Most of us today use tech a whole lot! We use it for work, to organize our lives, and for entertainment. We love our tech! But technology has its limits. Tech can't make deep interpersonal connections. It can't look your child in the eye and have an honest conversation. And it can't build confidence in a friendship.

But technology can do somethings. It can addict us. It can allow us to post things that are mean and horrible quickly and anonymously. It can divide us. It can offer us resources based on lies and deception.

(And then there are the good things that technology can do, too, but that is not the purpose of this note.)

Here are 7 things you can do with your child that will make a difference in their use (or overuse) of technology:

1. Be the model. It starts with us putting away our technology for extended periods of time to talk, snuggle, scratch backs, eat together, read together, and play together. We, as the adults, have to consciously make a goal to put away our technology and be present with our children. If we don't, they will follow our lead.
2. Create a specific tech-free time. At our house, technology is not allowed at the dinner table... and we take our time with dinner. You can watch a show together and laugh and talk about what you have seen or learn. Go outside, tech-free, and connect with your child and the earth.
3. Don't let your child keep technology in their rooms at night. We make our kids, until they go to college, store technology in our bedroom at night. At 10:00 PM my son plugs in his phone and iPad and takes time to relax before bed. Research clearly shows that kids who have technology in their room lack sleep and have higher anxiety.
4. Just say no. If tech causes drama in your child's life, remove it. It may be painful, and there will be tears, but the pay-off is huge. Help your child reconnect with friends and family in new ways.
5. Talk to your child about technology. What are good things they see? What are bad things they see? How do they act on technology? Would they be proud to let you see anything and everything they post?
6. Monitor your child's technology use. There are plenty of apps that can help you do that.
7. If your child does have a technology addiction problem, seek help. There are skilled therapists and counselors in our area that support technology addiction.

Technology certainly can have some positive impacts on our society, but many of the negative issues impact our adolescents greater than adults. It is our job as parents to monitor-support-reduce-eliminate-manage-facilitate-and-mitigate those negative impacts on our kids. It is hard work but will make a great difference in your child's life.

I appreciate the hard work you do for your child. Being a parent is tough today and I appreciate your insights and efforts!

Tim

Saint Helping Hawks has started! Students will have an opportunity to receive help on homework/projects… EVERY Tuesday and Thursday… EVERY week.

We meet in the LRC from 3:35 until 4:30 every Tuesday and Thursday.

Mrs. Notter and Ms. Parikh facilitate this after school activity. They support high school tutors in whatever work students need. We provide snacks or students may bring a light, neat after school snack from home.

Students are invited and encouraged to attend at least one session each week for help with homework and projects.

After studying, bus transportation to a nearby elementary school will be available. The bus will stop at the stops listed on the Activity Bus Schedule. Let us know if there is a concern. We hope this transportation will be helpful for those parents who are still at work and cannot pick up their student at Wredling at 4:30.

CLICK HERE for the registration form!

The #1 Market Day favorite was their perfect size, hand-trimmed, individual packed, chickNSteakes (this is their fancy name not a terrible spelling issue!). This is a pre-sale to get us quickly moving along and familiarizing our families to the site, and start quickly on our year fundraising! They have created bundles that will ship for free to your home! All bundles are free shipping. Order Today www.MarketDay.com.

• Students using RULER have better academic performance
• RULER increases emotional intelligence and social skills
• Decreases anxiety and depression
• Improves school climate
• Students using RULER are less likely to bully other students
• Students using RULER have better leadership skills and attention
• Teachers have better relationships with students, less burnout, better relationships with administrators, and are more positive about teaching

Click the link below for more information and register for the Color Run

https://www.wredlingpto.org/colorrun

October 30, 2019
Digital Citizenship
Thompson Middle School Cafeteria
6:30-8:00 p.m.

CLICK ON THE APPROPRIATE GOOGLE FORM BELOW TO REGISTER

Please join us for the Fox Mill 5K & 1-Mile Color Run/Walk on September 7, 2019 honoring Kayla Lehmann. Kayla, who passed away on April 7, 2018, was a St. Charles East freshman who was passionate about music while also being an avid reader and gifted writer. Proceeds from this year's race will benefit Kayla's Hope (www.kaylashope.org), a foundation that seeks to take away the stigma of depression and mental illness so that no one has to suffer in silence. For more information, to register, or to make a donation, please visit www.foxmill5k.com.