Welcome back to school! I hope you had a wonderful holiday break celebrating with family and friends. I also hope you enjoyed all of the fresh snow. We've sure had our fair share of snowstorms this year!

We've officially entered into the second half of the school year. Can you believe how fast time is flying? We look forward to seeing the progress each of our students will make as they continue to excel academically, socially, and emotionally.

Thank you for your continued support to our teachers, staff, students, and community. We appreciate each of you!

Principal Grant

Happy chemicals and how to make them

Welcome to January, the most depressing month of the year, the “Monday of Months,” where the days are dark and cold. The Holidays are over and it’s time to get back to the reality of life. And to make things more depressing, this month’s Health Topic is Drug and Alcohol Awareness. Drugs and Alcohol are used to artificially stimulate the release of “happy” chemicals that your body naturally makes. So to help combat the “January Blues,” here are a list of some of the “Happy” chemicals and hormones your body makes, what they do, and how to naturally and more healthily release them:

Serotonin: Regulates moods, helps you sleep, promotes digestion, inhibits impulsive behavior. How to make them: Exposure to sunshine and light, physical activity. Foods: Bananas, Beans, Eggs, Leafy greens, Nuts and seeds, Fatty fish, Probiotic/fermented foods (kefir, tofu), and turkey (Yummmm!)

Dopamine: Sparks pleasure and motivation, enables coordination, boosts short-term memory, drives impulsive behavior. How to make them: Meditation, listen to music. Foods: Bananas, Oranges, Spinach, Peas, Eggplant, Apples, Mung beans, Avocado, Tomatoes, fish, eggs, seeds.

Norepinephrine: Controls blood flow to muscles, blood glucose levels, mood stability, muscle contraction. Promotes the healthy function of the eyes, kidneys, pancreas, lymphoid organs, and intestines. It also enables your stress response, temperature regulation, and increases alertness, focus, pain tolerance, reaction time, breathing rate, and memory retrieval. How to make them: Regular exercise, getting enough sleep, setting and meeting goals, Enjoying music or making art, and meditating. Foods: Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Oxytocin: Promotes bonding and affection towards others, helps regulate gastrointestinal function, uterine contraction and shrinkage. How to make them: Hugging, physical touch, petting an animal, exercise, meditating using visualization and deep breathing. Food: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

Endorphins: Pain relief, feelings of pleasure, increase self-esteem, stress and anxiety reduction, influence other hormones like Oxytocin, lessens the negative impacts of mental disorders. How to make them: Exercise, Exercising with others, Acupuncture, Laughing, Creative activities like creating poetry, music, prose, or paintings.

So get going! Get started! From here on out the sun shines a little brighter each day. Each little step is an essential part of moving towards great things!