Hawk Herald
News and Notes for Teachers- March 19
Dear Staff
Everyone is excited as the spring break approaches. Routines and engaging activies are a good way to keep students calm and focused. Keep up the positive interactions with each other and students. Have a great week!
Mary
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." -Frederick Douglass
Academic Seminar- Wednesday
Activity hour
Last 50 minutes of the day. Sign up to supervise. See schedule below.
Spring Break
Meetings and Events
Monday-19
- Advisory Lesson-Grit https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ey3UcKA10T6KmzY0nS3gXe5wr-2GkDHcecNQEvFwp-8/edit?usp=sharing
- ELL meeting 10:10
Tuesday-20
- Team Meetings-Cooper hawks and Red-tails Pod 4
Activity Day Slide Show https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fkoH5n7MYfrt-nZ-pxkRazq7u0GefLGmLLgElicdOfY/edit?usp=sharing
Wednesday-21
- Academic Seminar: Wellness Center and SBAC
- Attendance Meeting 10:10
- Team Meetings-Sparrow hawks and Royal hawks pod 1
- Advisory Lesson:
Positive Meditation
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13D9HiSqB3Gtq4HBHtqtUE04kTzG2NDE0mCNkDA1f77s/edit?usp=sharing - Coaches meeting 2:25
- Discipline Task Force 3:30
Friday-23
- SST
- Activity Hour 2:20
Four Counseling Strategies for Young Adolescents
In this article in Independent School, author/consultant Amy Homayoun says that “many of today’s students have difficulty identifying what they truly enjoy or giving themselves the freedom to explore new interests, because they are fixated on an external definition of success and achievement.” She offers several ways for teachers and counselors to address this challenge:
• Create opportunities for self-awareness and self-acceptance. Homayoun suggests asking students questions like:
- What is something new you want to try this semester?
- What skill would you like to improve?
- What is one area where you are really proud of your development over the past year?
- Which personal skills have you developed well?
- What do you love about yourself?
- If there is one new interest you could pursue, what would it be and why?
These don’t all have to be solo activities; some may involve collaboration with peers or adults.
• Clarify values and close the believing-doing gap. Homayoun often gets an enthusiastic response when she asks adolescents to identify their top 3-5 values from this list: abundance; commitment; compassion; connecting to others; creativity; determination; emotional health; emotional wellness; empathy; care of the environment; family; flexibility; freedom; friendship; fun; humor; integrity; joy; kindness; leadership; loyalty; personal growth; physical health; privacy; recognition; respect; service; spirituality; trust; vitality. Having identified their top values, Homayoun has students reflect on whether their daily habits are moving them closer or further away from their ideals. She believes kids like this exercise because they often feel adults are pushing particular values on them rather than asking them to identify their own.
• Focus on daily habits and incremental progress. Many teens are victims of technology overload, dysfunctional multitasking, and sleep deprivation. They need to be guided toward a personalized strategy for dealing with social media, the Internet, and organizing schoolwork and other obligations – with specifics on focusing on one thing at a time, organizing work, and getting enough sleep.
• Redefine failure. By middle and high school, many kids are leery of taking healthy risks and trying new things because they’re afraid of failing. “The only real failure,” says Homayoun, “comes when we don’t allow ourselves to explore opportunities that are in line with our values, interests, and personal goals.” Sometimes it’s wise for a student to “take a B” by trying something that doesn’t work out, or make a choice to not excel in one activity in order to fully commit to another – for example, a boy who pushed back on his family’s tradition of baseball excellence in order to spend serious time with the basketball team.
• Bolster resiliency and buoyancy through time-travel reflection. It’s often helpful for a student to look back and ponder progress, new opportunities, and things that could have gone differently, considering questions like:
- What has happened that you are proud of?
- What was something positive that you learned through your experience?
- If something didn’t go as planned, what was something you learned that was beneficial for you?
Activity Day Schedule
Advisory 8:45 - 9:05 (20)
Period 1 9:10 - 9:55 (45)
Period 2 10:00 - 10:45 (45)
1st Lunch 10:50 - 11:20 (30) Period 3 10:50 - 11:30 (40)
Period 3 11:25 - 12:05 (40) 2nd Lunch 11:35 - 12:05 (30)
Period 4 12:10 - 12:50 (40)
Period 5 12:55 - 1:35 (40)
Period 6 1:40 - 2:20 (40)
Activity Hour 2:20-3:15
South Meadows Middle School
Email: mendezm@hsd.k12.or.us
Website: http://schools.hsd.k12.or.us/southmeadows
Location: 4690 Southeast Davis Road, Hillsboro, OR, United States
Phone: 503-844-1220
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthMeadowsMiddleSchool