Great Video That Shows Failure can Lead to Success!

So many students worry about failure and I always try to remind them that failure is actually a good thing. It shows we tried and that we likely tried for something that stretched our talents. But no matter how much I talk, some students just believe that failure means they will never accomplish anything. Well, this video might make them rethink that idea....

Getting Technology for Your Teen This Christmas? Great Idea....if Educational Uses are Involved!

Last year, student's most requested item for Christmas (based on their bell ringer response) was an Ipod Touch. Even I wanted one and I did get one last March. I wasn't sure what I would do with it as I was still learning how to text and use my new phone, but I had some help. No, not just from my students, but from my 5-year old! Jack, and even Abby (3 years-old) love playing with my IPod as I have downloaded many free "apps", most of them educational games and tutorials. And the kids still love them! The point of all this is that you can buy your children cool technology for Christmas or their birthdays, but it does not have to be just a fun toy. It can be a learning tool. Here is just one example of an article I found on the internet about using an IPod Touch as a learning tool.

But it doesn't have to just be an IPod Touch. It could be the new IPad. My wife has one of these through her work and my 3 and 5-year old have used this too. From watching Sprout videos, playing PBSkids games, or learning their ABCs and "sight" words, they have no problem with the technology. In fact, they usually learn the game just by playing around with it. Jack has taught me how to do some things. And most if not all of these Apps are FREE! Even something as simple as the live web cams from zoos around the world that I downloaded (for free!) brings up all sorts of conversations and discussions with my kids.

But, you are likely saying "But I have teens....they don't play PBSKids games and they know their letters already!". You are right....at least I hope you are. But that isn't the point. The point is that these items aren't just for Facebooking, texting, tweeting, etc., but if you are purchasing it for them and they are living under your roof, you can make sure some educational purposes are happening too. When I grew up, we had a computer, but no Nintendo (original 8-bit system...I'm old!) or Sega because they had "no educational purpose" according to my mother. Nowadays, most of these devices even the Wii and the XBox have educational purposes. My son learned basic math on a Brain game on our Wii system. So, these cool technology items are what you make of them. My plea with parents everywhere is to consider "forcing" your child to use some of the educational items available on these systems. Who knows.....they might just have fun and learn at the same time!

By the way, here is a great site for family friendly apps. Most are for young children, but I am sure some will work for teens as well: Mom's With Apps

Also, I highly recommend the Kindle App. It's free and you can download TONS of free books to it!

This Picture is Really Worth a Thousand Words!

Maybe the best and easiest graphic I have come across when it comes to what students (and adults) post online. I am going to print this out and put it in our computer labs and outside my office. At home, you might consider printing it out and putting it near the family computer, near any other computer workspace, or maybe even in your child's room....on their wall (right next to the Justin Bieber poster?!). Lots of good stuff in the picture, so I will stop typing and let you look at the picture again

Students!! You Can Write About Something You Love (Technology) and Win Money!!

Students, I know you love technology and do not always love to write! I have the perfect thing for you: A 100-word or less essay contest about why technology is so great. One winner in each grade will get $500 and the runner-up will get $100. Now, I am sure many students across the country are entering, but what if, just what if, one of our students won the $500 award the the title of "Best Essay". Give it a shot...you never know!

Click here for rules and contest website.

Testing a Poll Site, But Would Love Your Response!

I am testing out a poll/quiz site for staff and for future use, but I did make an interesting poll where I would like to hear your feedback. I may use this poll site more and may even post polls for my students to do when we are in the computer lab sometime. For now, give this poll a try and I will try to use the results to guide my future blog posting. Have a great week!

Best Presentation of the Year: Anti-Smoking Powerpoint

The winner of this year's best presentation of the year just happened to be an anti-smoking powerpoint that had some very interesting facts and figures. It likely will only take a few minutes to view, but the material you learn could stick with you for a very long time. Take a look at the powerpoint that I embedded below...

SMOKE - The Convenient Truth

View more presentations from Empowered Presentations, Honolulu, HI.

Facebook Guide for Parents

Parents (and maybe students): Do you want to learn all about Facebook and how it can be safely used? Do you want to know what your teenager is getting into? Well, the link I am providing gives you a 32-page "book" to read. It is titled "A Parent's Guide to Facebook" and is pretty thorough. I have read bits and pieces and found it pretty helpful. Facebook or any social network is a tool, and a great tool at that. It can be great for education and great for socializing and is fast becoming a necessary way for young people to stay connected and feel connected. However, social networks can be very damaging and dangerous if used incorrectly. So, please take a look at this short book all about Facebook and safety while using it.

A Parent's Guide to Facebook (click link to read the 32-page book)

Excellent, but Long, Article from NY Times on Parents and Cyberbullying

Sorry for the length of this article, but it is SO GOOD! It is geared for parents and written for parents and some of the stories are so sad and hard to believe, but they are stories that happen every day. And children and teens today are truly a different culture than their parents or adults who care for them (teachers, employers, relatives, etc.). They are even a different culture than when we were teenagers. You see, they are growing up as members of the Age of Technology Culture. Technology is different, communication is different, and bullying and harassing is different. If you have a moment this week, please read this article and see what conversations it brings up in your home, in your family, and in any others you come into contact with.

"As Bullies Go Digital, Parents Play Catch-Up"

8th Graders to Research Charities Soon!

Another heads-up to students and parents. Check back in a week or two to see what charities our 8th graders researched using CharityNavigator.org or the BetterBusinessBureau charity review site. Whether it be for tax reasons, the Holiday season, or just out of the goodness of your heart, the last 2 months of the year are the biggest charitable months of the year. But, just giving your money to a charity is not enough....we need to know if the charity is a good charity and will do good things with our money. So, our 8th graders will choose a charity and research it using one of the sites listed above. As soon as their computer lab research is done, I will post some of the best charities and some of the worst. Stay tuned....

