Inner Balance
February 2021
Exciting Events Coming Up for Dawson Middle School!
Course Request Process
Random Acts of Kindness Week
Course Request Process for 2021-2022
On Friday, January 29th, all DMS students were introduced to the course request process through a presentation on the DMS Office Canvas page. That presentation is still available for students and/or parents to view at their leisure. You may also access the presentation by clicking the links below:
Click here to view the presentation for current 7th graders going into 8th grade.
Click here to view the presentation for current 8th graders going into 9th grade.
We know that determining which courses to take the next school year can be stressful. It's a big decision! For that reason we have several opportunities for students and parents to learn more about the options available to you. See the dates listed below.
If your student is a 7th grader going in to 8th grade, please add the following dates to your calendar:
- Monday, February 1st: Yellow course requests cards will be distributed through DMS Language Arts classes. Online course request submission opens. Students may use the Course Request Tutorial shown on January 29th to learn more about each available course before making decisions (this tutorial will remain available on the DMS Office Canvas page).
- Wednesday, February 10th, 6:00 PM: Parent Q&A session with the Counselors. Parents may attend in person at the DMS Gym OR on Zoom. The Zoom link will be available on the DMS Website.
- Thursday, February 18th: Parents may make an appointment to briefly meet with a DMS counselor for online course request assistance. Appointments will be offered between 12:00 and 1:00 OR between 5:00 and 6:00 and will only focus on the process of submitting online course requests. If you need assistance submitting online course requests, please reach out to Danielle Moore to make an appointment.
- Friday, February 19th: Yellow course request card DUE to Language Arts teacher. Online course requests must be submitted prior to submitting the yellow card. All applications for Application-Only electives are also due.
If your student is an 8th grader going in to 9th grade, please add the following dates to your calendar:
- Monday, February 1st: High school counselors will visit all DMS students through Language Arts classes. They will present on the course request process and will assist students in developing a Personal Grad Plan.
- Wednesday, February 3rd, 5:30 - 6:30: 8th grade Parent Meeting via Zoom. This meeting will be recorded and posted for later viewing. The Zoom link will be available on the DMS website.
- Friday, February 5th, 9:00-10:00: 8th Grade Parent Q&A session via Zoom (no new information will be presented)
- Monday, February 8th: CHS Counselors will visit DMS Language Arts classes to assist students and answer questions
- The dates for course request entry and Arena Scheduling will be announced soon.
Welcome, Rising 7th Grade Parents!
Random Acts of Kindness Week: February 15-19
Our mission in Carroll ISD is to support and promote kindness and to create opportunities for students to practice being kind and compassionate. From February 15-19, several of our student clubs will perform random acts of kindness in celebration of Random Acts of Kindness Week. Students in Hope Squad, No Place for Hate, and Friends of Rachel will aim to perform at least one random act of kindness in hopes of starting a schoolwide chain reaction. Encourage your student to perform a random act of kindness!
Learn more at https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/
Why Random Acts of Kindness?
Kindness is Teachable and Contagious: The positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of everyone who witnessed the act, improving their mood and making them significantly more likely to “pay it forward.” This means one good deed in a crowded area can create a domino effect and improve the day of dozens of people!
Kindness Increases...
- HAPPINESS: Witnessing acts of kindness produces oxytocin, occasionally referred to as the ‘love hormone’ which aids in lowering blood pressure and improving our overall heart-health. Oxytocin also increases our self-esteem and optimism, which is extra helpful when we’re in anxious or shy in a social situation. Kindness stimulates the production of serotonin. This feel-good chemical heals your wounds, calms you down, and makes you happy!
- ENERGY: “About half of participants in one study reported that they feel stronger and more energetic after helping others; many also reported feeling calmer and less depressed, with increased feelings of self-worth” Christine Carter, UC Berkeley, Greater Good Science Center
- LIFESPAN: “People who volunteer tend to experience fewer aches and pains. Giving help to others protects overall health twice as much as aspirin protects against heart disease.” Christine Carter, Author, “Raising Happiness; In Pursuit of Joyful Kids and Happier Parents”
- PAIN: Engaging in acts of kindness produces endorphins—the brain’s natural painkiller!
- STRESS: Perpetually kind people have 23% less cortisol (the stress hormone) and age slower than the average population!
- ANXIETY: A group of highly anxious individuals performed at least six acts of kindness a week. After one month, there was a significant increase in positive moods, relationship satisfaction and a decrease in social avoidance in socially anxious individuals. University of British Columbia Study
- DEPRESSION: Stephen Post of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that when we give of ourselves, everything from life satisfaction to self- realization and physical health is significantly improved. Mortality is delayed, depression is reduced and well-being and good fortune are increased.
- BLOOD PRESSURE: Committing acts of kindness lowers blood pressure. According to Dr. David R. Hamilton, acts of kindness create emotional warmth, which releases a hormone known as oxytocin. Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide, which dilates the blood vessels. This reduces blood pressure and, therefore, oxytocin is known as a “cardioprotective” hormone. It protects the heart by lowering blood pressure.
