Iowa Congressman Tom Latham invites all high school students in the 4th congressional district to the 2011 Iowa Youth Leadership Summit on April 28 from 8:15-3:30 at the Scheman Building at ISU.
The summit gives Iowa students a chance to sharpen their leadership skills, develop goals and meet other young leaders from around the state. Students will take part in a series of activities and discussions aimed at developing leadership and citizenship. The keynote speaker will be University of Iowa football coach, Kirk Ferentz (via satellite).
Registration is free, but there is a $10 charge for lunch that day. If you're interested, please see Mrs. Lee or Mrs. Heidemann in the guidance office. Students must register by April 15th.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Parenting Children with Difficult Behavior Seminar Series. And it's FREE!
Parents: Heads up on an upcoming class that is FREE!!!
If you want more details, please email me or call, but here are the basics. Sounds like a good deal and not too much of a time commitment.
What is it?: This class series is designed for parents of children (ages 5-12) who are diagnosed with ADHD and/or other behavioral disorders and for parents who are having challenges managing their children's behavior. You will receive concrete strategies for dealing with behavioral challenges in your children. Come, listen, and share! CHILDCARE AND SNACKS ARE PROVIDED!
Where is it?: Family Enrichment Center, 2309 Euclid Ave., Des Moines, IA
When is it?: 5:30-7:00 p.m. on 12 Tuesday evenings from March 22nd to June 7th. So, it starts VERY soon! It is highly recommended that you attend ALL sessions in order to increase the success of the strategies presented.
Space is limited, so call today for more information or to get signed up. Call Child Abuse Prevention Council at 515-725-3682. If you have other questions, you can also contact me through email or phone at the school. (Even though it is Spring Break, I am still checking my messages)
Cybersafety and Cyberbullying
First off, here are some tips the group had on keeping your kids safe on the Internet. I have summarized and paraphrased in order to keep the information short and sweet!
*Be computer literate and know what websites your children are visiting. Visit these sites and look around to see if they are appropriate and safe.
*Be willing to restrict access to certain sites, chat rooms, etc. Your internet provider can help you with how to do this. You want your children to be independent and free, but you are still the parent and need to set boundaries. As they grow and mature, some of these sites may become more appropriate.
*Set up guidelines for time on the Internet and where they go. Make a sign as a reminder and post this near the computer or in their room.
*Open lines of discussion early so that kids know they can come to you if they get messages, emails, chat messages, etc. that make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Help your children understand how good some people are at tricky young people into thinking they are someone different or have only good intentions.
*Keep the computer in a high traffic area of the house. This includes the Ipod, tablet PC, cell phone, or anything else that has the internet on it.
*Make sure you know what personal information your child is sharing online and where this information goes. If someone solicits or contacts your child unwantedly, get the police involved.
*And watch for Cyberbullying that may be occurring. Monitor your child's social networks, chatrooms, or IMs. This is where a bully or bullies like to attack. Speaking of Cyberbullying....
So, if you liked those tips, here are more tips and ideas, this time in the area of preventing Cyberbullying.
(But if you are unfamiliar with what Cyberbullying is and why it is so different and so much worse than bullying when we were all in school, please visit an earlier post by me found HERE. Also, you can click on the tag "bullying" at the end of this post and you will get all of my previous posts about bullying on one page)
*Cyberbullying is when a child is threatened harrassed, humiliated, or targeted by another person(s) through the use of internet or technology.
*Victims often have lower self-esteem, feel scared/angry/and depressed, increased anxiety often affects their school work and performance, and can lead to mental health problems.
*Cyberbullies act for the normal bully reasons: anger, frustration, revenge, power. But they also use the cyberbully method because they are online and bored, looking for a reaction, and can many times quickly erase some of their evidence.
*40% of kids have been victims of cyberbullying and cyberbullying typically begins around the middle school years and can continue into the child's college years. Talking with your child before middle school begins and before they start social networking sites or surfing the net can only help.
*Simply ask your child if they know what cyberbullying is and if they feel they have ever been a victim.
*Many people who get bullied will turn and cyberbully another as size and looks don't matter. Talk with your child about online expectations and what is not accepted. Use the old "what if you were them, how would you feel" method. This simple method works most of the time.
*If your child is being cyberbullied, DO NOT immediately take away all electronics and online capabilities of your child. If you do this, you have punished the victim. Have the child "Stop, block, and delete" anything from the bully. Print any evidence before you do this. And as tempting as it sometimes is....do not respond to the bully, nor have your child respond. Responding negatively is the equivalent of fighting back and then both kids could get in trouble.
