Revisiting CommonSenseMedia.Org for the School Year

   If you are new to this blog, you may not have heard about CommonSenseMedia.org before. If not, you need to check it out. As a parent and as a counselor, I love it. The basic premise of the site is to review all forms of media (books, TV shows, movies, games, etc.) specifically to show what images, messages, and ideas might be communicated to your child if he/she watches or consumes that form of media. It is very specific and gives age recommendations for each media title. But even if you do choose to still let your child watch or read something that this site says might not be appropriate, it gives you some guiding questions to help your child make sense of what they just saw or read. So, the makers and contributors of this site (parents and kids/teens), understand that you cannot always control what your child consumes in the forms of media, but you can at least follow up with them and debrief so that the correct messages are sent and the child can see why it may or may not be appropriate or like/unlike the real world. I have placed several links below to help you explore CommonSenseMedia.org even more. Bookmark the website and use it as your growing teen may want to start seeing more adult movies, TV shows, or read more adult books or play more adult games.

(*Of note....there is a movement out there wanting the movie ratings system to be more like this website instead of their simple letter rating as parents and kids would know more about what they are going to view with this type of rating)

CommonSenseMedia.Org website click here. Also, towards the bottom of the page, they have a just released survey of teens and social media. Interesting information.

Past blog posts of mine about CommonSenseMedia.org:

   50+ Summer Activities by CommonSenseMedia.org click here!

  Blogpost I wrote to introduce parents to CommonSenseMedia. I included several current reviews at the time of shows students were telling me about. On some of them....YIKES!

  And of course, a blogpost specifically about the Hunger Games movie. Since it is now out on DVD, this is pretty timely again.

IPad Apps for Students on the Autism Spectrum or for Students With Learning Disabilities.

   I have placed a link to a blog post by the blog "Emerging EdTech" at the bottom of this post. The post is has some great information about using IPads with students with learning disabilities, especially in the areas of PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) or Autism/Aspergers. IPads or similar devices can be great tools in the areas of education, learning, and communicating with students who may struggle otherwise. Having resources like this blog post contains is always helpful. I have also placed a link to a 60 Minutes story about using "Apps for Autism". The blog "Free Technology for Teachers" is where I found that link, but I know many parents in our area watched that episode of 60 minutes. Great to watch it again though. Enjoy the resources!

Emerging EdTech Apps for Autism resources click here

60 Minutes Apps for Autism video on Free Technology for Teachers click here

Infographic Showing Our World if Just 100 People...

  I see these infographics and videos every year that take the world averages and numbers and boil them down to the idea of  "what if we were just a world of 100 people?" This infographic has all sorts of interesting information that will make you think and lead to discussions. I think you can make it bigger by clicking on it too.

Browse more infographics.

Positive Attitude is Everything: The Video I Started My Year With

    Got lots of rave reviews from students this year on the video I started all of my 6th and 8th grade classes off with. Even a few parents emailed to say that their child showed them and they loved it to. I have embedded it below so everyone can enjoy it (or enjoy it again?). I have seen this video over 30+ times now over the last two years and the message gets to me every time. In middle school and in adult life, we have to learn to laugh at ourselves and what life offers. And we need to view life through a positive lens. Life is not always good, but how we perceive these things determines the outcome. Those who perceive it negatively will likely get a negative outcome. Those who look at the bright side, might find that the event is not so bad and might even find some good that can come from it. My students have learned very quickly that my main focus is living life with a positive focus. I don't see any reason to be negative....no good comes from it. So I am hoping that rubs off on my students this year. If not, as Sam Glenn says, I might just fall on you! (See video to understand what that means!!)

Tony Danza's New Book About His Year of Teaching: Has Advice for Parents

   If you are like me, you grew up watching "Who's The Boss" starring an up and coming actor named Tony Danza. What a great show! Over time, Tony Danza got lost in the new up-and-coming stars, but the name is still familiar. His name resurfaced a year or two ago with his experiment of being a teacher for a year. A real teacher in a real school. It became quite a reality show and one that I found interesting to watch. Now, he has a book coming out about his year of teaching and has all sorts of advice for all sorts of people. In this USA Today article, he has some advice for parents. As a parent of four kids myself, I agree with his advice. And as a counselor, I LOVE HIS ADVICE! Life has become very busy and very packed over the last two to three decades and we have lost some of this parental involvement. Our kids have cell phones now, so we all feel we can drop them off at their events and have them call us when they are done. That is our form of involvement. And we have email where we can just email the adults in our kids' lives and that saves time. But this article made me take a step back and realize that involvement in my own kids' lives means I really need to be involved, not just when it is convenient for me. Anyway, on a day when most of us have a day off from our busy world and are likely spending it with family, today might be the day to re-commit to getting involved in our childrens' lives. Happy Labor Day to everyone!

Read a great Tony Danza article here and note that his book comes out on Sept. 11th, 2012.

Mr. Barry's Minute Meetings This Week!

Mr. Barry has taken on the challenge to meet with all 174 6th graders individually for 1 minute this first week of school. He will be asking students 4 questions and getting some class data by putting it into the survey below. Hopefully, by meeting Mr. Barry 1-on-1, Mr. Barry will learn more about each student and each student will know who the school counselor is and that the student can talk to Mr. Barry at anytime about anything. Please do not answer the survey questions below as the survey is active and the results should only be due to the 6th graders answers. Thank you!

