National Cheeseburger Day
19 International Talk Like A Pirate Day
20 National Punch Day
21 International Peace Day
22 Autumn Equinox
23 Native American Day
24 National Cherries Jubilee Day
25 National Comic Book Day
26 Johnny Appleseed Day
27 Oktoberfest begins in Germany
28 Ask a Stupid Question Day
29 Confucius Day
33
September Celebrations
Monthly:
NHEG
Weekly Celebrations:
· National Payroll Week: (First Week)/
· Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week:
· (First Full Week)
· Suicide Prevention Week: 5-11
· National Days of Prayer & Remembrance: 9-11
· National Truck Driver Appreciation Week: 11-17
· International Housekeepers Week: 11-17
· (Second Full Week)
· Constitution Week: (Third Full Week)
· Classical Music Month
· Hispanic Heritage Month
· Fall Hat Month
· International Square Dancing Month
· National Blueberry Popsicle Month
· National Courtesy Month
· National Piano Month
· Chicken Month
· Baby Safety Month
· Little League Month
· Honey Month
NHEG
NHEG
· Self Improvement Month
· Better Breakfast Month
NHEG

2016-2017 IN-THEATRE EDUCATION SERVICE
AGREEMENT
The Nutcracker – Tues, Dec 6 – 10am
The Nutcracker – Thurs, Dec 8 – 10am
The Nutcracker – Thurs, Dec 8 – 12:30pm
The Nutcracker – Fri, Dec 9 – 10am
Swan Lake – Fri, March 17 – 10am
Reservation Form
Click to print.
34

Ingredients
· 1/2 package sandwich cookies (12 to 14 cookies) ,
crushed
· 15 regular-size peanut butter cups, crushed
· 10 ounces candy-coated chocolate pieces
(about 1 cup), crushed
· 1/2 gallon very good quality vanilla ice cream,
slightly softened
Special equipment: Fifteen 5-ounce paper cups
Directions
· Combine the crushed cookies, peanut butter cups and candy-coated chocolate pieces and add a spoonful to
the bottom of each paper cup.
· Scoop the ice cream into a large bowl of a mixer, then pour in the remaining chocolate-cookie mix. Mix
gently with a paddle attachment. Spoon the ice cream into the cups and carefully insert a popsicle stick into
each pop.
· Freeze until the ice cream has solidified. Tear off the paper cups to serve.
2012 Ree Drummond All Rights Reserved
Total Time: 2 hr. 10 min
Prep: 10 min
Inactive:
2 hr.
35
Yield:15 servings
Level: Easy

10th
36

37

Parents & Teachers: 6 Ways to Inspire the Teen
Brain
The teen brain is at a crossroad; unlock its potential with 6 strategies.
The teen brain is in a vulnerable state. It is primed to fall into addiction, delve deeply into depression and
seek out risky situations. However, the teen years are also a prime time for developing long-term,
necessary strategic thinking skills, the foundation for advanced reasoning that should continue to be
refined in complexity and maturity throughout adulthood.
The brain undergoes more change during the teenage years than any other time except for the first two
months of life. The changes are most dramatic in the frontal lobe networks, the brain’s command control
center. The frontal lobe networks are responsible for reasoning, planning, decision-making, judgment,
inhibiting bad choices, and other high-level cognitive functions. Providing necessary challenges to support
development of the frontal lobe networks is key to your teen’s ability to achieve future life success.
For years parents and educators have preached, “the more you know, the better.” Teens are being trained
to stuff facts and regurgitate information, leading to rote memorization and stymied creativity. Such robotic
use of the brain is leaving the teen brain uninspired. A time of extraordinary promise and susceptibility,
this vital adolescent brain stage merits larger-than-life attention from parents and teachers. The teen brain
is primed to create and innovate new ideas.
Elevating brainpower during this impressionable life stage of adolescents is imperative to promoting
independent life success. Follow the below tips to inspire the best and brightest brain performance and to
enhance vital frontal lobe development of your teenager.
38

