Topic of the Month

Welcome Back Lakers!

I hope that you and your student have settled back into the school routine.  Here are some upcoming events that we hope to see you at!

College Fair - 

9/25 @ 6:30 at Whitman-Hanson High School

Parent-Teacher Conferences - 

10/4 @ S.L. High School 5pm - 7pm

College Financial Aid Night (Senior Parents) - 

10/10 @ S.L. High School 6:30pm

Follow us on Twitter @SL_Guidance and also check our Guidance website for great resources and information.

Topic of the Month

Transitions and Adolescents

Academic skills are a huge part of coming to school and continuing on to various other forms of education after high school.  Though important, without problem solving skills in life adolescents are often times not able to properly prepare for their academic crusade.  Having proper emotional problem solving skills is vital to being able to manage stress and overcome challenge.  As students go through their high school career it is important to build and practice these types of skills by encouraging your students to be more independent, practice emotional regulation and allow them the problem solve.  Studies have shown a rise in mental health need at the college level, which is directly linked to students not being emotionally prepared for this transition.  This is a great article with some very useful tips that can assist as you prepare your student for academic and emotional success both in high school and beyond (Child Mind Institute, linked below).

Preparing for College Emotionally Not Just Academically

Topic of the Month

Adolescent Supports

We get so many parents that come to us with concerns about their student over the course of their high school career.  These concerns are often times in the areas of behavior, emotional need, or academic difficulty, all of which are valid and vary in severity.  Whether minor or major, there are a lot of resources available that can provide assistance and tips on how best to address some of these more common questons.

"Most parents find that their child or adolescent will behave in a problematic way at some point along the road to adulthood. Sometimes, the problematic behavior is brief or only occurs every now and then. Other times, the behavior may last for weeks or may occur frequently. In all cases, parents wonder what they should do. Should you ignore the problem and wait for the “phase” to pass? If you contact your child’s school or a mental health professional, is this an overreaction? And how do you know if your child’s behavior indicates a significant mental health concern? If your child has behavioral or emotional problems, the problems may appear at home, or they may surface in other ways. 

Some children and adolescents have difficulties at school, while others may raise concerns because of the way they behave in the community or because they get into trouble with authority figures like the police. Remember that it can be useful to discuss your concerns with your spouse, a relative, or a trusted friend. In general, you should not be alarmed by moody teenager behavior that seems typical. However, if you simply dismiss your child’s behavior as a “phase” without discussing it with anyone, you may end up overlooking a problem that is more serious. In fact, it is important to identify a mental health concern early, so that your child can receive the proper care if he or she needs it. Many behavioral and emotional problems can be addressed with treatments that are safe and effective." 

(http://www.bostonbar.org/docs/default-document-library/bbaguide_2011update_2.pdf)

Resources

Symptom Checker

Moving to Young Adult Life: A legal guide for Parents of Youth with Mental Health Needs

Think:Kids Blog 

NAMI 

National Alliance on Mental Health has a great deal of resources for both teens as well as caregivers.

Topic of the Month

Course Selection Process

It's almost that time of the year again for choosing classes for next year!  Counselors will be heading into classrooms to present and instruct on course selection after February Vacation, but now is the time to start thinking about which classes you and your student feel are important for next year (12th grade students excluded).  Many students are so excited to be choosing classes for the following year that they often times don't think about how those choices impact their future plans.  We highly encourage you and your student to choose classes that maintain academic rigor and are appropriate.  If you are unsure about what classes are appropriate please contact me with questions or to set up a meeting.   It's important to know what classes are important for post-secondary planning.  Below is some information with regards to Post-Secondary planning that may be helpful when choosing your courses for next year.

Admission Standards for Massachusetts State University System and University of Massachusetts

Please reference pages 3-6 for Admission Standards

** Private schools and universities have different admission criteria that is typically not published, so please feel free to use this information as a reference.

Please reference our Guidance Website for the Program of Studies (this is currently for last year and will be updated soon for the 2018-2019 course selection process) as well as our local graduation requirements.

What is Academic Rigor and Why is it so Important?

Topic of the Month

Creating New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of the year again where everyone focuses on new things, whether it be related to your habits, goals, health, or relationships.  There is something to be said for using the new year to jump start things that you feel are a focus and are important for bettering yourself.  Using this to tie into goal setting, academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, family relationships, social etiquette, and general conversation, can benefit your student as well.  Here are some tips to developing some attainable resolutions for your student.

Helping Students Make New Years Resolutions - A Step-by-Step Guide

Topic of the Month - December 2017

Holiday Stress and Teens

The holiday season can be one filled with laughter, family, and holiday cheer, but for others it can be a time of heightened anxiety, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), grief and depression.  Gift buying, homework completion, exam preparation, family dynamics, and the hustle and bustle of the season all add to these feelings.  Stress and feelings of sadness happen to everyone regardless of season, but for some this time of year yields a much higher intensity of these feelings and moments.  Being aware and having open dialog with your teen is important if you are sensing they are struggling with any of these particular emotions.  There are also resources available to assist you with managing these feelings and your teen.

