Gateway School Counseling
March 2022 Family Newsletter
Welcome!
Everything You Need to Know About Middle School Registration
Middle School Selection
During the week of March 7th, letters will be mailed from Student Placement to your house stating the school that your child is enrolled in for the 2022-2023 school year.
If you have any questions about middle school or school selection, please let us know! Our contact information is located at the bottom of this newsletter.
This Month at Gateway
Finishing Drug Education & Safe Body Lessons
Starting Emotion Regulation Lessons
Conferences
Big Brothers Big Sisters Booth
We will also have a variety of resources available about their program on Thursday and after conferences conclude. Please reach out to either Big Brothers Big Sisters or either of the Gateway School Counselors for more information on this program.
Free Resources
If you missed out on these resources and could use some support, please either call or email Kelsey or Ali using the information below.
Help at Home
National Sleep Awareness Week
This month, celebrate sleep by joining in on National Sleep Awareness Week (March 13-19th). This falls on the same week as our spring break so it is a great time to develop a night routine and practice getting the sleep that we need.
Tips for healthy sleep hygiene:
- Put electronic devices like iPads, phones, and TVs away at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Only use your bed to sleep. Try not to eat, do homework, or play on your phone in bed. This can confuse our brain when we are trying to sleep at night.
- Keep your room dark and quiet. Try to keep your home and room dark and quiet at night in order to avoid distractions while sleeping.
- Be consistent. Try to get in bed at the same time every night and set your alarm for a similar time each morning. This will help train your brain to sleep more efficiently!
- Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bed in order to help your body sleep through the night.
- Get exercise! Moving your body during the day can help your body be ready for sleep at night.
Youth Art Month
The Council for Art Education (CFAE) created Youth Art Month during the month of March. Youth Art Month encourages support for quality school art programs, promotes art material safety, and encourages expression through the arts for youth.
Participating in art expression has many benefits for children such as,
-Boosts and stimulates the parts of the brain associated with academic achievement and emotional development
-Improves memory
-Enhances creativity
-Improves social skills
-Improves reading and language skills
-Build confidence
-Creates cultural and personal connections
During this Youth Art Month, here are way 10 ideas to incorporate art expression into your home!
1. Make a splatter painting.
Using watercolors and a toothbrush, splatter paint on white paper. Fill the toothbrush with paint, run your thumb along the bristles to spatter the paint. Cut into pieces. Assemble on black paper. Glue in place. This can be messy so make sure that you use washable paints and cover up with an apron.
2. Create a nature collage.
Spend some time outside collecting small nature items: sticks, petals, leaves, feathers, etc. Glue or stick on a paper. You can also place a piece of sticky contact paper in a frame, sticky side up. Then place items on the sticky side.
3. Make a collage box.
Use an old shoebox. Color the box with markers. Glue on some favorite things. Collect items that can be used in art projects: paper scraps, meat trays, packing stuff, pictures, etc.
4. Paint thumbprint picture.
Use watercolors. Prime the paints by placing a bead of water on each color. Stick your thumb in a watercolor pan. Make a thumbprint on the paper. When it is dry, add lines to make it a person, bug, or something imaginative.
5. Print with kitchen items.
Using tempera paint, pour some paint on a paper plate or cookie tray. Pick some kitchen items to print with: cookie cutters, corks, spaghetti, mallets etc.
6. Write and create a song or poem.
Write a song or poem about a favorite memory, favorite hobby, or another preferred topic. Read them aloud to each other or create movement to go along with the creation.
7. Create Pan art.
Place a piece of paper in a cookie pan. Paint the paper with water. Using a very wet brush, dip in a watercolor color. Dab the paint on the paper. What does it do? When the child has filled the paper with color, have him sprinkle salt on the paper and leave to dry. Once it's dry, brush off the salt and talk about what happened.
8. Connect the dots.
Using the end opposite the bristles on a paintbrush, dip in tempera paint and make dots around the paper. Then use paints or markers to draw lines to connect the dots. Add color in the spaces.
9. Make A Timed line wonder.
Turn on a timer for one minute. Using a marker, begin drawing but don't pick up your marker. Make one long continuous line going up, down, across and around. When the timer goes off, color in the spaces.
10. Design Nature stamps.
Collect some nature items that have a flat side (twigs, leaves, rocks, etc.). Paint the items with tempera paint and stamp them on paper.
Winter Clothing Support
Panera Bread Program Update
These donations were available on Wednesdays during dismissal on a table near the main 'Exit' doors of the building.
This semester, we will be distributing donations differently and will no longer have a table outside on Wednesday afternoons. Instead, each classroom will receive Panera coupons that teachers can give out to students either based on need or achievement. Donation amounts may vary each week. Some weeks only one student per class will get to pick from the table. This will give more students an opportunity to take home Panera for themselves and their family members.
If you are in need of food assistance throughout the school year, please call Gateway and ask to speak with a school counselor.
General Resources
Nebraska Family Helpline
1-888-866-8660
Safe 2 Help
531-299-SAFE (7233)
Your Life Your Voice
Call: 1-800-448-3000
Text: "VOICE" to 20121
Chat: yourlifeyourvoice.org
Email: YLYV@boystown.org
Download the "My Life My Voice" app!
Contact Us
Ms. Ali McGovern
Email: alison.mcgovern@ops.org
Phone: (531)299-9529
Mrs. Kelsey Buglewicz-Miller
Email: kelsey.buglewiczmiller@ops.org
Phone: (531)299-6939