DATES TO REMEMBER
- EARLY RELEASE, PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES: Wednesday, March 2nd & Thursday, March 3rd
- NO SCHOOL, TEACHER COMP. DAY: Friday, March 4th
-LOWER ELEMENTARY PARENT READING NIGHT: Wednesday, March 9th 6:30 - 7:30 PM
-NO SCHOOL, TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Wednesday, March 16 - Friday, March 18
-SPIRIT WEEK: Monday, March 21st - Friday, March 25th
-NO SCHOOL, SPRING BREAK: Friday, April 15th - Friday, April 22nd
PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE
Ms. Angie, Principal
Did you know that children are highly attuned to parental attention? It is key for their social and emotional development. Several recent research studies have shown how damaging it is for parents to be physically present but distracted and less responsive due to cell phone usage:
- Moms on cell phones have children who are more negative and less resilient
Developmental Science: Children expressed more distress and were less likely to explore their environment when their mothers were using their cell phones. The children of mothers with higher cell phone use showed more negativity and less emotional recovery. Cell phone use is a form of parental withdrawal and unresponsiveness.
- Children feel unimportant and have to compete with cell phones for parents’ attention
Large international study (6,000 children): Children report feeling unimportant when parents are on their cell phones and feel that they must compete for attention; they perceive that parents spend too much time on their phones.
- Distracted parental attention harms social/emotional growth
University of California, Irvine: Distracted mothers are less predictable, less reliable, and less attentive. Fragmented and chaotic parental care disrupts brain development which can lead to emotional disorders. Predictability and consistency is needed for the emotional system to develop.
I encourage you to start noticing when you are distracted by your phone, and to use it mindfully and spend plenty of time looking into your children’s eyes, listening, and talking.
~Ms. Angie
EMOTIONAL SELF-REGULATION
We have all had that moment when you are in the store with your 2-year-old and they grab an expensive, non-essential item. As a good parent and a parent on a budget you may have put the item back and told your child, “no”. We all know what comes next, the tears start and the screaming follows. This child has completely lost their cool and in some cases, the entire day is ruined. This behavior is expected of a 2-year-old. But what happens when your child reaches the age of 5 or 7 and they still can’t manage their emotions? In those cases, it is time to help the child learn emotional self-regulation. Or in other words, help them develop skills to calm down when things don’t go as planned.
How can we help our child self-regulate their emotions?
● Practice the small things. Practice helping your child lose gracefully at a game, or help them go through the grocery store without them walking away with a toy or treat. Practice helping them through a math problem in a low-pressure situation. Just make sure when you practice that you have time to work through possible solutions with them.
● Help them see the consequences of big emotions. It may seem counterintuitive, but help them make their emotions rational. For example, when they are frustrated, talk through what happened rationally and how being extremely mad, sad, frustrated, etc. is not helpful for them to get what they want.
● Practice transitions with your student. For example, if it is hard for your student to stop playing video games, practice this transition by giving them 5 minutes on their device with the expectation that they will give you the device when requested. Practice this over and over again until your child can make the transition smoothly.
● Help your child self-reflect on their emotions and actions. Self-reflection may be one of the most important skills your child can learn. Did your child make a mistake and accidentally lose control? After the child has calmed down, but it is still close enough that they remember the incident, talk to them about what happened and what other choices they could have made. If your child makes a good choice, talk to them about what they did right and how they can apply that in other situations.
Emotional self-regulation is a skill that all children need. As you interact with your child, talk openly with them about their emotions. Help them realize that our emotions are trying to tell us something and once we understand what they are trying to tell us, it is up to us to make good choices to make our lives and the lives of those around us better.
HOW DO PEOPLE USE COMPUTER SCIENCE?
Mr. Alden, Computer Science Lead
Many students have been surprised at the wide array of professions that use computer science (CS).
- In medicine, robotic surgery and improved diagnosis and treatments are growing fields.
- Dance choreography has gone digital creating dance animation with computer graphics as well.
- Architecture and engineering rely more and more on computer programs to improve efficiency in designing buildings, and to manufacture cars, planes, and everything else.
- Interior designers, graphic designers, and many others use 3D modeling software to bring to life increasingly impressive creations.
- 3D printing has exploded not only as a hobby but as a manufacturing process in many fields. There are homes and rockets being entirely created with 3D printing technology.
