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THE PARENT CONNECTION
Issue #
The Parent
Connection
May 2015
CREATING POSITIVE, POWERFUL, AND PRODUCTIVE LEADERS.
IN THIS ISSUE: SCHOOL NEWS
From Mr. Palmer
ansophia Families,
The Wisdom of Dr. Seuss
You, that is truer than true. There is
no one alive who is Youer than You.”
In Education,
One of my favorite authors of all time
is Dr. Seuss. He teaches many
profound lessons with his imaginative
stories.
Dr. Seuss urges us not to fret too
much about what others think. “Be
who you are and say what you want,
because those who mind don’t matter
and those who matter don’t mind.”
For example, whether I’m looking at
my clock, my calendar, or observing
how quickly our school children
change, he captures the surprise and
sadness I often feel: “How did it get
so late so soon? My goodness, how
the time has flown.”
To get us started he tells us to get on
our way. “Today is your day! Your
mountain is waiting.” But he also
tells us to choose our own mountains
and take control of our lives:
Then he softens the story by urging
us to look back on our lives with a
positive perspective: “Don’t cry
because it’s over,” he writes. “Smile
because it happened.”
His advice to help us find and
celebrate our own uniqueness is
timeless and wise.
“A person’s a person, no matter how
small,” he tells us. “Today you are
Enjoy being you!
“You have brains in your head. You
have feet in your shoes. You can steer
yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own, and you know
what you know.
And YOU are the
one
Who’ll decide where to go.”
If you wonder at times if someone out
there cares, let me remind you of
Horton who put it simply, “I meant
what I said and I said what I meant.
An elephant’s faithful one-hundred
percent.”
Steven Palmer
Principal
THE PARENT CONNECTION
| Issue #
Calendar of Events
5/5 PTCO Meeting 4 pm
5/7 3rd Gr Trip to BACC “RED”
5/10 Mother’s Day
5/12 Gr K-1 Music Prog 6-6:30 pm
5/13 Gr 2-3 Music Prog 6-7 pm
5/14 Elementary Tutoring Ends
5/18 Kndgtn Open House 5-7 pm
5/19 Gr 4-5 Music Prog 6-7 pm;
SIP Meeting 3-4 pm
5/20 Band/Choir Concert 6-7:30 pm;
5th Gr Field Trip
5/21 Senior Awards 6 pm
5/22 4th Gr. Civil Wars Trip; Talent
Show 6-7:30 pm; Senior Last Day
5/23 GOTR 5k Celebration Run;
Prom 8-11 pm
5/25 Memorial Day No School
5/27 & 5/28 Senior Trip
From the Office
2
Monday through Thursday from
3:15-4:30pm? Saturday school is
available from 9am-12pm by
appointment only.
Fun Fast Facts
1. Many years ago, in Scotland , a
new game was invented. It was ruled
'Gentlemen Only...Ladies
Forbidden'.. .and thus, the word
GOLF entered into the English
language.
2. Rubber bands last longer when
refrigerated.
3. Coca-Cola was originally green.
4. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as
medicine.
Parents please understand that from
about 2:00-3:00 pm each day our
phones and our office become
incredibly busy. The classrooms too
become their busiest. If you need
your child to go home a different way
than "normal" you can help us all by
calling before 2:00 pm. Also, please
note children who hear about changes
after 2:30 nearly always become
scared and nervous about things and
we have little time to assure them all
is ok. So to avoid confusion,
unneeded stress on children, and to
ease pressure on everyone please call
us before 2:00 pm with your changes
in transportation.
Parents, we are in need of clothing
for elementary aged students. All
kinds of accidents happen at school
where it would be helpful if we hand
a few items on hand for students to
change into. If you have some older
items that you would like to donate
please bring them to the office. We
are accepting all sizes, but primarily
need smaller (K-3) items. Thank you!
Did you know that we offer free
after school tutoring? It is
Inspirational Quotes
1. Never give up on something that
you can’t go a day without thinking
about. — Sir Winston Churchill
2. “A winner is someone who gets up
one more time than he is knocked
down.” – Author Unknown
3. God could not be everywhere and
therefore he made mothers. ~Jewish
Proverb
4. Mom, when thoughts of you are in
our hearts, we are never far from
home. ~Author Unknown (for
Mother’s Day)
5. A hero is someone who has given
his or her life to something bigger
than oneself. --Joseph Campbell (For
Memorial Day).