*So if you don't respond back and your child stays online, what do you do? If it worsens or continues beyond a one-time event, report to school, bully's parent, authorities, etc. Sometimes, students think if it happens outside of school then it is not a school issue and they cannot be punished. Well....if the victim starts skipping school or grades drop due to the constant online bullying, then it becomes a school issue. Many times talking with the school, the counselor, or the bully's parents can help solve the situation. If it doesn't, the police/authorities are the best place to turn to for help.
Hopefully, these tips and ideas have helped you learn more about what to do as your child grows up "online". If you have further questions, please visit these sites or contact me. Thank you!
And thanks again to Prevent Child Abuse, North Carolina for much of this information!
Powerpoint for Today's Teen Trials!
Parents and students....listen up! Many of you may have heard about the great night several parents and students had at Carlisle High School on March 3rd, 2011. That was the night where many from our district enjoyed a free sub sandwich meal before a great 90 minutes of information, speakers, and conversation about drugs and alcohol in our community and what we can all do to fight this battle. While the night presented a variety of speakers and information and you truly did have to be there to understand and appreciate the whole event, Mike Wenger has given me permission to publish his powerpoint, the same powerpoint he presented that night, in my blog. Although you can't view the 2 videos (you might be able to search them on Youtube), the information in the slides is wonderful....and scary. I recommend viewing the powerpoint with your children as well as we are hopeful that this powerpoint and our March 3rd event will start the conversation at home, with the family, and then spread through the community. And with this conversation spreading, our community can win the battle against drug and alcohol experimentation, use, and abuse. Thank you and please see the powerpoint below!
Carlisle teen trials
View more presentations from Benjamin Barry.
Friday, March 4, 2011
ACT prep
ACT Prep
Are you a junior looking at attending a 4 year college right after high school? Are you planning on taking the ACT in April or June? ACT Prep can help you get ready! We will have review sessions at the high school from 3:30-5:30 on March 22 (overview), 24 (English/Math), 28 (Reading/Science) and April 6 (pick your area).
It only costs $10 to attend all four nights, but you need to register with the guidance office by Thursday, March 10th. See you there!
Some other helpful sites for preparing for the ACT are:
http://www.march2success.com/
http://www.number2.com/
http://www.ihaveaplaniowa.gov/
These all have ACT practice tests and the best part is that they are FREE and available anytime!
Are you a junior looking at attending a 4 year college right after high school? Are you planning on taking the ACT in April or June? ACT Prep can help you get ready! We will have review sessions at the high school from 3:30-5:30 on March 22 (overview), 24 (English/Math), 28 (Reading/Science) and April 6 (pick your area).
It only costs $10 to attend all four nights, but you need to register with the guidance office by Thursday, March 10th. See you there!
Some other helpful sites for preparing for the ACT are:
http://www.march2success.com/
http://www.number2.com/
http://www.ihaveaplaniowa.gov/
These all have ACT practice tests and the best part is that they are FREE and available anytime!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
College Planning Night
Attention all Junior Parents!! Attend College Planning Night
College Planning Night gives juniors and their parents an opportunity to get a jump start on the college planning process. A representative from the Iowa College Access Network(ICAN) will be here to discuss the following topics: preparing for college, what to consider when choosing a college, campus visits, scholarship scams, and an overview of financial aid.
We'll be meeting at 6:30 in the HS Auditorium Tuesday, March 8th (during conferences). Bring lots of questions! We look forward to seeing you there!
College Planning Night gives juniors and their parents an opportunity to get a jump start on the college planning process. A representative from the Iowa College Access Network(ICAN) will be here to discuss the following topics: preparing for college, what to consider when choosing a college, campus visits, scholarship scams, and an overview of financial aid.
We'll be meeting at 6:30 in the HS Auditorium Tuesday, March 8th (during conferences). Bring lots of questions! We look forward to seeing you there!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Teen Trials Event: If you are a Parent, This Event is a Must!
