The Counseling Connect

April 24 2020 Newsletter

Staying Connected with the LSMS School Counseling Office

Counseling Connect is a newsletter that has been written by the LSMS School Counseling Office to help us stay connected with you,

Your student's School Counselor or Social Worker is here for you during ALP. If you or your student needs help, please reach out to one of us. Our contact information is listed at the end of this newsletter.

Rockwood has also put together a Social Emotional Resource Page for all grade levels. We encourage you to check it out and let us know if we can help with anything during this challenging time.

Did you miss our last newsletter? No worries! You can view that here

CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER...

zoom_out_map

Show Teachers You Appreciate Them!

Have you ever wondered what gifts teachers really enjoy receiving for Teacher Appreciation Week? Read below for a few ideas that won't cost you anything!

zoom_out_map

6 Tips to Keep Your Student Motivated during ALP

The weather is nice outside and it may be more difficult for your student to stay motivated to complete school work. Read below for 6 tips on staying motivated throughout the month of May.

zoom_out_map

Social Media and Depression: Is There A Link?

Have you heard there can be a link between excessive social media use and depression? Read below to find out if your student is at risk.

Teacher Appreciation Week May 4 - 8

If you are like us, COVID 19 has you spending time thanking our everyday heros in the medical field and also thanking the essential employees who are working outside of their homes during this pandemic. No job is too small and ALL are appreciated beyond meausre! If that describes you, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

May 4 - May 8 marks Teacher Appreciation Week. ALP has been a journey for our teachers and they have traveled this journey without hesitation to make it the best experience possible for our students.

Without taking away from the heros mentioned above, we encourage you and your student to take some time to thank each of their teachers for the work they are doing during ALP and the entire school year. Without a doubt, the best gift you can give a teacher doesn't cost anything!

Here's a few ideas:

A sincere letter describing how you have been impacted by your teacher is a true treasure.
A short video stating all of the reasons you love your teacher will warm your teacher's heart.
An original piece of art work that you drew or painted can hang on your teachers classroom wall for years to come.

6 Tips to Keeping Your Student Motivated during ALP

Rockwood made the decision, as other school districts and colleges have also done, to have No-Harm Grading during our ALP. This means that grades can only improve, regardless of the work turned in during ALP. For some of our students, it may be difficult to stay intrinsically motivated when a single grade may not affect the accumulative grade. Here's a few tips for KEEPING your student MOTIVATED to do school work throughout ALP and this nice warm weather.

Be a Role Model: YOU are your student's number one influencer. Your student is watching you and will follow in your footsteps. Turn off the TV and read a book while your student reads for Language Arts or let them observe you working at home to show off your work ethic on the job.
Help Set Small Daily Goals: Small goals along the way are often easier to obtain than large goals. Work with your student on a weekly basis to set a goal for each school day. Utilize a daily checklist to mark off as goals are being accomplished. Checklists can feel gratifying that something has been completed and motivating to begin your next goal.
Embrace a Routine: Teens thrive on routines for basic bodily functions of sleeping and eating. Although our bedtimes may be relaxed from regular school days, continue to enforce a reasonable timefor your student to go to sleep and to wake up. In addition, encourage your teen to eat a healthy diet. These two factors, eating and sleeping, affect growth, concentration, attitude, memory, and so much more!
Allow Choice When Possible: Does your teen remind of when they were a toddler? As a teen, saying NO to your parents is inevitable! As parents of teens, you have probably experienced your teen disagreeing with your decisions. We should embrace this trait as it is an important piece of growing up and learning how to spread their wings. Help your teen spread their wings with choice when possible. Does it really matter if the school work gets done before lunch or could they choose to do their school work before bedtime?
Combine School Work with Fun: Can you finish this sentence: All work and no play makes ____________________. As hard as our teachers are woking to make ALP interesting, any school work can be considered dull when compared to a PS4 video game, riding a bike outside, or creating your own TikTok! Combine the "dull" school work with some play by setting guidelines. For example, 30 minutes of school work earns you 90 minutes of play time.
Acknowledge Accomplishments: Remember to acknowledge even the little things that your student is doing well right now. We can all use some encouragement during this Pandemic.

What if I haven't been doing any of these things? It's not too late to start the tips above! Research shows that teens thrive on rules and boundaries. Whenever you start it, stick to it and you will see the benefits.

Social Media and Depression: Is There A Link?

Many of our teens are spending countless hours on social media sites such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, but does it really matter? Read these two articles below to see if your teen is at risk for depression.

Social Media and Teen Depression: The Two Go Hand-In-Hand

Does Social Media Increase Teen Depression?