8th Grade Parents: MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Just a brief note to give 8th grade parents a heads-up. More information will be coming from me, as well as the high school, about the high school orientation and registration process in the next 4-6 weeks. However, so that you can plan ahead, here are 2 key dates for you to mark in your planner:

February 7th, 2011: If your child has a last name A through K, the child and 1 or more parents/guardians need to be at the 9th grade orientation night at the middle school. The time will be something like 6 to 8 p.m. More information to come.

February 10th, 2011: If your child has a last name L through Z, see above....this is your night.

As mentioned, nothing to get too worked up about right now as more information will be coming, but wanted to post it as we now have the dates set.

Recent TIME Article Shows Graduation Rates Increase!

The good news is that high school graduation rates have climbed 3% from 72% in 2001 to 75% in 2009. The bad news is that 25% of students are still not graduating. And when you look at students of different races, the news is even worse for Hispanics and African Americans. Carlisle typically has a graduation rate between 92-98%, so we are well above average, but it isn't 100% so improvement is still desired. To read more about these new stats in the area of high school graduation, please click on this TIME magazine article by clicking here.

JA Biztown Curriculum in Full Swing for 6th Graders

Our 6th graders are now finishing their first unit of study in our JA Biztown curriculum. This means that students have learned about what it means to be a community (town, country, school, church, etc.), why we pay taxes and where that money goes, why we vote and what other rights and responsibilities a citizen may have, and also what it means to be a philanthropist. We even discussed how markets work and what supply and demand is all about. In fact, some students, if they were listening well, might even be able to explain how our economy basically collapsed over the past 3-5 years and why the stimulus package was designed and what it was supposed to do (and did to some extent).

Now, as we head into break and come back from break, students will be studying all about how banks, investing, spending, and saving work. This means that students will finally get their own practice checkbook and begin writing checks and balancing their checkbooks. What I hope you can do to help me is to include your child in virtually every spending and saving occurrence that happens over the next month, especially since it is the holidays! Show them how you write a check, talk to them about why you use your debit or credit card and what happens to the money when you use it, talk to them about why you may not write that many checks, and talk to them about the options you have to save your money: 401K, savings acct., checking acct., under the mattress :), stocks, bonds, etc. I can give them the basics in class, but seeing it in action with you can be a huge support. Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts on all of this. And Happy Holidays!

Runaway Resources Now in My Office

I now have some resources for families who have had a child run away or for a student who thinks running away will be the answer to all of their problems. At least a few times a year, a student will walk through my office doors and state that they want to run away or they are in the process of running away. This hurts so much to hear as I know they are serious and I know they think running away will solve their problems and life will be easier. Yet, in reality, it won't. In fact, it will likely make their life much tougher, much more dangerous, and possibly the worst decision possible.

---We still have the SAP program, the Student Assistance Program, to offer to students who are thinking of running away. This program offers students and/or families 3 free counseling sessions and possibly even a referral to more counseling at a cheap or reduced rate. This could be a great place to start and many students have used this service for a variety of issues over the past 3 years of Carlisle offering this service.

---I now have cards with a National Runaway hotline phone number for a student or parent to call. It is answer 24/7 every day of the year and can be a great voice to talk to and to listen to when school is not in session. As we approach a long holiday break that may bring up a variety of emotions and thoughts, having a phone number handy to talk through these feelings might do the trick.

---I have some pamphlets that speak more directly to the parent of a child who has runaway or is considering running away. Some are tips on what to do if you discover that your child has run away. Some information is about programs that help get your child back safely (and for free!) and to prevent it from happening again, and some of the information is simply practical prevention information. I have listed some of this information below as I feel it is good information to get out to everyone through this blog.

How a Parent Can Prevent a Child from Running Away:

*Pay attention....really listening and really responding

*Show respect...understand what your adolescent child is going through and have honest and open discussions

*Don't lecture....be clear and concise and offer constructive feedback

*Create Responsibility...Give teens choices and help them understand actions carry consequences

*Get to know those who are close to your child...talk with them and their parents. It will help you understand your child better

*Talk with your child and discuss feelings...discuss this runaway 24/7 switchboard, talk about why someone thinks running away is an option, work to understand their feelings, and be open and honest with your feelings. Create a safe environment for discussion.

Warning Signs of a possible runaway attempt:

*Changes in behavior, sudden and dramatic ones.

*Rebellion: dropping grades, truancy, breaking rules

*Talking about running away: Doesn't matter if you think they are serious or not, if they are talking about or threatening it, it could be a sign that they might try it.

*Accumulation of money/possessions: This could mean they are prepping for a runaway attempt

If you have concerns that your child might be considering running away or has run away, please call me and we will work together to make sure your child is safe. My students know that they can talk to me confidentially and be open with their thoughts and feelings, but they also know that I have to break that confidentiality if I feel their life or safety could be at risk or in danger. If I feel they are going to run away from home, I work with the student to contact home so that you can be aware of the situation and work with your child to understand why they are having these thoughts.