Carlisle is hosting a very important night for our community, our families, our community, and most importantly our teens. It is called Today's Teen Trials and will give parents and students the latest information on drug and alcohol use, strategies to avoid these and help others avoid these, and give all of us a chance to hear from a powerful group of panelists. And it gets better! Everyone in attendance can come a little early and get a free meal from FISS. Plus, if you have small children, they can take advantage of our free day care that our own FCS teacher Katie Petty, her students, and the JEL/SADD group will be helping to provide. This is a night that is perfect for families and will be well worth your time. I cannot stress the importance of this event enough. As a counselor, I get scared seeing how quickly times are changing and how counselors, teachers, and parents are struggling to keep up with it all, let alone know how to help our students and children get through it all. We all need a little help or at least some accurate information. This one-night session will do just that. Please join me for this night where we begin to work together to help our kids grow up to be role models and help others fight off bad decisions.
Here are the details you need:
When: March 3, 2011. 5:30-6:30 is a free dinner, 6:30-8:00 is the speaker, panels, etc.
Where: Carlisle High School Commons/Auditorium. Some local vendors who have an interest in the topics will also have some informational booths set up.
What: 90 minutes of some powerful information to help our teens avoid bad drug and alcohol decisions. Some great guest speakers and panelists will be there to answer your questions and help you with your concerns.
Extras: Free dinner! Free childcare!!
How to register:
Go to this site by clicking here!!
Register!
If this doesn't work, email Jen Yates at jen.yates@carlisle.k12.ia.us
Monday, February 14, 2011
February: Biztown, Snack-N-Study Thursdays, Conferences, Oh My!
Parents of 6th graders....heads up! February is very busy for us and possibly for you as well. Here is a rundown of some things going on.
Parent/Teacher (and students?) conferences: Conferences start this week at the middle school. They are from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, February 17th. We will have a 2nd night of conferences on Monday, February 21st from 4-8 p.m. as well. We invite you to bring your child along as they can learn a lot from listening to what the teachers have to say. I will use my conference time to give you some JA Biztown updates.
Snack-N-Study Thursdays: Back by popular demand is Snack-N-Study Thursdays for 6th graders. This is geared for students who struggle to keep up with the homework, have low grades, or have failed a subject in a prior quarter. We began last week with 2 students and will not have it this week because of conferences. But starting Feb. 24th, we will meet every Thursday after school from 3:15-3:45 for the rest of the year. What is it? Well, it is an after school study hall run by me where I help students get organized, do their homework, and plan to raise their grades. We do some grade goal setting as well. We call it Snack-N-Study because I provide a snack and drink each and every Thursday. If interested, you can contact me by email or phone to learn more. I limit the numbers as I want to keep it as a good study atmosphere, but I am willing to take any student that has high interest in this idea, might be looking to get more involved, and/or has low grades or missing assignments. I also take teacher recommendations.
JA Biztown: The trip is still on for April 7th and 8th, but we need many more volunteers for April 8th. We are full for April 7th. If you want to know which day your child goes, just ask them...they should know. If they are going on April 8th, we could use your help as a parent volunteer. You will go the same day as your child but work in a different business. This is a great experience for kids and parents and I usually here more excitement from parents after the trip when compared to the kids...and that is saying a lot. Contact me if interested.
By the way....congratulations to our 2 Mayors and 2 Judges elected by their classmates for the JA Biztown field trip. Travis Johnston will be Mayor and Kaleb Reed will be Judge for our April 7th field trip. JJ Orput will be Mayor and Tif Piper will be Judge for our April 8th field trip. We also have over 25 students who applied for a CEO position and received it and are now managing their own business and employees everyday in class. These current and future leaders are doing great and having lots of fun!
4-Year Plans do March 1st (But please, bring them earlier!)
Students and parents, just a reminder that the 4-year plan written on that green paper is due to the middle school by March 1st. But that is the day students enter their 9th grade schedule online, so that is the latest possible due date. I am advising students to bring completed 4-year plans to me by Feb 18th, or Feb. 25th at the latest. A completed plan has all 8 semesters completely filled out, the credits counted, and the credits must add up to 47 or more. If it does not meet these requirements, it is not finished. The paper copy will stay with the school, but in the meantime, students will enter every class listed on that paper plan into a computer website known as IHaveAPlanIowa. By putting a qualifying plan (47 or more credits, all requirements met) online, we will have complied with a state law stating all 8th graders must have a 4-year plan to graduate before they enter high school. We are going to enter our plans starting sometime around February 25th and finishing before Spring Break.
What if you missed the orientation night last week? Well, you missed a ton, but I will try to catch you up. I can meet with parents if they want to, but I will also be meeting with students in small groups during their study hall to try to catch them up to speed. Here are some resources that can help you.....
