Parshall
School District Newsletter
HIGH
SCHOOL
Monday—State FFA Judging competition Friday—State Geography Bee in Bismarck
ELEMENTARY
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Children who will be 5 years old on or before July 31st are invited to spend the afternoon with the Parshall Kindergarten.
They can meet the teachers and see the kindergarten room.
Visitations will be April 2nd -27th. You can call the elementary school at 862-3417. Mrs. Steele, the school secretary will help you schedule a time for your child to visit. You can also register your child for the 2012-2013 school year. Please bring a copy of your child’s birth certificate and immunization records.
Children will not be allowed to “just drop by.” All visitors must check in with security, so please make arrangements through the office.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Waldock & Miss Dahlsad
SPORTS
Thursday, March 29—NW Conference indoor track meet @ Minot
Saturday, March 31—Fargo Indoor track meet
TO: PARSHALL STUDENTS/PARENTS AND TEACHERS
FROM: THE PARSHALL CENTENNIAL COOKBOOK COMMITTEE
Parshall will be 100 years old in 2014 and one of the ways we are celebrating is to have a Parshall Centennial Cookbook made. We are asking for your help. Attached is a recipe form on which we would like you to give us your favorite recipe (please feel free to make copies and submit more than one) for our cookbook. There is also a place on this form to add information about yourself or the recipe. Please return the completed recipe form to the school by March 16, 2012. We plan to have the cookbooks available for sale by the fall of 2012.
We will also be doing a History Book with family history and business history of Parshall and the Parshall area covering the past 100 years. The deadline for history submission is not set at this time. More information will be provided at a later time in the newspaper, on our webpage and Facebook. Our website is www.parshallnd.com and click on the Centennial tab. Our email is centennial@parshallnd.com. You may also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ParshallCentennial.
Thank you for helping us and being a part of Parshall history and the Parshall Centennial Celebration. If you have any questions you may contact Cindy Williamson, Parshall Centennial Board Secretary, @ 862-3380.
What if you live to be 100?
If you lived to 100, what would you want people to remember about you? Would your actions over the years reflect what you
believed in and stood for? When young people think today about what they want to accomplish in their lives, it shapes their sense of purpose. Each and every young person has something unique to offer the world.
Research shows young people who have a sense of purpose feel good about themselves, get along better with their parents, and get into less trouble. About 57 percent of young people, ages 11–18, say their life has a purpose. For those who do not, caring adults can help them identify what matters most to them and what they find meaningful.
Ask young people what inspires or excites them and share your thoughts on the subject with them. Encourage them to write down their thoughts about the meaning of life to help gain a greater understanding about what’s important to them. Tell them to review what they’ve written from time to time and notice how some of these things may change over time. Let them know changes are healthy and natural as people mature. Encourage them to aim for the things that give their lives purpose.
MARCH—NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH
“Get your plate in shape!”
Providing balanced meals can make a big difference in the overall health and well-being of your child. Good nutrition fuels kids for school, family time and play. When they consume the right balance of calories and nutrients for their growing bodies, they’ll feel better and have more energy.
Make meals a colorful event. Serve up vegetables and fruits, whole grains, low fat dairy products, and healthy proteins. Enjoy family meals together and involve your child in the planning and preparation. When you make healthy eating a family affair, everyone benefits. For more nutrition information and meal planning help, check out
www.eatright.org/Public/
MOTIVATING YOUR CHILD FOR SCHOOL
Last Friday at the elementary school we celebrated the students’ success on their MAPS testing. Keeping our kids motivated and wanting to improve academically is a responsibility of both the school staff and our students’ families. Here are some ways that those at home can help our kids be excited about learning:
**Ask questions and be enthusiastic. Show an interest in what they are learning at school in addition to who their friends are and other activities they are involved in.
**Get them involved in activities. Find an activity that gets your child excited about getting to school such as the school newspaper, a sports team, or a club.
**Teach them the benefits. Reward your child’s accomplishments, big and small. This lets children know that you are proud of their efforts.
**
Set realistic goals for your child. Setting high standards for your child is fine as long as they don’t put too much pressure on the child to perform.
HUGS AND ENCOURAGEMENT HELP KIDS’ BRAINS GROW
Who knew that hugs and positive words can make a difference in how our children’s brains develop?
Researchers have found that school-aged kids whose moms nurtured them when they were younger developed a larger hippocampus, which is a key region of the brain that’s important to learning, memory, and response to stress. Brain-imaging shows that mentally healthy kids who have been nurtured well have a hippocampus almost 10% larger than those whose mothers where not as nurturing. The experts also note that nurturing provided by fathers, grandparents, and other primary caregivers is likely to have the same impact on brain development. Nurturing includes:
- Making sure your children know you love them, even when they do something wrong.
- Encouraging your children. Praise their achievements and talents. Recognize the skills they are developing.
- Spending time with your children. Do things together that you both enjoy. Listen to your children.
- Learning how to use nonphysical options for discipline. Many alternatives exist.
Depending on your child's age and level of development, these may include simply redirecting your child's attention, offering choices, or using "time out."
ACTS OF KINDNESS WEEK—Next week the students will be focusing on “kindness”. The goal is to teach respect and empathy that the students will turn into words and acts of kindness. These make our homes and our school better places to live and learn. “When you do something for others, it makes you feel good. It benefits both the giver and the receiver. Those great feelings can snowball into kids wanting to do more kind things,” says Julie Kaufman of the RAK Foundation. Here are some suggestions for parents to encourage kindness in their children:
1. Model kindness in your daily life.
2. Be kind to your kids.
3. Reward kind acts and show how joyful it makes you feel to see them being kind.
4. Read stories of kindness to your children.
5. Help others.
6. Encourage good friendship skills with your children.
7. Purge your vocabulary of words such as stupid, shut up, idiot, and any racist or biased terms.
4-H CLUB STARTING! Club will be starting for 1st graders and will meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Activities will involve learning about pets, farm animals, gardening, nature, science, art, and much more. To sign up, contact Elise Regen, Extension Agent with the Federally-Recognized Tribe Extension Program, at 627-3446 or elise.regen@ndsu.edu.
