LONDON LOOP
November 17, 2019 - Vol. 4, Issue 6
#WeAreLondon
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Dear London Families,
We are days away from the end of our first trimester. The end of the trimester can be stressful to students for many reasons: deadlines on projects and essays, tests, quizzes, and the idea of earning a final grade for classes on a report card.
The end of a trimester and report card time can impact children and parents - especially if the child has received a less than expected report or has developed difficulties in a certain subject. However, this time can also be a constructive time for parents, teachers, and children to work together and set goals for improvement.
Talk with your child regularly about school
Engage in ongoing dialogue with your children about how they are doing in school - whether they are four or fourteen years old. Parents are often surprised when their child receives an unfavorable report card; however, children have a pretty good idea what their strengths and weaknesses are. Talking with your kids long before report cards come out may alert you to any difficulties they may be having.
Ask open-ended questions such as:
How do you think you are doing in...(math/reading/social studies/science/etc.)?
How do you think you will do in each subject? - What is your favorite subject? Why?
What are you learning about in ...(science/social studies/etc.)?
What is your least favorite subject?
Stay calm
Your initial reaction to a report card may be to notice only the bad, then become emotional and blame your child, your child’s teachers or school, yourself, or others. Remember, a less-than-perfect report card is NOT a reflection of your parenting skills or your child’s worth. It indicates there is a problem in certain areas that can be solved with a little team effort from parents, teachers, and the child.
Identify the problem
There could be many reasons why your child is having difficulty. Find out what is going on by calmly talking to your child and his/her teacher(s). Is your child not handing in all assignments? Is s/he having trouble on tests? Is s/he overscheduled with extra-curricular activities? Is s/he trying hard to learn the material, but still can’t understand it? Or, is s/he experiencing other problems at school or home that may be impacting his/her academics?
Talk about goals and solutions
What can your child do to improve? Talk about steps your child should take to reach those goals and concrete ways you can help your child improve. You know your child best and will be able to help develop an effective approach. Solutions such as setting up a quiet homework area, helping your child create a homework notebook, reducing TV time, reducing absences, increasing reading time at home, and making small changes may be all that is needed to get on track.
Make sure expectations are realistic
If your child received a “C” or “D” in a subject, it may be unrealistic to expect an “A” grade next trimester. Your child should still aim high, but jump from a “C” to a “B” should be acknowledged as a positive step forward. Praising successes can provide your child with more self-confidence and motivation to continue improving.
Report cards are not meant to be surprises. Continue to monitor progress through the Parent Portal before the end of the trimester so you can begin having conversations with your child about how to start the second trimester on a better note or continue to do the great things he/she may be already doing.
The end of the first trimester is Friday, November 22nd. Call our office if you need access to the Parent Portal and you may also ask your child to show you their grades through the Student Portal. As always, the London Staff is willing to partner with you to provide your children with the necessary supports to help them grow as learners and individuals.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Dr. Luis Correa
Principal
Big News from Yearbook!!!!
Yearbook will be running a
ONE DAY ONLY CYBER MONDAY SALE!!!!
The yearbook is originally $20, but on Monday, 12/2 it will be just $18. Sale applies to online orders only and this will be the final sale price offered this year.
Write yourself a note, tie a string around your finger, or set a phone alarm. You don’t want to miss this BIG sale!
https://yearbookforever.com/schools/london_middle_school_buy_yearbook_9053/2h6KK7xsshp0v4cwogxpJNp1
Got an Angry Teenager? It's okay!
Navigating middle school can be a complicated and emotional ride for both students and parents. If you or your student has anger outbursts, is quick to anger or has other anger issues, you may be wondering what causes anger. What really causes anger: other underlying painful emotions that aren't getting dealt with directly.
With an actual iceberg, about one-third of it is visible and two-thirds of it is hidden under the surface. With anger, anger is the visible response, and some sort of emotional pain is hidden under the surface. Instead of dealing with that pain directly, we turn it into anger as a way to release it or redirect it.It is much healthier to learn how to identify and process directly the pain that’s underneath the anger.