SMART Discipline Update

Parents: It has been almost a month since the great program and speaker for SMART Discipline came to our school for a few hours on a Monday night. That night, I purchased several books as I thought my family could use some of the information, but also for my students, parents, and my own counseling practice. As I read through these books, I will use my newly learned information in counseling sessions and in discussions with parents. But I want to offer parents these books as well. So, if you have interest in any of the following books, I am willing to "check them out" to you for a week. If you like what you read, you can go online and purchase the book to keep for yourself. I am positive everyone who reads these books will learn some good information that they can use in their families. And I am sure some of you will want to purchase your own copy to keep and return to from time to time as well. If I can be of any help to you as you read these books or if you have questions, please call or email me. In the meantime, here is the list of books that I purchased and are available for check out. By the way, even if you did not attend the seminar, you can still check out these books. (If you click on the book title, you will be taken to the site where you can purchase it, but also read about what the book is all about)

Book Titles:

The Making of a Happy Family

SMART Discipline Workbook

How to Blend Your Blended Family (no place to order online, but I could get it for you)

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Your Words Can Also Hurt M! (The Power of Parents' Words) (no place to order online, but I could get it for you)

SMART Discipline homepage

Filipino-American Association of Iowa Christmas Party

Just a heads up on an upcoming local event that is celebrating some of our local diversity. There is a phone number at the bottom where you can call to get more information. Have a great weekend!

"Dear FAAI members and future members,

Everyone is invited and bring your crowd. Please open the attachment.

Filipino-American Association of Iowa

Invites you to its

Annual Christmas Party

Saturday, December 4, 2010, 5:00 p.m. – ??? p.m.

Corinthian Baptist Church (Fellowship hall)
814 School Street, Des Moines, IA 50309

Members: FREE

Future member: $10.00 (family)

$5.00 (single –18 yr & up)

Mr & Mrs Santa Claus will be present to hand a gift to your child

Parents, you need to bring a gift with your child’s name on it.

Adults - please bring a gift ($10.00 worth) for gift exchange

POTLUCK - main dish and a 2 ltr bottle soda will be much appreciated

Questions - please call Ruben Rullan @ 515-278-8212"

Des Moines Police Explorer Program Opportunity

Parents and students.....heads up for a great opportunity! The Des Moines Police Department has a program called "Des Moines Police Explorers". I am in contact with a leader of this group and he will be coming to Carlisle to speak to interested students in early December. Students need to be age 14-19 and be able to attend meetings 2 Tuesdays a month. Students who participate will get a lot of hands on experience with things police do. They even get to do some ride-a-longs with police who are on duty! This is a great opportunity for any student interested in law enforcement. Please call or email me if you think your child might like this program (some students have already expressed interest, but I wanted to put it in my blog to see if others had interest as well).

Six Things Not to Post on Your Facebook Account

Although geared more for adults, I still wanted to post a link to some great advice. Each of the six items could relate to young people and young people might be the least understanding of these rules and make the most mistakes, so I think they could use this information. However, all the parents, adults, and even I could use this information. I love the reasons they give on why not to post these six things...makes sense and is kind of scary. Anyway, click on the link and see how many of these you do. I have to admit...I do some of these!

Six Things You Should Never Reveal on Facebook by Kathy Kristof

Khan Academy Can Help With Homework

I have mentioned this to many educators and I know some of our teachers have used this website before, but I thought it might be good to provide parents with the link and information in case they wanted to use it or wanted their kids to use it. So....what is "it"?

"It" is the Khan Academy website where a teacher records very simple forms of teaching on thousands of topics. Everything from adding single digit numbers to advanced calculus is on this site with more getting added all the time. It began as a way for the creator of the site to teach a relative who lived far away and he posted his lessons online through Youtube. Then, he realized that other people were viewing his videos and learning too. It has exploded from there to be a free online "teacher" of countless basic school subject lessons. The company is a non-profit company and the videos are watched in classrooms, homes, and villages across the world. So, how could you use it? Need to help your child on their math homework but lost on what they are doing? Search the topic in the Khan Academy and re-learn the problem on your own time and impress your child by teaching them how to do it!! Or, watch the video with your child and learn together! I have attached the website to click on below, but I also put a video so you can learn just exactly what the Khan Academy is. Please visit and use this amazing site!

Khan Academy

Watch this short 3 minute video to learn more and prepare to be amazed!

Rising Cost of College

College should be an option for everyone and anyone! I tell that to my students all the time. Money should not be an obstacle as there are always scholarships, grants, and loans. But, I also realize that college is getting more and more expensive every year. This link is not meant to freak you out, but to prepare you for the future costs of college for your children. Take a look at some of the startling numbers.....

Click here to see the costs of college (thank you to Mint.com for the info and Hack Education for the blogpost alerting me about this infographic)

Go Online WITH Your Kids Sometimes!

I liked this video as it was simple and short and made me think. Now, your kids are not driving your car, but they are driving on the Internet Superhighway....are you a passenger or did you just wish them luck? Just like driving, you might have to train them for several years before they are ready. Once they are ready, you might have to test them. If they pass the test, you might have to ride "shotgun" with them for awhile. And finally, you might have to let them drive the Internet on their own and hope they remember all of your tips, hope they are responsible and mature about this right of theirs, and hope they come back safely when they are done. As a counselor, I see "wrecks" all the time on the Internet with our students and I worry we as adults don't do enough to train them. Partly because we didn't grow up with the Internet, but also partly because we just don't have time. I am starting to realize that I (and we) need to make time. The Internet is a large and strange place without many rules, but can be a great tool as long as we are taught how to use it correctly and responsibly. Something to think about as you watch this short video.....

FDA Calls Some Alcoholic Energy Drinks Unsafe!

Great news!! The FDA is putting a stop to the worst of the alcoholic energy drinks and the makers of these drinks are complying with the FDA's request. As I type, the worst of these drinks including Four Loko are no longer being produced or sold in their current potentially-deadly form. Click here to read more about this story on CNN.com.

