S.T.A.R.S. begins in November

Attention 6th and 8th grade girls interested in being part of the S.T.A.R.S. mentorship program:

S.T.A.R.S. stands for, Sisters Together Addressing Real Situations. S.T.A.R.S. is a mentorship program that is advised by the middle school counselors. The group meets for six weeks, on Wednesdays, during school. The hours we meet are rotated, so you are not missing the same class more than once. Keep in mind that you are responsible for making up any missed work.

How it works: The 6th grade girls are broken up into small groups of 4-6, and then assigned two carefully trained and chosen 8th grade girls who will be your mentors. You will stay with the same small group and mentors for the entire six weeks.

You will do fun activities with your group that help you learn about yourself, friendship, conflict resolution, communicating with others, and much more. S.T.A.R.S. is a great way to make new friends and to form a connection with positive 8th grade role models.

If you are interested in S.T.A.R.S., please stop into the counseling office for more details. 6th grade girls will need to take a parent permission form home to be signed and returned to the counseling office. 8th grade girls will need to pick up an application form and return it to the counseling office upon completion.

S.T.A.R.S. will begin on November 2nd, so please turn in your forms ASAP! More information will be sent out about where and when you will meet once it gets closer.

"Unplugged"

There have been several articles out lately that talk about "unplugging" with your children at home. The concept is to get back to simpler times when technology did not rule the house. We all know that technology can be a wonderful thing, but too much a good thing can sometimes be a slippery slope. At school we see some students having difficulties expressing themselves verbally because they are so used to being able to type or text. Instead of expressing an emotion with their words, they use happy or sad smileys. In addition, spending quality time with your family and having real face-to-face conversations can go such a long way for the self-esteem of your children and the relationship you have with them.

Follow the link below to read about a mother who "unplugged" her children for six months.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_fea_parenting_teens_unplugged