The September Slump

Recently I've found myself in many conversations that involve someone feeling tired, overwhelmed, unhappy, or some similar sentiment.  I find this to be very common at the end of September in a school setting.  The newness of the school has long worn off and a feeling of routine has set in.  Additionally teachers are making deeper connections in their content areas, projects are a part of the school work, tests are being given to assess if the students are learning the material, and sports are nearing the end of their season, meaning competition is at it's height.  This can be a challenging time for middle school students, parents and teachers alike.  Be watchful for signs that your child is not coping well: sleeplessness, extreme moodiness, change in appetite, lack of desire to participate in normal activities, etc.  If you see any of these warning signs that additional support might be needed, please reach out to me, your child's advisor, a particular teacher, coach, our principals, or your pediatrician.

That being said, allow me to share with you what has been happening in our Wellness and Advisory programs the last couple of weeks.

6th Grade

The 6th graders finished their Mindset series in Wellness on Tuesday September 14.  Students watched the video Can Video Games Make You Smarter?, which they very much enjoyed!  After that students worked in groups to complete a packet about how your brain can become smarter.  Through the packet students were instructed to think about how their muscles grow with increased use, and how their brain can be like a muscle.  They also explored the concept of working at something new or difficult repeatedly in order to become proficient.  

On Thursday September 18, 6th graders met with Mrs. Viene during our Advisory Rotations to talk about social media, specifically, who should be on your friends list and why.  She shared just how easy it is to find out what you want to know about someone through social media apps by using real life examples that surprised our students!

I have recently sent out a quick Google Form to 6th graders, checking in with them to see how their transition in to middle school is going.  Students have the option to request a meeting with me at the end of the form and I am working to meet with those students who make such a request.  By and large students are reporting positive progress in adjusting to middle school.  However there are also about 20 kids who still have yet to answer.  

To help ensure that our students have multiple opportunities to have support with their transition to middle school, Susan Tuncten (Middle School Learning Specialist) and I will be hosting "Chip Chats" with all 6th graders.  We will meet in 4 groups - one 6th grader from each advisory in each group during Plus Period.  (We'll be talking with Mr Dekker about our Band students being able to attend).  During our Chip Chats, we'll share chips and various dips and talk about the challenges of adjusting to 6th grade, the joys of middle school so far, strategies for success, and anything else that may come up.  These chats begin Friday October 9.  

7th Grade

During Advisory Rotations on Thursday September 18, our 7th graders worked with our library staff and Mr. Bartelli to practice using their new iPrint functions on their iPads.  Hopefully your student feels comfortable printing from the iPad at school now!

7th Grade also had two days of Wellness last week that focused on having a Growth Mindset.  The 7th graders took a quick self-assessment as to how much they had a Fixed Mindset (Intelligence does not change, challenges only expose weaknesses, ,working hard means you are not smart) and how much they had a Growth Mindset (I learn from mistakes, I can improve my intelligence, I like working hard and being challenged).  From there the 7th graders learned about the parts of the brain, what they do and what happens in your brain when you are learning.  Some of the instruction on the brain was given in a traditional lecture format, whereas students learned other parts of the brain using mnemonics, color aides and memory tricks.  On the 2nd day, students entered the Wellness class and began by taking a Kahoot quiz (online quiz with instant results) over the parts of the brain.  What do you know?  The traditional lecture style taught material was not remembered nearly as well as the material the students associated with colors and memory tricks!  We talked about why that is and learned that our brains had formed stronger connections between neurons when we used the memory aids, therefore we remembered it better!  Students were encouraged to use these memory aids when studying in their classes.  We wrapped up our lesson by talking about the students had grown their intelligence regarding what the brain does and then practiced moving toward a Growth Mindset by taking Fixed Mindset statements and converting them to Growth Mindset statements.  And as a bonus, the students ended up creating a bulletin board in my office!

As the 7th graders worked through the fixed mindset statements, they sometimes had a tendency to try replacing the statement with a perfectionist kind of view "I'm not good at math" would become "I'm always good at math" and we discussed how that is still a fixed mindset.

8th Grade
Last week our 8th graders spent a significant amount of time discussing Leadership.  On Thursday September 17, they met during Advisory Rotations to think about what it means to be a leader in a mixed grade Advisory.

Of course, Friday the 18th the 8th Grade participated in Leadership Day, which was great fun and a lot of discussion regarding what it takes to be a leader.  Students were able to debrief about Leadership Day on Monday during Advisory.  The 8th grade team plans to continue 8th grade leadership activities throughout the school year.