If you are wondering what these drinks are, please click through other blog entries of mine until you see some pictures of these deadly energy drinks. They look just like your typical energy drinks and many can be bought right locally. In some cases, Warren County store clerks have sold them to minors thinking the request for ID the machine asks for is just because it is an energy drink. They push some buttons to make it go away and sell the drink to minors! So why are these drinks so bad? They combine a large amount of caffeine and a large amount of alcohol into one can. How much into one can? Well, about 3 pops and 4 beers!! So now when a human body wants to save itself terrible damage or death and shut down and pass out to avoid consuming more alcohol, the energy in these drinks keep people awake and drinking more. Way more than their body can handle and this leads to blackouts, comas, lasting bodily injuries, or even death.

Not all drinks are being changed and the drinks aren't really being banned, so education of young people is still needed. Not to mention that a person of age can still legally mix energy drinks with alcohol on their own or even order a mixed drink at a bar, but in these cases, the caffeine and alcohol content is usually far less. But even in these cases, the danger is present. The one good thing to come from these new drinks and the public uproar is the people are talking and many are learning of the true dangers that can occur when stimulants like caffeine are mixed with depressants like alcohol. I for one hope the conversation and education continues....along with the FDA making sure the products marketed to young people are not the same products that are being designed to hurt or kill them.

The More You Learn, The More You Earn!

One last graphic, but a pretty easy to read one. Really shows how important the levels of education are. The more you learn, the more you earn!

Another Infographic on the Importance of Education

Here is another great infographic on the importance of education. Lots of good things to look at as you study the graph. Click the picture graph to enlarge it so you can see all of it.

I have also placed the link to the article and graph below so you can see it even better and read the article that goes along with the information.

Click here for article.

Your Future Employment Depends on Your Current Education!

Here is a quick picture/graph that shows how the more school you make it through and challenge yourself to take and complete, the more money you make and less likely you will be unemployed. I will be posting more information, links, and infographics soon. Click this picture to make it bigger.

Quarter 1 Grade Report Cards Have Been Mailed!

Just a heads up....report cards got mailed out yesterday (Tuesday) for our 1st quarter grades. As counselors, we will be going over the grades of all students and begin meeting even more with students who may have struggled or failed a class during the 1st quarter. We will be trying to help students organize their materials, keep track of their homework, and doing overall grade checks throughout the quarter so they know what they have to do in order to succeed and achieve passing grades. If you have questions or concerns, please email us and we can communicate about what is needed for a successful quarter of grades to occur!

Red Ribbon Week 2010 is Here!!!

Red Ribbon Week has arrived! Red Ribbon Week comes every October during the final week and is now the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention program. At Carlisle, we try to do many activities district-wide and use the large amount of students 6-12 who have agreed to be a part of our JEL/SADD (Just Eliminate Lies and Students Against Destructive Decisions) program to help facilitate these activities. This year our theme is "Get Active" and make positive decisions to avoid risky and destructive decisions such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. We kicked it all off with a Wear Red Friday last week and will continue with activities this week.

For more information on what Red Ribbon Week is all about, see below. I found this information at this website, a Red Ribbon Week Factsheet.

How it all started:

Special Agent Kiki Camarena:

Special Agent Camarena was an 11-year veteran of the DEA assigned to the Guadalajara, Mexico, office where he was on the trail of the country’s biggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers. In 1985, he was extremely close to unlocking a multi-billion dollar drug pipeline.

On February 7, 1985, he was kidnapped, brutally tortured, and murdered by Mexican drug traffickers. His tragic death opened the eyes of many Americans to the dangers of drugs and the international scope of the drug trade.

History of Red Ribbon Week:

Shortly after Kiki’s death, Congressman Duncan Hunter and Kiki’s high school friend Henry Lozano launched “Camarena Clubs” in Kiki’s hometown of Calexico, California. Hundreds of club members pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifice made by Kiki Camarena.

These pledges were delivered to First Lady Nancy Reagan at a national conference of parents combating youth drug use. Several state parent organizations then called on community groups to wear red ribbons during the last week of October as a symbol of their drug-free commitment.

The first Red Ribbon Week celebrations were held in La Mirada and Norwalk, California.

In 1988, the National Family Partnership (NFP) coordinated the first National Red Ribbon Week with President and Mrs. Reagan serving as honorary chairpersons.

How to Celebrate Red Ribbon Week:

The NFP estimates that more than 80 million people participate in Red Ribbon events each year.

The campaign is a unified way for communities to take a stand against drugs and show intolerance for illicit drug use and the consequences to all Americans.

Schools, businesses, the faith community, media, families, and community coalitions join together to celebrate Red Ribbon Week in many ways, such as: sponsoring essay and poster contests; organizing drug-free races; decorating buildings in red; handing out red ribbons to customers; holding parades or community events; and by publicizing the value of a drug-free, healthy lifestyle.

DEA joins with community coalitions and prevention groups to plan and carry out Red Ribbon activities, ranging from classroom events to stadium-sized rallies.

More Bullying Resources

As much as I study, I am not an expert on bullying, so I will make one of my final blog posts on bullying by directing you to a great blog by an expert on bullying: Naomi Drew. She is an author of 7 books including her most recent book: "No Kidding About Bullying". I now subscribe to her blog and have it sent to my Google Reader account and suggest for you to do this too if you want good information and tips on bullying, cyberbullying, etc. If you get a spare moment, check out her blog at "Naomi Drew".

Thanks Naomi for your books and all the educational work you do!

