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What Is Reach a Student?
Reach a Student is a website established to give students direct communication access to student mentors in various grade levels. Students will be able to reach out to other students and ask any questions they have regarding student and campus life. The site will also stream videos of students sharing their experiences at Windermere Prep as well as activities around campus. Find Out More
As a student of Windermere Prep you are
expected to strive for perfection and attain excellence, but this doesn't mean
that you must be stressed all the time. With good time management you can be
less stressed, get more things done, and even have some free time for other
activities that you may enjoy. I used to always be stressed about getting good
grades and doing all of the homework that I was assigned. I had to learn how
to manage my time in order to get more things done and have free time do the
things that I loved. I had tried many time management tactics, such as writing
everything down in my planner, or even skipping some after school activities in
order to get the best grade possible. This ended up stressing me out even more,
I had to find a method that worked for me. I ended up using a time calendar. I
know it sounds weird, but I got a white board and marker and would write down
what I would be doing every half hour. This helped me to see exactly when I
should be working on a certain assignment, or studying for a specific test. I
now had seen where I had free time to spend with family and friends, and even
go to all of my after school activities. This has helped me manage my time, but
it might not help you. Find a system that works for you and stick with that
method. Make sure to keep up with the method you choose as well. As long as the
system works for you, it doesn't matter how weird it seems.
Hi
my name is Bella and I am an 8th grade student at Windermere Prep. One
of my greatest passions in life is dance. I find myself dancing almost
everywhere I go. It is something that I could not live without. Each week I
dance for about 10+ hours. I also attend certain dance competitions every few
months, which means a lot of extra rehearsals. Sometimes I find it a little
tricky to maintain a 4.0 GPA as well as attend all of my dance classes and
rehearsals. However I seem to always find a way to make it work.
One
tip I would give others who are struggling to juggle all of their extra
curricular activities along with school is to stay organized. I would suggest
keeping a planner to write all of your assignments down on. As well as keeping
a few folders to organize any papers you receive from teachers. This way you do
not lose any time due to searching for a lost paper or assignment. Another tip
would be to get lots of sleep and eat healthy as well. Being tired or getting
sick would only lead to more schoolwork piling up, which will make it much
harder to balance school and your extracurricular activities.
My
last tip is to get some of your schoolwork done over the weekend. If you wait
until the week everything is due it will be extremely hard to complete everything
on time and attend your extracurricular activities. Even spending an hour on
your work over the weekend can make a huge difference. I know that all of these
tips have definitely made it a lot easier for me to keep up with my schoolwork
as well as dance, which is very important to me.
I
truly do not know what I would do without dance. It has provided me with so
many great opportunities that I am so thankful for. Through dance I can express
myself and teach others. I have even gotten to work with an incredible
nonprofit organization known as Dance Out
Bullying and got to educate others about bullying through dance. I hope to one-day
dance on Broadway as well as eventually own my own dance studio and teach
others. I hope to have a positive impact on someone's life through dance. I also
hope that all of my tips will help you maintain your busy schedule and allow
you to follow your dreams and achieve your aspirations
and goals.
Whenever you are
lonely, whenever you are bored, and whenever you are nervous, one of the best
activities to do is volunteering. The fact that you are helping someone out for
his or her benefit, not yours, gives you a thrill and happiness. When you are
volunteering, you are also giving something back to the community, the
community that gave you the environment to grow to what you are now.
Volunteering can
also help you build new skills or even build on an existing skill that you are
working on. For example, volunteering at a golf tournament may help you
understand golf and volunteering at a hospital may help you understand how
patients are treated and how the hospital runs during the day. Each time you
volunteer, whether it is fun or not, you learn a valuable lesson, and the
lesson you learn can be used for your future decisions and actions
For me,
volunteering is quite fun, although I encounter new skills and activities that
I might not even use in my life, just learning the new skills makes it fun for
me. I volunteered at a golf tournament January 2016, and from there, I learned
how the scoreboard runs during a golf tournament, and many other management
skills that run a golf tournament. I even met many famous people there too!
Furthermore, I am going to volunteer at the Orlando Regional Medical Center and
I am looking forward to volunteer! I will be able to not only go around the
hospital, but also have a chance to look into details where patient is being
cared of, and other great opportunities!
