Roman Holiday!

Don't forget the parent meeting tomorrow!!! Come join us directly after school. We need your help so that our Roman Holiday celebration goes smoothly!!!!

Computer time

I received this email today from Love and Logic. I know that with a middle school son myself, that this was information I could definitely use. Could you use it as well?
Ms Whalen

Are You Sick and Tired of Having to Compete with Your Child's Electronic Devices?

I know a mother and father who eat a lot of cold food - all thanks to certain electronics corporations and their teen's single-minded obsession with the darn things.

Yes! Nearly every night, these parents beg him to turn off the computer, turn off (or pause) the television, put down the video game controller, or unplug from the music. Their pleas fall on deaf (or earbud-filled) ears.

It's not so much that the young man is blatantly defiant. He acknowledges them, at least with a grunt or the universal "just a second." But he's so engrossed in electronics land, that he truly has a hard time ripping his mind away from the device to join the family at the table. Of course, his parents get more and more frustrated as they experience less and less success wooing him from his high-tech goodies. Obviously, this trend is not healthy for the young man or for the evening family meal.

Some parents have discovered a magical Love and Logic enforceable statement to help with this type of electronics abuse:

"We provide _____________for kids who ___________."
"We provide computer time for kids who shut it down the first time they are asked."
"We provide television time for kids who have chores and homework done."
"We provide cell phones for kids who refrain from texting during the sermon at church."
As parents, we do provide these things, don't we? And when is a good time to remind kids of all the things that we provide? In a long-winded lecture when we are frustrated? How about before the item or privilege is abused, or with lots of empathy when it has been removed?

The key to success with this phrase is our willingness to follow-through and the empathy in our voices, and on our faces, when kids lose the use of the device when it is abused.

For more great tips for the teenage years, check out the CD Trouble-free Teens.

Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.

Dr. Charles Fay

Math masters at work

TV and Computer Time

I have students that tease me all the time about how they are going to break their record for watching TV or playing Wii. 8 hours straight, they tell me. I groan and say "NO".

So, just to clear my conscience, here is a little article about screen time and kids...

"There's no getting around it: Hours of TV and computer time leads to psychological and academic problems for young people, even if those same kids are physically active for large chunks of the day, says New Scientist. In a study involving 1,013 kids ages 10 and 11, researchers in England found that kids who watched TV or were online for two or more hours a day were 61 percent more likely to have emotional, social, and concentration problems, as measured by a standard psychological test for children. Spending time outdoors only had a modest effect on the psychological impact. So it's not the sedentary nature of TV watching and computer use that's primarily to blame; it's something about the content or experience itself. Parents who limit TV and computer time to less than two hours a day need not worry, says study author Angie Page: "It's only above the two-hour threshold that you start to see the negative psychological effect."
taken from The Week magazine dated October 29th, 2010

Thank you for letting me get that out. =)
Ms. Whalen

Sickness

There are quite a few bugs going around right now so I thought I would post a little reminder about when to keep your child at home.

• if your child has a temperature over 100 degrees
• if your child has thrown up in the last 24 hours
• if your child is complaining of a severe sore throat
• if your "mom sense" is telling you that something is just not right

Please talk to your child about the importance of washing hands and sneezing or coughing into their elbow to keep from spreading germs.

We will make sure that students are using hand sanitizer before eating and wiping down desks at least once a week.

Thank you for your help!

Ms. Whalen and Ms. Wetzel

Parent/Guardian/Teacher conferences

We are looking forward to seeing you tonight or tomorrow morning!

Ms. Whalen and Ms. Wetzel

The Book Fair is HERE!

Yippee!

I love the book fair and our students do too! The excitement has been building and today we finally get to preview what new titles are here.

Your child will be heading in to create their wish lists during classes today and I'm sure you will be hearing all about it. You are welcome to visit the book fair with your child before school, after car line or when you come in for conferences. Your child is also allowed to visit during lunch and/or snack time. Please remember that if you send money with your child it could be lost.

In your Thursday folders last week you should have found a sheet regarding the One for Books program. The program this year features a homeroom class competition! The class that raises the most money for One for Books will win a pizza party with Mr. Gonzales!

Money and One for Books slips will be collect first thing in the morning in each homeroom. Encourage your child to make their One for Books donations in their homeroom class as donations made in the library will go into the general collection fund and not credited to a homeroom teacher.

Thank you in advance for your support of our school library!
Ms. Whalen and Ms. Wetzel