You have an incredible amount of power to help your child achieve the academic success they need to find meaningful and rewarding careers. But parenting children today can also be extremely challenging. 

Should you ever doubt your power to shape your child’s life for the better, we’ve compiled a few statistics to help restore your faith, along with tips to help you set your child up for success. 

The Importance of Parental Involvement

At Saint John’s Prep, we are incredibly fortunate that our parents are invested in their children’s education. We get to see on a daily basis what a difference it makes. 

Not all parental involvement is the same, and there’s no reason for busy parents to feel bad if they don’t attend every school function, every practice, or every game. 

Creating a nurturing home environment that supports learning than showing up for school events. 

10 Parent Strategies for Academic Success

Every child is different, and many will have additional needs, including those who tend to outperform their peers in the classroom and on standardized tests. But our faculty and staff have compiled a helpful checklist for parents to support their children’s education.

Every child is different, and many will have additional needs, including those who tend to outperform their peers in the classroom and on standardized tests. But our faculty and staff have compiled a helpful checklist for parents to support their children’s education.

1. Get To Know Your Child’s Teacher and ������ School Staff

Attending parent-teacher conferences is always helpful, but your school might provide more ways that you can get to know your child’s teacher and how you can best support what they’re doing in the classroom. 

For example, at Prep, we have a portal to help facilitate ongoing conversations between parents and teachers, coaches, and advisors and help families keep track of upcoming events. We are also able to offer more counseling resources than many schools, so we can offer more specialized mentorship to help students with academics, mental health, and college planning. Our 11:1 student-faculty ratio allows all of our staff to get to know our students very well, and we’re happy to say that our Prep families often check in outside of conference times to make sure their children are engaged with their coursework. 

If your child works closely with a coach, a school counselor, or an advisor, these staff members may also have valuable insight about what motivates your child and where they may need additional support. 

2. Ask How Your Child’s Doing in School

Children sometimes behave differently with their teachers and their peers than they do at home, and we understand that the question, “What did you learn at school today?” doesn’t always produce the exciting conversations parents are hoping for! 

At Saint John’s Prep, it’s a frequent treat for us to see our students talking amongst themselves about what they just learned in class. If you’re not sure how your child is actually doing at school, you can certainly ask them, and you should always feel free to ask your child’s teachers. We encourage our Prep families to email a faculty or staff member whenever they have a question. 

When we advise parents to get curious about how their child is doing in school, we aren’t simply referring to the grades or scores they achieve. We take a holistic approach to education and believe that learning shouldn’t just be about test scores. We believe that education is a lifelong gift that should serve the entire person — cognitively, academically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

We believe that it’s very important for our students to be engaged in what they’re learning, and if they’re not, we’ll typically offer them additional materials or learning opportunities that may reawaken their natural curiosity. As parents, you can do the same. Every child will have their favorite and least favorite subjects, for example, which is why we try to offer some flexibility in our curriculum in middle school and upper school, along with more exciting ways for our students to absorb subjects that have a reputation for being dry. 

3. Help Your Child Develop Time Management Skills

As children enter their high school years, many will need additional help developing time management strategies that work for them. Here are a few things we’d recommend: 

• Encourage your child to stick to a routine, which will be different on weekdays and weekends
• Suggest using a tool — either paper or electronic — to simplify scheduling and meeting deadlines
• Help your child break down more complex tasks into smaller, easier portions so they can make steady progress towards their goals
• Try to eliminate distractions (including over-booked schedules) as much as possible during times when your child may need help focusing on a task
• Encourage your child to identify what that gets in the way of starting or completing tasks, and what helps them stay on track
• Respect their need to take breaks
• Refrain from nagging your child repeatedly to finish a task, but set clear, responsible expectations and enforce consequences when they’re not met

4. Be Supportive and Curious About What Your Child Is Learning

Not every parent who visits our campus has had the fondest memories of their middle and high school years, and that’s often why they are seeking something different for their child. We are pleased to be able to provide something that we feel is an exceptional learning experience, but, as stated earlier, parents are their children’s most powerful role models. 

If you demonstrate a positive attitude about education and display some curiosity and enthusiasm about what your child is learning, it will be very impactful. That also means making sure your child has the time, space, and any additional resources they may need to complete their homework. We encourage our parents to provide our students with additional guidance about their assignments but refrain from providing answers.

5. Help Your Child Prepare for Tests

Life will never be without stress, and while we certainly don’t teach just for high test scores, learning how to properly prepare for a test will help your child succeed in college and beyond. We help our students manage stress and develop resilience throughout their time with us, and we believe it’s perhaps the single biggest reason that our alumni so often tell us they felt better prepared for college than their peers. 

Good time management skills go a long way with helping students prepare for exams, but you can also ask your child what types of questions might be on the test and offer a few pointers, like answering easier questions first and returning to tougher ones later so they don’t feel stuck. Also, encourage your child not to cram too much the night before the exam. can affect their ability to concentrate the next day and are associated with decreased academic performance. Instead, encourage your child to get a good night’s sleep the night before an exam and eat a healthy breakfast. 

