Back To School · Ensure that your child is protected from Bullies · Are schools with uniforms the better choice · How to start your child going to school for the first time in the right way
15 HEALTHY LUNCH IDEAS 1. Bean & Cheese Salad 2.BLT Wrap
INDEX
High School Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Bully Proof Your Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Dear Kayla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.Green Tacos
Back To School Word Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4. Ham & Cheese Quesadillas
Back To School For Beginners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5. Homemade Ravioli
Uniforms: The Better Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 6.Quick Fries Rice 7.Chicken Noodle Soup 8.BBQ Chicken Sandwiches 9.Chicken Panini 10.Egg Salad Sandwich
2
Bedtime Routine to Give Your Kids a . . . . . . . . 7 Chance to Tell You About Their Day Back to School Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .8
HIGH SCHOOL EVOLUTION By Kayla Penner Winkler- High school in Winkler Manitoba has changed greatly over the last two decades. From the rules that the schools enforce to technology to many other things, school has been rapidly changing. There used to be only one high school in Winkler Manitoba which was Garden Valley Collegiate, but now there is Northlands Parkway Collegiate as well and they share the population of Winkler’s high school students.
things that have changed over the last two decades and it is mostly for the better. Students now have easy access to search for topics instead of the hassle of going through books and spending hours researching.
In the past schools used to never have the technology that schools have today. Research was done all through encyclopedias and other books and students were not able to go onto Google and just type in what they wanted to research. “It was often very difficult to get the information that I wanted from just books. I had to spend many hours trying to get my information for my class,” said Tammy Penner, GVC graduate class of 1995. Many students were often from small country elementary schools, so entering into a big high school with so many new students, different teachers and getting used to being in such a big building was a big transition for them. Many students now come from a bigger elementary school so it’s not as big of a transition. “I was very scared entering high school because I came from a small village with a school that consisted of 30 people so entering GVC was a very big transition for me,” said Tammy Penner. So there have been many 3
BULLY PROOF YOUR STUDENT By Jennifer Corbin It probably started in preschool when your son was playing with the truck and a big mean four and a half year old just came over and stole that dump truck right out of your sweet innocent little man's precious little hands. How dare he?! The fact is, kids can be mean. Shoot, adults can be mean too. Why do you think someone created the bumper sticker, "Mean people suck"? You can't be with your child 24/7 to protect him from the school bully. You can't control what other children do; but you can control how your child reacts. Or at least hopefully you can bully proof your student. For starters you want to ensure your precious baby isn't on the giving end of the bullying. Not only is it rude and wrong, it could land your assertive child a suspension. (Assertive sounds so much better than aggressive, don't you agree?) You would do well to explain the psychology of a school bully before your child is faced with a situation where he (or she) is the one being bullied. The "do unto others rule' is a good place to start. You can also explain that often children act like a bully to mask other feelings (anger, disappointment etc.) If your student isn't doing anything intentional to egg on the rough and tough, the odds are in his favor he may not be a target. Only you know whether or not your child is mature enough to understand what makes a bully act in a certain manner. If you still have "a situation" even after you've thoroughly and repeatedly discussed how to play nice and how to avoid instigating any negative playground behavior, it's time for Plan B. 4
Make sure that your child's teacher is aware of the situation. That's not considered tattling; it's your responsibility. Often school can and should put an end to it once they become aware. Ok, so you tried all that and it still didn't stop? Assuming you already had the discussions about defending, not offending; using words not violence, then as a last resort your child should feel free to defend himself. While most parents teach their child that fighting is bad, getting the snot kicked out of you is bad too. If you personally don't have the knowledge to equip your child, then enroll him in a martial arts class. There is absolutely no correlation between children becoming violent after attending a few self defense lessons. Don't you want to bully proof your student? With all that said, remind your child that the easiest way to remedy the situation may be to befriend the bully
DEAR KAYLA Dear Kayla, I often have a very hard time concentrating while I’m studying. I can never seem to fully study without getting distracted right a way. It’s either my phone that’s distracting, my surroundings or I just can’t seem to concentrate and I’m always zoning out. I don’t know what to do anymore and my grades are dropping! Please help! -DISTRACTED STUDENT Dear DISTRACTED STUDENT: Studying can be a very hard thing to concentrate on but to be able to concentrate you have to get rid of all distractions. If your phone is distracting you put it on silent and put it into a different room so that the temptation is not there. With the other distractions that you are facing I would suggest studying in a quiet environment so that you can think and work peacefully. You can also make a schedule for when you're studying. For example you could study for half an hour then take a ten minute exercise break and get your body moving a bit. Also remember to drink lots of water when you’re studying so you can keep that brain of yours fresh and thinking.
5
6
STARTING SCHOOL FOR BEGINNERS By Kayla Penner October 26,2016 Winkler – Parents often have a hard time sending their children to school for the first time. As it is a big step for the children it is also a big step for the parents. There are many decisions that need to be made when sending your child off to school such, as what school am I going to send them to, which school has the best programs for my child, what type of teaching does the school over, which schools have the best programs and many other things. Esther Theissen, mother of three, said, “There are many decisions to make while sending your child to school, but you also have to keep their interests in mind.”
Some tips in sending your child to school are to do some research about the schools in your area and see which one is most suited for your child. Another tip is to talk to a parent that already sends their child to the school that you’re interested in, if you don’t have access to a parent, schedule a meeting with the principal or a teacher of that school so that you are able to have some insight. “Gaining insight into different schools can be very helpful for making a decision for which school you should send your child to,” said Esther Theissen.
7
UNIFORMS: THE BETTER CHOICE By Kayla Penner Many students in today’s Winkler, Manitoba high schools often worry about fitting in. Frequently, this revolves around what kind of clothes students have and the newest name brands that they own. Lots of students don’t have the money to buy the latest styles and they often get made fun of for the clothes that they wear because it’s the only clothes that they can afford. For others, clothing can be a hard choice of what to wear in the morning and can often get themselves running late just because they don’t know what outfit to wear. Many high schools around the world have solved this problem by making the students wear uniforms. Uniforms offer the whole student body to feel as one instead of many different groups. They allow everyone to feel as if they fit in instead of being felt like they are left out. Uniforms allow students to connect with others more easily and make new friends. Uniforms give a sense of security for the environment that you are in because everyone around you are also wearing uniforms as well. Many people don’t see wearing uniforms this way but instead they see it as a way to quickly get dressed in the morning and go to school instead of spending time looking into their closet wondering what they are going to wear for the day. Many parents support this idea of wearing uniforms because they then don’t have to spend so much money on the newest styles that their children complain that they have to have. Uniforms also offer a clean, neat look. Many students don’t care what they look like when they come to school and often they come in looking very sloppy and underdressed. This look gives the school a bad reputation and parents don’t like how the students are dressed sloppy or inappropriate and may prevent them from sending their other children to that school. 8
In solution to this problem, high schools should offer a line of uniforms so that the students can all feel equal to one another and come to school neat and properly dressed. If the school does not have funds to offer uniforms to their students, they can have fundraisers to raise the money for school uniforms or they can implement a strict dress code for all students. For the dress code students would have to where clothes with no slogans or logos on them and no inappropriate clothing. In conclusion, high schools should have uniforms for their students to wear so that the students can feel equal to one another and so that the students can show up to school neat and properly dressed
BEDTIME ROUTINE TO GIVE YOUR KIDS A CHANCE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THEIR SCHOOL DAY By Apples4theteacher.com "Ok, it's time to start getting ready for bed. After your bath, brush your teeth and get your pajamas on. It's getting late." If you have a bedtime routine, pat yourself on the back. Bedtime routines are so vital, especially for young children. Consider adding one more step to your bedtime routine. Give your kids a chance to tell you about their school day. Remember that if your child is in school all day, your teacher is with your son or daughter for an average of 30 hours a week. That's almost the equivalent of a full work week. You've missed quite a bit of time with your child. Make an effort to keep the communication free flowing. If you set good habits while your child is young, it'll be easier to talk about just anything as the years pass. For starters, don't ask yes or no answers. You don't want to establish a nightly Q & A, but rather two-way communication.
Sometime it is difficult to keep track of the specials. By specials I mean: gym, music, art, computer lab, etc.; the extra classes that usually take place with a different teacher outside of the main classroom. Keep a cheat sheet if you need to; ask what activity they did in gym. If you can get your child to tell you about someone who may have had a hard time (in gym, with math, with reading aloud, etc.) it is a great segue for a life lesson in difficulties and hurt feelings. It really doesn't matter what you talk about; it's more important that you talk. Make talking about your kid's day your kid's day a regular part of the bedtime routine, you'll be surprised what you learn!
Sometimes "tell me about your day" doesn't generate much conversation. You could begin with, "tell me five things that happened today; recess and lunch don't count." That is usually a great ice breaker. Kids learn real quickly that if you don't ask, they're not telling. In addition to asking what was for lunch, ask who your child sat next to. Who did they play with at recess? What did that play during recess? Was anyone sick today? Did anything funny or embarrassing happen to anyone in school today? 9
10
11