New London ISMS Newsletter
October 2018
In this issue:
Building Updates
- Upcoming events
- Academic updates
- Learning Partnerships
- Parent Visitation Days
Student Services Updates:
- Technology & my teen
- Social Media Data from New London ISMS Students
- Bark! - Helping your teen navigate their social media & technology
- Mental Health
- Coping Skills
Library Updates
- Book Fair!
Career Speakers Needed
Upcoming Events
October
Friday, October 19
- MS Dance
Thursday, October 25
- ISMS Parent Teacher Conferences (4:00 pm-7:00 pm)
Friday, October 26
- No School
- ISMS Parent Teacher Conferences (8:00 am-12:00 pm)
November
Thursday, November 1
- Parent Teacher Conferences (4:00 pm-7:00pm)
- Open Session of Technology & Internet Safety Presentation (5:30pm-6:15 pm) in ISMS Library
Friday, November 2
- End of first quarter
Monday, November 12
- Veteran's day Program at ISMS
Thursday, November 15
- ISMS Geography Bee (HS Auditorium at 6:00 pm)
Wednesday, November 21-Friday, Nov 23
- No School -Thanksgiving break
Monday, November 26
- 7th Grade Parent Visitationsepte
December
- 5th grade vocal concert @ HS (6:00 pm)
- 6th grade vocal concert @ HS (7:00 pm)
Friday, December 7
- Holiday of Wonder Parade (6:00 pm)
Monday, December 10
- 7th and 8th grade Band Concert @ HS (7:00 pm)
Monday, December 24-Tuesday, January 1
- No School - Winter Break
Career Speakers Needed
Academic Updates from Mrs. Pinch
Traveling Through Time
Ready, Set, Read…
True Beauty - Learning Partnerships
True Beauty members shared an afternoon with fifth and sixth-grade girls focused on embracing inner strength and appreciating the unique talents of every individual. Fun was had by all as they participated in small group games and wrapped up the evening with Pumpkin Painting while enjoying friendly conversation.
Student Services Update
Social Media Tips for Parents
Social networking is hugely popular. Many young people are sophisticated in the way they use social media apps and websites, tailoring their communication for different audiences, and accessing them from a range of devices including smartphones, tablets, and games consoles.
But social media, like all forms of public communication, comes with some risks. Not all of these risks turn into actual problems; and if children never face any risks, they never learn how to deal with them. By helping your child understand what the risks are, you can play a big part in preventing them from turning into problems.
What they could see or do:
- seeing/sharing content of violent, sexual, & pornographic material
- Inaccurate/false information
- Promotion of harmful behaviors
- Oversharing of personal information
Who they might meet:
- People who might bully, intimidate, or frighten
- People posing behind fake profiles
Who could this affect them:
- Fear of missing out leading to excessive use
- Getting upset by things they have seen
- Engaging, or being pressured into engaging in more risky behavior
- Becoming subject to peer pressure
- Creating an online reputation that may create problems for them in the future
New London 7th & 8th Grade Self-Reported Social Media Use
What your teens want you to know about social media:
- "I use social media to communicate with my friends/family."
- "Talk with me about the apps we like to use and why. Most of you have no idea about our world."
- "Help me to navigate being safe on social media. I try, but it's hard sometimes!"
- "Not all social media is bad. I do my best to be positive and make good choices."
Tips for Parents
- Ask them to show you which social media apps they use and what they like about them. Talk about what makes them engaging.
- Explain how you can use privacy settings to make sure only approved friends can see posts.
- Check if any of their apps have "geo-location" enabled, sharing their location unintentionally.
- Show them how to report offensive comments or block people who upset them.
- Encourage your child to come and talk to you.
- Research the apps your children are using to get a better understanding using Common Sense Media! You can search for ANY game.
Encourage Conversation with these conversation starters:
- People may not always be who they say they are online. How can this create problems?
- Why is it unwise to meet anyone in the real world that you've only met online?
- People present themselves differently online. Do they really look like that?
- What does being a good friend and a likeable person online look like?
- There can be a lot of pressure to be part of a particular group online or to be seen a certain way. How can you take a step back and make your own decisions?
Bark! - Safety Screening Tool
Bark is an app that allows parents to monitor their children's online presence without you having to ask for their phones all of the time.
They set it up to analyse the child's communication in Facebook, Snapchat, other apps, email and texting. Alerts are sent via email or text to the parents phone if any "red flags" come up including: cyber-bulling, depression, drug or alcohol, hate speech, profanity, self harm, sexual explicit content, violence, and 18 other concerns.
You can customize it based on your desire, and it covers as many kids as you add for $9 a month....
Library Update
The year is off to a great start for our One to One Chromebook rollout at the Intermediate/Middle school! Students have been able to accomplish many great things at school and at home with their Chromebooks. Many teachers are continuing to incorporate digital learning activities in their lessons that make the Chromebook a vital tool for all of our students. We are looking forward to the beginning of 2nd quarter in which we are planning on our 5th grade students starting to bring their devices home to charge and provide access to complete homework and assigned activities. Remember there is great information about Chromebooks and Tech Tips on our Library Chromebook page which can be easily accessed from the Intermediate/Middle School website under Quick Links on the left.
As a reminder for all families and students, as outlined in our Chromebook Handbook and other guiding documents, the purpose of the Chromebook is always educational. Appropriate activities might include academic research for a class, working on Google documents or projects, checking Skyward or checking email. If you have questions regarding Chromebooks, please don’t hesitate to contact the office or Mrs. Kovalaske (Instructional Resource Coach) directly at kkovalas@newlondon.k12.wi.us or ext. 2212.
Book Fair
Book Fair is open in the ISMS Library from October 25th - November 2nd
October 25th 7:30-7:00
October 26th 8:00-12:00
October 29th 7:30-4:00
October 30th 7:30-4:00
October 31st 7:30-3:30
November 1st 7:30-7:00
November 2nd 7:30-4:00
Online shopping is available from October 22nd - November 7 at http://www.scholastic.com/bf/newlondonmiddleschool
OverDrive
All students have access to eBooks via OverDrive using their student ID number