SAP is Here to Help Our Students

This week, I am speaking with students about our SAP (Student Assistance Program) services. Our district helps to provide up to 5 FREE counseling sessions through the SAP during the year when a student has an issue they feel they need counseling for and want more than just the school can offer. Many parents have something similar through their workplace. In fact, all Carlisle employees have this service as well except it is called EAP (Employee Assistance Program). Your child and you might even qualify together through the school's offering if your child is struggling with a family issue. Visits to their office and phone calls to their hotline number are completely confidential and no school employee ever learns who uses these services and who doesn't; we just get numbers each month on how many students and employees use the service. To learn more about this great FREE service, click on their website: Student Assistance Program

New and Scary "Look-a-like" Drugs to Watch Out For!

Along with a few counselors from our district and our superintendent, I attended a recent early morning forum on protecting the youth of Warren County from drugs and alcohol. With Red Ribbon Week coming right up, this is a hot topic and I will be posting several different pieces that I learned from the brief forum. I plan to also do some follow up work and possibly serve on a committee to learn more to better understand how I can use my role as a school counselor to help our youth avoid drugs and alcohol.

The first piece I want to share is the scary new drugs and alcohol that kids might be using and we don't even know it. The reason why is because the items look just like regular items.

Look at this picture or click on it to see the full view of a variety of energy drinks. Do you know which ones contain alcohol?

Now, click here to find the answer. Hint....5 of the 10 shown had alcohol! Some store workers don't even know this and they accidentally sell the items to minors sometimes? When it asks for age, some clerks have said they thought it was just an error because the drink was an energy drink and they click through that screen and sell it anyway! Scary Stuff!

Now, even scarier is what the trend is with tobacco products. Take a look at the picture below.

Do you think adults can tell the difference between tobacco and a mint and which one a kid is using? Can parents? Can teachers? Can little kids? What happens if a kid, maybe even my child, finds some of the tablets on the right on the ground and thinks it is a mint. My kids love mints! But these mints could mess up a small child's body pretty quickly.

And what about the new tobacco pouches that you put in your mouth or in your lip? Sure, these new products are smokeless, but the marketing and packaging is aiming for young people and trying to get them hooked....

These products are in the stores now and are being marketed directly to our young adults and even kids. What may have started out as ways to get around the public smoking laws has quickly turned into how can we make these products cool so that kids will want to have them, carry them, and use them. And I bet they also thought...how could we make them so others may not notice that a kid is using them. As a parent, a counselor, and an educator, I feel the rapidly changing technology is just as rapid with drugs and we need to stay a step ahead of it at all times if we can. Education is where is starts, so help me educate others about these new drugs and start the discussion with your kids.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Some of our counselors recently attended the monthly Warren County "family care team" meeting and brought back a newsletter about Warren County's work in the area of domestic violence. I have copy/pasted some of the information below as I feel it might be useful. I have also included some upcoming events and meetings that some parents may be interested in. Remember, if you are in an abusive relationship or know someone who is, please contact a person you can talk to and feel safe to talk to. You do not need to handle an issue like this alone....there are people out there who can help.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from one single day, called the “Day of Unity.” The Day of Unity was conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in October of 1981, and continues to be celebrated on the first Monday of October. The intent of the Day of Unity was to empower domestic violence advocates across the nation, who were united with a passion to end violence against women and their children. The Day of Unity soon became a week devoted to a wide range of activities at local, State and National levels.

Six years later, in October of 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed. However, an even bigger accomplishment was reached in 1989 when the U.S. Congress passed legislation designating, and labeling, the month of October as the official National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Legislation continues year in and year out, bring

awareness to the ongoing struggle of combating violence occurring everyday within our communities. With national organizations, such as the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, leading the way, this legislation will continue to get passed annually.

Sixteen Years of the Violence Against Women Act

More than a hundred advocates and college students from around the country gathered at the home of Vice President Biden to mark the 16th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The Vice President spoke passionately about his ongoing commitment to ending violence against women and girls and the next steps we must take to change societal attitudes about violence,

Written and championed by then-Senator Biden, VAWA focused on improving the criminal justice response to domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault. Since 1994, VAWA has sent 4 billion dollars to states and local communities to develop specialized law enforcement units, provide services to victims, improve prosecution of these crimes, and train professionals about domestic violence and sexual assault. In many ways, VAWA has been successful. Since the passage of the Act, domestic violence has dropped by 58% In spite of all this progress, we still have much work to do. Three women still die every day at the hands of husbands or boyfriends. Domestic violence causes two million injuries a year and untold amounts of human suffering. Domestic violence shelters are still full, hotlines are ringing, and for every victim who has come forward, many more are suffering alone.

---Originally posted in Warren County Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Are you in an Abusive Relationship?

How do you know if you are, or potentially could be, in an abusive

relationship?

Please read the following list of the top ten signs you may be in an abusive relationship.

Your partner is continually jealous

They are controlling of your behavior

Your partner portrays himself/herself as the victim

They are emotionally unavailable to your needs

They hold unrealistic expectations for you

Your partner isolates you from everyone and everything

They are extremely sensitive and believe everything you say to be a negative criticism

Your partner exhibits odd sexual behavior

They don‟t allow you have your own thoughts

Your partner abuses alcohol or drugs

This is not an all inclusive list of warning signs. Each abusive relationship differs, however, if you notice one or more of these signs present, please call the Iowa Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-942-0333 or the local crisis line at 515-243-6147.

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Bullying: What Can a Parent Do?

Bullying and some of its ultimate worst-case scenario outcomes like suicide have been in the news almost daily. And when something is in the news, people start talking about it and asking questions. Over my weekend, I try to read up on blogs and news that I follow online and came across a great blog post about what parents can do to help their children if they are being bullied. I have posted a link below. I have also listed some of my opinions and ideas on the matter of bullying and what a parent can do.

