Valentine's Poetry Contest Winners!
1st Place: That One school
By Natalie M.
There's this one teacher in school,
I couldn't live without,
They tackle friendship fall-outs,
And help to clear my doubts,
They’re here for me when I'm at my worst,
They fight for me and put me first,
They’re like an actual real person,
One you can relate to,
They make my school day much less gray,
But then I remember that's all the teachers at my school,
I love this school today.
And for that I will thank them eternally.
2nd Place: Still Worth My While
By Franco T.
Walking the halls all drowsy and tired,
Thinking of how this is not worth my while,
Then I look from the side of my eye,
Teachers looking at me with big smiles,
Hello, how do you do?
Hello, how are you?
I’m feeling all this kindness inside,
Happy my teachers are still worth my while.
Mental Health Awareness Program
Students will be participating in a mental health and depression awareness program called Depression Education & Suicide Awareness. The lessons will take place during your child’s PE/Health class over two days; 7th grade Feb 21-22, 8th grade, Feb 23-24. This program was developed by a highly respected mental health education and advocacy organization, Erika’s Lighthouse: A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression.
The program goals include:
- Raising awareness of good mental health.
- Raising awareness of the signs of depression and risk and warning signs of suicide.
- Reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
- Encouraging help-seeking skills and, if necessary, additional support services.
A key component of the Erika’s Lighthouse program is Family Engagement through education and awareness. They have developed two ways that may help promote conversations with your children about mental health and depression:
- The Family Handbook on Mental Health and Depression was written by parents, for parents to help families extend school-based mental health education to the home. You can access this and other resources here at www.ErikasLighthouse.org/families.
- A short Virtual Family Workshop is available for you to watch. This workshop will give you an opportunity to learn more about mental health and depression in adolescents, and prepare you for any discussion at home. We will also review the materials that your child will be learning about in the classroom. You can view this free workshop here:
Family Workshop: Depression & Suicide
On-Demand Virtual Workshop
English YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiCetkHCMjg
Spanish YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPiH4AXJnUA
These fact-based, student friendly and hopeful programs promote the messages we need our students to hear - Everyone deserves to have good mental health, depression is common and can be serious, but there is hope and help. You are not alone.
Our school wants all of our students to be healthy, both physically and mentally. We encourage students to take control of their mental health and learn how to seek help for themselves or a friend if needed. One of the biggest challenges to mental health is teen depression, a very common, yet widely overlooked mood disorder that will impact 15–20% of young people before they reach adulthood. It is also a risk factor to suicide.
We look forward to working together to better inform students of important issues, like depression, and provide the tools students need to navigate challenging times.
All these programs are donor-funded and no-cost to schools like ours. For more information on this program, please visit erikaslighthouse.org. For any questions, please reach out to Angela René Brown, the school social worker at 630-552-3608, ext. 7407.
Suicide & Crisis Helpline: Dial 988
Available 24-hours in English and Spanish
Informational Reminders
How and Where do I check my students Grades?
Schoology is used as our active gradebook. To check your student's grades on a daily or weekly basis make sure you have an active Schoology account and have access to see your student's classes, assignments and grades. PowerSchool gradebook is updated for mid term and end of term grade reporting, but it is not the go to to check in on daily progress. If you do not have a Schoology account see the links below to set one up. When setting up your account if you need an access code please email your students Advisory teacher for the code or call the main office.
If your student is absent due to illness or other reasons:
To stay up to date with class work, students should check Schoology pages daily to access assignments, lessons, and activities during their absence. Contact teachers directly via email with any questions related to school work.
- Click here for a listing of all Plano MS Athletic Schedules.
- Click here for information regarding E-Learning/Inclement Weather Days
- Parents have you created a Schoology account? here
- Parents are you receiving email updates with your students grades? here
- Breakfast and Lunch Menus here
- Click here for a list of Food Pantries
Connect with Plano Middle School
Email: PlanoMS@plano8.org
Website: plano88.org/o/pms
Location: 804 South Hale Street, Plano, IL, USA
Phone: 630-552-3608
