
YMS News
York Middle School November Newsletter
Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible
Hello YMS Parent(s)
What a fantastic first quarter we had at YMS. Students were challenged by their teachers to be creative, collaborate with each other, and think critically. Teachers at YMS are constantly pushing students to grow. They expect great things from your child and they are happy to be the driving force that pushes them to succeed.
The last week in October was Red Ribbon week at YMS. Red Ribbon Week was started by parents in response to the murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena. The parents wore Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raising awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs and alcohol in America. Here are some suggestions for parents of middle school kids from the Partnership for Drug Free-Kids.
Make it very clear that you do not want them to use alcohol, tobacco, marijuana or other drugs.
Find out if they really understand the consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.
Get to know her friends by taking them to and from after-school activities, games, the library, and movies. Check in with her friends’ parents often to make sure you share the same anti-drug stance.
Be sure you know his online friends – as well as his other online activities such as websites he visits, with whom he emails, chats, and instant messages, his Facebook page, and who he texts messages.
Volunteer for activities where you can observe him at school..
Get your kids involved with adult-supervised after-school activities.
Make it easy for your child to leave a situation where alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs are being used.
Call kids’ parents if their home is to be used for a party; get assurance that no alcoholic beverages or illegal substances will be at the party.
Set curfews and enforce them.
Encourage an open dialogue with your children about their experiences.
At YMS we are continuously working on changing student mindsets. A mindset according to Dr. Carol Dweck is a self-perception or “self-theory” that people hold about themselves. Believing that you are either “intelligent” or “unintelligent” is a simple example of a mindset.
Here are some examples:
Students with a fixed mindset believe that they are born with basic abilities, intelligence, and talents and they can’t change that. Their goal is to look smart and never look dumb
Students with a growth mindset believe that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching, and persistence. They believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it. They are not afraid to fail and therefore don’t mind not knowing the answer.
Students with a fixed mindset fear failure and are less likely to take risks.
Students with a growth mindset value the challenges of taking a risk and know that they will learn from their failures and improve.
Here are some strategies you can use at home to help your child change from a fixed to a growth mindset.
Have a daily learning discussion. Ask your student “What did you learn today?” “What did you try hard today?”
DO praise the process DON’T praise ability. Instead of saying “you are so smart” or “you are good at playing the piano” say “You really work hard on your Math” or “Your many hours of practice on the piano are paying off”
Explain to kids that their brain is never done growing. Remind them they can always learn and improve throughout their life.
Let your kids fail. It is OK to fail. It is NOT OK to give up. When students fail ask them “How can you get better next time?” “What did you learn from your mistake?” Then as students finally succeed praise their persistence.
Encourage positive talk in your home. Stop the use of the words “I can’t” and instead remind people in your house to say “I can’t, yet”
We are going to have a fantastic second quarter at YMS. Teachers and staff are here for your student(s). We are going to continue to push them to grow and be better students and young men and women. Thank you for your help as we work together to make the years at YMS some of the best years in their academic life.
Kenny Loosvelt
Report Cards
We will not be mailing the 1st quarter report cards home, until the end of the school year, in May. You can access grades on the parent portal on Infinite Campus. Please direct any specific grading questions to the classroom teacher. You can access the Infinite Campus parent portal using the directions below:
·Visit https://necloud1.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/york.jsp
· Log in with the proper username/password (contact YMS to reset password if needed)
· You may be asked to verify your device as trustworthy for security purposes.
· Select your student.
· Click the three horizontal lines on the upper left hand corner.
· You will be able to access Grades, Schedules, Attendance Records, Fees, and Documents. (Q1 Report Card can be found under Documents)
Honor Roll certificates will be given to students on Nov. 9 during family.
Counselor Connection
Jennifer Badura, York Middle School Counselor
MINDFULNESS
Mental health has been a growing issue in our culture for a long time. Increases in anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and a great many other mental health concerns have consistently appeared in youth over the last few decades.
Now, more than ever, teaching youth to practice good mental health hygiene is very important.
One simple practice is mindfulness. Simply put, mindfulness is being intensely aware of what you are sensing and feeling at the moment. While this seems simple, setting aside concerns, cell phones, or to-do lists makes it a hard skill to learn. But it can be learned through practice.
Here are a couple of mindfulness exercises to try with your child(ren):
The Sound Game
Listen to the world around you. What do you hear? Identify 8 sounds you hear.
Practice Stillness
Staying still helps you to slow down. Focusing on a specific image or thought can help you stay still. Start by staying still for 2 minutes. Gradually increase up to 10 minutes.
In addition to its calming effects, mindfulness serves to boost the attention span. Attention boosting exercises have more importance than ever before and can serve to improve emotional control and performance in school.
Our Schedule This Month
Reminders
Important Dates 📆
November 9 Veterans Day Program @ 10:00 AM
November 11 Veterans Day
November 12- FFA Harvest Moon
YMS Picture Retake Day
- November 21 📸
Thanksgiving Break
- November 22-24 🦃
Lunch Menu
Music Notes
Band
The YMS Band will be working on our music for our Holiday Concert on December 5th at 6:00 PM in the High School Theater. This is a combined concert with the HS Band and our Band Booster Soup Supper! Soup will be served starting at 5:00 PM, followed by the YMS concert at 6:00 PM, and finishing with the YHS concert at 7:00 PM. Supper is $5 and includes a cup of soup, drink, and dessert. Soup will be served in the High School cafeteria. For more information follow the York Band Boosters on Facebook.
Choir
We've already started working on our winter and Christmas music for our next concert! The next 6tth-8th grade concert will be December 12th at 6:30pm in the Middle School gym. Students should wear something nice for the concert. A letter with more details will be coming soon!
FFA
A Note from the Nurse.......
Influenza (flu) is a contagious disease of the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and lungs) that can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and the worsening of other chronic health conditions. Flu symptoms may include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches. The best way to protect your family from new influenza strains is to get vaccinated each year, practice frequent handwashing, stay home or keep family members home if flu-like symptoms are present, disinfect surfaces often, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Your healthcare provider can offer advice specific to you and your family members regarding questions you may have about the flu vaccine.
Well-child visits with your pre-teen/teen’s healthcare provider and ensuring that your child stays up to date with immunizations are two important practices in helping to keep them healthy. Well-child visits provide an opportunity for you to discuss any concerns that you have, allow for continued tracking of growth and development, and can offer the needed vaccinations or information regarding local vaccination clinics.
Contact Us
Kenny Loosvelt, Principal
E-mail: kennyloosvelt@yorkdukes.org
Phone: 402-362-6655 option 1
Facebook: York Public Schools