1. Communicate. This HAS to be the #1 way to solve and help most problems, but especially in the case of bullying. As parents, we need to communicate with our children about their day, their friends, their events, and anything else we can think of. But it takes work so that your child knows you are not out to invade their privacy, but simply want to know more about their life and how you can help if they are having problems. Kids need to learn to be independent, but when it comes to being a victim of bullying, this is when teamwork and parental and school support is needed.

2. Strategize and Brainstorm. If you find out your child is being bullied and your child opens up to you, start working on strategies and ideas to help avoid, limit, and end the bullying. Lots of ideas and strategies are needed because several may not work. The one problem with this idea is that bullying has changed a lot since we were young. Bullying is now more and more done using technology and some strategies of our generation no longer work.

3. Tell adults who interact with your child. Don't wait until it gets too bad and the problem gets out of hand...tell someone. It could be the counselor (me!), the principal, or even the teachers or your child's friend. The school can help, doctors can help, friends can help. Bullies struggle to operate when others know what they are doing. I'm not saying everyone has to know, but having some extra eyes observe the situation can help. And in our school's case, we can get these things documented and disciplinary actions can be taken if they are needed.

4. If it is Cyber, print, save, file, etc. If bullying is online, through a text, on a website, or any other version of technology, print these messages. Even if they happen at home, they still affect your child and their school performance and having these hurtful things saved and printed can be useful to the school officials should the problem get worse and cause school-related problems. And this is a reminder about why bullying is such a problem nowadays....it can happen 24 hours a day! Again, I have worked with students who have received bullying texts at 3 or 4 a.m. in the morning! The other thing a parent can do when it comes to cyber-bullying is simply monitor your child's use of technology. Again, not saying you have to read every text or email they send, but there is nothing an 11, 12, or 13-year old should be saying in a text or email that a parent shouldn't see. And kids can go online on many devices, but they can't go online in private if all those devices are in a central area of the house....including their cell phone!

So, that is a lot to take it, but it is important. Our nation and our schools have seen a spike in suicides that have been linked to relentless bullying and it has to stop. It stops when schools educate, parents monitor and care for their children, and friends stick up for each other and understand that technology can be pretty damaging if they don't think about how they are using it. As a counselor, I am sickened by the stories I have been reading and hearing and I so badly want the pain and suffering of the victims of bullying to stop, but I know I am just one piece of the bullying solution puzzle. For more information, read this blog post about what parents can do:

What Parents can do

More Cyber-bullying and Threats Lead to Suicides

As a counselor, I am again saddened by another case of online bullying, embarrassment, and harrassment lead to a young person committing suicide. The case I am speaking of is the case of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman who committed suicide last week after being outed as a homosexual by use of online video and webcast. The two students, one was his roommate, who were behind the outing of this student have been charged with crimes related to posting of the video and harrassment. And the story has again brought the idea of bullying, cyber-bullying, the use of technology to humiliate and harass others to the point where a young person thinks the best option is to take their own life.

Even as a middle school counselor for only 2 years, I have worked with countless students on the issues of bullying, cyber-bullying, and suicide ideation. Recent Iowa Youth Survey data shows that roughly 11% of our 8th graders have made a plan to commit suicide or have attempted suicide. This could be due data in that same survey that shows that roughly 50% of our 6th and 8th graders feel they have been bullied in the past year. Both of these numbers are way too high and having conversations, discussions, and information given to this age-group both at school and home is constantly needed.

The only question I get from parents sometimes is "why is bullying so different nowadays? why so different because it is online or using technology?". Those are valid questions because I remember bullying when I grew up and it was bad....but not so bad that I thought of suicide. I doubt my friends considered suicide either. But what is different is that bullying ended when we went home, it wasn't constant. Now, I meet with students who get texts about them, their body, or their beliefs forwarded around all day. One student I met with last year even got several texts after 2 a.m.....on school night! With almost 80% of our middle school students on a social network site such as Facebook, again the bullying and taunting can be 24-hours a day. And if you think "well, just quit Facebook or that site", well, good idea in theory, but those networks are that students "social network" and quitting that site means isolation and loneliness for that student, two things that can lead to depression and suicide. As you can see, online bullying or bullying using technology can be constant and way worse than the bullying we grew up with. And the solutions are not simple. The best solution is discussing these issues with your child, schools discussing it with their students, and students learning "digital citizenship" which means knowing how to be a good citizen when using our rapidly changing technology. If one more student dies due to an issue like this, it will be too many....we must act to solve this problem now. And the solution starts with all of us.

Link to long USA Today article about this latest case of online harassment leading to suicide.

"Smart Discipline" Night for Parents on November 15th

Parents: A great opportunity is available to all parents in our district and it is coming up next month. Our elementary counselors have worked hard to set up a great night where parents can learn more about Smart Discipline by the author and speaker Larry Koenig. He is coming to Carlisle on November 15th and will be speaking in the High School Auditorium. We will be hosting a dinner from 5:30-6:00 p.m. that night with his talk about his program called Smart Discipline to follow. Books and materials will be available for purchase but the rest is free to attend (the dinner is Free Will Offering). Even free childcare will be provided!

Larry Koenig and his program has been featured on PBS, NPR, and in People and Parents magazine. His program is designed to help parents use a set discipline method with their children so that the kids develop positive attitudes, listen to their parents, and enjoy each other instead of arguing all the time. Due to Larry's message, he is in high-demand and we ask that interested parents pre-register so we can plan numbers for food, childcare, and seating arrangements. If you are interested, please call Julie Nation at 989-5327 or email Julie at julie.long@carlisle.k12.ia.us If you have more questions, you can call me or Julie as well. Hope to see you there on November 15th!

To learn more, click here!