Interviews: What to do....and NOT to do!
After interviewing all 150+ of our 6th graders over the last 2 weeks, the interview volunteers were amazed at how well our 6th graders did and the skills they had. When asked how they prepared, I said they just spent a day brainstorming what a person should do and not do in an interview. They also watched a video of me doing a good interview and a "not-so-good" interview. They thought the poor interview was pretty funny and told me to quit my day job and get into acting. I'm not going to do that, but I will share with you some of the main items on their "Do" and "Don't" lists when it comes to interview skills.
"Do" in an interview:
1. Dress for Success: Guys...wear a suit and tie. No questions asked. Anything less and you are risking losing the interview before you speak. I got a job at Hy-Vee just because I wore a suit. The interviewer said he would still ask me questions, but the way I dressed told him I was going to work well for Hy-Vee. Girls...dress as nice as possible but stay conservative on the colors, what you cover, and your perfumes. Nothing too wild, too revealing, or too overpowering (perfume). There is no penalty for overdressing, but the penalty for going casual is likely losing out on the job.
2. Firm handshake, good eye contact, sit tall: Start and finish an interview with a good firm handshake. Practice this lots! You do not want to break their hand by being too firm, but you definitely do not want a "dead fish" handshake that is too light. That is an interview-killer. After the handshake, the eye contact becomes very important. You do not have to stare at the interviewer(s), but make solid eye contact all the way through, especially when you are answering their questions. And have good posture by sitting tall (did you know taller people get better jobs and higher pay??!). You may even lean forward slightly as this shows interest.
3. Sweat: Wait, you should sweat? Well, technically, yes. We are humans and we sweat. And we sweat more when we are nervous. But, the reason I am listing it the and the reasons students put it on the list, is that we can minimize it. Shower just before you go to the interview and wear good deodorant/antiperspirant. Don't wear one that has a strong odor though as that could distract the interviewer and be worse than the sweat. Also, a favorite tip of mine, put a Kleenex in your pocket and have your hand "drying off" in your pocket just before you shake hands. No one likes a sweaty handshake, so this is a way to avoid that awkward greeting.
4. Speak clearly, loudly, use good grammar: When you make good eye contact, the first two should take care of themselves. When you look at the interviewer, your voice will be louder and clearer than when you look down or to the side. The interviewer will be able to put words to your lip movements and your voice will be projected directly towards them. And use grammar that shows your intelligence. We are what we speak, so do not use slang or mean terms like dumb, stupid, or idiot. Try to use a high vocabulary, but do not stretch your vocabulary and use words you do not fully understand. Also, pause just before you speak and think of your answer. This will help your avoid pauses during your answer, avoid extra "ums", and will make you seem more confident.
Good tips huh? Thanks to the 6th graders for these. Now, what should you NOT do?
1. Dress Casual: As mentioned above, this is a interview stopper. If you come in dressed too casual, the interviewer will note that and the rest of the interview will go downhill from there.
2. Lots of movement: You can talk with your hands and be expressive, but do not have wild hand motions while you speak. Also, do not tap your hands or do repetitive hand motions. My tip is to keep your hands clasped together to avoid this. Do not shift in your chair throughout the interview. The interview will not be long, so find a comfortable spot and stay still.
3. Do not be rude: Even if you disagree with the interviewer or you realize you are not interested in the job early in the interview, stay positive and be polite. The person interviewing you is likely a boss or in charge of hiring people. They talk to other bosses or people in charge of hiring for other companies. A good interview may not get you this job, but by being polite and interviewing well could get you the next job if the interviewer recommends you to other businesses hiring.
4. Do not do disgusting stuff: Middle school kids loved this idea. They said no nose-picking, passing gas, or burping. Yes, of course, you should not do these things. But also do not say disgusting stuff, do not sniffle, bite your fingernails, OR CHEW GUM! These can also be distracting and put the interviewer off.
5. Chew gum. Did you see that above? Do not chew gum!! If you want fresh breath, have a mint just before you interview. If you forget to spit out your gum and the interview has just started, swallow it. Do not take it out and put it in the trash....swallow it!
