Greetings Parents,

We are in the home stretch and are looking to finish strong. We have Wahooz waiting as a fabulous incentive for students to finish all their work and be done for the summer. We have one more Saturday School to support them but remember that students can always take work home. We are also putting together our Summer School list, but again, the goal is for 100% of our students to be free for the summer. Please check PowerSchool weekly with your student(s) to monitor their progress. Email teachers if you have questions on specific assignments or grades.

Also, this week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Don't forget to ask your student which teacher has made a difference for them and to shoot me an email. These emails mean the world to us as educators to hear how we're helping students learn and grow.

Thank you for all your support!

Dr. Eric Eschen

• May 2-6 - Staff Appreciation Week (To bring a lunch item: Sign-ups to participate are linked here)
  
• May 19 - All library books due
• May 23 - No School, Memorial Day
  
• May 24 - IP Free Sign-offs Start
• May 25 - Laptop/Charger/Hot Spot Turn In
• May 31 - Field Trip Permission Slips Due (Reward Day)
• June 1 - 8th Grace Celebration - 6:00 PM
• June 2 - Reward Day to Wahooz/ Last day of school (full day)

Students will need to bring their laptops, chargers, and hot spots to school every day especially May 23 - 25th so we can check them for issues.

Laptops will be turned in on Wednesday, May 25th during Study Lab. Students need to bring their laptops, chargers, and hot spots (if applicable) to school on that day.

We are looking for parent volunteers to help supervise. If you would like to join us, please email Mrs. Mortimer at mortimer.kathryn@westada.org.

Entropy

Finding Time for Your Family

Entropy is often associated with the science of physics. It is interpreted as the degree of disorder and randomness, but it can be moderately related to both organization and disorganization in a family. As summer approaches with middle school students that can stay home alone during the summer, we as parents find ourselves grappling with the idea of family entropy. Fortunately, the Leader in Me program encourages us to "Sharpen the Saw" by continuously improving ourselves and our family to renew the mind, body, spirit, and soul. Being renewed brings organization to our life, which we can model for our children and help to calm our nerves about our middle school-aged kiddos being at home during the summer where entropy can occur.

To combat disorganization and sharpen the saw with your family, set goals for your summer. First, have a conversation about entropy with your family and discuss the idea that all things need watching and caring for, and a family is no exception. Next, discuss how to have fun together, learn together, worship together, work together, and meet your family's basic needs. Finally, become involved with planning daily activities during the summer for your child. Please find the time to set your child up for a successful summer to return to the school year, having sharpened the saw and are balanced and renewed.

Doc Webb

ODP is thrilled to announce an exciting National Prevention Week (NPW) event with Erica Komisar, LCSW! The one hour and fifteen minute virtual presentation, Parenting Skills to Prevent Drug & Alcohol Addiction, will take place on Tuesday, May 10th from 12:00-1:15pm MST. The event aligns with the NPW focus on preventing substance use and promoting mental health in youth by sharing strategies to help parents and caregivers prevent and recognize the early stages of mental health disorders, behavioral issues, and substance misuse. The presentation will be applicable to prevention professionals, educators, and parents. Participants can earn one hour of Certified Prevention Specialist educational credit in the domain of Professional Growth & Development.

About the Speaker

Erica Komisar, LCSW, is a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst, and parent guidance expert who has been in private practice in New York City for over 30 years. A graduate of Georgetown and Columbia Universities and The New York Freudian Society, Ms. Komisar is a psychological consultant bringing parenting workshops to clinics, schools, corporations, and childcare settings. She is a contributor to The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Daily News. She is also a Contributing Editor to The Institute for Family Studies and appears regularly on Fox and Friends and Fox 5 News. Erica is the author of Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters and Chicken Little the Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety. Learn more about Erica Komisar at www.ericakomisar.com

Register at https://form.jotform.com/IdahoODP/registration-npw-presentation

Participants that register by May 6th will be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of Erica Komisar’s latest book, Chicken Little the Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety.