Jaguar News
Volume 1, Issue 25 - February 23, 2018
The average middle schooler spends nine hours a day connected to social media. So it is no wonder that their online “friends” have such an outsized influence on what they think.
However, not everyone your child interacts with online is a real friend. In fact, kids can lose connections with the people they see every day because they spend so much time online. (And who has 639 friends in real life anyway?)
But this is not the only danger of social media for middle school students. Their brains are just not wired to use it responsibly. Their frontal cortex, which is what helps adults manage distractions and plan ahead, is not well-developed yet. This means that middle schoolers lack the maturity to use social media appropriately.
In addition, children can easily become addicted to social media, which can lead to future addictive behaviors. To protect your child:
- Delay. If she isn’t on social media, wait. The longer you delay, the better.
- Set limits. Don’t allow devices at mealtime. Keep devices out of your child’s bedroom overnight.
- Talk about what is appropriate to post and what’s not.
- Stay connected. Follow her social media accounts and be sure she knows you will look at them.
- Create a family account. This lets your middle schooler stay in touch with friends, but in a safer space.
- Schedule family time. Middle school is a time when your child needs you more than ever. So plan time to do things together—with the devices turned off!
**Source: V.L. Dunckley, “Why Social Media Is Not Smart for Middle School Kids,” Psychology Today
Backpacks
Please, remind your student to stop by their locker in the morning so they can move their items to the string backpack before they start with their school day!
Importance of School Attendance
- Once the year is half over, teachers turn a serious eye to the end-of-year learning goals. The pace of instruction picks up. It becomes more difficult to catch up after missed days.
- In just a few weeks, if not sooner, teachers will also begin to review for these learning goals and state tests. This review will go on at the same time as regular teaching.
- Your child may have more homework as a result of faster instruction and review. The more time they are out of school, the more the homework piles up. And they will be required to turn it all in!
To support your student's attendance, continue to:
- Emphasize to your child the importance of being in every class. Arriving on time is important, too!
- Accept no excuses except true illness or emergency for having your student miss school.
- Avoid making plans for your child that would require them to miss school.
Chinese New Year Showcase
The GMS Chinese language classes would like to invite you and your family to attend our Chinese New Year Showcase today, February 23 at 7:00 pm at the Missouri Theatre. This free showcase event, performed by students enrolled in Chinese language classes in Columbia Public Schools, will focus on Chinese culture and language. Two performances will be given by GMS students. The opening act will feature a song performed by our Chinese 1B students (Emma Haupt and Drew Graff ) named “Gentry Welcomes You”. Act 8 will present “Kungfu Fan” by our Chinese 1A students (Vanessa Bolten, Grace Hall, Lexi Fincham, Griffin Slivka, Ariana Eckerson and Grace Fotheringham). Hope to see you there!
Scholastic Chess Tournament Results
End of the Year Events
May 1st - Incoming 6th Grade Get Acquainted Night 6:00-7:30 pm - Gym
May 9th - 8th Grade Field Trip to City Museum in St. Louis, MO
May 15-16th - 8th Grade Finals
May 16th - 7th Grade End of the Year Award Ceremony 8:30-10:00 am - Gym
May 17th - 8th Grade Transition Ceremony & End of the Year Awards 8:30-10:00 am - Gym
May 17th - 6th Grade End of the Year Awards Ceremony 1:00-2:30 pm - Gym
May 22nd - 6th/7th Grade Talent Show in the Cafetorium - Time TBD
May 22nd - 8th Grade Talent Show in the Cafetorium - Time TBD
**8th Grade Field Trip**
We will send details about schedule, cost, etc., as soon as our plans are finalized. If you would like to help with the planning, the next meeting will be April 11th at 6:00 pm in the Media Center. As a reminder, student attendance to this field trip is a privilege, not a right. Students that display patterns of problematic behaviors or have major rule violations might not be allowed to attend, or parent attendance to the trip might be required.
Dates to Remember
February 27 - EEE Field Trip
March 9 - Multicultural Day
For practices and games check Gentry website!
Dr. Fairouz Bishara
Email: fbishara@cpsk12.org
Website: https://www.cpsk12.org/Domain/17
Phone: (573) 214-3240
Twitter: @FairouzBishara