Many middle schoolers experience anxiety about some aspect of going to school at one point or another. Some children might open up and talk about their feelings willingly, while others might display behaviors that indicate possible anxiety, such as trying to avoid certain situations or frequently complaining of stomachaches.
It’s important to keep in mind that anxiety is a normal human emotion, just like happiness or sadness. Most children who experience anxiety will not require professional mental health support, assuming the anxiety is not long lasting and does not interfere with their daily lives. As caregivers, there are things you can do to support your children, whether they are expressing their worries to you verbally or if you are noticing what you believe to be signs of anxiety.
- Validation can go a long way. Try supportive statements like, “I understand that you’re worried about taking the test. Let’s talk about it. I have so much confidence that you can handle it!”
- It can be hard to do, but setting clear expectations about facing anxiety-provoking situations, even when kids may be feeling an urge to avoid them, can prevent an exacerbation of anxious avoidance down the line. Make it clear to your child that it’s normal to experience worries and to feel anxiety in our bodies, but by facing a situation, we learn that we can handle it.
- You can teach your child ways to cope with situations that might make them feel nervous or worried, and you can use and model coping skills yourself.
- Children can be taught and encouraged to change “what if” questions to “even if” statements (e.g., “What if I fail the test” might be followed by “even if I fail the test, I will figure out how to do better next time”).
- Start helping your child to develop calming self-care habits that don’t involve screens, such as physical activity, breathing exercises, or a calming hobby such as drawing, reading, or playing music.
- Normalize talking about your own worries at home and how you manage or overcome them.
Middle school is a great time to build resilience and coping skills that will stick with kids through high school and beyond.
Be on the lookout for more helpful tips from Dr. Kaitlin Gallo in future newsletters.
As part of their "Minds Matter" Drop Everything and Read English class unit of study, students in Grade 7 enjoyed book groups and brunch on the October 23rd half day. This unit will focus on "mirrors and windows," as students explore stories that reflect both themselves and others. In addition to sharpening their literacy skills, this unit may also help students feel understood by others while also growing to understand those who may be different from them.
A big thank you to the many, many seventh grade families who donated food, helped organize, and served food during brunch. It's so nice connecting with our supportive community!
Also, many thanks to Mrs. Plante, the seventh grade team, and the numerous members of our faculty and staff who made it possible to run so many book groups! Below is a sampling of photos from the groups and our parent helpers during brunch.
MERMS kicked off our first Math Meet of the season at home this year, and there were a number of standout performances!
Three Hornets achieved perfection with 18 points. Congratulations to 8th grader Sophie L. and 7th graders Dante B. and Aviva H. for this impressive achievement! In her first-ever Meet, 6th grader Maren B. captured the top 6th grade score for the Meet with 12 points. Eighth graders Casey R., Devin P., and Arion S., along with 7th grader Caleb B. all scored 16 points. Contributing 14 points were 8th graders Hobbs B., Luke M., Alex C., and 7th graders Declan M., Makani M., Melina B. and Marcel M-P. Chipping in 12 for the Hornets included 8th graders Thomas C, Harper H., Nate C., Bodin C., Sofia C., Claire Y. and Lily B., 7th graders Addy H. and Lydia G., and 6th graders Ciara O. and Tyler S. Ten points were earned by 8th grader Max C., 7th graders Shane C., Zoe C., Tessa N., and 6th graders Calvin Y. & Amelie M.
Great job, everyone!
We would love your student to play in the next Math Meet of the year on Thursday, November 21 at Ipswich. Practice packets will be available from Math teachers the last week of October.
Thank you Mr. Stefanek & Mr. Schlegel for making our math meets possible!
Mrs. Degnan’s 6th Grade World History students are diving into the fascinating topic of how knowledge about the distant past and early human history is constructed and represented. They are learning to interpret timelines and have been introduced to the concept of turning points. To help grasp the 4.5 billion-year history of Earth, students transformed the turf field into a timeline, marking significant turning points along the yard lines.
Students were surprised to discover that when humans started to resemble us, we were only an ⅛ of an inch from the end zone, and that the width of two human hairs represented the span of time when civilizations emerged!
Grade 8 World Languages
Ms. Vosseler communicates personally with her students through journal writing. The journals help students practice writing so they can level up in their language proficiency by always using sentences and eventually writing strings of sentences using sequencing/linking words and connectors.
The journals provide a very personalized and authentic type of communication, and they allow Ms. Vosseler to model correct language usage. She also models how to write in short paragraphs. By frequently reading Ms. Vosseler's model communications, students should begin to apply specific skills to their own writing. This is an exemplary example of self-correction and language-learning through modeling and comprehensible input.
Best of all, since this is authentic and personalized communication with their teacher, students are more motivated to read and create with Spanish or French.
Manchester-Essex Regional Middle School
Email: mainoj@mersd.org
Website: www.mersd.org
Location: 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, USA
Phone: 978-526-2022
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManchesterEssexRegional/