With the holiday season approaching, we have been reflecting on the many ways we are grateful for our community. We wanted to take a moment to thank you - our Challenge Success family. The main way schools find us is through you - the schools, parents, and students we work alongside.
Because of your generous support and donations, we are able to do this important work to transform schools and improve the lives of so many students. We look forward to partnering with even more schools in the future.
If you'd like to support our work and help us in our mission, please join our upcoming virtual event focused on teen mental health, or you can donate here.
With Gratitude,
The Challenge Success Team
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GET EXPERT INSIGHTS INTO TEEN MENTAL HEALTH AT OUR VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER
DEC 8th at 4pm PT | 7pm ET
Cost: $25
Join Dr. Denise Pope and leading experts in the field of adolescent mental health as they address the pressing issues affecting teens right now and provide practical strategies for parents, students, and educators. You’ll also hear firsthand from students about their experiences and how our work with schools can support them during this challenging time.
This event is appropriate for all ages, and a recording will be sent to all registrants after the event.
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JOIN OUR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS WORKSHOP
DEC 14th at 4pm PT | 7pm ET
Cost: $10
For parents, students, and educators
“The Challenge Success message that how you go to college matters much more than where you go is backed by sound data and helps center the college search and application process around the essential questions students and families should be asking. They provide practical advice for parents on how to support and empower students to engage authentically and think critically about those things that really matter to them. Our families loved the presentation!”
- Tim Pratt, Dean of College Advising at St. Paul's in Concord, New Hampshire
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FOR PARENTS
Here are two great ways you can support your teen before finals:
- Help them realize the importance of sleep and maintaining good sleep hygiene. Read more about the research and get tips for a better night of sleep.
- Maintain a strong relationship with them through open communication, which includes listening & empathizing, talking one-on-one or side-by-side, and watching your tone and choice of words. Read more for concrete ideas from the Center for Parent and Teen Communication.
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FOR SCHOOLS & EDUCATORS
- Move exams to before break: At one school, more than three-quarters of students agreed that moving exams from after the winter break to before the break reduced their stress levels. Read more here.
- Create a “Quiet Week” before finals: Give students a chance to prepare for finals with a week of review and rest. Quiet weeks can take many forms – they might include a focus on review in classes with no new content or assignments and later start times to help students get more rest while they are studying.
- Create a staggered exam schedule: Ensure students do not have more than two finals on any given day so they can limit their focus.
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FOR STUDENTS
DEAR FRESHMAN SELF by Lauren Chan
A senior reflects back on her high school experience after she reads a letter she wrote as a freshman to her senior self. With hindsight, she realizes that high school is about much more than achieving a 4.0 or playing a single sport. Check out some of the advice she would give her younger self like:
- Just go to bed.
- Always err on the side of believing in yourself.
- Try things you’re terrible at (hip-hop!).
- Trust yourself to course-correct. If honors math is causing debilitating stress and you need to shift to a different track next year, move with your head held high.
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Applications for the 2022-23 School Program are now open. Our school program has grown and evolved in response to the needs of schools working to make a real impact on student engagement and well-being. Rather than going it alone, we find that schools are more able to pursue meaningful and lasting change with the support of a dedicated coach and as part of a like-minded community of educators pursuing similar aims in similar contexts.
During this year-long, collaborative partnership, we’ve helped schools make school-wide changes to:
- Improve school climate
- Adjust student schedules
- Rethink current assessment practices
- Partner more closely with parents and students.
Our approach is customized to the school's and team’s needs by helping schools fully identify the problem, scope the possible next steps, and use a process that moves the team, and the school, forward.
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