All in all, one of
the best ways to learn and go out into the world is by volunteering. The
current world requires us to have as many skills and volunteering can cover
most of the experience we need. Plus, just why not volunteer? Volunteering, in
my opinion, is better than any phone or computer games and many other home
activities. Most volunteering activities are held outside, which means that you
can also get your daily walking done while outside. So to have fun and
volunteer!
If
you have ever heard of APUSH (AP US History), you probably heard that it is one
of the toughest classes at Windermere Prep. Compared to other schools, WPS offers
this course at 9th grade, while other schools offer it at 11th and 12th. I am
just going to flat out say that if you aren't willing to work hard and put in
the time, then this class is definitely not for you, as the work never stops.
Now as a former survivor of APUSH, I know a few things about how this class
works, and what it takes to succeed.
Outlines
The
first part of this course is outlines. Every night, you basically summarize a
part of a textbook chapter in a specific format, which Mr. Zoslow then checks
the next day. Every outline is a total of 3 points, so as long as you complete
it, you should get full credit. Of course it depends on how many pages your
reading is for that night, but my outlines were around 10 pages, give or take a
few pages. You might be stressing out during your first outline, and it might
take you a long time, but just know that they get easier as you continue on
throughout the year. My advice to you is to use every minute of the day for
outlines. Even 5 minutes at the end of another class can get you a few
paragraphs outlined. Don't worry about making everything perfect, because
honestly Mr. Zoslow just scrolls through it, and doesn't actually read
everything word for word.
KBATS
KBATS
are just a bunch of vocab words that you think are necessary to study for the
unit exam. The catch is that Mr. Zoslow doesn't give you a vocab list, but you
have to come up with the words yourself and then write definitions for them. My
suggestion is to either underline or highlight your KBATS while you are
outlining so you can go back and know which words you thought were important.
Some won't agree with me, but I found it easy to complete my KBATS while I was
outlining so that way I didn't have to worry about them later. You will just have
to determine what works best for you. Make sure you are only doing definitions
for words that are necessary, or you will end up with a couple hundred words
for each chapter. Lastly, DO NOT procrastinate these. I guarantee the last
thing you want is to have to complete a couple hundred vocab words in one
night.
EDQs
EDQs
(essential daily questions) are a necessity in this class if you want to
succeed. You get a specific question based off of your reading from the night
before, and you have to answer it in the form of an essay. When you come to
class the next day, there are usually 3-4 readers depending on time, and you
get 10 points for reading your EDQ, even if it is completely wrong. It
definitely takes a lot of courage to read in front of your classmates, but just
know that your classmates really don't listen to the EDQs. Even though you may
think that Mr. Zoslow isn't paying attention, he definitely is, so don't try to
slide in some wrong information or information from a different topic. There are
three main components that you have to include by the end of the year; thesis,
contextualization, and synthesis. You will gradually need to do all three, but
the first quarter is just composing a thesis. After you read your EDQ, Mr.
Zoslow will ask you to repeat your thesis. Don't worry about not knowing how to
write one in the beginning, but just make sure you know what you are talking
about. Don't try to make up information that isn't true or accurate, because
Mr. Zoslow will ask you about it. You want to make sure that you get your
readings done as soon as possible. When you get to the end of the quarter,
everyone is in the same boat as you, and then there are too many people and too
few days for everyone to read and get their points. At the end of the year for
me, there was a huge waiting list everyday for reading your EDQs, and some
people emailed 2-3 weeks in advance for a spot to read. You want to complete
them every night and not procrastinate doing them, because you will eventually
have to turn in an EDQ packet at the end with all of your essays. It is
definitely harder to write an essay and remember the information from a month
ago, rather than just writing it the night you learned the material.
Unit Exams
I'm
not gonna lie; the unit exams you will take for APUSH will SEEM very
impossible, but they aren't. After your first few tests, you learn what Mr.