Childhood Traumatic Grief Materials - Parents Version

Coping in Hard Times - Fact Sheet for Parents

Coping in Hard Times - Fact Sheet for Youth (High School & College Age)

Managing Holiday Stress - Tips & Tricks

Mindfulness May Ease Holiday Habits & Stresses

Dr. Gail Gross on Helping Teens Cope with Holiday Stress

Parenting SA: Sleep and teenagers

Topic of the Month - November 2017

Why is Sleep so Important?

During the school year the question of how much sleep is enough and what the impacts of high school students who don't get enough sleep night to night comes up regularly.  Not only is it such a necessity with daily functioning, but it impacts learning, behavior, emotional regulation, and overall productivity.  

Here are some suggestions that may be helpful if you are tired of always feeling sleepy:

• Have a relaxing bedtime routine. Always fall asleep in your bed, and not in front of the television. At bedtime, your room should be cool, dark and quiet.

• On weekends, no matter how late you go to bed, try to get up within 2 hours to 4 hours of your usual wake time. This is especially important if you have trouble falling asleep on Sunday nights

• Try to be in your bed with the lights out at least 8 hours per day. Many teens need 9 hours or 10 hours to not feel sleepy during the day.

• Try to go to bed at about the same time every night.

• Open the curtains or turn on the lights as soon as you get up in the morning.

• Get exercise every day, but avoid very hard exercise in the evening.

• Make sure you are not overscheduled. Have you taken on more than you can do? Do you still have some time for fun and getting enough sleep?

• Avoid all products with caffeine (coffee, tea and colas) after mid-afternoon.

• Avoid napping during the day. If you do, keep it short (less than 30 min). Definitely do not nap after dinner.

• Have a light snack (such as a glass of milk) before bed.

• Use your bed for sleeping only. Do not do homework, watch television or spend time talking on the phone while in your bed.

• Avoid using any products to help you sleep (including herbal products or over-the-counter sleep aids).

(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528821/)

Topic of the Month - October 2017

Mindfulness and High School Students

The level of stress that students experience throughout their high school careers and beyond is something many struggle with managing.  Skill building in this area is something many adults, educators, and professionals are finding to be extremely helpful in supporting this attempt to manage stress, stay present, and be more productive overall within a school setting.  

There are a lot of great apps, techniques and general information regarding this topic and how it can assist your student more successfully function day to day.

Mindfulness and meditation have been proven to be effective in developing kindness and compassion.

• Meditations that center around compassion lead to changes in area of the the brain associated with empathy and result in an increase in altruistic behavior. (Source: Compassion Can Be Cultivated in the Brain, Study Finds 2013)
• Compassion meditation has been shown to increase self-compassion, compassion for others, and and the ability of an individual to receive compassion. (Source: Enhancing Compassion: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Compassion Cultivation Training Program 2012)

http://www.toolsforpeace.org/programs-events/programs-for-schools/stop-breathe-think/

Mindfulness Tools

Apps for Mobile Devices/Computers

Stop, Breathe, and Think: Free web and mobile app for youth, with meditations for mindfulness and compassion

Calm.com: Free website and mobile app with guided meditation and relaxation exercises

Insight Timer: Free mobile app with virtual “bells” to time and support your meditations

MindShift: Free mobile app for teens developed by AnxietyBC, with mindfulness and other coping skills for anxiety

Smiling Mind: Free mobile mindfulness app for young people, from Australia

Headspace: “Meditation made simple.” This app has a free introductory period, after which it requires a paid subscription to continue to use.

Books/Resources

Gina M. Biegel, The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness Skills to Help You Deal with Stress (Instant Help Books, 2009)

Joseph V. Ciarrochi, Louise Hayes, and Ann Bailey, Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens: A Guide to Living an Extraordinary Life (Instant Help, 2012)

Mark C. Purcell and Jason R. Murphy, Mindfulness for Teen Anger: A Workbook to Overcome Anger and Aggression Using MBSR and DBT Skills (Instant Help, 2014)

Christopher Willard, Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety: A Workbook for Overcoming Anxiety at Home, at School, and Everywhere Else (Instant Help, 2014)

Christopher Willard and Mitch Abblett, Growing Mindful: A Deck of Mindfulness Practices for All Ages (Growing Mindful Games, 2015). A deck of cards with short mindfulness practices to “cultivate mindfulness on the go.” Available here and here.

(http://mindfulnessforteens.com/resources/)

Topic of the Month - September 2017

Welcome Back to the Lake

I hope that everyone enjoyed their summer and is excited for the 2017-2018 school year at Silver Lake.  I thought I would welcome you back with some upcoming events from the Guidance Department.

Senior Parents Breakfast - 9/8/17 @ 7:45am in the LGR

Back to School Night - 9/14/17 @ 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Sophomore Parents Breakfast - 9/15/17 @ 7:45am in the LGR

Junior Parents Breakfast - 9/22/17 @ 7:45am in the LGR

College Fair - 10/3/17 @ 6:30pm at Silver Lake Regional High School

Parent Teacher Conferences - 10/5/17 @ 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Financial Aid Night (Senior Parents) - 10/11/17 @ 6:30pm in the LGR

Stay tuned for further details on each event as we get a bit closer.  Also don't forget to check our Guidance website and follow us on Twitter @SL_Guidance.

Wishing you a successful start to the school year!