Lions Roar
Family & Community Newsletter for St. Helens High School
Friday, September 21, 2018
Letica plastic fabrication company in St. Helens donates to SHHS!
Congratulations to Girls Volleyball and Boys Soccer!
Community Attendance at Activities & Athletic Events
If younger students would like to attend our events, please ensure that they have adequate supervision with them at all times.
FAFSA & Floats
Please bring the following to get assistance completing the FAFSA:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
- Your federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned from 2016 (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.)
Building Resiliency in our Students
Parenting is hard work. Even with the best resources available, meeting the needs of family members in today's fast-paced society is difficult. The daily stress of making ends meet can take a toll on all family members, including children.
While it may be difficult to change circumstances such as housing, employment and transportation, there are things parents can do to reduce the effects of stress and to help their children develop resilience. Resilience is the ability to recover from or adjust easily to adversity or change. It is important because it allows us to overcome negative experiences, and it is an ability that, when supported appropriately, develops throughout childhood.
Children need to know what to expect and what is expected of them. This structure provides a sense of security and comfort. Structure helps to reduce the sense of chaos or disorganization that can be created by stress. To create structure:
Establish and stick to family routines
- Meal times.
- Bed times.
- Homework times.
- Hygiene routines.
- Traditions, such as family game night, weekend walks or movie night.
Create rules and expectations and apply and enforce them consistently
One key to effective parenting and discipline is to let your child know what is expected of them, what to expect if they don't do what they are supposed to, and then to follow through, every time. These rules and expectations help to create structure in children's lives.
Create consistency wherever possible
It may not be possible or desirable to stay in the same home or neighborhood. But even when moves to new homes, day care, or schools are necessary, reduce the chaos of the change by maintaining routines and contact with friends, and managing expectations about what will happen in the change.
Foster a close, warm relationship
Warm relationships help children feel secure, especially when faced with ongoing daily stress. It is possible to maintain a warm, nurturing relationship and strong rules and expectations at the same time.
Talk about emotions.
Children need to learn how to appropriately express and regulate emotions. They look to parents as models for all sorts of behaviors, including emotion regulation.
- Express your feelings, including anger and sadness: “When accidents happen, I feel frustrated/sad/angry.”
- Talk about the emotions expressed in the world around you. Discuss how characters in books or movies feel about what is happening, how siblings, relatives or classmates feel about events, or how it might feel to experience something new.
- Talk to your child about her emotions, both positive and negative. Talking with children about their feelings helps them recognize those feelings and learn how to regulate them effectively.
Model and discuss self-control.
The ability to regulate emotions and behavior is essential for succeeding in school, at work and in social relationships.
- When talking about how you feel, also talk about what you will do to appropriately express or release those feelings.
- Model the behavior you want to see in your child, including responses to anger.
- Play games that support self-control, like musical chairs or red light/green light.
Model and discuss problem solving.
- Share how you resolve problems, large and small, from what to make for dinner to how to make sure the bills are paid.
- Play games that ask your child to come up with solutions.
- When your child has a question or a problem, instead of offering suggestions immediately, start with questions, such as, “What do you think might work?” Help him think through his ideas before offering suggestions of your own, and discuss them too.
Build strong communication skills.
Both understanding and using language are important for successful interactions. Communication skills, including a strong vocabulary and correct language use are strongly linked to academic success.
- Make up family stories in which family members take turns adding something.
- Talk to your child about your day, and ask about her day.
- Read together, every day if possible, from birth. As your child begins to read, take turns reading to each other.
- Sing and dance together.