u Mrs Doyle How Can I Help Help

u Mrs. Doyle

How Can I Help? ✔Help with how to improve grades, planning for your future, relationship/friendship problems, family issues, coping skills ✔Come by at break or sign in to see me, or let a teacher know that you want to talk with me. I will call for you during P. E. or your Elective. ALL students are welcome. ✔Confidential (kept private) unless selfharm or harming others is involved

More Than Sad- Teen Depression New Student Breakfast Worlds of Opportunity Field Trip Peer Tutoring Red Ribbon Week Game Day (New Students/Peer Tutoring Program) Socially Unacceptable Program Choose Kindness Week High School Registration and 4 Year Plan- February/March Class Field Trip to New Orleans Scantron Performance State Testing Field Day Girl’s Beach Field Trip 8 th NJHS Banquet 8 th Awards Day- May

Get Ready To

8 th Grade is about Preparation for High School

Practice What You Have Learned in the Homeroom Study Skills Course

Checking Your Grades and Missing Work ✔Check your grades on a regular basis in INOW. YOU NOW HAVE YOUR OWN PASSWORD! BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE! ASK YOUR TEACHER IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND A GRADE. ✔If you are absent, you will receive an “I” which averages as a 0. You will have 3 days only to make-up your missed work. If you do not make up the work in 3 days , the “I” will become and remain a 0. ✔It is your responsibility to go to your teacher and ask about what work you missed. ✔Tests can be made up in the library during homeroom. ✔Why are you absent? Do you have a fever or are you throwing up? If the answer is no, then come to school even if you don’t feel 100% good. Students with poor attendance struggle academically.

Digital textbook tutorials USATestprep-Students are able to use USATestprep outside of school from any computer with web access. USATestprep is easy to use and provides many features that will help students succeed. Subjects included are: 7 th and 8 th English/Language Arts. Students can now log in using their Moodle username and their lunch code for the password (with 0 after 5 digit lunch code). http: //www. usatestprep. com/Member-Login Khan Academy- Video tutorials; free resource for all students for Algebra 1, 7 th and 8 th Math; https: //www. khanacademy. org/ Virtual Nerd- Over 1, 500 video lessons covering Middle Grades Math through Algebra 2. http: //virtualnerd. com/ IXL Math Peer Tutoring Study Skills Course on School Website- USE YOUR FMS PLANNER/AGENDA!

Multi-Tasking- Bad When It Comes To Learning! Does Not Work For Learning The brain can’t do two complex tasks at the same time Our brains need to focus in order to process and learn new information. Students need to “unplug” their distractions New research shows homework takes longer because of constantly re-familiarizing oneself with the task Mistakes are made due to mental fatigue caused by constantly dropping and picking up mental threads Memory is impaired due to encoding interruptions Media multi-tasking is negatively associated with student’s grades The bottom line is that under most conditions, the brain simply cannot do two complex tasks at the same time. Being on Facebook, texting, Skyping, Instagram, Snapchats, Face. Time, are considered a complex task for the brain. There’s no getting around the fact that it’s far better to focus on one task from start to finish. Students need to turn off their cell phones, and eliminate all distractions (even tv) when they are doing homework and studying. If they are using their Chromebooks at home for school work/homework, only the screen that is their academic subject should be on display-no multiple screens- like Facebook, games, etc.

Student Bullying/ Anti-Harassment Policy “It is hereby the policy of the Baldwin County Public School System to oppose and prohibit, without qualification, unlawful harassment based on real or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. ” The term harassment as used in this policy means a continuous pattern of intentional behavior. Jamari Terrell Williams Act- Includes cyberbullying and bullying that takes place on or off campus, at a school activity, or on a bus.

About Social Media

STOP WITH THE NAMECALLING!

