Online Help For Algebra

I know I could have used some Algebra help. I started taking algebra in high school with a lot of optimism, but it quickly started going south. I just became more and more lost, and finally, those word problems -- you know, one train leaving Chicago while another train leaves St. Louis -- finally knocked me out.

But that was more than 20 years ago now, long before there was help from an Online algebra tutor. But students today can benefit from a Web-based tutor on algebra and other subjects, as well. You can try Free online algebra help and then sign up for regular tutoring that is available 24X7.

Imagine one of those student-help centers you'll find in a local strip mall combined with an online learning experience, and you'll get an idea of what this service entails. Students can use the tutoring service whenever -- and how often they need. The service promises that students may use the Web to work one-on-one with a tutor in a secure environment.

If only they had this service way back when, I could've figured out where those darn trains were going.

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Consumer Reports: Children Could Be Carrying Too Much Weight in Their Backpacks

When parents are sending their children back to school this fall, they should check their backpacks to ensure they aren't too heavy. Consumer Reports found some sixth graders who carried an average weight of 18.4 pounds in their backpacks -- about 17.2 percent of their body weight. A loaded backpack should weigh no more than 10 to 20 percent of a child's total weight, but Consumer Reports recommends staying closer to 10 percent.

To gauge how much weight children are carrying around, Consumer Reports' technicians visited three elementary schools in Amityville, N.Y., and weighed 56 kids from second, fourth and sixth grades both with their backpacks and without. Not surprisingly, the sixth-graders had the heaviest load at an average backpack weight of 18.4 pounds. Next came the second-graders' backpacks at 5.3 pounds and finally the fourth-graders had the smallest average backpack weight at 4.6 pounds.

To ensure a child's backpack is as safe as possible, Consumer Reports advises that the pack should sit about 2 inches above the waist, and with shoulder straps close to the body. Also, the straps should be shortened (and the excess length fastened securely out of the way) so they can't get stepped on or caught in doors. Below are some of the features Consumer Reports recommends looking for when shopping for a new backpack this fall:

-- Shoulder straps that are contoured and padded to soften the load of the pack on a child's back. -- A waist belt to stabilize the pack and transfer weight to the hips.
-- A padded or quilted back or one with mesh fabric to make the bag less sweaty on steamy days.
-- Compression straps on the sides of the pack to tighten a partially-filled backpack.
-- Reflective trim on the back and sides of the pack to add visibility in the fall and winter months, when kids may travel to and from school in near darkness.

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Video: School District Pioneers Unique Technology Partnership to Enhance Learning

A rural school district in Iowa is demonstrating that schools anywhere in the country are capable of arming students with the technology tools to succeed at the university-level, and in the challenging, ever-changing job market.

Tri-Center Community Schools has used a unique business model to partner with technology leaders HP, Microsoft and LSI to create an advanced computer network featuring new Serial Attached SCSI generation technology.

Working with a local provider, the school offers student intern programs, parent access to grades and attendance 24 hours a day, seven days a week remote access for teachers, and a special e-mail program for students and staff. The technology model shows that it's possible to move a school system forward even with limited budget.

Watch this video report now:

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Start School Later in the Morning, Say Sleepy Teens

A survey of sleep-deprived teens finds they think that a later start time for school and tests given later in the school day would result in better grades. The survey was presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference, on Sunday, May 20.

The survey of 280 high school students confirmed what most parents with a teenager know: they are not getting enough sleep. More sleep would translate into improved academic performance, according to the teens questioned. They all attended Harriton High School in suburban Philadelphia, where the school day begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 2:25 p.m.

The survey found that:

• 78% of students said it was difficult to get up in the morning
• Only 16% said they regularly had enough sleep
• 70% thought their grades would improve if they had more sleep
• 90% thought their academic performance would improve if school were to start later
  

The surveyed teens say they do not feel alert while taking tests during early morning periods, and they do not think they can perform at the pinnacle of their ability during the early morning hours. Most students said they thought the best time to take a test would be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They thought they would perform better academically and that their grades would improve if they could sleep longer.

Richard Schwab, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, conducted the study with his daughter Amanda, one of the sleep-deprived teens who attended Harriton High School. “I watched her get up early for four years, and saw how difficult it was,” Dr. Schwab says. “Teenagers need more sleep than adults and their circadian rhythms are phase shifted so that their ideal bedtime is midnight to 1:00 a.m.; yet they have to get up at 6:30 or earlier for high school.

While adults usually need 7 to 8 hours of sleep, teens need 8 to 9 hours, he says. In addition, teens go to bed much later – their biological clock often keeps them up until 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. Because they have to get up so early for school, many teens achieve only 6 ½ to 7 hours of sleep or, in some cases, much less. That means they tend to sleep in on the weekends, often until 11 am or later, to try to make up for their sleep deficit.

“Right now, high schools usually start earlier in the morning than elementary schools. But if school start times were based on sleep cycles, elementary schools should start at 7:30 and high schools at 8:30 or 8:45 – right now it’s the reverse. School systems should be thinking about changing their start times. It would not be easy—they would have to change the busing system—but it would increase their student's sleep time and likely improve their school performance.”


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Flip Floppin' Fundraising

Greeting cards don't work anymore and people are getting bored with the same old pizzas?

Then it's time for some new School fundraising ideas.

You need Bagus Custom and their custom imprinted flip flops. Made in your school colors and with your school name, mascot, or logo imprinted or embroidered on the flip flops, no one can resist the school spirit these sensational shoes offer!

Bagus offers several styles and colors to choose from.

Let Bagus do for your elementary, middle or high school what they've done for the X Games, McDonalds, Marriot Resorts, Surf Ride Boardshops, ESPN, Toyota, Necker Island Resort, Calvin Klein, Miami Heat, Baltimore Ravens. Bagus has enhanced the images of all of them with custom footwear.

No need to worry about sizes -- Bagus sandals come in regular shoe sizes, children through adult, or can be ordered in small, medium, and large sizes. Take your first "step" toward your next school fundraiser today!

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