Tips for Developing Self-Motivated Students
Possessing a strong sense of self-motivation doesn’t just make your students better equipped for excelling in the classroom. Being self-motivated is a critical skill for life. It’s an integral part of achieving goals, feeling fulfilled, moving up the career ladder and experiencing greater personal satisfaction.
There are lots of ways to help motivate students. But finding ways to help them develop their own intrinsic sense of motivation will stretch far beyond your time with them—impacting the rest of their lives. Here are five ways to help your students think about their own self-motivation:
- Take the time to think about what motivates you. By truly taking the time to think about what intrinsically and extrinsically motivates us on an individual level, we can more easily set ourselves up to maximize our motivation—and therefore increase our likelihood of success. A few good questions to ask yourself to find out if a specific task is a motivator are: Do you look forward to doing it? Does doing it make you feel energized? After doing it, when you talk about it, do you light up? This could apply to being analytical, leading a group, solving a problem, using your creativity, etc. Whatever it applies to, find ways to work those things into the task at hand to increase your willingness to dive in and get it accomplished.
- Stay positive. Negativity has a far greater negative impact on an outcome than most people think. The easiest way to avoid it is to keep it in check and not allow it to creep in and take over. Focusing on the positive and trying to see the silver lining in a situation can help. To do this, try recalling and reliving past achievements, recognizing and stopping negative self-talk, ditching all-or-nothing thinking and severely limiting (if not altogether avoiding) the most negative people and sources of information in your life. Pretending you're giving advice to a friend in your situation—then actually taking your own good advice—is another great way to practice positivity and self-love. Calling to mind three things you’re thankful for on a regular basis is another simple way to increase positive thinking patterns, along with proper self-care, including eating well, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep. Remember: negativity is the single biggest cause of procrastination.
- Compare yourself to yourself. For some, it’s best to compete with themselves. By setting a goal and charting individual progress toward that goal, it becomes easier to see how far a person has come compared to where they started. It’s a great way to draw attention to progress, focus on momentum gained and keep it going. That’s because sometimes when we compare ourselves to others, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. This can have the reverse effect of making us feel more easily defeated—especially when we compare ourselves to someone we see as having already “made it.” Think about weight loss as an example. If you’re 50-pounds overweight, losing 10 pounds is a great start—you’re already 20% closer to your goal. But if you’re comparing yourself to a swimsuit model, you’ll likely still feel like the task is insurmountable and that you’re a failure. Setting smaller, bite-sized mini-goals (as opposed to focusing on the end goal) makes it easier to achieve. Plus, that gives you more mini-victories to celebrate and reward yourself for along the way.
- Verbalize and visualize your intentions. By giving words to what we want and what we plan to do to attain it, we’re one step closer to making it a reality. Talking about our intentions to those we trust and are close to is a powerful way of starting the process of giving it a shape and form. Telling someone our plans helps ensure those intentions become a priority. It holds us accountable for taking the necessary steps to make it happen (because we said we would). Without sharing our intentions and goals with others, it becomes easier for them to fall by the wayside and never come to fruition. Picturing exactly what it will look like when you achieve your goal or accomplish your intention also increases its potential for becoming reality. If your goal is to get into a specific college, spend time visualizing every last detail and feeling—from the moment you get your acceptance letter to the way your dorm room is decorated and how you’ll feel walking across campus to class.
- Your surroundings matter. While most people can attest to having a sunnier outlook in a bright, organized space with lots of windows than they do in a dark, dreary basement filled with boxes, the same goes for the people we surround ourselves with. It’s important not to underestimate the power of spending time with (and energy on) people who bring out the best in us. We are what we surround ourselves with—which can be inspiring or downright scary. To make sure it’s the former and not the later, befriend people who already possess the characteristics you want to embody. No matter how strong you are, you’re not immune to negativity and bad influences. Peer pressure is real—so make sure it’s the positive kind that will help you live up to your potential.
STOPit Anonymous Reporting System
What does it mean to have a certified HeartMath Coach at Dawson Middle School?
Your Counselor's can help your child boost resilience, composure and clarity!
The HeartMath Building Personal Resilience™ program is a focused and practical program, combining personalized coaching with scientifically validated tools to help your child self-regulate their body’s response to stress and build resilience. They will learn life-long skills you can use any time to increase well-being, personal and academic performance and quality of life experience.
Be sure to contact your child's grade level counselor for more details!
DMS Counselors
Katrina Tatum
7th grade Counselor
katrina.tatum@southlakecarroll.edu
Amy Hurlburt
8th grade Counselor
amy.hurlburt@southlakecarroll.edu
Lauren Canafax
Intervention Counselor
lauren.canafax@southlakecarroll.edu
Website: https://www.southlakecarroll.edu/domain/812
Location: 400 South Kimball Avenue, Southlake, TX, USA
Phone: 817-949-5500
Twitter: @DMScounselors