April 1, 2007

ParentInfo, April 1, 2007

Last Updated on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 5:17 AM

In this issue:

*Are You Smarter than a 5^th Grader?
*Teen Job Dangers
*Kids and Alcohol
*Tax time reminder
*Parent Training Workshop
*E-mail update thanks

Are You Smarter than a 5^th Grader?

Can you name the colors of the rainbow; the five Great Lakes; the location of Mt. Rushmore? Many 5th graders could, but could you? (The answers are: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Remember ROY G. BIV; Erie, Ontario, Huron, Michigan, Superior; South Dakota).

That’s the premise of the popular new Fox show, “Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” Each week grown-ups match wits with a group of 5th graders (albeit precocious ones)

and test their knowledge against that of the pint-size pupils.

So want to know how you would do? With Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (C.A.T.S.) testing right around the corner (April 23-May 4), we thought we’d put you to the test. In Kentucky, 5th graders are tested in reading, math, social studies, arts and humanities and on-demand writing. We’ll skip the writing and open response questions for now, but see how you do on these actual 5^th-grade questions released from previous tests. The correct answers appear at the end of ParentInfo.

1. José had 64 baseball cards. He gave 12 cards to his sister. Then he divided the remaining cards equally among his FOUR friends. How many cards did each of his friends get?

a) 13 cards

b) 16 cards

c) 17 cards

d) 18 cards

2. What is the rule for this pattern?

2, 1, 3, 2, 4, 3, 5, 4, 6

a) subtract 1, multiply by 3

b) add 2, add 3

c) subtract 1, add 2

d) multiply by 2, divide by 1

3. People in the United States enjoy freedom of speech. This freedom is protected by the:

a) Declaration of Independence.

b) Bill of Rights.

c) Emancipation Proclamation.

d) Articles of Confederation.

4. If you are looking for a place to live that has warm winters and cool summers, which city would be your BEST choice?

a) Albany, NY

b) San Diego, CA

c) Anchorage, AK

d) San Antonio, TX

5. In dancing, the use of energy while moving is called

a) tempo.

b) shape.

c) force.

d) level.

Teen Job Dangers

With many teens in the process of trying to line up summer jobs, now might be a good time to talk with your kids about working and staying safe. If they plan on keeping their summer jobs once school starts up again in the fall, there are rules you both should know.

A recent study in “Pediatrics”, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, shows that many teens face on-the-job dangers and violations of federal laws.

A telephone survey of working teens, 14 to 18 years old, found:

One third of all teens said they received no safety training on the job.

52% of males and 43% of females reported having performed at least one federally prohibited job task. Federal law makes it illegal for teens under 18 to use certain types of dangerous equipment such as slicers, dough mixers, box crushers or paper balers or serving or selling alcohol in places where it is consumed.

Teens reported working an average of 16.2 hours per week during the school year.

37% of teens under 16 said they had worked past 7 p.m. on a school night, a violation of federal rules.

16% of those under 16 questioned said they had worked past 9 p.m. on a school night.

According to federal statistics, hundreds of thousands of teens are injured at work every year, and 70 die from their injuries. To help keep your teens safe, check out the U.S. Department of Labor Web site, “Youth Rules.” It outlines all the rules and regs and has sections specifically for teens, parents, educators and teen employers

Kids and Alcohol

Did you know that nearly 10 million teens (aged 12-20) consume alcohol? With prom time at hand, even more may be tempted to try it.

You can educate your teen about the dangers of underage drinking with a pamphlet from the Century Council, Nickelodeon and the Federal Citizen Information Center. “Ask, Listen, Learn—What You Don’t ‘NO’ Can Hurt You” is filled with important information on the harmful effects of alcohol and creative ways your teens can say no. It can be read online, downloaded or ordered from the Federal Citizen Information Center. Click on the Families button on the left side of the Web page.

Tax time reminder

You have a few extra days to file your state and federal income tax returns this year if you haven’t already done so. The normal filing deadline of April 15 falls on a Sunday in 2007. So, typically you would have until midnight the next business day to file. However, April 16 will be observed as a holiday (Emancipation Day) in the District of Columbia this year. As the result the IRS has determined the “next business day” to be April 17. Returns must be postmarked by midnight in order to be considered on time.

Kentucky income tax law requires the Commonwealth to follow the feds, so Kentucky tax returns aren’t due until midnight April 17 either!

Parent Training Workshop

A Quality Parenting Training Workshop will be held June 5-8 in Lexington. Parents receive a discount for registering by May 1. Otherwise the enrollment deadline is May 21.

*E-mail update thanks

Thanks to all of you who took time to update your e-mail addresses.

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Links in this issue:

Are You Smarter than a 5^th Grader?

http://www.fox.com/areyousmarter/

http://http://education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/

Curriculum+Documents+and+Resources/Released+Test+Items/

Teen Job Dangers

http://www.youthrules.dol.gov/

Kids and Alcohol

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/