Cardinal Family Newsletter
It's A Great Day to Be a Cardinal!
Parent Newsletter: February 11
Dear FFMS Students, Parents and Guardians:
Happy Monday. We will be having conferences again this week on Thursday 4-7 pm. The 8th grade scheduling fair is on Thursday 5-8 pm. Also, a reminder that there won't be school on Friday the 15th or Monday the 18th. We have Inservice on Friday and it is President's Day on Monday.
Have a great week.
Mrs. Hiler
Upcoming Events
February 11- 7Th grade girl's Basketball at 5:45 then 8th Grade Girl's Basketball 7:00 @ Hamersville- Boy's Seventh Grade @ Georgetown -7:30 pm
February 12- 8th Grade Boy's Basketball Tournament@ Georgetown - 6:00 pm
February 14th- Scheduling Fair 8th Grade and Parent Teacher Conferences
February 15- No School-Teacher Inservice
February 18- No School- President's Day
February 20- Sixth grade Girls With Goggles
KINDNESS WEEK
Kindness Week Challenge
17 Tips for Communicating with Your Kids
#1. Timing is everything. The best time to ask them about their day may not be right when they walk in the door from school or when other siblings are around. You may need to be observant and even experiment to find the time of day when your child is the most responsive.
#2. Set up situations that will lend themselves nicely to conversations. This doesn’t have to be hard or really even premeditated. It can be something as simple as inviting your child to ride along with you to the store or running to the gas station to get a soda. Car rides are a great place for conversation.
#3. Start conversations during tasks when you don’t need to make eye contact…especially if you are talking with teens on sensitive subjects. For example doing the dishes, folding laundry, or preparing dinner are all perfect times to start a conversation. Teens often will say more if they don’t have to look you in the eye. It allows them to open up without feeling threatened.
#4. Pay attention to how you look and your tone when your children address you. When they say “Mom?” how do you respond? With a weary look of please don’t ask me to do anything else? An exasperated sigh of “What?” Children are very in tune with your facial expressions and tone of voice. If we are always responding to their queries with exhaustion or irritation they won’t come to us for help or advice.
#5. Embrace the silence. Children don’t always answer questions right away and that’s ok. It can take seconds, minutes, and even days. Don’t demand an immediate answer or put words into their mouth. If you ask a question that is isn’t quickly answered simply ask them to think about it and tell you their answer when they have one or they are ready.
#6. Don’t over react. When your children tell you something…especially if it’s “bad” don’t over react or they won’t want to come to you again. Try to stay calm and ask them for some time to think about what they have shared with you.
#7. Share your own personal experiences with them. Talk about your own struggles, triumphs, or discouragements. You don’t always need to be asking them questions. Tell them about your day and what is happening in your life.
#8. Be willing to talk with your child even if when they are ready to talk it doesn’t come at an opportune time. (Like 2 minutes before your favorite show starts or at the end of a particularly long day. If they are need to talk be there to listen.)
#9. Interact on their interest level. Do they like to text? Text them. Often. Email? Email them. Often. Facebook? FB Private Message them. Often. (Notice I said private message them and not comment on all their status updates….we don’t want to embarrass them too much ) Pop up where they spend time on social media.
#10. Get information in manageable chunks. Children, tweens, and even teens have a hard time sticking with long conversations especially emotionally charged conversations or topics that are frustrating, embarrassing, or difficult for them. Don’t expect too much from them all at once. It’s ok to ask get information in smaller bites over the course of a few days than trying to swallow an entire whale all at once. In fact, you may see more of the picture by gathering information this way.
#11. Sometimes it’s good to just listen. You don’t always need to give them advice or solve their problems. Sometimes children want what we all do…a good listener.
#12. Use the news, pop culture, and current events to your advantage…when watching a movie or listening to music ask questions that connect their lives to what they are seeing or hearing. For example, is there really someone like that at your school? OR What would you do if…..
#13. Ask specific questions…especially if you want a real answer. For example instead of asking “How are you doing?” ask “So, what was the best thing that happened to you today?”
#14. Be interested in what they are interested in. If they like reading ask them for book suggestions (and read them). If they like football watch a game on TV with them. If they like cooking have them help you prepare meals. Whatever it is find a way to be genuinely involved in what they are interested in.
#15. Be approachable and available. Turn of technology especially when they are talking to you. Instagram can wait while they tell you about their test in 2nd period. Your children need to know they are more important than Pinterest.
#16. Be trustworthy. Keep confidences and take your children seriously. Don’t belittle or make fun of them no matter how trivial their problems and fears seem to you.
#17. Build a real relationship with your child. Listen when they talk. Be interested in what they tell you. They won’t be young forever…
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To Contact Me
email- hilert@felcityschools.org
Phone- 513-362-5382