Wellness Wednesday

April 29, 2020

Hi! How are you? What have you done to take care of yourself today? We've included some suggestions below - from helping others to taking breaks to practicing mindfulness - and would love to hear what you are doing, too. Take this week's optional survey to share your ideas for self-care and ask questions you hope we'll answer in future weeks.

We miss you and remember, you can reach us all by email - we would love to hear from you.

Be well,

WHS Counselors

Giving back can help us feel a sense of accomplishment or even increased motivation. If you are looking for ways to give back to your community (or are looking for community service hours), be sure to check the WHS morning announcements for opportunities. Here are a few that you might want to consider:

Write letters to self-isolated senior citizens.

Tutor students through Zoom for the Watertown Boys and Girls Club. Email moise@watertownbgc.org for information.

Read books to elementary school students. The Class of 2022 has created a great opportunity to gain community service hours, as well as put a smile on the faces of the young children of Watertown. We ask that you film a video of yourself reading a picture book and send it to Carly MacCormack, Emma Fallon, or Ms. Glencross to be uploaded on a website that has been made. It is not mandatory, but this is a great way to get community service hours from home! Feel free to read more than one story, as this will be shared with all of the elementary school teachers and families once we have started compiling videos. You will be granted an hour of community service for every two books you read (please make them separate videos).

Help senior citizens with technology. The Watertown Senior Center is looking for students to work remotely with senior citizens to give them technical assistance with Zoom, Facebook, and other on-line sites. Please contact the program director, Marina Kirsanova by email at mkirsanova@watertown-ma.gov or by phone at 617-972-6490.

Show someone you care. Check out this pep talk from Kid President (who is in high school now!). Feel inspired by this video? Tell someone they matter. Bake your neighbor cookies and place them on their doorstep. Leave your postal carrier or FedEx driver a thank you note on your door.

...a screen breaks that is! With so much time being spent in front of a screen remember to give yourself a break. Yes, we mean the typical stretch, food, and exercise breaks, but have you ever considered an eye break? Or a micro-break? It’s not just your legs that need a break every now and then. Check out these tips:

While using your computer, practice the following:

Eye breaks: Looking at a computer screen for extended periods causes some changes in how your eyes work, including blinking less often and exposing more of the eye surface to air. Every 15 minutes, briefly look away from the computer screen for a minute or two to a more distant scene, preferably something more than 20 feet away. This lets the muscles inside the eye relax. Also, blink your eyes rapidly for a few seconds. This refreshes the tear film and clears dust from the eye surface.

Micro-breaks: Micro-breaks are less than two minutes long and are perfect to do between bouts of typing. Most people type in bursts rather than continuously. Between these bursts of activity, rest your hands in a relaxed, flat, straight posture. Though micro-breaks are short, you can stretch, stand up, move around, or do a different work task (such as make a phone call). A micro-break isn't necessarily a break from work, but it's a break from using a set of muscles (such as the finger flexors if you're doing a lot of typing).

(Full article here.)

We know that amidst all of this uncertainty, many of you are also thinking about what's next. Here's what we included in Mrs. Lundberg's email earlier this week (in case you missed it).

Over the past several weeks, many of the guidance counselors have attended webinars or meetings with college admissions counselors. The National Association for College Admission Counseling is frequently updating information about college admissions procedures here. While college admissions policies continue to be developed and adjusted, one piece of advice has remained consistent: Take care of yourself. The resounding themes from college admissions teams are that they: 1) understand that these are challenging times and students may be struggling; 2) will support high school grading policies and not penalize students for grading decisions their school has made; 3) want students to take care of themselves and their families and to stay healthy. The Dean of Admissions at WPI recently wrote this open letter to high school juniors, which reflects the things we heard during our meetings and webinars with colleges and universities around the country.

While much is still uncertain, there are many things students can be doing to think about the next steps including meeting with their guidance counselor, participating in online test prep activities (like Khan Academy), talking to teachers about teacher recommendations, and researching schools and programs they are interested in. Many schools and programs are offering extensive virtual opportunities so that students can continue to explore without having to leave home. Students may also want to explore Naviance and other post-secondary planning resources listed on this document.

SAT/ACT Updates

The CollegeBoard (developer of the SAT, a test widely used for college admissions) has announced several new test dates to make up for the canceled March, May, and June test administrations. These dates can be found here. Registration for Fall tests will begin in May. Priority registration will be given to students in the class of 2021 who do not have any SAT scores yet. Details on the length of the priority registration and registration dates are forthcoming.

ACT (the other test widely used for college admissions) has rescheduled their April test date to June 13 and will have July, September, October, and December test dates. ACT also announced a test-at-home option. Additional details are forthcoming.

Many colleges and universities have announced that they will be "test-optional" (which means they will not require standardized test scores for admission) for the class of 2021. This list is changing frequently. We always recommend that students check with the colleges they are interested in for full details.

Guidance Counselors will continue hosting office hours weekly. You'll receive an email on Sunday night with the Zoom information. Remember, we'll use the Waiting Room feature, so you may need to wait a little bit before we are able to chat. If you want to schedule a longer meeting, just email us! Here are office hours for next week (week of May 4):

Dr. Baker: Tuesday, 1:00PM-2:00PM and Wednesday, 4:00PM-5:00PM

Ms. Eaton: Wednesday, 3:30PM-4:30PM and Thursday, 9:30AM-10:30AM

Ms. Orpen: Monday, 2:00PM-3:00PM and Tuesday, 3:30PM-4:30PM

Ms. Leonard: Tuesday and Thursday, 11:30AM-12:30PM

Ms. Osborne: Monday and Tuesday, 3:00PM-4:00PM

If you want to look back at a previous newsletter, here are the links:

April 22, 2020

April 15, 2020

April 8, 2020

April 1, 2020