October Newsletter

Well - we’ve made it to October! I sure hope classes are going well for each and every one of you! You might have seen your counselor, me-Mrs. Letourneau, come into your livelesson room during September to introduce myself. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone this year.

Small groups have already started for the first cycle this school year. If you or your student are wanting to join a counseling small group, please let me (Mrs. Letourneau) know so we can get you on the list for the next cycle (starting December 2, 2021).

October is National Bully Prevention Month. How can we prevent bullying here at MNCA? What are some ways you’ve helped prevent bullying? I want you to think of this as we start October and continue on the rest of the school year. Not sure what bullying is? Let’s talk about it:

• Bullying can be verbal: Calling someone names or teasing them.

• Bullying can be physical: hitting, kicking, breaking someone’s things.

• Bullying can be social: leaving someone out, spreading rumors about someone

• Bullying can be cyber: sending a mean text or webmail, posting fake photos online

Bullying is very serious, if you see something, say something. Say something to me, your teacher, your parents, or any other trusted adult in your life. Let’s stop the spread of bullying!

*6th Grade Conferences are in full swing. Watch your webmail for you appointment date and time. If the day/time sent does not work with your schedule, please contact the person who sent you the webmail to reschedule!*

Congratulations! You’ve made it through September and that is an amazing accomplishment. As the school year continues, I want you all to acknowledge the accomplishments - BIG or small. It is so important to see the good you’re doing in your life. If you pass a test you thought for sure you were going to fail? Celebrate! If you clean your room after months and months of mom and dad asking you to do it? Celebrate! If you find a really cool rock while out exploring? Celebrate that too! We forget to take the time to see all the good there is around us, enjoy it, live in it the moment.

October is National Positive Attitude month and what better way to showcase that than a quote from one my favorite series:

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Along with National Positive Attitude Month, I want you all to think about this; October is also National Bullying Prevention Month. Where do you see bullying in your life? Do you? What are steps we as a school or you as an individual can take to help stop bullying?

October is not only National Positive Attitude Month and National Bullying Prevention Month - but it is also College Knowledge Month. I know, why do Middle schoolers need to think about college right now? Well, because if you’re in 8th grade - high school is right around the corner and thinking about classes you might want to take in high school is going to help you prepare for your future - whether you decide to go to college or not!

As a 6th or 7th grader, you might have some ideas of what you want to do when you grow up and what better time to start looking into it than the present? If you’re not sure what you want to do, that’s completely FINE! Not everyone knows their path just yet and that’s perfectly okay. You will sooner or later, at your own pace. If you have questions regarding College, Careers and your future, please reach out to me (Mrs. Letourneau)!

October brings College Knowledge Month, and your MNCA Counseling and Advisory team is excited to offer CKM resources to assist you on your journey of post high school planning!

There are also amazing career opportunities available for students who aren't interested in 2 or 4 year college options. From Apprenticeships and Military options, to Trade/Vocational Programs and entering the Workforce, the MNCA Counseling and Advisory Website offers lots of helpful information to assist you in your post high school planning process! Check out a few of the interactive tools below, found on our website under the Counseling tab > High School Counseling > College and Career.

• MyMajors.com: Easily search careers you may be interested in, select options from the pop up menu, and explore away!
• Minnesota State CAREERwise: Search growing careers in MN, watch videos about career options, hear from employers' perspectives what they're looking for, and learn about Military and unique career paths.
• Minnesota Career Information System: Take interest and strength inventories, create practice budgets for real life, explore college and career options, learn about the job search process, and SO much more! Use Login: MNTransitions Password: careers to create your own account.
• 42 Up and Coming Careers that Don't Require a 4 Year College Degree
• Apprenticeship Opportunities and Search Engine: Learn about and search Apprenticeship opportunities- structured, formal on-the-job training opportunities.
• Military Careers: Explore careers in the Military! Check out options for the Airforce, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corp, and Navy!

Whether it be due to post high school planning, classes and homework, managing your schedule, or the pressure of expectation, managing your overwhelm and calming the storm is possible. Know that you're not alone, your feelings can be managed, and it's okay to take a break to regroup! Check out Psych Central's Article for ideas on managing overwhelm, WebMD's Article on Anxiety, or take a strategy or two from below! And remember, your MNCA Counselors are here for YOU!

• Focus on right now: Schedule time to think about and plan for the future, so you can be present in this moment, where overwhelm is less likely to lurk.
• Take Action: To help move through anxiety and overwhelm, consider taking some time to do something you enjoy. Dance it out, play your music loud, reward yourself with your favorite snack, or spend time with those you love.
• Accept your Anxiety: Battling against your emotions only serves to heighten them, and often leaves us feeling stuck and unable to move forward. Take a moment to step away, practice accepting how you feel, and allow yourself to feel what's coming up for you.
• Repeat After Us: "This too will pass!"

Welcome to October and College Knowledge Month! October is a great time to be thinking about your future college plans.

College Fairs

Unfortunately, there will not be an in person Minnesota National College Fair this year but there are several Virtual College Fair opportunities that may interest you. A college fair is a great place to learn more about many colleges and to meet Admissions Representatives so you can ask questions. Not sure what questions to ask? Consider asking some of the following questions:

• What is your application deadline?
• What is the student to faculty ratio?
• What are the admissions requirements?
• What is the average class size of a first year course?
• What clubs and activities does your campus offer?

Please consider checking out a Virtual Fair this fall to learn more about the college opportunities available to you!

Campus Tours

October is also a great time to plan to tour a campus that you are interested in. Visiting when college is in session, rather than over the summer, will let you see what campus is like when school is in session and students are present. You can typically set-up a tour by visiting the admissions page of the college website you are interested in. If you can't get to the campus you hope to attend for an in person visit, that's okay! There are many colleges that now offer virtual tours. The You Visit website has many virtual tour options for colleges all over the country.

Seniors

If you are a senior planning to attend college next fall. Now is the time to start submitting college applications. Applying in October will help you stay in compliance with application deadlines for many colleges and programs. In addition, many Minnesota colleges offer discounts or waived application fees throughout the month of October, so watch for these opportunities at your college of interest. Beginning in October, you can also apply for financial aid for next year by completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid form.

Feel free to discuss your plans with your School Counselor, we are happy to help you navigate the college search and application process!

MNCA Events

Your School Counselors will be hosting sessions throughout the month about college! Please join us for a session. In addition, each Wednesday in the month of October is a College Wear Wednesday, so join your counselors in wearing some of your favorite college themed apparel.

10/4 at 12:00PM - College Knowledge Month Kickoff

10/11 at 12:00 PM - FAFSA Info Session

10/18 at 12:00PM - Technical College Info Session

10/25 at 12:00PM - College & Career Q&A Session

October is here already- please take time to celebrate making it through your first month of school! We hope that you have found your routines, made progress in your courses, and connected with your teachers. If you aren't yet at the point you can say that this would be a great time to check in with your advisory teacher so we can help you find ways to make those things easier!

Alarms

As of now alarms have been activated for any non exempt student. If you see that you have a status of "approaching alarm" or "alarm" and aren't quite sure what that means, check here for an explanation of the alarms you might run across or reach out to your advisory teacher!

LiveLessons

Advisory LiveLesson is on hiatus for Star testing on 10/1, but we will be back on 10/8. Please see here to see more information about Advisory LiveLesson and to view recordings of previous lessons.

Tip of the Month

Each month Advisory will focus on one tip that might help students be successful this school year. For the month of October we wanted to focus on ways to help you manage your time. October is ADHD Awareness Month, and this technique is something that is very useful for students that have ADHD, as well as any student that struggles to work for long periods of time. Click to read more about the Pomodoro Technique and how it might help you focus more effectively and get more done!

We all need support, positivity, perspective, and reassurance from time to time. 'Take' what resonates with you, and know that You've Got This!

- In Crisis? Need Support? -

Please reach out to your School Counselor, we're here to support you! If it's an emergency, please use the numbers outlined below:

Suicide Hotline: 800-784-2433
Immediate Medical Assistance: 911
Crisis Call Center: 800-273-8255 or text ANSWER to 839863
Crisis Text Line (U.S. only): Text HELLO to 741741