Pictured above: (back l-r) Tamwina Daniels, Saraswati Hendrix, Rhashida Bunyan

(front l-r) Emily Neff, Deanna Appleton, Debbie Kilpatrick

Past Events:

• Missed the September Newsletter?
• Sophomore and Junior Parent Night- September 10th, 6:00 pm
• Freshman Parent Night- September 17th, 6:00 pm

Upcoming Events:

• College Knowledge Month- October
• Progress Reports- October 11th
• Fall Break-October 14th & 15th (NO SCHOOL)
• PSAT- October 16th (10th graders and 11th graders who've signed up)
• Accuplacer-October 17th
• Academic Resume Writing Workshop-October 19th
• College and Career Night- October 22nd, 6:00 pm
• Financial Aid Workshop-October 28th
• ASVAB-November 6th, at RHHS

On 10/16/2019, all 10th graders and 11th graders (who registered and paid) will take the PSAT. The 9th graders and remaining 11th graders will take the YouScience, a career interest inventory and participate in the Monique Burr Foundation-Teen Safety Matters lesson.

Passion First

This month our mindset is Passion First. Passion First is about finding what you’re passionate about and doing something with it. The first week’s lesson talks about focusing on our Strengths, because when we are doing things that we are good at, we tend to be more successful, which in turn gives us joy. Week 2 is all about exploring our interests. We want students to explore all avenues in which they have interest, to see if they can connect them to bigger future goals. We wrap up Passion First with Take a Stand. This week’s message is about doing what we really feel driven to do, so that when things get difficult (and they always do), we have the perseverance to push through. We hope you take the time to explore the resources we have below. We are excited to have a program that focuses on positive motivation for both students and parents!

Please click on the link to see the uplifting video your student saw week one.

Let’s face it. We’re all stressed, and our teenagers are no exception. They have higher expectations to perform better in school, excel in extracurricular activities and community service, and respond to social media. It’s no surprise that teen stress levels often rival those of adults.

So how can parents help their teens manage it? Here are a few techniques suggested by the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology that you might find helpful:

1. Help your teen to determine what’s within his control and what isn’t. Teens today are often involved in multiple activities. While extracurricular involvement is helpful to a teen’s overall functioning, there are times when it can be overwhelming. Parents can help teens learn to pace themselves by identifying which activities are likely to be helpful and which could be detrimental. Can your teen take on fewer activities or responsibilities? This can help take some of the pressure off and make room for necessary free time.

2. Suggest ways to get the basics back in place. If your teen has been stressed for a long period, she has likely developed some poor lifestyle habits along the way. Help her get back to a consistent bedtime and routine. It helps to maintain the same sleep routine (for the most part) on the weekends as well as on weekdays. Avoid screen time an hour before bed. Eat regular, healthy meals throughout the day. Exercise consistently, but not too close to bedtime. These healthy lifestyle habits can go a long way to help your teen’s body handle stress more effectively.

3. Brainstorm stress-relieving distractions. Help your teen figure out how he can incorporate fun, stress-relieving activities into his day, week, and month. Does he like playing an instrument? Shooting hoops in the backyard? Painting? Hanging out with particular friends? The message here is that no matter what it is or how briefly he does it, enjoyable activities provide a fantastic distraction for the brain, which can relieve stress.

4. Help your teen find time for relaxation, especially during stressful moments. Relaxation looks a little different for everyone. Some teens find it relaxing to sit and pet their dog for a few minutes with no other distractions. Others might like to try closing their eyes, taking deep breaths, and sitting in silence. Prayer might also be helpful. Or a walk alone. It might take a little trial and error to find something that sticks, but encouraging your teen to find something that quiets the mind in the heat of the moment can serve her well now and later in life.

5. Set limits for social media. Teens today are growing up in a very different world than their parents did. Peer pressure follows them home on electronic devices. They are messaged, texted and tagged day and night. And may feel obligated to respond immediately for fear that their friends will be mad at them. Parents can help their teens set social media limits and expectations with their friends by establishing “social media free” hour(s). Explain to your teen that if she sets that expectation up front with her friends, they shouldn’t be surprised when they don’t get a response from her. Many of the teens with whom I work initially shudder at the thought of limiting their electronics time, but most report feeling emotionally “free” when unplugging during the day. Social media should be totally tuned out at bedtime as this can often disrupt their sleep.

6. Teach your teen to practice “calm self-talk.” Help your teen to become aware of his stressful thoughts and to practice rationalizing them. For instance, when he’s running late to an activity and feeling stressed out about it, have him ask himself what will happen if he arrives a few minutes after the start time? Most likely nothing catastrophic.

7. Be a good role model for your teen. Whether they like to admit it or not, teens are still learning from their parents, and one of the best ways to teach stress management techniques is by setting a good example. If your teen is with you and you’re feeling stressed, talk about it out loud. Say something like, “Wow, I’m feeling really stressed right now. I’m on deadline at work and I need to leave to pick your sister up from practice. I’m going to take a few deep breaths and then problem-solve.”

It’s important for both teens and parents to remember that it’s impossible to eliminate stress completely. In fact, it plays an important role in our lives. If your teen is feeling little to no stress, she may be bored and have very little motivation to do anything at all.

Teens feeling too much stress may experience an impairment in performance (e.g., “freezing up” while taking a test) or feel miserable in the process of performing their task because of the high stress. Finding a “happy medium” of stress is the best way to perform well while maintaining a healthy mind and body. When your teen feels too much stress, it can impact her:

• Sleep: trouble falling asleep, sleeping too much or too little

• Diet: eating too much or too little

• Concentration

• Performance: academically or physically

• Emotions: irritability, ability to manage emotions appropriately; anxiety or depression can emerge when stress is poorly managed

• Physical symptoms: headaches, stomachaches, and even cardiac problems for those experiencing chronic stress

All sophomores will soon take the PSAT/NMSQ. Click HERE for an online PSAT study guide

Your score on the PSAT is a direct reflection of how well you will do on the SAT, so make sure you study! Practice makes perfect!

