Matt Stutzman Shows Carlisle Middle School Students That No Obstacles are Too Big to Overcome

  Matt Stutzman....what a great and uplifting speaker for our kids to hear from today. He spoke to the kids, showed off some of his archery (and basketball!) skills, and answered lots of questions over the course of 45 minutes today in front of the entire staff and student body. His message of never giving up, never letting others tell you that you can't do something, and challenging yourself to be the best at something in life was an uplifting message that impressed us all. Although archery is what he is known for, he has accomplished so much more in life. He soon will be competing in the ParaOlympics in London. Why? Oh, because he has accomplished all of these goals even though he was born with no arms. He even taught himself to drive a regular car and continues to teach himself to do things everyday. He never backs down from a challenge and even let us know that he recently finished in the top 20 in a World Archery contest....against "able-bodied" archers!! He plans on shooting for and winning the gold in this year's ParaOlympics and promised to bring back the gold medal for all of us to see. Thank you to Matt Stutzman for your talk today and being an inspiration to us all. Please check out 2 great videos of his unique skill below (yes, the first one proves he is a World Record Holder!)

How are college admission decisions like the Hunger Games?

Every so often, we're able to make some great connections between things that kids love (like the Hunger Games series) and real life. Here's a link that compares admission decisions and the Reaping: http://www.studentadvisor.com/pages/7-lessons-the-hunger-games-can-teach-you-about-college-admissions?goback=%2Egde_121084_member_103279474

It's got some great tips about admissions, be sure to check it out!

JA Biztown Parent Survey (For Parent Volunteers Only!)

2012 Stars for Tomorrow Scholarship for 8th Graders

**Note....I cheated a little here and just copy and pasted my post from April 2011, but the information is good for this year. I have talked to the 8th grade class about this scholarship and about 10 people have taken the material to work on it. If you think your child would be a good candidate, have them pick up the materials as well. Due date is May 4th!!!***


Parents and students, heads up for a scholarship/award possibility: Stars for Tomorrow Applications are available for Carlisle 8th graders only and are due by May 4th. The Carlisle Alumni Association is sponsoring this opportunity and is awarding a $100 Savings Bond for the winning student(s). So, what do students have to do?? Not much really. Here is all they have to do:

1. Fill out name, address, etc. on application.

2. Type six short paragraphs on how he/she shows each of the six character traits that make up the six Pillars of Character Counts (respect, trustworthy, etc.)

3. Hand 2 reference forms to 2 adults they are not related to. These adults will rate the student in the 6 character areas and fold this form up and hand it back to the student.

4. Mail all of these materials to the address on the application and DONE!

Pretty simple right? And the student can earn some nice money in return, not to mention an honor and some acknowledgement of their high character. If you have questions about this opportunity, please call Ben Barry (989-5413) or email Ben at ben.barry@carlisle.k12.ia.us Thank you and good luck!

April is "Child Abuse Prevention Month"

   Just a quick blog post letting everyone know that April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. There has been a lot of national media coverage on recent high profile child abuse, especially cases that are sexual in nature. But that is only one type of child abuse. Child abuse could be neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, or even verbal abuse. As a counselor, I think psychological and verbal abuse seems to sometimes be the most damaging and is the type of abuse I see the most often. No matter what type of abuse we are talking about, as adults and even as kids, we must all work together to stop this abuse and help the kids. We must also help educate and communicate with the abuser so that future abuse does not occur and the abuser can learn to cope with their anger, hurt, sadness, and any other issues using safer and healthier methods. For more information on National Child Abuse Month, please visit the National Child Abuse Prevention Month website by clicking here!

Here are some other links you can click:

Wide variety of "Tip Sheets" for Parents, Educators, Caregivers

Wide variety of information about Child Abuse and Neglect

Some powerful and eye-opening stats when it comes to Child Abuse

New Bully Movie Now "Unrated", Plus Des Moines Register Cover Story

   Here is more information on the new documentary movie called "Bully" that was released in a few cities to rave reviews over the weekend. It appears it will not get to Des Moines theaters until mid-April or the first part of May. Fleur Cinema is likely to carry it (that is where I plan to see it!) and AMC theater chains have vowed to carry it as well. The real question will be how schools around the country react to it, the controversy, and whether they will include the movie into any Anti-Bullying curriculum they have. Our own local Des Moines Register ran a feature story on the movie, the Iowa ties to the movie, and the rating controversy. Please click on the several links below to learn more about this important movie.

Des Moines Register Cover Story on the movie "Bully"

Collider.com's update on the rating change and the support being the movie

Rottentomatoes updated collection of reviews for the movie (hint: 38 positive, 3 negative)

CommonSenseMedia.org's updated review (says age 12-14 use caution, above that OK)

New Study Shows Middle School Teachers Could be Key in Helping Students Avoid Alcohol

    This information might be just as good for our middle school staff as it is for our parents. I found it pretty interesting and uplifting anyway. A new study just released shows that if students feel emotionally connected or supported with middle school teachers, the length of time until they take their first drink is extended. This means 6th, 7th, and 8th graders start drinking later in life if they feel they have a middle school teacher they can talk to or go to if they need help. There is more information in this article showing that kids who have a higher separation anxiety from their parents also wait longer before trying their first drink. Click and read the article to read about the study and information more.

Partnership for a Drug-Free America article click here

High School Teacher Jill Hathaway Launches Her Book "Slide" Worldwide!

  Since my blog posts today seems to be media focused (books and movies), here is one more very special book debuting this month right here in Iowa and all over the world. Our very own Jill Hathaway, a literacy teacher at the high school, has had her Teen Fiction novel published and it is getting great reviews. In speaking with Jill, she wasn't so sure this book was age appropriate for our young middle school kids, but thought 14 and up might be a good age range for her target readers. CommonSenseMedia.org has not reviewed it yet as they do not review a lot of books, but many other sites and reviewers have. In fact, just today the teen magazine "Seventeen" published an online review of her book. You can read it here!

   Mrs. Hathaway will be at the West Des Moines Barnes and Noble on March 31st from 2-4 p.m. for her book launch. You can read about the details here! on the Barnes and Noble website of events.

   I am so excited for Mrs. Hathaway as I know she worked very hard for this, all while balancing her growing family and her job as an educator. Carlisle is honored to have her working with our students every day, many of them hoping to be published authors themselves. Now they get to watch a teacher of theirs reach her dreams and go through the process and continue to inspire teens she comes into contact with to do the same. Congrats Jill and I am looking forward to your book launch and all the success that comes with it. Parents and teens who read this blog....look for "Slide" on your local bookshelf and give it a read and enjoy the ride!

6th Grade Goes to JA Biztown Next Week

   If you are a parent of a 6th grader at Carlisle, heads up! We are going on our JA Biztown field trip next Thursday and/or Friday. Half of the class will go Thursday and half will go Friday. If your child HAS NOT HAD YOU SIGN A PERMISSION SLIP YET, PLEASE EMAIL ME (ben.barry@carlisle.k12.ia.us) as these are past due! Here is a schedule of our field trip day (each day will have the same schedule and material missed from CORE classes due to being gone from the field trip will be taught each day so no child really misses any CORE instruction).

***Note: Students will need a sack lunch on the day they go to JA Biztown, but no drink is needed. JA Biztown asks that students purchase their drink with part of their Biztown paycheck so they can experience the process of sometimes needing to buy your lunch or drink while on the job***

8:10: School day starts, students report to 1st period
8:25: Students going on field trip use restroom and report to Commons to board bus
8:35: Bus departs for JA Biztown (61st and Grand Ave)
2:00: Bus departs for Carlisle Middle School, field trip experience done
2:25: Bus arrives back at Carlisle Middle School
2:25-3:10: Students report to 1 of 4 classrooms to meet with a Biztown teacher volunteer and finish the day doing some reflection and some thank you note writing.
3:10: Students head home for the day.

