On Monday many advisories got to work getting materials ready for Harvesters and the United States Postal Service to deliver to families around the metro at the beginning of May. The program called, "Stamp Out Hunger" makes it easy for people in our community to donate food to Harvesters by leaving a bag of groceries at their mailbox on May 9th. Who knows, maybe you'll get some materials in your mailbox that were prepared by one of our students!
Tuesday afternoon I had the opportunity to talk with 7th grade students in Wellness lessons about peer pressure. To get us started students were divided into groups and asked to create a secret handshake and password for their group only. From there one group was asked to break up and try to join the other groups. Each of the other groups had instructions as to how they would respond to those trying to join. Some groups were allowed to accept new members, others were not. Students completed a reflection sheet following the activity (example included below) and we used that to discuss the innate need to belong and how that can make responding to peer pressure so tricky. From there students listed on the back of their reflection sheet ways that they or a friend of theirs has experienced peer pressure in middle school. I have also included some photos of those responses below. Given that several students included drugs and alcohol in their peer pressure list, we have extended our substance abuse speaker scheduled to talk with the 8th grade in May to also talk with our 7th graders. The lesson wrapped up with role playing out how to respond to the situations the students had listed on their papers. We analyzed the responses that students gave for effectiveness. It was also discussed how it is much easier to give the "right answers" in a classroom setting and so much more challenging in real social situations. The students were encouraged to think through these possible scenarios now and plan their response so they are armed with tools should they be needed. The strategies used by students in the role plays included:
- "The Broken Record" - repeating your "No" over and over again
- Stating a reason why you aren't going to do what you are being asked to do
- Encouraging the other person to make a better choice
- Telling a little fib (I have to pick up my sister)
- Leaving the situation
- Distraction - changing the subject, or as one of our natural entertainers acted out, pretending to fall!
Thursday afternoon ended on a very high note! We were able to honor Haley and her family and send them off on their trip in style. It was a good feeling being able to recognize all the students who worked to fulfill Haley's wish and to be able to present the Make-A-Wish Foundation with one of those fun big checks! We saw our core values at work and the impact it had on young girl firsthand. I believe the events of the afternoon will be covered in an upcoming Horizons magazine edition and parent newsletter.
Looking ahead to next week, 6th and 8th grade will meet for Wellness lessons and the 8th graders will meet Kathy Lamb, our Upper School Counselor during Advisory on Tuesday. I will continue visiting with 5th grade students in the afternoons as well! I have included below the plans for the 6th and 8th grade Wellness lessons.
6th Grade - Passive, Aggressive and Assertive Behaviors
On Monday morning 6th grade students will meet for Wellness during their PE classes. We will define passive, aggressive and assertive Behaviors and discuss reasons why someone might respond or behave in each manner. You can see the definitions I will be using here: Definitions. After we have defined these behaviors, students will work in pairs to talk about fictional situations and determine what a passive, aggressive and assertive response would be to each of the situations. We'll then have some of the pairs act out their responses in front of the class and discuss their effectiveness. The goal of the lesson is to equip students with the skills needed to be assertive in common social situations, thus leading to strong refusal skills in peer pressure types of situations. I will share examples from the lesson with you next week as I have done with the 7th grade today.
8th Grade - Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships presented by MOCSA
On Friday, experts from the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault will be speaking with our 8th grade students in their PE classes.
Description from MOCSA: Students learn the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships by taking a closer look at personal relationships. Discussion focuses on communication, respect and personal boundaries. Students will receive the following handouts:
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