Parents & Teachers: 6 Ways to Inspire the Teen
Brain (Connued)
à
à
à
à
à
à
Teach your teen to conceive many unique interpretations of movies, books, political discussions,
unsettling school or peer issues, or works of art.
Encourage your youth to be a problem finder and solution setter for issues that arise daily and discuss
how academic content supports this expertise.
Ask your teenager to give you a “message” from a book or movie or hurtful experience rather than a
long-winded retell without reflection.
Have your adolescent interpret the lyrics of their favorite song from positive and negative perspectives
and do the same for your song with them.
Watch their favorite TV show with them and share different take-home messages for the different
characters.
Push for a multitude of answers to a question or problem versus seeking the “right” answer.
Our brains are wired to be inspired – especially during teen years. Fostering creativity and innovation to
tackle difficult and multifaceted problems – in and out of school – will drive successful futures of our youth
for generations to come. As Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
39

Are you sharing our newest monthly Magazine and would like to be
added to our Magazine mailing list……….
Drop us an Email to: Newsletter@newheightseducation.org
40

9 Tips for Parents If Your Child is
Changing Schools
My last article discussed my reactions about our recent move. I’m happy to report we are settling into our new home, and I
thank everyone for all of the good wishes. The anxiety I experienced as an adult made me think of all of the children who
may be changing schools come September. Whether your family is moving — or your child is changing schools for any
number of other reasons — there are steps you can take now to ease the transition for your child.
Whatever the age of your child, it’s a good idea to arrange a visit to the new school. Although school is not in session over
the summer, a visit will demystify the new school environment by enabling your child to see the physical building, including
classrooms, playground, and cafeteria. The principal may be around, and as the school year approaches, teachers may be
at the school setting up their classrooms. Meeting some of the school personnel will familiarize your child with the new cast
of characters in his or her life.
There are also many excellent children’s books for young children that deal with school, such as Curious George Goes to
School by Margret Rey, and The Berenstain Bears Go to School by Jan and Stan Berenstain. My all time favorite book for
children and adults of all ages is Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. It inspires kids of all ages to be bold and
courageous in new situations.
Here are some tips to help you and your child become comfortable in the new school.
1. It is normal for both you and your child to be anxious about entering a new school, but if
you have concerns, please don’t express them to your child. Express confidence and
optimism about his/her ability to meet the new challenges.
2. Look for opportunities for your child to meet his/her classmates over the summer. Check
with the school principal, PTA, religious and social organizations and other groups to find
connections.
3. If your child has special needs, such as a learning disability or food allergy, work with the new school as far in advance
as possible to determine placement and to line up services and support.
4. Keep the spark of learning alive during the summer. Students can lose from one to three months of learning during the
summer, so plan to keep your child engaged by encouraging reading, word games, math and nature activities. Simply
cooking and baking with kids can help develop math, reading, and science skills.
41
(Continued on next page)

9 Tips for Parents If Your Child is
Changing Schools
(Continued from previous page)
5. Call the PTA or PTO president and introduce yourself. Parent organization leaders are in a good position to share
information and issues about the new school with you. Ask how you can contribute your skills and interests. Getting actively
involved in your child’s new school benefits you and your child! Research indicates that the more involved parents are, the
more successful their own children will be.
6. Know the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of your children’s teachers, principal, and school nurse. By all
means, contact them if you have questions or concerns.
7. Become familiar with your school and school district websites, and check them for calendar changes, meeting
announcements and minutes, news, policies and procedures, and other information.
8. Check your mail for the publication of the annual calendar/directory. Keep it in an accessible place.
9. Find out how your school communicates important information to parents and then be alert to those messages. Is it by
automated phone message, e-mail blasts, electronically through systems such as Parent Portal, newsletters, snail-mail, or in
your kids’ backpacks?
Staying on top of information and issues will enable you to be a proactive and informed parent. Your ongoing engagement,
support, and encouragement will expedite your child’s transition into the new school.
It’s Always Sad to Say Goodbye!
It’s always sad to say goodbye to one of our
associates. Yaminee Patel our radio monitor for the
last 11 Months has decided to leave us. She will be
starng college soon. We will miss her, but she may
rejoin our team in the future.
42

43

On Sunday, July 3, 2016 9:26 PM, Yaminee Patel wrote:
This was a great topic that many people may not think about unless they know
someone learning English as a second language. It is a great discussion to start.
You brought up great arguments and posed great questions. I think it would be
interesting to revisit this topic with a student who went through the ESL program
to see how they felt about it. You did great this week; the content and audio
quality were fantastic. Have a good 4th of July weekend!
44