That emotional pain under the anger could be many things. Sadness can get turned into anger. Anxiety can be turned into anger. Rejection, shame, resentment, or any other uncomfortable or painful emotion can show up as anger. A single incident of anger might have one underlying emotion, or it might have many different contributing emotions. Anger can become a useful tool, helping you understand what’s going on for you or your child.
When you feel anger rising or see it in your child, ask yourself “What’s really going on? What’s the emotion under this anger?” With the answers to those questions, you can make decisions about what you might do to deal with the situation. You can ask yourself what would be helpful to change -- in yourself or the conditions you find your family in.
Please let the London Social Work team help as needed!
PTSA Calendar
The Impact of Social Media on Middle School Children
Middle school can be a challenging time for many children- you may have noticed strange things seem to happen to a tween’s brain. To sum it up they are playing “dress up” with their identity, trying on things to see what fits. They can be impulsive and scattered, they are up and they are down, and it even seems that they have regressed in their development on their quest for independence (www.psychologytoday.com/basics/neuroscience) . Most often we become exhausted from their constant begging for a phone, and we often give in because it is easier for everyone. However, along with a phone comes the world of social media.
According to psychology today, social media was not designed for them. A tween’s underdeveloped frontal cortex can’t manage the distraction nor the temptations that come with social media use. In addition, social media is an addictive form of screen entertainment, early use can set up future addiction patterns and habits. Social media in many ways has replaced learning the hard social “work” of dealing face-to-face with peers, a skill that they will need to practice to be successful in real life.
Most importantly, In a paper published in Clinical Psychological Science, it was found that increases in depression, suicide attempts and suicide appeared among teens from every background- more privileged and less privileged, across all races and ethnicities and in every region of the country. The staggering statistic notes that between 2010 and 2015, the number of U.S. teens who had classic symptoms of depression surgered 33% in large national surveys.
What happened in such a short period of time? You guessed it- All signs point to the screen.
What can we do as parents and educators for our students and children?
Delay Access to allow for the child to mature and develop socially through face to face contact/conversations.
Follow their accounts- make sure privacy settings are in place. Encourage your child to have private conversations in person or via a verbal phone call instead.
Allow social media only on large screens- Desktops or laptops that can be viewed easily.
Keep a sharp eye on the clock, they will not! Psychology Today reports that the average teen spends nine hours a day connected to social media.
Spend more real non-tech time together- Teens who are strongly attached to their parents and family show more overall happiness and success in life (www.psychologytoday.com/basics/happiness).
Don’t give that smart phone all the power in your home; help tweens choose healthier forms of entertainment. They have the rest of their lives to be entertained by social media, but only a limited time with you.
Need something for the holidays? Get Cookie Dough and support PTSA!
November
- 18 - Band Concert - 6:30pm and 7:30pm
- 19 - Girls Basketball vs. Cooper - 4:00pm
- 19 - PTSA Meeting - 7:00pm in the LMC
- 21 - Fall Choral Concert - 7:00pm
- 22 - End of Trimester 1
- 25 - Boys Basketball vs. Holmes - 4:00pm
- 27 - No School - Non-attendance Day
- 28 - No School - Thanksgiving
- 29 - No School - Non-attendance Day
December
- 3 - Boys Basketball vs. St. Peter - 4:00pm
- 5 - Girls Basketball vs. MacArthur - 4:00pm
- 10 - Girls Basketball vs. Holmes - 4:00pm
- 11 - Winter Orchestra Concert - 7:00pm
- 12 - Board of Education Meeting - 7:30pm - Gill Administration Center
- 17 - PAC Meeting - 9:30am in the LMC
- 17 - Girls Basketball vs. River Trails - 4:00pm
- 17 - PTSA Meeting - 7:00pm in the LMC
- 19 - Boys Basketball vs. Cooper - 4:00pm
- 23 - Winter Break Begins
London Middle School
Designated Illinois Horizon Schools To Watch
2009, 2012, 2015, 2018
Website: https://london.ccsd21.org/
Location: 1001 West Dundee Road, Wheeling, IL, USA
Phone: 847-520-2745
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccsd21london/
Twitter: @ccsd21london