6. Do not leave right after the last question. What I mean, is you need to do 2 things: Ask a few questions and give another firm handshake. An interview is a lot like a date and if you are interested in the other person at the end of a date, you ask if you can see him/her again. This shows you enjoyed the date and have interest in more meetings. With a job interview, if you have interest, you need to show it and you show it at the end of an interview by asking questions. Even if they are simple and you know the answers already, ask them. I asked questions like "how many students are in the high school", "what science classes do you offer", and "what is the growth outlook of the community" when I interviewed for my first Carlisle school job. I knew most of these because I looked them up online before the interview, but I still wanted to know if the person interviewing me knew the answers and I wanted to show that I was interested in the job. When that is done, a firm handshake and a thank you and you are out the door. For bonus points, drop a thank you note in the mailbox before the mail goes out that day. A thank you note delivered the next day clinched that first Carlisle job for me I was told.
7. Cell phones on: Turn these off or turn them on silent. At worst, turn them on vibrate. The interview will be 20 minutes or less most times, so you can "go dark" for 20 minutes I would hope. If the interview is going to be long or you really might need to have the phone on for some reason, ask permission from the interviewer to have your phone on vibrate during the interview because you are expecting an "important family call" possibly. They should be okay with this, but again, I would just turn the phone off. It is simple and sometimes we just need to get away from all of this technology for a little while.
There you have it, the things you should do and not do during an interview. Thank you to my 6th graders for these ideas. Trust me, there were many more, but I can only type so much. Hopefully, these tips will benefit both teens and adults who might be interviewing soon. In a tough job market, we all need every tip and edge we can get!
JA Biztown Interviews a Success!
First off, a big thank you to the following people who helped interview over 150 6th grade students. Each interview was about 5-7 minutes and students commented how "easy" it was. The volunteers were impressed with the 6th grader's maturity and interview skills. Hopefully, this experience will pay off in the next couple years as most of these students will be interviewing for their first part-time jobs. Look for a future post about what students decided were the "Do's" and "Don'ts" of a good interview.
But again, thank you to these people for helping with this year's interviews:
Dr. Keri Schlueter, principal
Andy Seiler, Dean of students
Leah Heidemann, HS counselor
Mrs. Caulkins, student teacher
Traci Lee, HS counselor
Tim Barry
Trudy Barry
Reagan Barry
Kristen Wilson
Hillary Harrison
Bobbi Jo Zeller
Peggy Wright
Ann Evans
Trevor Ahartz
Sarah Wyckoff
Tracy JohnstonPublish Post
Kelly Wyckoff
Patti Isley
Beth VanZante
Regina Overton
Jackie Garrett
Cassandra Halls
David Murry
James Slaughter
Lori Candee
Laura Baumgartner
THANK YOU!!!
Top Charities Researched (and Worst Charities)
Awhile back, our 8th graders took some class time to research charities. In this day and age, it is not enough just to give and enjoy the feeling of giving, many times we need to make sure the money we are giving is actually going to the cause we want it to go to. Believe it or not, not all charities are equal. Some take your money and use it wisely, others spend it all on advertising, fundraising, and salaries of their workers. Our students researched a charity of their choice on one of the following two sites:
They did lots of research by finding key information. Now, it is my turn. I am going to post the best and worst charities that they researched and provide you links to their charity navigator score. This score ranges from 0-70 with scores in the 50s being the sign of a good charity and scores in the 60s the sign of a great charity. Scores below 45 means the charity has some issues. One of the main ways a charity is rated is based on the percent they give to programming, or the "cause" of the charity. You would like this number to be above 75%, meaning $75 out of every $100 you give them goes to the cause. Closer to 100%, the better! Many other factors go into Charity Navigator's scores and their scores change often, so check back to see if our list has changed. Without further ado, here is this year's list....
Top Charities we researched:
Here a few other charities that did not get great scores, but give over 90% of your donation right back to the cause you were supporting:
Marines Toys for Tots: 97% goes to programming costs (the cause)
American Red Cross: 92% goes to programming costs
Africare: 92% goes to programming costs
Now, on to the worst charities we researched. Don't be confused though, these charities didn't score well, but that does not mean they are worthy charities, just that you can likely find better charities that do the same thing. Many charities are not even reviewed by this site as they do not even make the grade to get reviewed or are too small. So, to be on this site is at least a step in the right direction. However, the first charity listed definitely has some major concerns and I would not recommend it. After that, I just encourage you to really research the charity before you give. Here are the lowest rated charities we researched....
1. Youth Development Fund: 2.5 (over 80% of your donation goes to more fundraising. Very little goes to the actual cause!)
There you have it, our research 2010-11! Please visit the charity research sites the next time you are looking to donate some of your time, talents, or money.
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