45

Anthony Walton
Missing Since: Dec 13,
2015
Missing From: Dayton, OH
DOB:Feb 11, 2001
Age Now:15
Sex:Male
Race: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Height:5'6"
Weight:120 lbs.
Missing
Have You
Seen
These
Children?
Missing
Kaley Alstork
Missing Since: Mar 14, 2016
Missing From: Dayton, OH
DOB: Dec 24, 2000
Age Now:15
Sex:Female
Race: Black
Kaley was last seen on March
14, 2016. She may be in the
company of other juvenile females.
They may still be in the local area.
46

We received permission from Hillsdale College in Michigan
to share their courses on our website. Each link offers a
group of classes.
Some of the non-credit courses being offered:
Course Catalog
· An Introducon to C.S. Lewis: Wrings and Significance
· Winston Churchill and Statesmanship
· The Federalist Papers
· A Proper Understanding of K-12 Educaon: Theory and Pracce
· The Presidency and the Constuon
· Great Books 102: Renaissance to Modern
· Constuon 101: The Meaning & History of the Constuon
· Great Books 101: Ancient to Medieval
· Economics 101: The Principles of Free Market Economics
· History 102: American Heritage, From Colonial Selement to the Reagan Revoluon
· History 101: Western Heritage, From the Book of Genesis to John Locke
· Other Lectures and Programs
· Hillsdale Dialogues: A Survey of Great Books, Great Men, and Great Ideas
Kirby Center Lectures Archive
47

48

The Heart of Teaching: What It
Means to Be a Great Teacher
What does it mean to be a great teacher? Of course credentials,
knowledge, critical thinking, and all other faculties of intelligence
are important. However, a great teacher should be much more
than credentials, experience and intelligence.
What lies in the heart of a great teacher?
You are kind: a great teacher shows kindness to students,
colleagues, parents and those around her/him. My favorite
saying is “kindness makes the world go around”. It truly changes
the environment in the classroom and school. Being a kind
teacher helps students feel welcomed, cared for and loved.
You are compassionate: Teaching is a very humanistic
profession, and compassion is the utmost feeling of
understanding, and showing others you are concerned about
them. A compassionate teacher models that characteristic to the
students with her/his actions, and as a result students will be
more open to understanding the world around them.
You are empathetic: Empathy is such an important trait to have
and to try to develop in ourselves and our students. Being able to
put yourself in someone’s shoes and see things from their
perspective can have such a powerful impact on your decisions
and actions.
You are positive: Being a positive person is not an easy task.
Being a positive teacher is even harder when we’re always met
with problems with very limited solutions. However, staying
positive when it’s tough can have such a tremendous positive
impact on the students and everyone around us. Looking on the
bright side always seems to help make things better.
You are a builder: A great teacher bridges gaps and builds
relationships, friendships, and a community. Teachers always
look to make things better and improve things inside and outside
of the classroom. Building a community is something a great
teacher seeks to do in the classroom and extends that to the
entire school and its community.
You inspire: Everyone looks at a great teacher and they want to
be a better teacher, they want to be a better student, even better,
they want to be a better person. A great teacher uncovers hidden
treasures, possibilities and magic right before everyone’s eyes.
49