Happy Birthday to…
Brayden Hurley, Wyatt Rubley,
Codin Ayerdi, Keagan Leyo, Aubrey
Marten, Blake Reed, Amerie Bradley,
Zoay Herbert, Crysta Hollibaugh,
Jaden Minick, Mariah Yuhas, Keton
Elliot, Hunter Hawes, Aubrie Walker,
Kayden Penglase, Chase Rubley,
Samuel Thorne, Collin Sebring,
Bobby Simpson, Angel Lujano,
Savannah Allison, Hunter Boswell,
Destin Cisco, Sam Monks, Matthew
Yoder, Olivia Granger, Dillon
Kerkhoff, Allen Pickett, Yasmin
Villa, Taylor Brocker, Kaylee Leyo,
Carson Holland, Kayla Landis, John
Leo Smith, Miss Lehman, Dustin
Cole and Mr. White..
Don ’t Forget
Birthday
Grams can be
purchased in
recognition of
your student’s
birthday. They
cost $5.00 each
and are a great
way to celebrate birthdays at school.
For more information please call
Tonnia at 279-4686 ext. 124.
Word of the Month
Compassion
The ability to recognize when others
are suffering and wanting to help
them overcome the situation. Being
compassionate is the act of going out
of your way to help others during a
difficult time or time of need.
April Star Student’s
Kyndal Rabideau, Braylon
Morgan, Junior Granados, Soren
Patterson, Deb Sterner, Jenna
Boyd, Vladamir Sterner, Kayleigh
Boyd, Arian Kincaid, Kayden
Penglase, Lukas Kelley, Keegan
Mosby, Adam Asher, Jade Gibson,
Samuel Monks, Andrew Culver,
Kara Holland, Hannah Waite an d
David Austin.
THE PARENT CONNECTION
| Issue #
Classroom News
Mrs. DuLaney- Kindergarten
Kindergarten Round Up - May
18th from 5-7:00. All eligible
kindergarteners should attend to meet
their teacher and take their
kindergarten readiness assessment.
Kindergarten Graduation - June
12th from 6-7:00 pm. All current
kindergarteners should arrive
by 5:30 to get dressed and ready for
graduation.
Ms. Maurer-Kindergarten
We are learning about living and nonliving things in my class. We are
exploring praying mantises, plants
and earthworms. We are using the
scientific method while observing our
plants and animals.
Miss Lehman 3rd Grade
3rd grade will be taking a field trip to
the Career Center on May 7th to
participate in the 14th Annual
Agricultural Project "Red"(Rural
Education Day). We will have a fun
filled and educational day with all the
3rd graders in the county.
Mrs. Rowe’s 4th Grade
4th Graders will be attending their
annual Civil War Field Day Event
on Friday, May 22nd. We have
doubled the number of students of
Pansophia Academy that will be
attending AND have clothes for each
of the students to dress up like the
Civil War Era! This should be really
fun!
Miss Callahan
Elementary tutoring last day will
be Thursday May 14th.
Girls on the Run will have their
celebration run 5k May 23rd at
3
8am at the Branch County Fair
grounds for anyone who would like
to come and cheer the girls on for all
their hard work this season.
Mrs. D’s Music
Program and concert dates to
remember:
K-1 Music Program - Baby
Beluga, Tuesday May 12 @ 6:00
p.m.
2-3 Music Program - The Principal
and the Pea, Wednesday May
13 @ 6:00 p.m.
4-5 Music Program - Lights, Camera,
Action! Tuesday May 19 @ 6:00 p.m.
Band/Choir Concert, Wednesday
May 20 @ 6:00 p.m.
Talent Show, Friday May 22 @ 6:00
p.m.
All students are expected to
participate and must report to their
classroom at 5:45 p.m. the day of
their program. Doors will not be
opened until 5:40 p.m.
Parenting Tips
4 Steps to More Patience as
a Parent
By Denise Rowden, Empowering
Parents Coach
Patience. It’s something many of us
in the Empowering Parents
community wish we had more of. In a
recent poll, we asked readers about
how you respond when your children
act out. An overwhelming number of
parents expressed the desire to
develop more patience with their
kids.But what exactly is patience?