Zoslow is looking for, and what it takes to get a good grade. When studying for
these exams, don't focus too much about the minor details, but make sure you
know the overall picture. You have the whole class period to complete the test,
so right when you walk in the door, make sure you already have your pens and
highlighters in hand. Trust me: every minute counts. There are 55 multiple
choice questions, and there is no possible way that you could get all of them
right. I would recommend to spend about 10 minutes on the multiple choice
because the essay is where you get the most points. When you get to the essay,
make sure you do a little 2-3 min outline of what you are going to write,
because that alone can get you 5 points. You get a point for everything you get
right, but a point off for something wrong, or even more points if it is a
really dumb answer, so just right everything that you know. However, if you are
unsure of a date or a specific detail, don't write it, because you may get a
point taken off for it. Make sure you frame the narrative, and for every person
that you introduce, make sure that you describe him/her and not just simply
write their name. If you are given documents, you MUST use all documents or
else you will get points taken off. Keep reminding yourself that you are in
APUSH, so make sure you don't find yourself focusing too much on other
countries. Lastly, sleep is the most important thing. If you don't get enough
sleep, your brain can't properly function, and you won't be able to remember
any of the information.
Grading the Unit Exams
All
of the APUSH tests are curved, which means that points are added on to your raw
score. Your raw score is the actual grade that Mr. Zoslow got from your exam,
but the curve is made based on how everyone else does. If everyone did really
good on the test, then the curve is going to be lower, but if everyone did bad,
the curve might be higher. There is what is called a floor, which is the lowest
possible score someone could get. If you get lower than the floor, then the
floor score is the one that shows up in the gradebook. For example, if someone
got a raw score of 20, the curve was 40, and the floor was a 65, then they
would get a 65 in their grade book. If someone got a raw score of 80, and the
curve was 40, then they would get a 99 because that is the highest grade you
could get. Just know that your first probably won't be the score that you
wanted, but it will get better from there.
Study tips
Use
your friends for resources, because they are going through the same struggles
that you are. Collaboration is key in this class, because there is so much
information that you can't possibly remember all of it. Use your prep book, and
watched jocz production videos. Before tests, look up practice essay questions
and write out a brief outline just to practice to ensure you know the
information. Take notes during class so that you make sure you are paying
attention and can later use them for a review resource.
The AP Exam
At
the end of the year, you will take the nationwide APUSH exam. It includes a
DBQ, a long essay, multiple choice, and short answer questions. Your grade is
given on a scale from 1-5, but don't expect that you are going to get a 5.
Remember that you are going against juniors and seniors, and a 5 is really hard
to get. I would definitely study a lot for this exam because you want to get at
least the passing grade of a 3. Also, at the end of the year there is a US
history subject test that is required for some colleges, so I would recommend
taking it so that way you don't have to worry about it when you are a junior or
senior.
One
thing to know about this class is that it never stops, not even during breaks
or on weekends. Even when you finish an outline, you always have one for the
next day or another assignment you should be doing to get ahead. Despite all of
the work that you have to do, it is really hard to do badly in this class, as
long as you complete all of the necessary work. Even if you get the floor on
every test but complete all of your EDQs, KBATS, and outlines, then you might
end up with a B. This class is very independent, and it teaches you how you best
learn and how to manage your time better. One thing to steer away from is
comparing yourself to other people. Don't panic if someone already had their
outline done for tomorrow when you haven't even started. Everybody works at
their own pace and in their own way. By the end of the year, you will be
thinking and working 10 times faster than you were in the beginning of the
year. Just know that at the end of the year, you will finally be able to say,
"I survived APUSH", and trust me, it's a great feeling.
I remember when the first day the Turning A Page project was introduced to me in 8th grade I was
nervous. I wanted to end middle
school strong and so I decided to do something unique. I wanted to do something that no one
had ever done before, and so I chose the topic of fortunetelling and
mysticism. I recommend to students
who are looking to challenge themselves to choose a topic out of the
norm. By not choosing a hobby or
something that I was familiar with, I learned new things. For example, I learned how to read
fortunes and I studied the culture of gypsies and fortunetellers. I think that choosing a topic that you do not know well adds a completely new meaning to this project.
Many students may believe
that they can start working on the project only a few weeks before their TAP presentation. I think that it is really
beneficial to start working on TAP as soon as you can because it takes a lot of
time to make your presentation the best that it can be. It gives you time to ask the teachers anything that you may feel
concerned about.
Before you start writing
your TAP script, start by writing out an outline. I personally preferred making a list. I numbered the
list from 1-10 and then I wrote the class subject and explained how my
topic could be connected to the subject. It helped to color-code the different class
topics. For example:
1. Edgar
Allen Poe (A Dream Within A Dream): Explained connection #1
2. Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven): Explained connection #2
5. The Giver (Conformity): Explained Connection #5
6. The Giver (Colors): Explained Connection #6
After you make your
outline, you should show each of your teachers the connections for their class
to make sure that they will accept all your connections. Also, it may be helpful when thinking of connections, to refer to Edmodo and look at all of the folders for each
class. For math I went through the
textbook and read the word problems because they can help for inspiration.
While you are thinking of
connections, come up with your visual aids. You can make certain connections by using visual aids. For example, on my topic of fortune
telling, I used items such as candles, a crystal ball, and tarot cards. Visual aids are extremely helpful if you
know how to use them to your advantage. I made numerous connections to what I read on the different tarots cards. For example I had written:
In the picture of the sun tarot card, you see the planets
revolving around the sun. Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist, astronomer,
engineer, and philosopher, proclaimed that the Earth and the planets in our
solar system revolved around the sun – a controversial idea at the time as the
common belief was that the planets revolved around the Earth. He was also known
for throwing two rocks of different sizes off the Leaning Tower of Pisa to see
if the heavier rock would hit the ground first. To his surprise Galileo
discovered that the rocks, no matter the weight landed on the ground at the
same time. As a result of his findings, Galileo theorized that objects of
different weights and masses would have the same amount of force pushing them
down.
It might be helful when starting to write out
the rough draft of your script, to print out your outline. While you type
different connections into the script, cross them out from the outline. By doing this you are making sure that
you include all of your connections into your presentation. When you are first writing up your
script, don't worry about making your writing perfect, just type an outline of
your presentation just indicating how each connection will be used. Once you finish the outlining, then go
back to finalize and revise it. With your finalized script, it is really important to time
yourself as you read it out loud to make sure that your presentation will fit the 15 minute time
frame. At first, my script was too long by several minutes and it took a long time to shorten my it down.
One VERY important thing
that I learned while making my script is that it is more about making the
connections than going extremely in depth on your actual topic. I struggled a lot with time because I
had long sections where I talked about my topic and very detailed connections. If you are struggling with time like I
did, first simplify the descriptions
of your topic before making big changes to your connections. Remember that you are being graded more on
the connections, than how detailed you were in explain the topic.
In your presentation, be
sure to think of a way to interact with the teachers. Your teachers do not want to hear a 15-minute long speech;
they want to feel as if they are being transported into the setting that you
have created. Think of how you can use the space that you are
given to your greatest advantage. Decorate your
presentation area by making it authentic to your project. For example for my fortune telling
topic, I decided to make a tent with a lot of gypsy fabrics and lanterns. I researched my topic to see how
gypsies decorated their space for fortune telling. I think the visual appearance was one of the biggest contributions that made my project different.
When you are at the final
stage of TAP where you are practicing the presentation, and you find it difficult memorizing the order of your script, it may be helpful to make a
few note cards with generalized bullets that will prompt you to remember what
to say next. Try to
separate your script out into different sections and take some time every day
to memorize each section one by one, this will make memorizing quicker. For memorizing, I found it helpful to read each section over and over again until I could say the written words without looking at the
script.
If you've ever found yourself floundering to maintain your grades, barely
getting by the first week of school, follow these tips and strategies I have
cultivated over my past two years as a high school student at Windermere Prep.
Time management and
Organization
When school, sports, and other extracurriculars
get crazy, time management is key to maintain a good learning experience. As a
high school student, or a student of any grade, you need to recognize what
needs to be done urgently and what can wait. The best way to do this is by
finding a system of organization. Whether it be a planner, Google doc, or a
notebook, find a place where you can organize everything that needs to be done
into categories: mandatory work, extra work, questions you might have, due
dates, reminders, notes, etc…This will let you know exactly what you have to
do, when, and what's coming up.
Talk to your Teachers
As much as you don't want to believe
it, your teachers are here to help you! Don't hesitate to ask them for help
after school or during SRT. A key piece of information worth remembering is
that when you actively invest in your education, your teachers will notice this
and think of you more often, finding ways to help you and always keeping in mind
what you might need. They will come to you with more detailed suggestions and
resources.
Review, Review, Review!
The best way to lighten up on studying
for a final, midterm, or even a test or quiz, is to constantly review. Create a
system where you review your classes, whether it be 15 minutes daily for each
class, or a couple hours on the weekend. Doing this keeps the knowledge fresh,
which will ultimately help you study effectively for big cumulative tests or
exams. This will also keep you from cramming, giving more time to process the
information. When you do this, studying is truly just review, not relearning!
