Bear Blast
For the Week of May 29, 2023
Working together; succeeding together.
We acknowledge the harm of colonialism and the residential school system and commit to working together toward reconciliation and forging a better path forward.
Video Games - Our Kids Need to Power Down Rather than Power Up
I can still remember the Christmas that I got my first Nintendo. It was 1991 and it was the original NES. It came with Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt. It was long enough ago that the TV had to be on channel 3 for it to work. Before that, we had an Atari and Intellivision (I am sure that I am dating myself with Intellivision). I was so excited to have entered the Nintendo age. Soon after, I got my first Gameboy (1992), which I used until I left home in 1998. It was great! As a bus kid, I had a 1 hour-plus bus ride, the Gameboy gave me something to do. My parents even bought me a light so I could play on those dark winter mornings. For those that don't remember, the Gameboy was not back-lit, without the light it was useless. The Gameboy was revolutionary, I could take my video games wherever I went, and play whenever I wanted, it was cutting edge. By today's standards, the Gameboy is old news, the world of console, handheld, and PC games is virtually without limit. Virtual reality is making progress in the gaming market and connected gaming is a forgone conclusion. I would have been so happy to have then, what kids have now; except, and here's the irony, video games are not actually making kids happy. In fact, in many cases, they are causing them stress. Don't ask them though, they won't admit it, after all, that is the nature of addiction.
That is correct, many, many youths today suffer from varying degrees of video game addiction. How can that be you ask? What is different today than it was 20 or 30 years ago when video games really started making their mark on the world? The difference is in the design. Video game companies have hired child psychologists for the sole purpose of finding out how to design games for kids that are addicting. Now, to be fair to the video game designers, they would refer to it as making the games more engaging, but addicting is what it really is. Getting kids addicted to games ensures constant revenue streams. A major difference between the video games of today and when I was a kid is the source of revenue. I can remember, Easter of 1992, and all I wanted was Mario Brothers 3. I was not disappointed as I woke up to find Mario 3 in my Easter basket. The Easter Bunny had, presumably, gone to a video game store (ours was Zellers) and bought the game. That was how Nintendo made money back then; you bought their games. From that point on, they didn't care if you played or not, or how long you played, they had their money. All their cared about was that you liked the game enough to recommend it to a friend. Now, they have found ways to generate other income streams, through subscriptions, upgrades, and in-game purchases. Not to mention advertising within the games. This all means that how much kids play their games now matters, A LOT. It has switched from a point-of-sale revenue stream to ongoing revenue streams, which means they need kids to put in the screen time. So games are designed, right down to the finest details, to ensure that your child wants to keep playing. That alone would be enough, but the introduction of interactive gaming (playing with friends or people online) has further intensified the addicting effect of video games.
The first documented video game addiction came in the early 1980s and has steadily increased since then. Video game addiction can have many symptoms, but the most obvious is an almost uncontrollable urge to play. This is driven by the need to reach the next goal, gather more of the tokens within the game (i.e. Fortnite has V-bucks), or unlock the next achievement. This is often observed when the student is unable to play a game for some reason (i.e. power outage, no service, grounding, etc). The immediate effect with be a steep increase in the student's anxiety which most likely will present as irritability or even anger. In some extreme cases in recent times, kids have even caused severe damage to their parent's homes in retaliation for taking away video games. One only has to google "the greatest freakout ever" to see the extreme effects of video game addiction. Although unacceptable behaviors, they are often biologically driven. The video game is designed to increase dopamine production, which creates a feeling of wellness. When overexposed, the brain comes to rely on this stimulation for the production of dopamine. When the stimulation is removed (the game is turned off) the dopamine levels drop, which leads to anxiety and irritability (sometimes to the extreme). If you are like me and have had to have the mini battles to get your kids to turn off the console at night, then you have seen the subtle beginnings of video game addiction.
