Students are given LEAD tickets by all building staff members for learning responsibly, encouraging kindness, acting respectfully, and demonstrating safety. Please continue to encourage your students to be LEADers in the building.
The number of referrals decreased in all grade levels last month! Great job middle school students!
There will be another big LEAD ticket drawing on Thursday, March 27th.
Students don't forget to get all of your LEAD tickets turned in before Spring Break starts.
5 Ways Caregivers Can Help Calm Students' Anxieties
Most of us can remember feeling dread in the moments before taking a test, and the fears, self-doubts, and what ifs that flourish in those moments:
- What if I get stuck on a question?
- What if I don’t know the answer?
- What if I freeze and forget everything?
Today’s students have the same fears and doubts. But they also experience those emotions more frequently and sometimes more intensely. Why?
Because in addition to their classroom tests, there has been a steady rise in the number of standardized exams and assessments they must take. Kids worry about what a low score might mean. They worry about disappointing their teachers and their parents. They worry about keeping pace with their peers. Their fear of failure creates enormous pressure.
Providing support, offering encouragement, and teaching practical strategies are how school counselors, educators, and parents can work as a team to equip students with the tools and confidence they need to handle every type of school-related anxiety.
Here are 5 key things that can make an immediate and positive difference:
1. Communication: Build and reinforce consistent communication between school and home by using varied communication tools: email, Bloomz, notes home, and conferences. Teachers, specifically, can share with students and their families test dates, the content that will be covered, any materials students need on testing day, and guidance on how to prep for the exam (what chapters to read, what lessons to review, what formulas to practice, etc.).
Parents, too, should share with the school what they’re seeing at home, such as academic frustrations or motivation issues. When coupled with classroom observations, a more complete and reliable picture develops, making it easier to identify underlying issues and implement targeted interventions.
2. Confidence Building: Everyone has a role when it comes to helping students feel more prepared and less anxious before exams, presentations, or performances. Let kids know what to expect (test format, time limits, content covered, materials needed, etc.). Emphasize the things they can control (making sure their devices are charged, sharpening their pencils, wearing comfortable clothes, getting enough sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, being hydrated, etc.). This creates a sense of purpose and empowerment.
3. Time Management and Organization: Students who are disorganized can easily become overwhelmed and feel unprepared on test days.
4. Study Skills and Test Taking Strategies: Teachers are a great resource for providing helpful test taking strategies. For example, using the phrase “slash the trash” to explain a testing strategy that involves eliminating obviously wrong answers first, then carefully considering the remaining choices.
5. Emotional Regulation: Once students can recognize and identify the physical symptoms of their anxiety, they must be able to manage them. Strategies may involve positive affirmations, deep breathing, counting, stretching, or drinking water. Students can practice these skills in individual and group counseling sessions or classroom counseling lessons. This is another opportunity to reinforce consistent language between the school and the home by involving classroom teachers and parents.
Click here for a helpful informational packet on Stress & Anxiety Management.
Eighth Grade Annual Field Trip Participation Requirements
In order to attend this year's field trip to Michigan's Adventure, each student must meet the following requirements between Monday, January 6th, 2025 and Wednesday, May 21st, 2025.
1. The student may not be suspended for any reason.
2. The student may not be on or have been on "social probation".
3. The student may not receive more than four detentions of any kind (for example: 10-minute lunch detention) during the second semester.
4. The student must be passing all four core classes for the second semester.
5. The student and their parent/guardian must sign and return the requirement slip by January 10th.
Any student who does not meet the above requirements will still be eligible to participate in the field trip, provided that one of their parents attends as a one-on-one chaperone and will be responsible for their own transportation.