6. Be Open To Trying New Things

This one can be more challenging for adults than it can be for children! At Saint John’s Prep, we encourage our students to try new things. Sometimes, our students will discover a talent they never knew they had, and sometimes it’s just a great reminder that we all have to do things that we aren’t naturally good at. The ability to stay focused on incremental improvement instead of, say, winning, is an important life skill.

John C. Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author, coach and speaker, put it like this: “If we are growing, we are always going to be outside our comfort zone.”

Trying new things doesn’t have to be expensive. In Central Minnesota, we have a huge variety of trails and lakes to explore. If you haven’t paddled a canoe, gone inner tubing, taken an art class, or tried your hand at disc golf, pick one and give it a go! 

7. Know When To Step In (and When To Step Back)

There are many things we do at Prep to help our students learn to solve problems for themselves, both inside and outside of the classroom. But if your child doesn’t feel safe at their school, that’s a good time to step in. 

If your child feels unsafe, it can have a on their academic performance. If your child is being bullied at school — or there are other factors that lead them to feel unsafe — let your school know. You might also try encouraging your child to self-advocate with a trusted adult in the building. However, if you’ve already tried these solutions, and your child still isn’t getting the nurturing, supportive, and safe environment they need, you may want to explore switching schools. 

On the other hand, if you find yourself being “the enforcer” when it comes to making sure your child completes their homework, you might want to step back. Researchers have found that the more parents nag their children about upcoming deadlines, the more children will struggle with self discipline and accountability. 

8. Don’t Discourage Play

We offer our students more time at lunch and recess than many schools do, and our college acceptance rates and school ratings indicate that building a little downtime is highly beneficial. We always try to make learning as fun and engaging as possible, but our human brains get tired, and sometimes we all do better after a good break! 

Video games, TV, and other activities are fine in moderation. After all, play is one of our first forms of learning, and as we go throughout our lives, play can boost creativity and leadership skills and help us get out of our comfort zone.

9. Explore School Offerings

Participating in school activities and clubs are a great way for your child to explore their interests. But have found more to love: Participating in school activities has been shown to increase engagement and feelings of attachment to a school and decrease the likelihood that a child will want to drop out. 

You might be surprised at the activities your school offers! For example, at Prep, our students can start their own special interest clubs. In addition to music and theater, our visual arts program offers classes in drawing, painting, and ceramics, as well as photography and video production. Our students also have opportunities to travel abroad, participate in community service activities, and more.  

10. Foster Lifelong Learning

The world is a giant classroom, and everyone in it can be a student and a teacher. If you have access to a great library or museum, try to make time to explore it with your child! 

The great outdoors is also a wonderful place to learn, which is why many of our classes take place outside. Children who spend more time in nature show an improved ability to focus and remain engaged with what they’re learning.

What Is Academic Success?

This may seem like an odd topic to end on, but it’s one we spend a lot of time thinking deeply about at our school. 

We will always be proud of our role in helping young people get accepted into some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world. On paper, that’s exactly what we’re here for! But we believe that, ultimately, true academic success is about giving our students the tools they need to lead happy, purposeful, and fulfilling lives. And at least according to our Prep families, that’s exactly what we do. 

If our school may be a good fit for your child, we’d love to meet you! We offer multiple ways to visit our campus throughout the school year, and we are also happy to create a customized experience for your child.

The post 10 Ways Parents Can Support Academic Success appeared first on Saint John's Prep.

Welcoming students from all over the world, Saint John’s Prep is truly a microcosm of world peace. Students are taught to “listen with the ear of the heart,” embracing empathy as a pathway to peace and understanding. It is with this foundation that we have centered our family’s values – to be welcoming to all; to embrace differences; to love one another – above all else. As a family, we envision this rule to encompass social justice issues, self compassion, and a quest to learn about various cultures and religions, for “all are to be received as Christ.”

While at Saint John’s Prep, I developed lasting international friendships that I have continued to nurture. While recently visiting a Prep School friend, Chana Soopipat, in his majestic home country of Thailand, he recalled his love for the Prep School and the 2,900 acres of woods and lakes that make up the campus. “There is no place more beautiful than Saint John’s Prep, even in winter! If I have children, I will absolutely send them there!” To hear this while surrounded by the beauty of Thailand, I was humbled. Indeed, in our backyard, smack in the middle of Central Minnesota, is nestled a gem that is Saint John’s Prep School. How fortunate we are!

We have had the opportunity to continue the Prep tradition in our family with our children now beginning to learn and grow at Saint John’s Prep. Louise began as a 6th grader, and will be in 9th grade next year and Claudia will be a 6^th grader; both have found the Prep School to be graciously hospitable and open to all; welcoming students and families from diverse backgrounds and beliefs and teaching a global perspective. It is with these teachings and values that I believe we prioritize empathy and understanding and continue to strive for peace and harmony on this beautiful, diverse Earth.