Bystanders … Become Upstanders! Bystanders are kids and teens who witness bullying and cyberbullying in action, who stand by and watch, who videotape it and make it viral. . . and WHO DO AND SAY NOTHING. Very often they don’t know what to do. They’re afraid of retaliation or fear that their own group will exclude them for helping an outsider.

When you’re a bystander it’s important to know that by doing nothing you are sending a message to the bully that their behavior is acceptable. It isn’t! And that’s not a message you want to send, nor is it a message you would want someone to send if you were a victim. Yes, it is scary to directly confront a bully and sometimes it can mean taking a big risk. STAND UP!

What You Can Do As An Upstander: Don't laugh Don't encourage the bully in any way Stay at a safe distance and help the target away Don’t become an "audience" for the bully Reach out in friendship Help the victim in any way you can Support the victim in private If you notice someone being isolated from others, invite them to join you Include the victim in some of your activities Tell an adult There is strength in numbers. FMS has more caring kids than bullies! If you are NOT part of the solution, you ARE part of the problem!

HOW TO HANDLE VERBAL BULLYING Students need to learn valuable coping skills in handling bullying. Verbal bullying such as name calling needs to be handled by the student first before reporting it to an adult. In other words, students need to try several strategies themselves to stop verbal bullying. These 5 strategies can be remembered as the 'High 5. ' 1. Ignore it. Don't look at the person. Change the subject. 2. Talk friendly or ask nicely for the person to stop. Be calm. 3. Walk away. Remove yourself from the person/situation. 4. Talk firmly and tell the person to STOP! Let the person know that you will report it if he/she does not STOP! 5. If strategies 1 -4 do not work, Report it to an adult. Verbal threats of violence need to be reported immediately to an adult.

Reporting Bullying At FMS Verbally- Tell a Teacher When It Happens Report Bullying Confidentially on School Website: Remember that we need the first and last name of the person who is being bullied/hurt in order to investigate and help. Complete Student Bullying and Harassment Complaint Form Located in Counselor’s Office

Distracting DRAMA! Stop telling your friends any mean thing that other people are saying about them because it’s immature and you are not being a friend. If other people are talking bad about you behind your back, ignore it. LET IT GO! Not letting it go is DRAMA! Have you ever noticed that the students who are involved in DRAMA usually don’t make good grades? Why? STOP WITH THE DRAMA! HOW ABOUT FOCUSING ON YOUR GRADES!

STRESS Feeling stressed is common in teens School is top source of stress in teens The mind and body are closely connected, and stress can affect the body from head to toe. It’s normal to have some stress in life. But if stress persists at high levels for a long time, it can have lasting negative effects on health. Chronic (long-term) stress can cause anxiety, a weakened immune system, and can contribute to diseases such as depression.

Positive Coping Strategies to Deal with Stress and Emotions Talking to parents or friends Exercise / sports /Yoga Meditation Reading Problem solving Thinking positive / being optimistic Using humor Listening to music Hobbies / recreation Journal / writing Hanging out with friends Praying / religious activities Social support / asking for help Getting enough sleep and healthy eating

MORE THAN SAD DVD

Which of the 4 students in the film would you have been most likely to recognize as being depressed? What does the film say about the causes of depression in teens? In the film, several boys talked with a school counselor about their friend, Jake, who they were worried about because of the way he was acting lately. Would you have taken this action to help a friend you were worried about? What do you think is the most helpful thing you can do for a depressed friend? How can depression be treated? What would you do if a friend talked about suicide?

Let’s Talk About Teen Signs and Symptoms of Teen Depression: You may be depressed if you experience at least 5 of these symptoms for at least 2 weeks: ✔Feeling more irritable or angry than usual ✔Losing or gaining a significant amount of weight (not due to diet) or dramatic change in appetite ✔Having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much ✔Physical feelings of restlessness or being slow, sluggish ✔Not having any energy ✔Feeling worthless or guilty (no clear cause) ✔Not being able to concentrate or make decisions ✔Thinking about wanting to end your life

One of My Favorite Quotes