BHMS Counselor's Corner
November 2019
Your BHMS Counselors had fun on Halloween!!
BHHS National Honor Society Tutoring
Attention families!! BHHS National Honor Society Tutoring is now available!!
If you have a student who is looking for a tutor, have them fill out the google form linked below. Once they fill out the google form, they will be paired with a tutor.
If they would like to choose a specific tutor, they can check out the interactive form and contact that tutor personally.
Tutoring google form:
Tutor interactive document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15vLbZcLtqfNE9RMbLOf3_oi3pXfnwyI5560LTk9RRyk/edit
Making the Most of your upcoming Progress Conference
November 18, 20, and 25
Before the conference
Ask your student how they feel about school.
Ask your student if there is anything that he wants you to talk about with his teacher.
Tell your student that you and the teacher are meeting to help her.
Make a list of topics that you want to talk about with the teacher.
1. What are my student's strongest and weakest subjects?
2. Does my student hand homework in on time?
3. Does my student seem happy at school?
5. What can I do at home to help?
During the conference
- Be on time (or early) for the meeting.
- End the meeting on time. Other parents will probably have a conference after yours.
- Relax and be yourself.
- Stay calm during the conference.
- Ask the most important questions first.
- Ask for explanations of anything you don't understand
- Ask your student's teacher for ways that you can help your child at home.
- Thank the teacher.
After the conference
- Talk about the conference with your student.
- Talk about the positive points, and be direct about problems.
- Tell your student about any plans you and the teacher created.
- Keep in touch with the teacher during the school year
From: https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/tips-parents-parent-teacher-conferences
Cybersafety
Technology has improved dramatically in the recent decade, and young people have virtually unlimited access to the Internet 24/7. The Internet can be a source of many wonderful things, but it can also be a dangerous place. Help your teen avoid cyber-risks before they happen:
Talk to your teen about Internet dangers. Show examples from the news.
- Limit how much time – and in what forms (including smartphones) – your kids can access the Internet.
- Teen privacy is not a right for the Internet. Keep the computer in a family area.
- Be cognizant of Internet access on smartphones.
- Install safety filters and monitors on computers.
- Don’t overreact or threaten to take away the Internet if your child tells you about something bad that they experienced online.
- Call law enforcement non-emergency line for help if you think a predator may be targeting your child.
- If you do not know or understand something your child is viewing online, ask your child to explain it to you.
- Have your child show you that he or she uses the Internet responsibly and ask to see the websites he or she already uses.
- Talk to your child about whom he or she is talking to on the Internet.
Make sure your child feels comfortable coming to you with anything that makes him or her feel uncomfortable online. Often children do not go to their parents out of fear of punishment. Agree not to overreact if your child comes to you with something – the goal is to help each other and stay safe. Talk to your children about the long-term consequences of putting too much personal information on the Internet.
Learn about the Internet yourself – read articles about Internet safety, digital footprints, and Internet predators. Share the information with your child. Make sure that he or she realizes his or her digital footprint (all the things posted, tweeted, texted, and even things others post about them) will essentially remain in the cyber world indefinitely. Stress the long-term consequences of putting too much personal information on the Internet.
Many students do not realize this, but college admissions officials and potential employers frequently check the digital footprint and online reputation of candidates and may reject candidates because of their online profile.
From: https://www.michigan.gov/ok2say/0,5413,7-366-86299_87813-335504--,00.html
We are thankful!
As we prepare to take a short break from school for Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude for everyone who makes it possible for as many students as possible to come to school every day, on time, ready to learn. We thank:
· Our students and families for making daily attendance a priority since they know the habit of attendance will help them do well in the classroom and eventually in a job.
· Our wonderful teachers who pour their energy into making each classroom an exciting place for exploration and knowledge so children do not want to miss out on learning.
· Our support staff and community volunteers who provide the extra hands and attention our children need.
We appreciate each one of you so much. We look forward to seeing you after the Thanksgiving holiday. We also hope you will keep in mind that school is closed on Tuesday, November 26th at 11:35am (1/2 day of school) and reopens Monday, December 2, 2019.
We especially appreciate everyone’s efforts to avoid taking extra days off during the Thanksgiving holiday. Just a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and leave your child behind in school. This is as true in kindergarten as it is in high school.
The Gift of Attendance
- This holiday season, the best gift you can give your child is a good education. And the best place to get that education is in school. Every day. On time.
- Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle.
- We know it’s tempting to extend your vacation by a few days on either side of the holiday.
- We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The costs of plane tickets often influence when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.
- Just a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and put your child behind in school. This is as true in kindergarten as it is in high school.
- So make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.
- If missing school is unavoidable, talk to your children’s teachers in advance to create a plan for making up missed work. But remember, a homework packet cannot make up for the interaction and learning that goes on in the classroom.
- So give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.
BHMS Counseling
Counselor for Grades 6 and 8
Mrs. Amanda Gohl, MA, LPC
Counselor for Grades 5 and 7
Location: 4200 West Quarton Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302