By helping others, young people learn to help themselves
Research shows that young people who serve others in the community for one or more hours a week are more apt to be respectful of others, helpful and kind, and patient. They also tend to value diversity.
The best way to teach young people the value of helping others is to be a role model. Activities such as providing a meal to a new parent, driving a neighbor to an appointment, or babysitting can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Look for service opportunities to do with your children. Join organizations that involve—and provide leadership roles for—both young people and adults.
In your home and family: Together, think of 10 ways your family can serve others. Choose one idea. Pick a date to do the activity. Afterward, talk about your experience.
In your neighborhood and community: Join or support an organization that teaches (and provides opportunities for) serving others. Some possibilities to consider: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, 4-H, and Boys and Girls Club.
In your school or youth program: Seek learning opportunities for students and group members to engage in community service projects. Also bring community resources into the classroom or program setting.
EMPATHY
The elementary students have been learning about empathy, the ability to understand what others feel and to express that understanding in a caring way. Our hope is that we will see the students be kinder to one another thus creating a more caring school environment. To reinforce this at home, please consider the following:
**Be responsive to your child’s needs. This is empathy in action!
**If your child’s misbehavior affects another person, ask how s/he thinks the behavior made the other person feel.
**Help your child develop a large vocabulary of feelings words.
**Read books to your child that incorporate messages of kindness.
**As a family, practice doing random acts of kindness for others. Talk about how good it feels to do nice things for others.
“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.” Kahlil Gibran
HEAD LICE
The National Pediculosis Association recommends the No Nit Policy as the public health standard intended to keep children lice free, nit free, and in school. In order for Parshall schools to abide by this standard, we will be contacting parents/guardians as soon as nits are found on your child. Please pick them up promptly and treat them that day so that they can return to school as soon as possible. A checklist will be sent home that includes how to treat your child, how to rid your home of lice, and prevention advice. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping all our students healthy.
“Kids spell love T-I-M-E.”
It’s easy to get caught up in the superficial aspects of parenting — wanting to buy the latest and greatest for your children, putting them in all the right activities, etc. While those things are all nice, they can’t replace the relationship that is built by spending time with your kids. They know you care because you are there. This holiday season, give your children the best gift of all—your time.
SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS WITH CHILDREN
*Say “NO” to some activities. Save your energies for the really fun stuff.
*Plan together as a family the good times you DO want as part of your holiday celebration.
*All children to dream but manage their expectations in order to eliminate any disappointment.
*Maintain routines. Children behave better when they eat and sleep in their regular routine.
*Avoid correcting behavior publically.
*Teach manners and appropriate behaviors BEFORE going on outings or having company in.
*Eliminate stress by planning a schedule that is relaxing and enjoyable for the whole family.
Teaching children to give
Sharing the experience of giving can be the most rewarding present you give your child this holiday season.
*Start small when the kids are small.-In other words, make the giving activity age appropriate.
*Teach your child that he doesn't need money to give.-Toys, time, talents, etc can be given to others.
*Involve your child in selecting the gift or activity.
*Be a role model.
Suggested reading: The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving by Ellen Sabin
TEACHING CHILDREN TO BE GRATEFUL
**Make a list with your child of things to be thankful for.
**Set an example by showing sincere gratitude to others.
**Encourage but don’t demand thanks. Let children express it freely and sincerely.
**Establish the family tradition of sharing what each person is thankful for around the Thanksgiving table.
**Volunteer as a family to help out a needy neighbor or at a community organization.
**Show common courtesies within the family. Let your children know how thankful you are for them.
A little extra effort can go a long way in teaching children the importance of being thankful and of expressing that thanks in a sincere and meaningful way.
DECISION MAKING
How can we help our children make decisions which are positive and productive?
1. Help your child clearly understand the problem.
2. Brainstorm together possible solutions.
3. Consider the consequences of each possible solution.
4. Help your child select a solution that seems best and help him/her put it into action.
5. Take time to discuss how well the solution solved the problem.
6. If necessary, help your child choose a second solution if the first choice did not work to solve the problem.
How will my child benefit from learning to make decisions?
Children will:
* take responsibility for their own actions
* believe they are competent and capable thus strengthening their self-esteem
* form close relationships with peers without fear of domination
* become more creative as they explore new ideas and answers
* develop moral judgments that lead to highly self-controlled behavior
YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM
High self-esteem doesn’t necessarily come naturally. Adults, by the way they act and interact, teach young people to believe in themselves and like themselves. Telling and showing young people that you love and accept them for who they are, what they value, and the people they want to become helps build self-esteem. It’s also important to teach young people the values and actions that will build genuine self-esteem, including caring, giving, treating others with kindness and tolerance, and always doing their best in school and other activities that they participate in. Research shows that young people who feel good about themselves have positive relationships with parents and peers, increased academic achievement, and a decreased susceptibility to negative peer pressure.
In your home and family: Compliment your child and let her or him hear you saying positive things about them to someone else.
In your neighborhood and community: Take the time to learn about what the young people in your community think and feel about current events. Ask them not only about school and hobbies, but also their opinions on important issues. Let them know you value what they think and how they feel.
Recommended reading:
200 Ways to Raise a Girl’s Self-Esteem by Will Glennon.