For many people, me included,
patience means remaining calm, even
in the face of a child’s extreme acting
out behavior. It means being able to
keep your emotions in check so you
can respond in the most appropriate
or effective way, rather than yelling,
cursing, or saying things you will
regret later. Honestly, though, is
being that patient even possible? I
mean, it’s possible some of the time,
but is it really an achievable goal?
Every one of us has a limit to how
much he or she can tolerate. This
doesn’t make us “bad” parents. It
makes us normal parents.
Let’s look at some typical situations
when parents often wish they could
be “more patient.” Your daughter
asks you (for the umpteenth time) for
something you’ve already said no to,
causing you to bellow a “NO!” that
resounds through the entire house.
You ask your son to pick up his dirty
dishes (also for the umpteenth time)
and find yourself using a tone of
voice that belies any sense of calm or
composure. It’s Monday morning and
you’re frantically trying to get
yourself and everyone else ready and
out the door on time. Or you’ve just
gotten home after a long day; you’re
trying to get dinner on the table while
also refereeing a squabble between
two of your kids and helping another
with his homework.
I think that when you take a step back
from these situations you may
recognize it’s not really more
patience that’s needed. What’s
needed is a plan—for how to address
your child’s lack of motivation or for
dealing with your overly full plate—
so that you can be patient. With that
in mind, here are four steps can you
take towards increasing your ability
to be patient.
1. Identify Your Triggers
As specifically as possible, try to
clarify when are you most likely to
lose your patience, where that is most
likely to happen, and with whom are
you most likely to lose patience. For
THE PARENT CONNECTION
| Issue #
example, I tend to lose my patience
early in the morning, late at night, or
whenever there’s a time constraint.
Being tired or hungry can also
shorten my fuse considerably. I
remember when my kids were
younger, I would say as a preemptive warning: “Mom’s getting
tired, which means Mom’s getting
crabby. Remember what happens
when Mom gets crabby.” Once you
have a clear understanding of your
triggers, you can move on to Step
Two.
2. Observe How You Respond
Take some time to observe what goes
on with you when you are
triggered. What happens in your
body: increased heartbeat, sweaty
palms, hard time breathing, feel
yourself getting hot? What thoughts
do you have: he never does what I
ask him to do; she always pushes
back when I say no; why am I the
only one who has to deal with this?
How do you respond in the moment?
All of this information is like the
pieces of a puzzle—each adds a bit
more to the picture and helps you
determine your tipping point. My
breathing gets shallow when I’m
being triggered, and I start to feel my
pulse racing as my anxiety level
increases. My thoughts veer towards
all or nothing thinking, like “why
does she always do this when we’re
running late?” These are my clues
that my patience is starting to wear
thin.
3. Develop a Plan
Now that you know your triggers,
you can develop a game plan for
when they occur. This can include
pre-planning (i.e., having transition
time between work and home to
allow you some down time or
establishing clear house rules and
expectations, writing those down, and
having clear consequences if they
aren’t met), planning for in the
moment when it’s happening
4
(stepping away from the power
struggle, taking space to calm down,
doing deep breathing exercises,
developing some calming mantras),
and also planning for ways you can
follow up after things have calmed
down. This can include taking time
by yourself to review the situation,
sitting down with your child and
problem-solving his choices, or
apologizing if you do happen to lose
your patience and respond in a way
that is less than effective. Don’t
underestimate the power of an
apology. Contrary to popular
wisdom, it doesn’t lessen your
authority with your child. It does role
model how to take accountability
when your response is less than
stellar. It took me a long time to be
able to do this because it can feel as if
you’re admitting fault and your kid
will somehow use it against you.
There is always a chance this could
happen. In my experience, it has
made it much easier for my daughter
and I to move past disputes.
4. Build in Time for Self Care
Another important piece to
maintaining patience is making sure
you’re taking care of you as well as
you are taking care of everybody
else. We tend to put ourselves on the
back burner far too often, to the
detriment of ourselves and our
children. It can be almost impossible
to stay on an even keel when you’re
frazzled and running on empty.
