Inner Balance
March 2020
Exciting upcoming events at Dawson Middle School to look out for!
Spring Break
Mix It Up Week!
DMS Parent University
STAAR Testing Dates
HOPE Week 2020
Every year, HOPE Squad members host HOPE week, a week intended to encourage kindness and familiarize our campus with the mission of HOPE squad. Students were greeted each day with positive messages and fun goodies. Each advisory class was invited to decorate a door with an uplifting message for a door decorating contest and now our campus is bright and cheerful. We had a school wide bracelet exchange promoting kindness. We learned about therapy dogs and were visited by three therapy dogs during all lunches. It was a great week!
Spring Break!
Mix It Up Week!
If you'd like more information on the purpose of Mix It Up week, click here.
DMS Parent University
Wednesday, Mar 18, 2020, 12:00 PM
George Dawson Middle School, South Kimball Avenue, Grapevine, TX, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
STAAR Testing Dates
Please add the following dates to your calendar. We'll share more information about the times, testing rooms, and bell schedules as the dates approach. Check our Counselors Canvas page!
April 7th
- 7th Grade WRITING
- 8th Grade MATH
April 8th
- 8th Grade READING
Thursday, May 7th
- 8th Grade SCIENCE
Friday, May 8th
- 8th Grade SOCIAL STUDIES
Tuesday, May 12th
- 7th Grade MATH
Wednesday, May 13
- 7th Grade READING
Teaching Students about the Power of Forgiveness
- There is HUGE value in the act of forgiveness. As humans we can be wounded, and sometimes these wounds and hurts run deep. Whether it’s verbal or physical, these hurts can stick with us. Teaching our kids the power of forgiveness holds tremendous weight in regards to character and quality of life. The ability to forgive can be challenging, but the reality is, it’s about the process and the willingness that can be the most freeing action imaginable.
- Know exactly how you feel about what happened and be able to articulate what about the situation is not OK.
- Make a commitment to yourself to feel better. Forgiveness is for you and no one else.
- Forgiveness does not necessarily mean reconciling with the person who upset you or condoning his or her actions. In forgiveness, you seek the peace and understanding that come from blaming people less after they offend you and taking those offenses less personally.
- Get the right perspective on what is happening. Recognize that your primary distress is coming from the hurt feelings, thoughts, and physical upset you are suffering now, not from what hurt you two minutes—or 10 years—ago.
- At the moment you feel upset, practice stress management to soothe your body’s fight or flight response. This could mean taking deep breaths, doing a mindful breathing exercise, taking a walk outside—whatever is most effective for you.
- Give up expecting things from your life or from other people that they do not choose to give you. Remind yourself that you can hope for health, love, friendship, and prosperity, and work hard to get them. However, these are “unenforceable rules”: You will suffer when you demand that these things occur, since you do not have the power to make them happen.
- Put your energy into looking for another way to get your positive goals met than through the experience that has hurt you.
- Remember that a life well-lived is your best option. Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, and thereby giving power over you to the person who caused you pain, look for the love, beauty, and kindness around you. Put more energy into appreciating what you have rather than attending to what you do not have.
Compassionate Service is Good for the Soul!
Volunteering one’s services in the community creates a healthier attitude about a person’s role in society. It also creates a broader understanding of a person’s impact on others and can help one learn to interact with people of all different cultures and backgrounds. And it certainly helps to provide a sense of purpose. Research conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service has established that there are actual health benefits to volunteering: “Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer.”
Depending on the type of service chosen, a volunteer can also gain or strengthen valuable life skills. For example, donating time to speak about ending distracted driving can improve public speaking skills. Volunteering to help children with homework can improve problem-solving abilities, whereas practical skills using tools can be gained by volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity site while helping to build homes for families in need. In turn, gaining new skills and strengthening abilities can boost confidence and instill a sense of pride in oneself.
What does it mean to have a certified HeartMath Coach at Dawson Middle School?
Your Counselor's can help your child boost resilience, composure and clarity!
The HeartMath Building Personal Resilience™ program is a focused and practical program, combining personalized coaching with scientifically validated tools to help your child self-regulate their body’s response to stress and build resilience. They will learn life-long skills you can use any time to increase well-being, personal and academic performance and quality of life experience.
Be sure to contact your child's grade level counselor for more details!
DMS Counselors
Amy Hurlburt
7th grade Counselor
amy.hurlburt@southlakecarroll.edu
Katrina Tatum
8th grade Counselor
katrina.tatum@suthlakecarroll.edu
Lauren Canafax
Intervention Counselor
lauren.canafax@southlakecarroll.edu
Website: https://www.southlakecarroll.edu/domain/812
Location: 400 South Kimball Avenue, Southlake, TX, USA
Phone: 817-949-5500
Twitter: @DMScounselors