INTERVENTION:

Beginning in September, any GSMST student who has below a 70 in a class will receive mandatory intervention.  Intervention will be held during the first or second half of lunch for these students.  Students will be required to attend intervention for 3 weeks; if they have raised their grade at the end of three weeks, they will then be released from intervention.

All GSMST teachers also offer weekly intervention hours.  These hours are posted in classrooms, on syllabi, and on teacher websites.  It is vitally important that students take advantage of this time to get extra help if they are struggling in their classes. Although students only receive mandatory intervention if they are failing, we highly recommend that students attend intervention whenever they are struggling with a particular concept or if they have a C or lower in the class. 

TUTORING:

Outside Tutoring: Contact the subject area teachers first for information on tutors. The counseling office has a list of private tutors in Gwinnett County. GSMST does not recommend or endorse any of the tutors. These names are provided as a service. Parents and students are responsible for payments of services.

Peer tutoring:  Peer tutoring is offered after school in Dr. Kinard's class by the students of the National Honor Society.  To be paired with a peer tutor, students may sign up on the sheet outside of Dr. Kinard's room 5.241.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES:

If a student is struggling in one or two classes, the counseling office recommends that parents first contact the teachers of these subjects.  Our teachers are often the best resource to help you understand the specific areas in which your student is having difficulties.  The counselors are available to sit in on these meetings if necessary.  If your student is struggling in many subject areas, counselors are available to coordinate student support team meetings with all of the teachers.

STUDY TIPS FROM GSMST STUDENTS

Below is a list of study tips that our current students say have helped them to be successful here! 

·         It’s important to consciously cut down time chatting online with your friends (though it is best to not do it at all)

·         It’s vital to start homework early - DO NOT wait until the morning that something is due!

·         Prioritize all of your homework to decide how much time to spend on each subject. 

·         Stretch reading material out over time and don’t wait until the night before to START your book.

·         Actually DO your summer assignments- trust us, it will help in the school year

·         Read all assigned books given by teachers throughout the year

·         Remember, everything that you are doing is to help YOURSELF, so don’t cheat yourself by procrastinating or skipping assignments.

·         Take small breaks while you are studying and doing homework to keep yourself awake and focused.

·         Some people find that small snacks help keep them going throughout the day.

·         Group Projects:

o   Make sure to get materials early on

o   Don’t slack off in group projects

o   Take the initiative to be the group leader and/or to play an active role in your group projects to make sure that everything is working out with the project and all the goals are being accomplished

o   Be smart in picking your groups- don’t necessarily pick someone because they are a good friend of yours.

·          Weekends

o   Always try to finish up homework on Friday night and Saturday, so you aren’t frantically spending all of Sunday finishing up homework/ projects and staying up late because of that.

o   By finishing everything early on in a timely manner, you can end up with time to relax and to have fun later on in your weekend

·          Reviewing for Tests:

o   Make sure to have your own written notes for classes and topics for tests because that will help you retain the information faster and you will be able to study better, thus making you more efficient with your time

o   A great time to study is on your way to and from school while you are in the car/ bus.

o   Don’t wait to study for something until the night before. Cramming will not help you retain everything that you need to know for upcoming exams. By spreading it out over a couple days you will be able to retain the information better and your grades will reflect all that hard work J

o   Review all the material that you learned that day in school as soon as you get home. This will improve your rate of remembrance for the given information.

·           How to NOT waste time in class:

o   DON’T fall asleep and DON’T play games in class

o   Make sure to take comprehensive notes, especially on the things your teacher emphasizes in class.