Taking time to do things you enjoy—
activities outside the home, a night
out with friends or your significant
other, or just taking time to put your
feet up and relax—not only recharges
your batteries, but also role models
self care for your kids. I will admit
that this one is still a struggle for me.
I find it so difficult to put time aside
for me to do the things I enjoy. I’ve
gotten better, but it’s still a work in
progress.
As odd as it may seem, losing your
patience can be a positive too, in that
it can help you recognize when
you’re stretching your resources too
far. If you think about times in the
past when your patience has worn
thin, you would probably recognize
that it usually happens when you’re
feeling overwhelmed, overloaded,
and possibly underappreciated. Just
as a rubber band will snap when
stretched too far, so too will a
parent’s patience. We are only human
after all! Every one of us has a limit
to how much he or she can tolerate.
This doesn’t make us “bad” parents.
It makes us normal parents.
I came across a definition for patience
the other day that I believe is much
more suitable to what it is a parent
does, day in and day out: steady
perseverance. Coming back, time and
again, trying to be more effective,
trying to do our best to help our kids
grow and develop into successful
adults, that’s steady perseverance. It’s
a different, more significant kind of
patience: hanging in and doing the
hard stuff, even when we feel like
giving up.
Read more:
http://www.empoweringparents.com/
how-be-more-patientparent.php#ixzz3YkqcfXlc
Homework and Bedtime
Arguments: 8 Tips for
Calmer Nights with Kids
By Dr. Joan Simeo Munson
“Why can’t I get my kids to get their
homework done and off to bed
without the constant screaming,
bickering, and crying?” If you’ve
asked yourself this question regularly,
you’re not alone. Parents tell me that
homework and bedtime battles are
some of the most nerve-wracking,
exhausting moments of parenthood.
No wonder. When everyone is
coming home tired and cranky,
homework and getting ready for bed
THE PARENT CONNECTION
| Issue #
are prime fodder for arguments. But
with some simple, thoughtful
changes, you can develop a Calm
Evening Plan that will make things a
lot less stressful for you and your
kids.
Have your child divide their
homework into doable sections: what
they want to start on immediately
after school, what they wish to work
on after chores or dinner and what to
finish up later in the evening. I’ve
found that the most effective plan for
eliminating homework/bedtime woes
starts as soon as your child gets
home, not at the end of the day when
everyone is tired and probably not at
their best. It’s also important to make
it realistic so that it works for
everyone, you can follow it
consistently, and you don’t ask too
much of yourself or your children.
Here are eight tips to help you create
your Calm Evening Plan. You can try
all of them or pick and choose.
8 tips for calm evenings—after
school through bedtime
1. Hold a Quick Family
Meeting. Begin the process
on a weekend by calling a
family meeting. Let your
children know that after
school time, right up through
bedtime, is going to run
differently from now
on. Keep it simple and let
them know the goal: to get as
much completed before
bedtime with as little stress as
possible. You can say,
“We’re going to try
something different starting
tomorrow after school so
things work better for all of
us.”
2. Set Expectations and
Consequences. Establish
rules for what has to get
accomplished as soon as your
children get home from
school. For kids of all ages,
this can include putting shoes
and jackets away, emptying
5
lunch boxes and water
bottles, and setting up their
homework at their study
space. Tell them ahead of
time what the consequences
will be if they don’t do their
chores, and be sure to follow
through. Setting some simple
ground rules can keep chaos
from erupting after school. If
your child complains about
homework after school, point
him back to the ground rules
and consequences.
No Screens. Watching TV
or playing video games when
first arriving home from
school make it difficult to
begin homework or chores
and should be eliminated
from the afternoon ritual. So
does having access to other
electronics (phones, tablets,
etc.); have a basket handy
where all electronics go as
soon as your child walks in
the door. When you want
your child to have their
electronics returned or to be
able to watch TV is a
personal choice. Just be clear
that permission to use the
phone during a break
involves a specific time limit
and then the phone goes back
in the basket.But what should
you do if your child needs his
laptop or tablet in order to do
his homework? One solution
is to have tablets and laptops
parked in a visible place and
allow your child to "check
them out" in order to use
them for homework. This
means they alert you that
they need them, what they are
using them for, and the length
of time they will be used.