- In sports, computer science is used to improve training and recovery through motion-capture software. It has also revolutionized many professional sports through data/stats collection on player-performance.
This is only a small sampling of the ways that computer science is impacting the careers that students may be choosing in the near future.
WORDS MATTER
Ms. Sarah, MS Theatre Teacher
"Just because we don't want someone to be offended by what we say doesn't mean they won't be. If you have to preface what you are saying with the phrases, "No offense" or "Not to be rude" it may not be something that needs to be shared at all. If it is important and needs to be said, make sure that you are sharing it with love and in an appropriate setting." ~Slightly adapted from Brooke Romney
MEDIA MINUTE
Melissa Zuckerman, MLIS
Library Media Teacher/Assessment Director
BOOKFAIR REMINDER:The Bookfair will be held in the library during Parent Teacher Conferences Wednesday, March 2nd and Thursday, March 3rd.
ASSESSMENT UPDATE:
Dear MWMA Families, my job (when I'm not the Librarian) is to oversee all State assessments, ensuring teachers have proper training to administer tests and that all eligible students are tested. End-of-Year testing begins the last week of March, and I want to take a moment to share resources that can help your student prepare.
- Tips for Success
- Check out this article by Scholastic on how to help set your student up for success:
- https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/homework-help/study-skills-test-taking-tips/standardized-tests-prepare-and-interpret-results.html.
- What tests are they taking?
- Students in 3rd grade take RISE ELA and RISE Math.
- Students in 4th - 8th grade take RISE ELA, Math, and Science.
- 5th and 8th graders ALSO take RISE Writing in addition to the above tests.
- 9th graders take the Utah Aspire Plus in English, Reading, Math and Science.
- How much time do they get?
- RISE tests are not timed and have most IEP/504 accommodations built into them.
- Utah Aspire Plus tests ARE Timed. If your student has an IEP/504 accommodation for extra time that is set up for them before testing begins. Here is the baseline that everyone starts with:
- Math = 75 minutes
- Science = 60 minutes
- Reading = 75 minutes
- English = 45 minutes
- Another note on timing... we NEVER interrupt lunch or recess for testing, so testing works around this schedule. Students doing RISE testing who need extra time are able to pause and continue testing later.
- Preview the tests to help prepare your student
- Utah Aspire Plus (9th grade only): http://utah.pearsonaccessnext.com/question-samplers/
- This site contains sample questions, just choose the grade and area you want to review.
- RISE (3rd-8th grade): https://utahrise.org/students.html
- From this site you can take a training test with your student.
- These samplers/training tests are designed to help students learn how to navigate the tests and become familiar with question types they will encounter during the test.
- Test Dates (subject to slight changes)
- 7th and 8th grade: 3/28-4/7 during English, Math and Science class time.
- 9th grade: 3/28-3/31
- 4th-6th grades: 4/4-4/13
- 3rd grade: 4/27-4/28
- Students who miss their scheduled test day will make it up at the earliest available opportunity.
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."
- Groucho Marx
JORDAN EDUCATION CENTER
Here are just a few of the many services they provide.
- TIMELY TOPICS: One-night seminars for parents addressing various pertinent topics. Parents are welcome to attend any or all of the sessions. Classes include: Co-Parenting Through Divorce, Video Game Addiction, Study Skills: Supporting Your Teen, Life Hacks for Coping with Depression, Internet Safety for our Children, and Raising Your Rainbow Child.
- Excellent class topics for children and teens range from anxiety to making and keeping friends.
- Several support groups are also offered.
Here is a link for all the supports and classes available.
https://guidance.jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/A-0316.pdf
For information or questions about classes, support groups, and counseling, call the Jordan Family Education Center 801-565-7442.
Ms. Marianne, School Counselor
Ms. Marianne shares that her students have taught her so much about education and about life. Daily, students inspire her as they overcome and learn to manage the obstacles in their lives. Because of the resilience of her students, she truly believes that all students have the ability to succeed.
MOUNTAIN WEST MONTESSORI ACADEMY
Email: admin@mwmacademy.org
Website: https://www.mwmacademy.org/
Location: 4125 Foxview Drive, South Jordan, UT, USA
Phone: 801-566-6962