October is here, and that means Halloween is just around the corner! While you're planning costumes and enjoying some spooky fun, don’t forget to stay focused on your virtual classes. In the spirit of the season, remember that hard work brings the best treats—like great grades, new knowledge, and skills you’ll use for years to come!
Don’t let your assignments haunt you—tackle them head-on and avoid the last-minute fright of unfinished work. Stay on track, ask for help if you need it from your virtual teachers and coach, and keep pushing toward your goals. A little hard work now means you’ll have more to celebrate later!
Keep up the good work and have a spook-tacular October!
October 18th marks the half way point of the semester. You should have completed the first nine weeks of work outlined on your pacing guide. If you are not at this point, please reach out to your virtual coach to receive a new pacing guide to ensure you will complete all courses on time.
Reminder: the last day to submit work in your courses is January 17, 2025.
Thank you to everyone who made our field trip to Heritage Farm Museum and Village such a success! Our students and families had hands on experiences while learning about the Appalachian culture. They also visited a petting zoo, went on tractor ride, and completed a treehouse trek. We cannot wait to visit again!
In the month of October, we see many scary things. There is a house in our neighborhood that decorates their house so scary that my son won’t even walk by the house in the broad daylight. When we walk the dog, we take a detour so he doesn’t see it!
In life there are a lot of things that may scare us like taking tests or going to the dentist. One way to help calm ourselves when we start feeling nervous or scared is to use grounding techniques. Here is a good one that will work for students of all ages (yes, it works for us adults too!) from Coping Skills for Kids:
Take a deep belly breath to begin.
5 - LOOK: Look around for 5 things that you can see and say them out loud. For example, you could say, I see the computer, I see the cup, I see the picture frame.
4 - FEEL: Pay attention to your body and think of 4 things that you can feel and say them out loud. For example, you could say, I feel my feet warm in my socks, I feel the hair on the back of my neck, or I feel the pillow I am sitting on.
3 - LISTEN: Listen for 3 sounds. It could be the sound of traffic outside, the sound of typing or the sound of your tummy rumbling. Say the three things out loud.
2 - SMELL: Say two things you can smell. If you’re allowed to, it’s okay to move to another spot and sniff something. If you can’t smell anything now or you can’t move, then name your 2 favorite smells.
1 - TASTE: Say one thing you can taste. It may be the toothpaste from brushing your teeth, or a mint from after lunch. If you can’t taste anything, then say your favorite thing to taste.
Take another deep belly breath. If you feel better, great! Sometimes you have to do it more than once to completely calm down. You may stay calm for a few minutes then the scary feelings come back. If that happens, follow this list again.
Another thing that can be really scary is trying to fill out the FAFSA for your high school senior. The FAFSA window opens on October 1. The College For West Virginia (cfwv.com) site has many things that can help you fill out the FAFSA. First, they offer a free service to provide students with college and financial aid counseling through text messages. Students considering enrolling in college may sign up to receive the texts by texting “CFWV” to 304-912-2398 to enroll in the Texting Program. You can also call 1-877-987-7664 or email wvfinancialaide@wvhepc.edu for more help. Watch for announcements on Schoology for financial aid nights as well.
