Shepherd Middle BlueJay Bulletin
September 20th, 2024
BlueJay Families,
This week, we conducted our first lockdown drill of the year to ensure that our students and staff are prepared in the event of a safety issue. We encourage you to have a conversation with your children about the "ADD" safety protocol: Avoid, Deny, Defend.
- Avoid: If possible, students should move away from the danger to a safer location.
- Deny: If evacuation isn’t possible, students should lock doors and create barriers to prevent an intruder from entering.
- Defend: As a last resort, students may need to defend themselves by distracting or protecting others until help arrives.
Your support in reinforcing these actions at home is invaluable in helping us create a culture of safety.
Next week, we will be observing Orange Shirt Day on October 1st to recognize and honor the experiences of Indigenous children in residential schools. While Orange Shirt Day is traditionally held on September 30th, we will be acknowledging it as a school on Monday. Students are encouraged to wear orange as a symbol of support and remembrance.
Also, don’t forget that Picture Day is this Monday! We’re excited to capture those smiling faces for the yearbook.
September
- 30th: Picture Day
- 30th: Orange Shirt Day-Acknowledged
October
- 1st: Orange Shirt Day Observance-Wear Orange to commemorate the residential school experience, witnessing and honoring the healing journey of the Survivors and their families
- 7-11: Homecoming Week
- October 17: Half Day, Parent Teachers 12-3PM, 4-7PM
- October 18: No School for students, Parent Teacher Conferences 8-11AM
Getting adequate sleep each night helps your student’s body better manage their blood-sugar levels, which helps to reduce your student’s cravings for sugary foods and can help keep your student at a healthy weight. Help your child get better sleep by making their bed a protected sleeping space. By saving the bed for sleep only, you help your child’s body associate that space as the sleeping space (much like children having a dedicated space to study), which will help them to fall asleep more easily.
Read more about sleep hygiene here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/engaging/202003/how-use-your-bed or here: https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/how-to-create-a-sleep-friendly-bedroom/
Understanding VPNs and How They Impact Your Child’s Online Safety
With today’s youth growing up surrounded by technology, many parents find it challenging to stay ahead, especially when their children use more advanced tools like VPNs. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a software that provides online privacy by hiding a device’s location and encrypting data. While VPNs have legitimate uses, teens may use them to bypass school filters, parental controls, or access restricted content.
To help protect your child, you can:
- Check for installed VPN apps on their device.
- Set up parental controls to monitor app installations.
- Have open conversations about safe and responsible online behavior.
Staying informed and vigilant will help you guide your child towards safe internet usage.