Saint John’s Prep Class of 1995
Current Proud Prep Parent

If you’re a prospective Saint John’s Prep student or parent interested in learning more about how we prepare students for lives of purpose, service, and achievement, please contact our ������ Team.

Want to learn more about Saint John’s Prep?

Schedule a Campus Tour

The post An Alumni Reflection on Benedict’s Rule in Practice, “Let all guest who arrive be received as Christ.” appeared first on Saint John's Prep.

Our decision to embrace the Saint John’s Prep community was a tough one. Our family was fortunate to have had a great elementary experience at Saint Katherine Drexel; one that set the bar very high for teachers and administrators. We decided that what mattered most to us was that we find a community that cared as much about supporting and growing our kids in a holistic way, as they did about growing them academically. We wanted to find our place within a community that would “walk their talk” when it came to articulating and breathing life into the idea that every single person is equally valuable and deserving of respect. We wanted our kids to learn about social justice and to be challenged to see the world from many different perspectives. We wanted our kids to be in a space that would show them how music and art are not just fun, but that they are actually vital and necessary for our spirits and our world to thrive. As we connected with the staff at Saint John’s Prep over the course of a year or more, it became clear to us that this was a community committed to relying upon Benedictine values to guide them to strike a healthy balance of challenge and support. We felt Saint John’s Prep was the kind of community that could best help our children, Joey and Lizzy, discover and make the most of their gifts in this lifetime.

As we began 6^th grade, not only did Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Loesch make a commitment to understanding and guiding Joey and Lizzy as people with unique gifts and challenges, they also offered Paul and I support to help us make the transition to middle school parenting. It was so comforting to know that we could rely on them to take the initiative to reach out to us with feedback, support and resources. They were also very intentional about creating opportunities for all of us to be in community so we could begin to create our own network of resources and support. We felt like we were partners.

As we began 7^th grade, we learned very quickly that the expectations and experiences our kids were facing would really stretch them to meet new and unfamiliar challenges. I have to say that this transition was really hard as parents and we needed as much support to strike our own balance and to find our legs as our kids did. Once again, we have found partners in the teachers and staff at Saint John’s Prep. As we navigated some tough stuff this year, we were met with strong support and lots of patience, compassion and the willingness to listen to our concerns and experiences with an open mind and heart. I am so grateful to know that I can reach out to our school leaders, counselors, staff and teachers and always find a partner willing to help.

Like many families, with the changes that have been thrust upon us by COVID-19, we found the necessary transition to online school initially pretty challenging. The upside of that challenge was getting to see the depth of empathy and commitment of our Saint John’s Prep leadership and teachers in action. As we navigated the new format and the loss of our in person connections and face to face social interactions, the leadership team took great care to check in with us routinely about how things were going. They listened to our feedback and then responded quickly with changes to provide the kind of support we needed. We had teachers provide second chances when it was obvious the learning didn’t happen as it might have in person. This demonstrated such kindness and respect. We had schedules altered to allow for more breaks from the iPads and more time for actually getting the work accomplished. As I listened to folks who have kids in other schools talk about their transitions, I knew we were in good hands. I am so grateful that Saint John’s Prep made the difficult and brave decision to start online school as early as they did and that they stayed tuned in and responsive to the teachers and students feedback.

Lastly, one thing that I was not expecting, but absolutely love about our transition to an online community, is the . Paul and I have been tuning in and it is a great way to start our day and to feel a real connection to our Saint John’s Prep community. Lizzy has also really liked this gift of intention. The chance to connect with staff and other parents and kids visually in Zoom has been precious!

Julie Diethelm
Middle School Prep Parent
Saint John’s Preparatory School

Want to join our community at saint john’s prep?

The post Saint John’s Prep “Walks their Talk”, A parent reflection. appeared first on Saint John's Prep.

Thank you for validating the grief, sadness and anger the kids are feeling over the sudden loss of the school year.

Thank you for putting aside your own anxieties and fears to be present on zoom for our kids and give them a sense of normalcy when there is so little.

Thank you for your creativity and ingenuity when faced with the herculean task of keeping the kids engaged.

Thank you for caring about the students’ well-being and allowing class time to socialize, interact with friends and even share their pets.

Thank you for understanding that our kids are worried and continuously wonder and ask when this will end, what will the new normal look like and what will happen if our family gets sick.

Thank you for taking the time to check in with students and parents when a child is struggling and having a hard time adjusting to this new routine.

Thank you for dealing with technical issues and the distractions of our home – barking dogs, meowy cats and interrupting parents.

Thank you for communicating with families every step of the way and being present and available.

Thank you for your positive attitude and professionalism when, in reality, we know there have been countless obstacles and sleepless nights while trying to navigate through this.

Thank you, above all, for teaching our kids that when faced with an insurmountable problem, they do possess the strength and courage to find a solution and keep going.

Lexy and Tom St. Hilaire
Proud Parents of 3 Prep Students during COVID-19.

The post Thank You from Our Family appeared first on Saint John's Prep.