The 5 C’s of Effective Discipline: Setting Rules for
Children
By Ben Martin, Psy.D.
People don’t just stumble upon good parenting. Parenting well, like any other skill in life, is something
we learn not just through what we were taught when we were growing up, but by expanding our
strengths and skills when we become parents ourselves.
Instilling a sense of discipline in children is something few parents feel very comfortable doing. “I just
want them to have fun and be kids!” the guilty parent says. But discipline, whether you like it or not, is
the cornerstone for understanding values and responsibility — things all kids will need to learn sooner
or later.
Effective discipline comes from the following five C’s. Get these right, and you’ll have far less problems
with your kids as they age, as they’ve learned the rules and what breaking them means.
1. CLARITY: Be clear when you set rights, rules and limits.
· Don’t assume your children know family rules until you’ve talked about them.
· Be sure your children understand why these rules are being made and the consequences for
breaking the rules.
· Involve your children as much as possible in making the rules.
Try writing out your family rules and posting them on the refrigerator.
2. CONSISTENCY: Be consistent in enforcing rules.
· Stick to the consequence that has been established for a broken rule.
· Discipline will be more effective if your children have been involved in establishing the rules.
· If a change needs to be made in a family rule, talk about it before the rule is broken.
Be flexible — as your children grow, they’re ready for expanded rights and changes in rules and limits.
3. COMMUNICATION: Talk about rights, rules and limits often.
· Be willing to discuss the fairness of a rule and the reasons for it.
· Help your children learn to talk with you about feelings.
· Encourage your children to come to you when they need help.
Express respect and faith in your child through your words, gestures and tone of voice.
4. CARING: Use encouragement and support, not just discipline for broken rules.
· Praise your children when they follow your family rules, especially when they do what’s expected of
them without reminders from you.
· When a rule is broken, criticize the action and not your children.
· Follow up swiftly when a rule is broken; stay calm and carry out the
consequences your children expect.
· Make sure the consequences are appropriate for the broken rule.
Respect your children’s rights, such as the right to privacy.
5. CREATE: Instill a sense of social responsibility in your children.
· Let your children know you expect moral behavior, like honesty and
fairness.
· Set an example of honesty, fairness and social responsibility for your
children to follow.
· Promote your child’s sense of self-respect.
50

Happy 18th Birthday: No Check for You!
Families in two states were able to extend child support for their 18-year-old students thanks to
guidance from HSLDA.
DARREN JONES
HSLDA litigation attorney
In Texas, the child support enforcement agency refused to continue child support for a homeschooling
member family’s children past their 18th birthdays. Even when confronted with a judge’s order, the
agency kept telling the mother that her children were ineligible for the payments because the students’
curriculum was self-paced, and thus they did not have an expected graduation date.
The family contacted Home School Legal Defense Association. We reviewed the documents and
recommended that the mother explain that she was the administrator of her homeschool program and
certify her children’s graduation dates. Following our advice, the Texas mother explained state law to
the agency, asserted that she was the school official, and stated her children’s expected graduation
dates. The agency, which had previously stalled for four months, immediately approved the payments.
In the Golden State
On the West Coast, a member family from Burbank, California, had a similar issue. The family had been
receiving child support payments for their daughter, who was eligible for continued payments until she
graduated from high school. Before their daughter’s 18th birthday, the family received a form to certify
that the she was still enrolled in high school. However, the form had no provision for the fact that the
student was enrolled in a home-based private school program.
When the family contacted HSLDA, we recommended that they submit their private school affidavit
along with the form they had received. Normally, when the state, school district, or other agency
regulates homeschooling, HSLDA does not recommend voluntarily giving more information about a
homeschool program than what is required by law. However, in cases in which an official needs
information about a homeschool program in order to provide a benefit to the family—in this case, to
continue child support payments—showing such documents to the agency will not jeopardize the legal
standing of the homeschool program.
Shortly after the submitting the form, the grateful member family contacted us to say that the agency
had continued the child support payments.
HSLDA is happy to support our members with advocacy and court representation, but many times, a
simple directive from our experienced legal team is enough to resolve the situation.
51

Practical School Lunch Ideas
Cold and Hot Lunch Ideas
Here are some great (easy) ideas for cold and hot school lunches your kids will actually eat and you'll feel good
about.
Author: Natasha
Skill Level: Easy
Cost To Make: Varies
Ingredients
Start with the drink:
Milk: my son's drink of choice so I always make sure he has milk for lunch.
Juice : select a juice box that has reduced sugar and real fruit juice
School Lunch Main Course (Grains & Meats):
DIY "lunchables": crackers, deli turkey or salami, sliced cheese
Sandwich or sandwich kabobs
Mini bagels and cream cheese
Easy chicken sliders (canned chicken - drained well and mixed with mayo and black pepper to taste, place filling
between leuce and cheese to keep the bun from geng soggy)
Torlla pinwheels (cream cheese, sliced cheese, deli turkey, thinly sliced tomatoes, shredded leuce or spinach -
roll ghtly and slice into rounds)
School Lunch Fruit:
Small banana
Grapes
Blueberries, strawberries or other berries
Fruit kabobs - (click for recipe)
Apricot, apple,.. whatever your kids love
Applesauce
Peeled clemennes
52
(Continued Next Page)