Iowa Youth Survey This Week and Next

Parents....HEADS UP! Every school in Iowa will begin running their 6th, 8th, and 11th graders through the Iowa Youth Survey sometime in the next 4 weeks. Carlisle Middle School will be doing this survey Friday, October 8th, through Tuesday, October, 12th. One group of students may miss out during this time, but they will complete the survey later in the month. At the end of the month, the counselors will work with the district to get all results sent in and verified. Finally, next July, the results will be published across the state and we can begin evaluating the data and trying to understand what it means for our district and our youth.

So, what is the Iowa Youth Survey? I have placed a link at the bottom of this blog entry, but in a nutshell the survey is an anonymous survey that nearly 100% of 6th, 8th, and 11th graders across Iowa take every 3 (now 2) years. This survey asks students basic questions like do they like their school, do they feel safe at school, and how much their community has to offer in the area of activities. But it also asks very personal questions about their drug/alcohol use, their attitudes and beliefs on drugs, risky decisions, and bullying, and even whether or not they have considered suicide. As a counselor, I am not allowed to look at their answers and their survey is done online and submitted immediately so that no one knows what they put. And as a counselor, the data we receive back about our district and how we compare to schools our size across the state is phenomenal. I have presented past data to several different groups (staff, school board, district committees, etc.) and I know our school and community, even the State of Iowa has acted on this data and made important decisions based on this data in order to make our schools and communities safer for our youth.

Please review the information that was sent home with the midterm reports and talk with your child about the importance of this survey. It is an optional survey, but we do hope for 100% of our students taking it as that gives us the most accurate picture of our youth and their current needs. Again, it is anonymous and safe for students to take and usually leads to good class discussions and later, great data for further discussion among everyone affected. If you have questions, please email/call me.

Information about Iowa Youth Survey: Click here.

Websites for 6th Graders to Test

This week, our 6th graders will be playing games in class! After talking about study strategies, my students will be my online educational game/site testers as they test and review 2 game sites in the computer lab. Here are some of the sites they are testing. I will post some of their reviews here later.

Site 1: Number Nut: http://www.numbernut.com/

Site 2: My Wonderful World: http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/games.html

Site 3:FunBrain Math: http://www.funbrain.com/

Site 4:FunBrain Reading: http://www.funbrain.com/

Site 5:Primary Games.com Science and Social Studies: http://www.primarygames.com/

Site 6:Primary Games.com LA and Math: http://www.primarygames.com/

Site 7:Arcademic Skill Builders.com Math: http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/

Site 8:Arcademic Skill Builders.com LA & Geography: http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/

Site 9: PlayKidsgames.com Vocab & Alphabet: http://www.playkidsgames.com/

Site 10: PlayKidsgames.com Math & Geography: http://www.playkidsgames.com/

Is your Child Interested in a Health Career? Great Local Opportunity for Them!

If your child is age 14-20 and they have an interest in a health career or the health and medical field, here is a great local opportunity:

"Youth who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years of age have the opportunity to explore many different areas of health care through hands-on activities, lectures and field trips.

The purpose is to help young people identify the field(s) of health care that most appeal to them. To do this, we bring in experts for each meeting to expose students to fields like: surgery, obstetrics, family medicine, physical therapy, podiatric medicine, social work, psychiatry, emergency medicine, nursing, epidemiology and forensics.

In addition to learning from the experts, the Post members are able to spend time with volunteer DMU graduate students who act as mentors/facilitators. These students answer questions, share their personal experiences, give tours of the medical school, and encourage the students to fulfill their aspirations in health care.

Meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month from September through April on the Des Moines University campus. Leadership opportunities abound; officers are elected and are responsible for the majority of the programming of the Post activities. Local and National Awards can also be earned. Exploring post members participate in community services activities throughout the year as a way to give back to the community."

Click here to learn more about this opportunity. Also, see Mr. Barry for more details.

The Last Lecture

Just to let you know, our 8th grade watched the very beginning of this video and the last 24 minutes or so of this video. Very inspirational with great advice. Long story short, this professor at Carnegie Mellon, Dr. Randy Pausch, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given less than 6 months to live. He gave one last lecture filled with advice on how to live your life. It hit Youtube and became one of the most watched videos in Youtube history. He then wrote a book and actually ended up living over a year with his cancer diagnosis before he passed away. His advice is a great way to start our middle school students' last year here at Carlisle Middle School. To learn more, visit this site.

To watch the video, click here: "The Last Lecture"

Two New Documentaries About Public Education Coming to a Theater Near You!

I love movies. Sadly, I have seen nearly 1,000 movies in my lifetime and even have a ranked list of my top 375 movies of all-time! I'm weird, I know. But I'm normal in the way that most people like movies and they enjoy a good movie from time to time. Lost in all the changes in theaters and movies lately (3D, high ticket prices, computer effects, computer animation, etc.) is that documentaries are getting much more entertaining and being watched by more of the public. Good documentaries about public education have been non-existent though until now. Two award-winning (what awards? Mainly the world film festivals so far) are coming out this fall. The one I am most anxious to see is called "Waiting for Superman", but I just learned of another film titled "Race to Nowhere". Both are documentaries about our public education system. Superman takes a look at the failing public education system, who is to blame, and what we can do to make it better. Race takes a look at the pressure we put on our students to get good grades and be successful while forgetting their mental health needs, their need to be a kid, and their learning along the way. I encourage you to view the trailers for these movies by clicking on their title above. But also consider having your child go with you to these films and having a good discussion about its content after the movie is done. I hope to view both when they come out and talk about their content in class as well. So....enjoy the movies this fall!

