South Meadows Parent News
March, 2018
Parent News
With all the unsettling news our students hear from social media and the news, it's important that you talk to them and let them know they can always reach out to you or a trusted adult if they have concerns or feel anxious. Our top priority is the safety of your students at school.
Have a great month.
Sincerely,
Mary Mendez
Dates to remember
March 8- Parent Meeting 6:00
March 12-22 STAMP test for Dual Language Students
March 15-Hilhi All School Band Festival 7:00pm
March 27-Coffee with the Principal
March 26-30-Spring Break
Parent Meeting
Testing
English Language Proficiency Assessment-March
STAMP test for dual language students-March
The State SBAC test in math and language arts and science-April-MayCoffee with the Principal-
March 22nd at 7:30am
Did you know?
Prolonged phone usage linked to depression among youngsters, Study finds
January 23, 2018
New research conducted at San Diego State University has shown the relationship between adolescent life satisfaction and screen time.
The study, published in the journal Emotion, found that Teenagers who are constantly glued to their smartphones are significantly less happy.
In order to explore this association, investigators analyzed data from the Monitoring the Future (MtF) longitudinal study—a nationwide representative survey comprising millions of U.S. 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders.
In this survey, the students were asked to answer a questionnaire about the total time spent on their mobiles, computers, and tablets, as well as their direct social interactions and their happiness in general.
On average, it was found that teenagers who spent an excessive amount of time on screen devices (using social media, playing computer games, video chatting, and messaging) exhibited lower levels of happiness than teenagers who spent more time engaging in non-screen activities such as reading magazines and newspapers, sports, and direct social interactions.
According to Jean M. Twenge, the lead author and professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, while the current study could not find the exact cause, various other studies have shown that more social media use leads to unhappiness, but unhappiness does not lead to more social media use.
Having no interaction with digital screen devices also doesn’t lead to happiness. The happiest teenagers used digital media for under an hour per day. However, the findings showed that daily usage of screen devices could gradually increase unhappiness.
The key to digital media use and happiness is limited use. Aim to spend no more than two hours a day on digital media, and try to increase the amount of time you spend seeing friends face-to-face and exercising–two activities reliably linked to greater happiness."
Jean M. Twenge, San Diego State University
By analyzing the historical trends from the same age groups since the 1990s, the investigators identified that prolonged use of screen devices has accounted for reduced happiness in U.S. teens. In particular, life satisfaction, happiness, and self-esteem of youngsters has been in rapid decline since 2012, the year in which America saw a 50% rise in smartphone users.
Twenge commented: "By far the largest change in teens' lives between 2012 and 2016 was the increase in the amount of time they spent on digital media, and the subsequent decline in in-person social activities and sleep. The advent of the smartphone is the most plausible explanation for the sudden decrease in teens' psychological well-being."
Student Wellness Survey Notification
Our school will be taking part in the Oregon Student Wellness Survey (SWS). The
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Public Health Division and Oregon Department of Education
sponsor this survey. It will ask 6 th , 8 th and 11 th grade students about academic commitment, the
school environment, positive youth development, and behavioral risks such as fighting,
depression, substance use, and gambling. The SWS gathers information that is used to plan and
evaluate programs that address these areas.
The survey will take 45 minutes or less during the regular school day. Survey procedures have
been designed to protect your child's privacy. The data gathered from this survey will be
anonymous; your child will not put his or her name or other identifying information on the
survey.
Your child will be free to skip questions or stop filling out the survey at any time. Refusing to
participate or withdrawing from the survey will not affect your child’s school grade or class
standing in any way. If you or your child does not want to participate, your child can read or do
some other activity while his or her classmates complete the survey.
Like many opinion polls, all results from the study will be presented only about groups. No
individual data will be reported. Completed questionnaires will be sent to International Survey
Associates (ISA) for analysis and reporting.
If you would like to see a copy of the survey, one is available at your child’s school or from
https://oregon.pridesurveys.com
For questions about the survey, please feel free to contact Todd Beran at OHA-Public Health
Division (email: todd.beran@dhsoha.state.or.us or phone: 971-673- 0984).
Mary Mendez, Principal
Email: mendezm@hsd.k12.or.us
Website: http://schools.hsd.k12.or.us/southmeadows
Location: 4690 SE Davis Rd, Hillsboro, OR, United States
Phone: 503-844-1220
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/874310209328004/