Practical School Lunch Ideas
Cold and Hot Lunch Ideas (Connued)
School Lunch Veggies:
Baby carrots with ranch in mini cups
Cucumber slices
Snap peas
Salad
Avocado slices
School Lunch Snacks and Treats:
Banana bread
Yogurt, Pudding
String cheese
Pretzels, or gold fish crackers
Fruit snacks or fruit leather
Dried fruit
Z-Bar
Muffin
Chocolate chip cookie
DIY trail mix
Instrucons
Hot Lunch Ideas (with a Thermos):
Pasta (try: chicken alfredo, spaghe with shrimp)
Pilaf/rice, or sr fry (try: creamy chicken and rice, shrimp fried rice)
53
Tips for using a thermos:
Pack hot thermos in the morning (5 hours before it's
eaten)
Heat the thermos first: add boiling water, cover and let
sit 5 min then drain. Heat food unl it's hot. Place into
heated thermos and close ghtly with lid. Food will be
warm at lunchme.
What to put in a hot lunch thermos:
Soup (try: chicken noodle soup or meatball soup)
Leovers! You can really get creave with a thermos. Avoid foods with strong aromas (i.e. broccoli and cabbage)

On Wednesday, June 15, 2016 9:13 PM, Yaminee Patel wrote:
Once again, a fantasc topic! Many aspects of the SAT have changed this year.
Good job breaking down the new changes! I also love that you refereed back to
you past videos on the SAT and ACT, that is a good way to get listeners to go back
and listen to past shows. Nice job adding your own experiences with SAT books
and websites. I wish that I had listened to a show like this to understand the basis
of the test and how to prepare for it! One minor thing that I keep forgeng to
menon-the introducon music is very loud in comparison to when you begin to
speak. If you are able to, try to even out the audio levels between the two. Lastly, I
LOVE that you include links to your sources. It makes everything very easily
accessible and navigable. Great Job!
On Wed, Jun 15, 2016 at 8:52 PM, Yaminee Patel
wrote:
School lunches are a great topic of discussion. They seem to always be a complaint
among students. I love that you broke down the requirements of school lunches, it
gives people perspective on legally mandated regulations. I love that you bring in
research done by students and how they feel about lunch. It is very important to
take children opinions. You also touched on kids who are not eating lunch which
was done very nicely. This show really shines a light on what the bottom line of
school lunch is: to provide healthy lunches to the students. You also made good
points on sugar and self control. The audio was great here and the response time
between the two of you was much better than in past shows. Keep up the good
work!
54

55

A special thank you to everyone who attended
our 10th Anniversary Celebration.
Special thanks to Taco Bell of Defiance, for the
donation of six $5 gift certificates.
Special thanks to Family Video of Defiance for
the donation of $5 gift card. These were raffled
off during the ceremony.
Special thanks Civic Theatre of Fort Wayne for
sending Maggie Clifton and Adam Fletcher to
our 10th Annual Recognition Day Celebration.
They put on a wonderful presentation on set
with design and costumes.
Anurakta Nayak
6/1/16
Website Administrator
Aditi Chopra
6/6/16
Proofreader/Editor
Website Administrator
Social Media Helper
Guidestar Account Manager
Enjoli Baker
6/23/16
Research Coordinator
Online Class Monitor
Beth Barger
8/8/16
Clerical Support (docs)
Kaden Behan
6/25/16
Radio Host
Website Administrator
Writer/Articles
Research Coordinator
Philip Vino
6/28/16
Cartoonist and Graphic Editor/
Photographer
Savleen Grewal
7/1/16
Part-time Teacher/Tutor – Math
6 th Grade
Jennifer Schreiber
8/19/16
Proofreader/Editor
56

57

Interested in Volunteering?
hp://www.volunteermatch.org/
search/org100190.jsp
or
hp://www.chrisanvolunteering.org/
org/new-heights-educaonal-groupinc.jsp#fq=content_type:opportunity&f
q=org_nid:433070
Contact our HR Department
at HR@NewHeightsEducaon.org
58