"Waiting for Superman": Opens this fall in theaters across the nation. When you visit the site, pledge to see the movie and you will be given a code where you can donate $5 to donorschoose, a site that let's you provide for schools in your area.

"Race to Nowhere": Not sure when it will be in local theaters, if at all, but I will keep checking. Might have to wait for video for this one.

Also, a good read from a famous NY Times columnist just last week. The editorial is his idea on why this movie needs to be seen!

Cell Phones in Schools? Yes, in Some Schools

For the last 3 years, I have studied and learned about many schools and their cell phones/technology policies. Many of those schools are rapidly updating those policies and some are simply throwing the "no cell phone" rule out the window and use the phones as a learning device and to actually teach students how to use phones like an adult. While these schools are few and far between, the number is growing. I read a recent article about a principal who is using a variety of new technology and allowing students and parents to do the same. In fact, he is having his school and staff embrace students with cell phones and actually having students use cell phone technology in class. Click here to read the article.

After reading the article, I am interested in the thoughts of both students and teachers. While I think the idea is a good one, I realize that we are not ready for this here at Carlisle. I think students and staff need to work together for a year or two to plan the way we look at and use cell phones in schools. I also believe this should be done at the high school level, but not at the middle school level. Maybe someday, but not yet. The schools where cell phones are used in class are almost all high schools and that is where the studies are showing they can work. I have not found any studies on middle schools yet. Bottom line is technology is changing rapidly and schools need to constantly review how we use or don't use technology and what our rules regarding technology currently states. If needed, those policies need to be studied and updated. What are your thoughts?

Apps for Educating Your Child!

Maybe the first question is: What is an "app"? Well, I didn't know until about 6 months ago when I got my first device that runs apps: an Ipod Touch. My phone is so old and basic, it can barely text, so this Ipod Touch was quite a learning experience. Anyway, it can run applications which are programs that you download and then can use to play games, help manage your life, or learn from. What I am directing you towards today, is a list of "apps" you could download to your phone, Ipod Touch, or even IPad (if you have one of those cool things!) in order to give your child a fun and interesting way to learn school material. A great site that I found over the summer is called "Moms With Apps" and the reason I like it is because this is a group of parents (moms) who test and later recommend apps that would be great for kids and for education. They also have a great deal on Fridays where you can get some of these apps for FREE! Well, today (Friday), they not only have a free app, but I also noticed that they had a list of "back to school" learning apps that they have tested and researched over the last year or so and highly recommend for you if you have children. Now, I have a 3 and 5-year old, but they love some of these apps and are very good and careful when using my ITouch. They use it better than me sometimes. I have often downloaded some of this site's apps and some of the reading and letter apps helped my 3-year old better than I did....sadly! Anyway, give this blog entry a read by clicking the link and maybe even bookmark the site so you can check in on Fridays for the FREE App of the Week! Have fun!

http://momswithapps.com/2010/08/18/a-is-for-apps-back-to-school-at-moms-with-apps/

Parents! Watch this Video to Learn to use the Carlisle Website

Parents, I have learned a new skill: Screencasts! What are Screencasts you ask? Well, a screencast is a video of a computer screen as someone controls the screen and mouse and moves from site to site while narrating what they are doing and why they are doing it. In this case, I have made a 5-minute screencast to show you how to get to the Carlisle Middle School Website and what you can do once you get there. The video takes only 5 minutes, but if you are unfamiliar with our website, I will walk and talk you through the main parts. I hope this helps! Let me know if you want to know about how to use other sites and I can make a screencast for you!

http://screenr.com/h00

School is Almost here....Are You Ready? Your Child?

Time magazine recently talked about the downside of summer vacation from school as their cover story. See the story here: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2005654,00.html

In their cover story, they talk about the "brain drain" that happens to even the best of students over the summer as it is a long time to be away from daily education and brain work. Year-round school, which is really not any more days or hours than regular school seems to be one method of fighting the evils of this brain drain. Other schools are offering summer programs, camps, and schools to help keep students learning over the summer and staying sharp. But with budgets drying up, even this is getting to be a tough option to offer. So....what do we do while we wait for the system to change or the budget to build back up? We need to get our kids ready for school as parents and now that I am a parent of a school-aged child, I see the need for this firsthand. Here are some suggestions I have seen online and/or have used myself:

1. Simply do something educational everyday. Go to the science center, play a memory or matching game, play a thinking game, talk about school and what your child will study, or go for nature walks and have your child ask you any question he/she can think of.

2. Go online and play educational games. In the age of the Internet, these games are all over and students actually kind of like them. Either google "math games for kids" or "science games for kids" or go to my other blog and search through for any entry I have made about educational games teachers can use: http://www.wildcatwebsites.blogspot.com

3. If you have a Smart phone, Ipod Touch, IPad, or something that supports "apps", download some educational apps. To be honest, this is what my kids use the most and they are only 3 and 5 years old. They love them and learn so much. Our 3-year old was really struggling with her alphabet and speaking and then we downloaded "Word World" games and now she knows all of her letters. Sadly, the technology taught her better than we could I guess!!

4. Spend the week before school getting school supplies, but also brushing up on writing, reading, and math skills...the basics. Then, as school starts, really work hard on the homework and classwork. Even though it is likely review, this is where the base gets built and this is the area that gets lost over summer. The quicker a student gets their base rebuilt, the quicker they will catch on to the new stuff and can do so much more than they thought they ever could. Have nightly conversations about all of this work and keep pushing to go and think even further.

I hope this helps. I look forward to the school year. I love my summer vacation and would miss it if we went to year-round school, but I also love the idea that students do not lose so much knowledge over summer and have to review so much at the start of the year. But, it is the system we have, so we need to spend some of our summer staying up to speed on our skills....even me!