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Answers From The Teacher The senior class is holding an all-night party after the prom at a local community center. It’s the first year the school has sponsored anything like this. What’s the reasoning behind an all-night party? All-night after prom parties have been around a while. The logic is this: If the students have some place to go that’s fun after the big prom, they’ll be less likely to attend a private party where there may be alcohol or drugs. Every year there are tragedies on prom night that involve drinking and driving, so in an effort to keep the students safe, some schools have arranged after- prom parties. Some organizations ask for donations or prizes from local busi-nesses to encourage students to show up and maybe win prizes as well as having a good, safe time. Though most of the time the event is free, there may be a small fee for students to attend. Many all-night-after-prom parties have strict rules about when students can arrive and depart. Because the party has a dual purpose, both to allow the kids to have fun and to keep them supervised appropriately, admittance times are usually regulated to an hour or so after the prom ends. Once the students are in, they may not be able to leave until a certain time, which may be six in the morning or so, unless they are picked up by a parent. Once students are allowed to leave, making safe arrangements for the pick-up should be a primary concern. Allowing tired students to drive home after an all-night party could be a big mistake because sleepy drivers can be just as dangerous as drunk drivers. There are a lot of review books available to help an older student with test-prep, but I can’t find much for my fifth-grader. I know my son can do well if he studies for a few extra minutes a night, and I think a review book might help. Where can I locate such materials? What’s the best way to prepare my son for an upcoming Science test? The first person you may want to talk to is your son’s teacher. Find out what type of test-prep materials they are using in school and ask for suggestions for what you might want to use at home. Because some test-prep books may not fully explain every concept that may be on a test, your son should know the topics that may be covered and be able to discuss them for a review book to be of realistic help. Test-prep books can help a student become fam-iliar with the format of the test which can go along way in helping a student feel comfortable, but the student will still have to understand the content of the subject. Fifth-grade science topics may include electricity, plants, and the water cycle, for in-stance. Talk to the classroom teacher to see what concepts will be tested and have some conversations with your son about those topics. If the information needed to answer a question isn’t in your son’s head, then hours with a test-prep book isn’t going to help him succeed. Other suggestions for finding a test-prep book: go to your local book store and order one, or use the Internet by searching under "test preparation books." But whatever you do, don’t take all the fun out of learning the material by turning it into an immutable routine. Education is not just about passing tests; it’s much, much more. Send questions to: Answers from the Teacher, P.O. Box 54, South Egremont, MA 01258. Questions may also be emailed to ateacher@bcn.net.
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