So, how can we help and why should we? The irrefutable truth is that video game use has an impact on our kid's mental well-being and far more often than not, not a positive impact. Like all addictions, the addict is too far in to see the problem, so it is up to us to support our kids and to help them manage usage. Like anything, in small doses, it can actually be beneficial in terms of problem-solving, hand-eye coordination, etc. Unchecked though, the harm so greatly outweighs the benefit that all benefit is lost. The first, and most critical, is to set limits. Kids aged 6-17 should have no more than 2 hours of screen time a day. You might be thinking, "Good, my kids are way below that". I would encourage you to check-in. I thought that too, until I started really paying attention and was surprised (not in a good way). Under the age of 6, it drops to 1 hour. In order to support what will likely be a reduction in screen time, we need to replace it with something else. Setting up structured non-screen times to do things as a family, when possible, is a great way to reduce everyone's screen time. Having screen-free days on weekends is another awesome idea. All that being said, the most important thing you can do, and I can't stress this enough, is get the video games out of their bedrooms. If they have access to a video game system 24/7, I almost guarantee they are accessing it as much. I know we all have rules and we hope they are followed, but my experience has shown that if the game or device is in their room, they will be on it, when we think they are not. Remember, its an addiction, so logic goes out the window. They may promise and mean it when they say they don't or won't play at night, but we all know how addiction works, you couple that with a developing brain, and we all know what is going to happen. Get the games into common areas where they can be monitored. Watch what they are playing and engage with them, even play with them. If they have a secret world, the rules may be perceived as different. Join them so that they know the rules don't change.
We've come a long way from the original Mario Kart (which I still love) and like everything else, it seems, our kids have more and more to deal with when it comes to video games. Video games are fun and a healthy form of recreation. The key, as always, is moderation.
Hot Lunch Punch Cards
Please allow 2 school days to process punch card purchases.
Bear Bites Punch Card Draw
The winner for the month of May is the Kirkland Family
Seen Around PPCS
Bio 30 Dissections
In the Home Ec Lab
Next Staff vs. Student is
Upcoming Events
SRC Grad Spirit Week
Stay tuned for details.
Days include:
- Mon June 5 - One Last PJ Day
- Tues June 6 - Retro Grad Dress Up Day
- Wed June 7 - Future Me Day
- Thurs June 8 - Dress Up as Your Favorite Grad
- Fri June 9 - Sign a Senior Day
Monday, May 29, 2023
- Bike Rodeo (K-6)
May 26-29
- PE 20/30 Camping Trip to Clearwater Lake, MB
Thursday, June 22, 2023
-Awards Night
Monday, June 26, 2023
- Grade 4-6 Track Day
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Grad 2023
Volunteers and Athletes of the Month
The volunteer for this month is Ely Campos. Ely is in her final year with us and has worked the score table at more basketball games than most people have played. She brings a ton of support to our teams and can be found hitting the road following our away games to cheer us on. Sometimes she even lets Miel come with her. Thank you for your help and support for Bears Athletics. Good luck in your future Ely.
Ava Tiedjens is this month's pick. She is a well-rounded multisport athlete who had a great showing in her badminton season. She is a smart aggressive player who is an asset to any team she is on. She is ready to put down the racquet and pick up the bat for her next sport season. Good job Ava.
Hana Teale is another multisport athlete who seems to excel at each sport she tries. She showed great improvement in basketball with a money baseline jump shot and some lockdown D. She carried her work ethic into badminton season and did a great job in girls' doubles. Keep it up, Hana.
Team Practices
Home Games
** Games may start earlier if teams arrive, our goal is to get them home as early as possible.
Milk Orders
Orders will be do Friday, June 2, 2023.
Hot Lunches
There are 12 lunches left after this week.
The Cove is Offering Hot Lunches
Please use the button below to place your order, exact change must be sent with your child. Orders and money must be in by noon on Wednesday. We will let you know if there are not enough orders.
Jigs and Carolines are Back
ALL JIGS ORDERS MUST BE PLACED THROUGH THE GOOGLE FORM BELOW.
CAROLINES ORDERS MUST NOW BE PLACED ONLINE AS WELL.
Wednesday - Jigs
Chicken Nuggets w/ Mac and Cheese Bites
$6.00
Friday - Carolines
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce $6.00