Lakeside Middle School
Counselor Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 2
What is Social Bullying?
Fact: When well-liked students use their social status to put down less popular classmates, it counts as bullying.
What to do: Say your middle schooler's popular friends gossip about a quiet classmate who sits alone at lunch. Your child could try to change the subject. "So did anyone watch the game last night?" Defend the person being talked about. "You guys she's probably really nice." She might even try to join the girl for lunch the following day.
Fact: Spreading rumors about someone to make others think less of a person is an example of bullying.
What to do: Your middle school can help stop a rumor simply by not passing it on. If he or she her friends talking about another person's behavior at a party, they could say, "I don't think that's true, so I'm not going to repeat it.
Note: If your child feels threatens by a bully, he or she should talked to trusted adult (parent, counselor).
Test Anxiety
Here are actions to address Test Anxiety
Use stress for your advantage
- Instead of reacting to the stress by dreading, complaining, or fretting about the test with friends, take an active approach. Let stress remind you to study well in advance of a test. Chances are, you'll keep your stress from spinning out of control. After all, nobody ever feels stressed out by thoughts that they might do well on a test.
Ask for help
- Your teacher, your school guidance counselor, or a tutor can be useful resources to talk to if you always get extreme test anxiety.
Be Prepared
- Good study habits and skills are so important — and why no amount of cramming or studying the night before a test can take the place of the deeper level of learning that happens over time with regular study.
Watch what you're thinking
- Watch out for any negative messages you might be sending yourself about test. They can contribute to your anxiety. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, replace them with positive messages. Not unrealistic positive messages, of course, but ones that are practical and true.
Accept mistakes
- Everyone makes mistakes, and you may have even heard teachers or coaches refer to mistakes as "learning opportunities." Learning to tolerate small failures and mistakes — like that one problem you got wrong in the math pop quiz — is a valuable skill.
Take care of yourself
- For some people, this might mean learning a simple breathing exercise. Practicing breathing exercises regularly (when you're not stressed out) helps your body see these exercises as a signal to relax. Taking care of your health — such as getting enough sleep, exercise, and healthy eats before a test — can help keep your mind working at its best.
Click on the following link for helpful information about test anxiety
School Counseling Needs Assessment for Lakeside
Created by Temesa Bradley
Email: tjohnson@leisd.ws
Website: http://campuscounselorcorner.weebly.com/