Today in STARS we talked about body image and the pressures that are put on young girls to look a certain way. This can be a difficult topic for some girls to talk about, so if your daughter is participating in STARS it might be nice to have a follow-up discussion at home tonight. The link below is one of the videos we watched together. http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/

Variety Show - Tonight!

Come support and be entertained by our middle school students who are participating in the Variety Show tonight! The show is at the LPAC and begins at 7:00.

STARS has begun!

We are so excited to begin another year with our STARS mentorship program. Yesterday we met with 45 6th grade girls and 24 8th grade girls to start this wonderful experience. STARS will continue to meet up until Christmas break. Here is the schedule for dates and hours we meet: November 12 - 3rd hour November 19 - 4th hour December 3 - 5th hour December 10 - 6th hour December 17 - 7th hour

S.T.A.R.S. Forms Available Now!

It's that time of year again --- the S.T.A.R.S. mentorship program will be starting up the first week in November. Permission slips for 6th graders and applications for 8th graders are available in the counseling office. STARS is a wonderful opportunity for 6th grade girls to be involved with positive role-model 8th grade girls. We divide the 6th graders into groups of 5-7 and then each group has two 8th grade mentors as the leaders. We meet during the school day, rotating the hour we meet so that the students do not miss the same class more than once. They are still responsible for any work missed. We cover topics such as self-esteem, friendship, communication skills, body image, and more. Please contact the counseling office if you have any questions.

October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

Lowell Middle School has a strict no bullying policy. As counselors, we make every effort possible to make our office a safe place to come if students need help with a bullying situation. We will be visiting the 6th grade classrooms to do a guidance lesson on respect and anti-bullying, and will continue to send the message to all students that we must stand together to help the targets of bullying. If you would like more information on how to talk to your child about bullying, the website "stopbullying.gov" is an excellent place to start.

A New School Year!

It's been a great start to the school year so far! Please let us know if we can help your child in any way to ensure success at school. Parents of 6th grade girls -- keep an eye out for information on our mentorship program, STARS. More info to follow in October.

Resource for College-Bound Students

http://www.nacacnet.org/research/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/student/Pages/TipsMiddleSchoolTeens.aspx Follow the link to get information about college prep for your child.

EXPLORE Test Results

Last week the counselors met with the 8th graders through their English classes to return EXPLORE test results and give interpretation. The EXPLORE is a pre-ACT test that allowed our 8th graders to get practice at what types of questions would be asked on the future college-entrance exam. Students should have come home with their score sheet, their test booklet, and another booklet that gave further a explanation on what everything meant. If you have any questions about your child's score, please contact the appropriate counselor.

Summer Opportunity for 6th-8th Students

Summer opportunity through Grand Rapids Community College - great opportunity for hands-on students (6th-8th) who are interested in woodworking or manufacturing. Copy and paste the link below into your browser: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/443984/343c73edbc/1666500867/d4ab1e6543/

True Colors Lesson

This week the counselors are visiting the 8th grade U.S. History classes to deliver a lesson called "True Colors." This is the second lesson in a three-part series the 8th grade students hear from the counselors. Last month students were able to log into their EDP and work with Career Cruising to set goals, research careers, and much more. Next week the students will have their final lesson, as they receive their EXPLORE test results and hear an interpretation. The True Colors lesson focuses on the students' personality traits. Through a series of small tests, the students are able to determine their personality type (labeled by one of four colors - blue, green, orange, and gold). This is always one of our favorite lessons to teach, as it stirs up great conversation. Ask your child what his or her color is an see if they can explain what it means. They may even be able to assign you a color as well!

5th Grade Orientation

This week we welcomed the 5th graders of all 3 elementary schools for a morning. Half of Cherry Creek and all of Murray Lake came on Tuesday and then the rest of CCE and all of Alto came on Wednesday. We had a wonderful team of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who served as the hosts and tour guides for the 5th graders. The students were able to see a fun play put on by the drama class, hear informational speeches from 6th graders, and then get a school tour. If your child was absent the day their class came over, he or she will still have a chance to walk around the school during Smart Start (the week before school starts). We also hosted a parent night on Monday for parents of 5th graders. If you were not able to attend and would like the informational sheet that was given, please contact the school.

7 Dangerous Apps that Parents Need to Know About

Below is a link that can be very helpful when trying to stay on top of the apps that kids are using these days. It is important for parents to be aware of the dangers that come along with using some of these apps. http://www.checkupnewsroom.com/7-dangerous-apps-that-parents-need-to-know-about/

Successful Parent/Student Night

Last night the counselors hosted a workshop for parents/guardians and their children that focused on strategies for success in school. We were thrilled with the turn out and hope that the information passed along will be helpful for the families with who we worked. In the counseling office, we have many tips and tricks on how to increase homework completion, prepare better for tests, and set goals. Parents and students, please don't hesitate to contact us if you need assistance with these things. We also made sure every student and parent was able to access their Infinite Campus account and navigate the LMS Homework page. These are wonderful resources, so if you have not made yourself familiar with those webpages or need help, again please contact us.

8th Grade EDPs

This week the counselors are working with the 8th grade students to update their Educational Development Plans (EDPs). The students started their EDPs in 7th grade and will continue to make changes and additions through high school. As 8th graders, the main focus of the lesson is to get them thinking about possible careers and taking the time to research those careers. Students can log into their EDP from any computer, so if you would like to take a look at what they have been doing, let us know and we can provide you with their log-in information. This has been an exciting lesson for many of our students as they look at making plans for the future; we hope that there has been some good discussion at home about it as well.

Educational Development Plan (EDP)

This week the counselors will be working with the 7th graders to start their Educational Development Plans (EDPs). This process is accomplished through the use of Career Cruising. Each student will be given a username and password that will allow them access to their own personal EDP. This plan will follow them throughout high school, being updated each year. An EDP is an all-encompassing resource where students can record their future plans, goals, career interests, and more. Next week the counselors will be meeting with the 8th graders to update their EDPs. 8th grade students focus on specific careers that interest them and are able to take time to research these careers. They will also have time to look at college and universities to see what is expected of them in order for admittance.

BE NICE WEEK

We are so excited to be bringing BE NICE week to Lowell Middle School. Activities for students will be held during the school day the week of February 17-21. Students will have the chance each day to hear positive messages during academic focus and lunch time, as well as see artwork around the building promoting being kind to one another. The high school is also having their BE NICE week during that same week. More details to come!

Counseling Office Intern

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new counseling office intern, Yetunde Rotimi. Ms. Rotimi is a graduate of Michigan State and is completing her Master's in School Counseling at Western. She has years of experience working in Grand Rapids Public Schools as an after-school program coordinator, substitute teacher, and youth advocate. We are very excited to have her working with us in Lowell for the next couple of months.

Anti-Bullying/Respect Lesson

The counselors will be visiting the 6th grade science classrooms this week to present a lesson on anti-bullying and respect. We will be in Mr. Lake's room on Tuesday and Mrs. Walters' room on Wednesday. Students will be hearing about the different types of bullying, learn about why people bully, and be given strategies for dealing with and reporting bullying. We will also discuss how the students can take responsibility to make LMS a positive place, filled with people who show respect for each other. Please ask your 6th grader what they learned this week and help facilitate even more good discussion about this very important topic.

The STARS program was a big success again this year. We wrapped up with our last session before winter break. Wonderful friendships were formed, and helpful tools were given for the girls to move forward and make positive choices in their lives. We will have a reunion for all of the STARS girls sometime in the spring!