Using electronics in a
specific area of the home
where you can monitor their
use can also be helpful for
younger kids who may or
may not be able to stay on
task.
3. Allow Decompression
Time. Allow your kids a
certain amount of time to
decompress, but make sure
the amount of time is decided
upon prior to when “down
time” starts. If your child has
a lot of energy, a 15-minute
bike ride can help release
it. If your child is tired, a
snack may be the answer.
Just remember to stick to the
agreed upon time limit.
4. Divide Homework into
Doable Sections. Homework
should begin after
decompression time so that it
doesn’t interfere with
bedtime. For kids of all ages
this tends to be a challenge,
so breaking homework up
into doable sections can
help. Some parents find it
helpful to have their kids
divide their homework into
sections: what they want to
start on immediately after
school, what they wish to
work on after chores or
dinner, and if necessary, what
to finish up later in the
evening, after they shower or
complete an extracurricular
activity.
Some children need breaks in
between assignments. For
younger children, set the
timer (15 minutes is usually
good) and explain that once
the timer goes off, they have
to sit back down and
continue. Older kids can set
their own breaks, but make
sure that break doesn’t turn
into an hour on the phone.
Let them know how they can
access you for questions; for
example, what’s a good time
to call you at work? For
younger children and middle
schoolers especially,
THE PARENT CONNECTION
| Issue #
determine how you’ll check
in on their progress.
5. Set up Mom or Dad’s “In
Basket.” Have another
basket or a small area set
aside for kids to put anything
that has to be turned in the
next day or later in the
week. All permission slips,
envelopes for money for field
trips or the cafeteria, notes
from teachers or coaches, or
information about upcoming
events get placed here. After
dinner each night, review
what’s in the basket and
organize accordingly with
each child. This will help
ward off frantic early
morning searches for that
note from the teacher.
Consider also using a longterm planner. Each child has
their own slot in which long
term paperwork goes, like
rubrics for long-term
projects, reminders for
picture day that’s not for
another month, outlines for
book reports, or sports
schedules.
6. After Dinner, Focus on the
Morning. If homework still
needs to be completed,
continue enforcing the “no
electronics, no distractions”
rule. For younger children, it
may be time to start getting
ready for bed. But no matter
what, for everyone it’s time
to get ready for the next
morning. Completed
homework goes into
backpacks, along with school
books, signed permission
slips, snacks, water bottles,
and gym/sports gear. Once
these are in order, backpacks
get placed by the front door.
For children ages 8-12, have
them create a checklist that
gets kept in an accessible
spot (say, the
6
refrigerator). They can use
this to help them get
organized in the evening and
as a double check in the
morning. Teens can be as
spacey and disorganized as
toddlers. But, this doesn’t
mean that you should treat
them as you would a
toddler! On the contrary,
teens need to focus on getting
more organized the night
before in order to prevent
lapses in the morning.
7. Establish Bedtime and “Get
Ready” Time. Devise a
nighttime sleep plan that you
commit to adhering to each
school night. This includes
setting an expectation about
what time is bedtime, and
that getting ready begins
around 30-45 minutes before
your child is in bed. (Any
shorter and your child will
feel too rushed; while any
longer invites stall tactics.)
For younger children, this
routine might include bath
time, getting pj’s on, and a
few stories before they are
tucked in. Kids this age also
enjoy picking out what they
will wear the next day, which
prevents early morning
hassles for you. If your child
has trouble falling asleep,
stay calm and stick to your
plan, telling them that you
expect them to go to bed and
stay there. For teens, set an
expectation about their
bedtime by saying something
like: “I’d like to see you in
bed by 10:30. Let’s talk
about how much homework
you still have to finish up.”
Consistently following a
calm evening plan for your
family may seem impossible
many nights, and truthfully,
some nights you won’t be
able to follow every
expectation you set for
yourself or your
children. But having a plan
is the key to reducing the
stress and disorganization
that most parents experience
during the school
year. Remember that it
doesn’t have to be perfect,
just reliable, realistic, and in
place.
Read more:
http://www.empoweringparents.com/
fixing-nighttime-routinekids.php#ixzz3YkrBpTN4