The PSAT doesn’t have a direct impact on the admissions process, unlike the SAT and ACT. Taking the PSAT is an informal way for you to practice your standardized testing skills and gain an understanding of your relative performance on the SAT. You can begin composing your SAT/ACT study plan and forecasting your admissions chances at colleges of interest.

NMSQT stands for National Merit Scholarship Qualifier Test. This yearly competition is famous for rewarding the highest PSAT/NMSQT scorers. It’s a multi-tiered competition. Of the 1.6 million students, around 50,000 students will be notified that they qualify for recognition.

Check out what test prep is available to you and take advantage of it! Just because it’s the PSAT, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it seriously, especially with scholarship money riding on the line. Even if you don’t end up qualifying for recognition, or winning scholarship money, there’s no harm in taking the test.

“Our thoughts are the script to our lives”

Whether you’re a student or a parent watching this video- remind yourself of how awesome you are today, and every day. Sure there is always room for improvement, but there’s also always room for positivity and uplifting conversations. Help spread this attitude to others around you. We must flip the scripts!

What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s kind of a daunting question, right? Throughout your K-12 education, going to college might have been drilled into your head. Your school counselors are here to remind you that college is one of many post-secondary options. If college is calling your name, that’s great, just be sure to think of it as a stepping stone towards a career, rather than an end goal. You’ll have to get a job at some point!

That said, you do not need to go to college to start a fulfilling career that aligns with your interests and skills. Any post-secondary training is valuable and valid, whether you’re going to a technical college to earn a 2-year degree or certificate in a skilled trade, or enlisting in the military and getting training in specific, yet transferable skills.

There are endless career opportunities and avenues, but, if you’re not sure what you want to do for a career, how can you make a plan to get there? Sometimes it’s helpful to have a career in mind based on your strengths and interests and then work backwards to develop your plan to achieve that career goal.

RHHS is giving you the tools to identify your strengths, harness your abilities, and research your best fit careers through YouScience! Juniors will be completing the YouScience interest and aptitude inventory this month. This innovative inventory is a collection of fun brain games that will help you discover your talents and then use your results to give you a list of great career matches along with personalized language for resumes or college essays.

Watch this video to learn more about YouScience or visit their website: www.youscience.com

College Bound? Ready to Enlist? Workforce focused? Great! Senior year is all about making plans that will create a road map to your future. However, have you given any thought to the choices you will make should the map you follow come with roadblocks? What happens if you don’t get into your dream school, or if your choice of branch of service will not take you? What if the job you counted on counts you out? Having a plan that does not follow an agenda is not a mark of failure, it is an opportunity for adventure. Apply to your dream school and a few others, because a college degree holds its value regardless of the school from which it is obtained. Seek enlistment opportunities from your first-choice branch, but know there is honor is serving your country regardless of the uniform you wear. Work experience in a chosen field is irreplaceable, but work in any field builds a resume that makes you more marketable. So, should you spend this year making plans that do not come together like you imagined, worry less about the journey and focus on the destination. Your dream doesn’t have to change because your plans do, it is the same dream just in a different package.

Whether you’re planning on college, a technical school, the

military, or you’re just not sure yet, the ASVAB Career Exploration Program

can put you on the right path toward a satisfying career. Understanding

your skills and interests will help you make the best decisions about your

future. #optionready #asvabcep

Sign-up today! Deadline is November 1st

**Questions, please see Ms. Bunyan, Rm 516 or email, rbunyan@bryan.k12.ga.us

Due to the unique challenges faced by military families, the Department of Defense offers private and confidential counseling services to military service members and their families. The mission of the MFLC program is to provide short-term, solution focused counseling, support and education. Military counselors may assist military connected students with a variety of issues including: communication, self-esteem/self-confidence, school issues, life stressors, resolving conflicts, behavioral management techniques, building resiliency, sibling/parental relationships, and deployment and reintegration. Within a safe, therapeutic relationship, MFLCs help military children and their parents to cope with normal reactions to the varied stresses of military life, to enhance their lives and to boost military readiness and resiliency.

Ms. Imler is the military counselor for Richmond Hill High School. You can find her in the counseling suite, room 515 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. For more information about MFLC services call (912)271-9725.

NOTE: Parents must sign a consent form before the MFLC counselor can talk with their child.

ACCUPLACER-GSU

ACCUPLACER- Savannah Tech

ACT

Big Futures

Bryan County Schools

Dual Enrollment

Explore AP

GAFutures

Khan Academy

RHHS

Richmond Hill HighLIGHTS

Richmond Hill High School Academic Guide

SAT

RHHS COUNSELOR CASELOAD:

Rhashida Bunyan- (A thru De Cesari)

Emily Neff- (De La Cruz thru Hicks)

Tam Daniels- (Hickson thru Medrano)

Debbie Kilpatrick- (Medsker-Sams)

Saraswati Hendrix- (Sanchez-Z)

Deanna Appleton (College and Career Counselor)

Dawn Imler- (Military Family Life Counselor)

If you have any questions please contact:

rbunyan@bryan.k12.ga.us

Website: https://rhhs-counselors.wixsite.com/rhhs-counselors
Location: 1 Wildcat Drive, Richmond Hill, GA, USA
Phone: 9124596403