Category: Life Skills

What Matters to You: Exploring Passions and Pastimes

Posted by: admin on April 28th, 2020

There has been a great deal of loss during these recent weeks, and we are all looking for silver linings.   As I contemplate possible silver linings for PrepMatters students, I look for opportunities that could offer greater strength and insight regarding learning.  I see, even in the midst of these difficult days, that there is […]

Summer Activities Before Starting High School

Posted by: admin on March 19th, 2020

So, What Should I Do With My Last Summer Before High School? Here you are. You’ve almost made it. Middle school will very shortly be in your rearview mirror. Just beyond the end of the school year lies another summer, then, at last, high school. Of course, it is not just another summer. This summer, […]

Finishing 8th Grade Strong

Posted by: admin on February 19th, 2020

Transitions are tricky. If you are staring down the last few months of 8th grade, you probably feel a mix of excitement and nervous energy, perhaps along with some love of your school and even just plain annoyance at the people around you. Transitions like this one usually come with deeply mixed emotions for everyone, […]

Goal Setting with Minecraft

Posted by: admin on February 18th, 2020

My kid loves Minecraft. The t-shirts, the wallpapers, watching videos on YouTube. On days they’re free to do nothing on purpose, it’s their go-to game. As an outsider, watching the lead-up to Minecraft is like watching someone prepare for an outdoor excursion. There’s a bowl of something: cereal, popcorn, sunflower seed shells, juice, a pillow, […]

Stress and Strategies for Balance

Posted by: admin on February 18th, 2020

If all goes according to plan, high school will be a stressful time for you.  Wait. What? I can count on stress? Yep. Stress is a natural consequence of adjusting to new environments. In addition, stress is the result of operating at the edge of your capacity, whether physically, intellectually, or emotionally. You know the […]

Growing a Healthy Mindset

Posted by: admin on February 13th, 2020

There are those who have a natural inclination towards music. Some can stay on perfect pitch, while others command their instruments, effortlessly producing beautiful, precise notes. We also know those natural athletes who are able to coordinate their limbs to master sports with great strength, dexterity, and grace. Still others seem naturally good at developing […]

9th Grade Nerves: Starting Strong in High School

Posted by: admin on January 21st, 2020

Originally published January 21, 2020 For years now, you have been looking at the older students in your elementary and middle schools and thinking about what it will feel like to be an 8th grader — a leader of the school, the highest-known echelon of middle school achievement. And now that you’ve made it, high […]

How to Speak Up for Yourself

Posted by: admin on December 19th, 2019

Have you ever lost your voice? Be it from a nasty cold, screaming at a game, or laughing so hard you couldn’t breathe? It’s a helpless feeling, one where your most reliable way of communicating has been taken from you through no fault of your own. In not being able to speak up, we forfeit […]

Get More Sleep: How and Why We Recharge Our Brains

Posted by: admin on December 19th, 2019

We’ve all been there. It’s 12:30am on a Wednesday night, and you just want to finish your work and be done with it. You finally crawl into bed around 1am, hoping that the next five hours bring a blissful and rejuvenating sleep … only to awaken and find yourself woefully unenergized and under-enthused for the […]

Selective High School Summer Programs

Posted by: admin on November 7th, 2019

The temperature is cooling down and leaves are changing colors. School is well underway and the calendar is speeding toward Thanksgiving holiday festivities. Why is summer planning suddenly up for discussion now? There is a practical answer to this question: selective summer programs for high school students may have surprisingly early deadlines in the late […]