Pawsome News
Mill Creek Elementary School-April 2022
Perseverance
"Going on one more round, when you don't think you can, that's what makes all the difference." Sylvester Stallone
Vision Statement for Mill Creek Elementary School
Our students at Mill Creek will acquire literacies in multiple areas including English Language Arts, math, science, and digital media. They will become creators, problem solvers, and critical consumers of information. They will develop confidence, resilience, persistence, empathy, and compassion. Students will develop a love of learning through fun, challenging, and relevant learning activities. Their academic, physical, and social emotional growth will enable them to lead happy, productive, meaningful lives as contributing members of our democratic society.
Message from the Principal
Most social media apps have a minimum age of 13 to join. However, that is rarely enforced. It therefore falls upon parents and schools to monitor what your child is accessing. BTSD has a program called Go Guardian, software that helps us manage students' devices and keep them safer online. We have access to all the programs your child accesses using the school device.
As a parent, it can be hard to monitor everything your child is doing online. The well-known dangers of inappropriate or excessive screen time include cyberbullying, online predators, sharing too much information, false marketing and dangerous viral trends (such as we have seen on TikTok). Children do not yet have the cognitive and executive functioning skills to think through and assess a potential harmful situation.
Social media also presents opportunities for your child to learn new and valuable problem solving skills. They can learn how to communicate with others, navigate relationships, and use their words to manage someone who is not being kind to them. These are valuable life skills.
Five things adults can do to help your child learn appropriate online etiquette.
1. Determine if your child is ready to join a social media platform. Age and maturity level are key.
2. Have open and honest conversations with your child about how social media should be used and what to do if he/she encounters inappropriate material or language.
3. Limit screen time. Kids need time to play outside, engage face-to-face with friends, read, talk with their family, sleep, and be still.
4. Monitor your child's usage. The platforms change quickly. It is a lot of work to stay current, but it is important for you to understand what your child is viewing and with whom they are engaging.
5. Model good behavior. Just as we should be staying off our phones while we are driving, adults should also be limiting their screen time so they can engage with their children.
For many parents, this is all new. Talk with others and ask your children questions. Also, get on their devices!
As we head into spring, please make sure to get outside with your children free of devices. Being out in nature helps improve our moods, lower blood pressure, and reduce the stress-related hormones cortisol and adrenaline. It makes us happier!
Sincerely,
Dr. Vitella
*health.clevelandclinic.org/dangers-of-social-media-for-youth.
News From the Office
April 7-13, Spring Conferences (1:15 PM dismissal for all students)
April 11, Evening Conferences-Please visit our lost and found outside the gym if your child has lost a jacket, sweatshirt, etc.
April 15 and 18, Schools closed for Spring BreakApril 25-May 13-PSSA testing for grades 3-5
News from Library
Art
Physical Education
Counselors' Corner-Ms. Keenan
Theme of the Month: Perseverance
What is Perseverance?
Perseverance is when you push yourself to work through challenges.
Kids might be surprised to hear that perseverance (also called grit) is really important for living a life they enjoy and can be proud of.
Why? Because life is full of challenges and struggles. Perseverance is the drive that helps you get past the hard stuff to get to what you want.
Why is perseverance important for kids?
Perseverance is very important for kids to develop because life is full of challenges-- and perseverance is what helps you get through the difficulties to get to what you want. Sometimes the challenge is something hard for your body, like raking the leaves out of the entire yard or staying strong at the end of a long sports match. Sometimes it’s a challenge for your mind, like learning a new math equation or staying focused on something you need to do when you really want to be doing something else. Sometimes challenges are emotional like when you’re sad after a pet dies or when a friendship is breaking.
No matter what the challenge, perseverance is important because it is the drive that helps you get through the obstacle to the easier bit on the other side. Even though it feels so hard when you are working through a challenge, perseverance keeps pushing you through to your goal and to the good feeling that comes with knowing you did your best.
Taking the easy way out by cheating, quitting, or avoiding a situation doesn’t make the challenge go away. It just makes you have to deal with it at a different time. Perseverance helps you get through the challenge, even though it’s hard, and gives you that warm feeling in your heart of knowing you did the right thing.
Picture below from Talking With Trees
SWPBIS News
Starting at the end of March, our assemblies will go back to IN PERSON assemblies for the first time since our kickoff in October. At the in-person assemblies we will be able to do the Code of Conduct and the cheer, announce and recognize our PAWSOME students in front of their peers and staff, award our sportsmanship classrooms, and even do our Pizza With Your Peeps raffle winners right on the spot! This is very exciting for the entire Mill Creek community to be able to come together once again.
The one thing that will remain virtual will be the reteaching lessons based on our school data. The team felt that this is best addressed within the individual classrooms. Teachers will be reteaching the lessons for the areas of needed improvement and it also gives teachers the freedom to stop the lessons and have meaningful discussions within the classroom. Remember to encourage your child/children to continue roaring for good behavior!