Prepare for Classes
Another great way to stay on top of
classes, especially challenging ones, is to introduce the next topic to
yourself with some light textbook (or whatever resource is best for the class)
pre-reading. This sets up the unit for you and puts you at an advantage. Don't
worry if you don't understand at first, when you begin learning with your
teacher and other students, your questions will be gone! This gives you more
time to understand and process the concept.
Make use of your
Resources
This might be obvious, but don't
overlook any resources your teachers give you! These resources are an
opportunity, use them wisely! The most accessible and best ones are those added
by your teacher on Canvas. One of the best and most useful resources I have
found is the canvas calendar. With all your future assignments and tests
listed, you can see the exact workload for the upcoming weeks and plan
accordingly. If you still find yourself struggling with the class, ask your
teacher for more practice or good websites. You can also do your own research
and find websites and books to help.
Take Good Notes and be
an Active Student
Arguably the most important of these
tips is to be an active member of your class. If you have questions, ask them!
They are most likely legitimate questions that everyone else also has. They
also might bring up a good argument or sub topic that needs to be addressed to avoid
confusion later. You might just be doing everyone a favor when you ask
questions. You should also try to make connections and share ideas to the
class, as this could facilitate a well-rounded discussion with your peers.
Lastly, take. good. notes. Find what works best for you and stick with it. This
could be hand written notes, flashcards, typed notes…anything! Good notes does
not necessarily mean copy every word down. Good notes are ones that summarize
main ideas and include key details. You might also want to analyze the
information you have and apply it in different ways to test your understanding.
Learn, do not Just
Study
Make sure your priorities and reasons
for studying are well-intentioned. Do not just study to attain the "perfect
grade". Understand the information given to you, and be able to apply it. This
is how you truly make use of what you learn in school.
Recognize the
Importance of your Education
As much as we think the things we learn
in school are useless, and while we might not remember them or use them later,
that doesn't mean we shouldn't learn them! The benefit of learning something
"useless" is not in its content, but in the skills developed and used. These
classes teach us to think critically, analyze the information, and apply it.
Attaining knowledge at our level is an opportunity, so seizeevery minuteof it, whether you think it minuscule
or not. And perhaps the most important piece of advice I can give you, do it
for yourself. Do it for your self-improvement, for your enrichment, and for
your enjoyment. Find what makes you love learning and pursue it, no matter if
it isn't the safest bet. Be a reasonable risk-taker. No matter what you pursue,
if you do it whole-heartedly, you will find your way to success. Enjoy what you
learn and do it to become the best version of you, to become a well-rounded and
worldly citizen. And remember, grades are not the final and only measurement of
intelligence. As long as you are trying, improving, and working hard, your
grades will reflect that. If they don't, there might other aspects of an
education that you are stronger in, and those are just as important!
Many students dedicate a lot of their time to extracurriculars,
sports, volunteer work, jobs, etc. I myself have dedicated my entire life to
gymnastics, where I spend every afternoon of every week practicing for
just a few moments of glory every year. Spending all of this time involved in
something like this makes you realize how important time is, especially when
you're involved in the IB program. After all of these years, I have picked up a
few tips and tricks on time management and how balancing your social life,
extracurriculars, and school work can be done effectively. I've finally learned
that balancing my time would help me in the long run and would relieve a lot of
unnecessary stress as well.
Firstly, realizing where your time is going helps you understand
how you could be using your time better and create a more efficient schedule
that lets you control where your time is being spent and how it could be spent
better. Setting priorities helps you focus on activities that are most
important and allows you to categorize the most important to least important
things you need to get done. The best way to manage your time is to stay
organized. I recommend using a calendar or planner and daily to-do list, to
check off items as you complete them. I also recommend doing tough tasks first
while you're fresh and alert and breaking large projects down into smaller
chunks to complete these projects more efficiently. I know my main drawback
when it comes to time management is procrastination. I've learned that the best
ways to avoid procrastination is to set daily priorities, try focusing for
short amounts of time instead of hours at a time, and attempting difficult
tasks at your high-energy time since your concentration will be easier then.
Don't allow interruptions, like a loud room to study or your friend's bothering
you, get in your way or else juggling your work may seem much more difficult
than it actually is and you'll just become more discouraged. These few tips and
tricks may just save you from a sleepless night of studying in the future.