Great Interactive Slideshow Showing Poverty Levels in the U.S.

   Please take a moment to click on this link and click through the 6 slides this website has about Poverty in our country. Many of the slides are interactive where you can learn more by hovering over certain parts. Really makes you think about the poverty in our country and how large of an issue it truly is. The part that really got to me was seeing how children in poverty really make up the biggest population of Americans currently below the poverty level. People are below the poverty level for a variety of reasons, but one reason that jumps out in these slides is education. The less education a person has, the more likely they are to be below the poverty line. Whatever the reason, we need people to help lift people out of poverty, especially the children. At Carlisle, our counselors are always looking for resources for families in need. So, if you are a family in need or find yourself at some point during this year in crisis and in need of something, please contact us. Call, email, come in to see us, whatever, just let us know what you need and we can see if we can track down the resources to help. Also pay attention to updates throughout the year for clothing drives, shoes and boots that fit programs, Operation Backpack, supply drives, and many other programs we help to offer. And again, please take a look at the website below to see the most current data. Thank you!

Poverty Data click here!

Big Cats/Little Cats Carlisle Mentoring Program WANTS YOU!

   We are entering our 3rd year of a program our counseling team calls "Big Cats, Little Cats". It is our in-house mentoring program. Most of our mentors are high school students and they mentor students between Kindergarten and 8th grade. It has been a great and successful program, but one of the downsides is that we don't have enough mentors to meet with all the students who have asked for a mentor each year. A program called Kid's Hope also provides adult mentors, but that is only up until 6th grade. Which means our middle school is usually very short of mentors, sometimes we have none! Between Kid's Hope ending and our middle school being a bit of a drive for high school students, we need to look for other options for mentors. That is where I hope you come in. I am looking for about 8 adult mentors for our middle school students, maybe more or less as student need arises. I already have about 3-4 adults paired up with a middle school student, but I know some students will ask as the year begins. I copy/pasted a letter we have used in the past when recruiting high school students. I thought it explained pretty well what you would be asked to do. But it basically boils down to our middle school students needing some homework help, but also needing just a positive adult role model outside of their family to play games with, chat with, learn about life with, and to spend time with. Unlike Big Brothers/Big Sisters, our program is totally in house and on-site....no weekends/weeknight activities outside of the school needed or wanted. Just about 30-45 minutes a week to visit with your Little Cat and see how things are going and help them where you can. If you have interest or think you can help, please call or email me and we can start the process of helping you become a mentor. 

Carlisle Big Cats/ little cats

Mentoring program

Volunteers must:

Ø  Be able to commit 30 minutes- same day and time each week

Ø  Be available for the entire school year

Ø  Provide assistance with school work

Ø  Be a positive role model

Ø  Be able to meet at the Middle School during school hours

Volunteers will mentor children to help them develop academically, socially, and behaviorally.  Studies show that spending one-on-one time with a child greatly enhances his/her self-esteem, relationships with others, avoidance of substance abuse, and academic performance.

Volunteers will have meeting with the building counselor at the beginning of each school year and will be monitored on a consistent basis by the Carlisle School Counseling Department.

If you have additional questions, please contact:

Benjamin Barry, Counselor

Carlisle Middle School

515-989-5413

Ben.barry@carlisle.k12.ia.us

Two Pieces of Good News About the Fight Against Smoking!

Two recent "good news" pieces came across my desk via the Partnership for a Drug Free America blog. We have been seeing data similar to this with our Iowa Youth Survey that we take every 2 years. Every time we take it, the amount of students trying cigarettes, smoking cigarettes monthly, and/or smoking daily goes down. This is great news. Now, we get some bad news in that report too, but the cigarette/tobacco news has been good. These two new articles below are even more good news. The next step is to keep adults from giving minors cigarettes and to make sure adults are keeping their cigarettes in their possession at all times. Even better....to stop smoking altogether and set a good example for teens! Please take a moment to click and read the short articles below.

Graphic Anti-Smoking Ads Working click here!

Sales of Cigarettes to Minors at All Time Low click here!

Nutrition is Important! See the Two Infographics Below

As we transition from summer to school, nutrition is always a big topic. And middle school makes the topic even more important as kids are more often making their own eating choices and eating A LOT of those choices since they are growing so much. Take a look at these two infographics that might open some kids and parents eyes on some bad choices teens might make. (And don't worry, I make some of these choices too...the key is to limit the choices if you can't eliminate them. I need to do better!!)


Via: Term Life Insurance

Click here for the 2nd infographic....a great one about calories!

Find Your Greatness (video)

Sure this is an advertisement running during the Olympics, but it is a great ad with a great message. And as we get ready to start the school year, I think I want to try to keep this message in my mind and in the mind of  our many staff and students who walk through our doors: Find Your Greatness

Infographic Showing Young People's Current Nutrition and Habits.

Thank you to Larry Ferlazzo and his Websites of the Day blog, I found this infographic about the nutrition, or lack of nutrition our young people are getting. It also contains some information about their habits and what media and media advertisements they are exposed to. The "results" section is probably the most alarming. Click on Larry's blog by clicking here to read and see more. You can also click on his "best sites for learning about nutirtion food safety" to learn more.




Here is one part of the infographic, but there is a 2nd smaller infographic on his blog post.