There will be NO Snack and Study this week due to the JA Biztown trips....Mr. Barry will be wiped out! It should be a great field trip and a great experience. Be sure to quiz your child on how their day went, what they learned, what went well, and talk to them about your job and workday and the biggest difference: when you return from your job at the end of the day, your job as a parent starts! For most of these kids, they will also be tired and wiped out and will find it amazing that you feel the same way, but can't just lay on the couch and wait for dinner like they might choose to do! If nothing else, it should open the students' eyes about what it takes to truly be an adult for a day. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me. Thank you!

Also, CommonSenseMedia.Org Reviews Another New Movie: "Bully"

And while some of you are visiting CommonSenseMedia.org, another movie review to check out is the new movie titled "Bully". This movie has been in the news alot because it is a very real documentary geared for kids in school. But, the movie is so real, it received an "R" rating and despite appeals, the rating has stuck. Therefore, many schools are not showing the movie to kids even though the director had hoped that this movie would be seen in schools everywhere. I found it interesting that the movie was listed as a similar age range as The Hunger Games, age 12-14 with caution, 16 and up okay. Language is the key issue as the hurtful words are pretty blunt. But the comments from parents and kids seem to look past those issues and say the movie is too important to not been seen by kids. Please click on the link below to read the CommonSenseMedia review and the 2nd link to see what reviews the movie is getting from critics across the country (hint....5 reviews are in and ALL are positive). Again, these reviews might be helpful if you decide to let your child watch it or even if you as a parent watch it. I plan to watch it to better educate myself on the topic of bullying and to see what all the fuss about this movie is about.

CommonSenseMedia.org review of "Bully"

RottenTomatoes collection of reviews of "Bully"

Hunger Games Movie Review by CommonSenseMedia.Org

   If you haven't used CommonSenseMedia.org to research a movie, a TV show, an app, or a video game, or even a book, you really should give it a try. I have blogged about this site before, but long story short, Commonsensemedia.org is a website that reviews anything pop culture and the reviews are by experts, educators, parents, and kids. Combining all of this knowledge, they give you a more accurate idea of what age the media is appropriate for. Not only that, but my favorite part is they talk about both the positive and negatives that piece of media (such as Hunger Games movie) contains and they give you some talking points and questions you could discuss with your children should you decide to let them watch the movie, play the game, or read the book. In other words, it understands that kids may be exposed to some material that is not 100% positive, but it makes a point of involving the family and some discussion to process what was just watched, read, etc.

  With all that said, they just released their review of the Hunger Games movie. The movie has been talked about non-stop at our middle school and middle schools around the country. But even adults are talking about this book and this movie. I have not read the book, but I have heard it is great and a book that teens and adults both love. But the premise of the book and movie, teens fighting to the death via a futuristic reality show does cause some concern for parents. I thought the review and some of the comments on CommonSenseMedia.org did a good job of explaining all of this. The age they say could watch the movie is no younger than 12 or 13 and is actually more appropriate for 16 and up. Please click on the review below to learn more. Many kids age 11-13 are likely going to see it, but at least after reading the review and comments, you as parents can be prepared for some discussion questions and some method of helping your child process what they just saw.

And as the kids would say, "Happy Hunger Games"

CommonSenseMedia.org

Hunger Games review on CommonSenseMedia.org

Final Quarter Begins!

   The final quarter of the school year begins and it is a 9-week quarter with no days off, so it will go quickly. Grades for the 3rd quarter are due early next week so that report cards can be sent out by mid-week. The 4th quarter can be challenging as the work is likely at its toughest level of the year and the fact the weather gets warmer and the days count down to summer. This means students may start to lose focus, especially our 8th graders who will be thinking about high school already. The ironic part is that this quarter is the most important as it really tells a lot about a student and a person when you look at how they finish. Teachers will be engaging students and helping them work on key projects and assignments down the stretch and hopefully you can help them stay focused at home too. Remember to check the online grades often and contact their classroom teachers at the first sign of problems. When you catch a problem early and especially by May, it is much easier to solve. With all of this said, I hope you all have a great final weekend of Spring Break and look forward to seeing all of the students back this next week.