Take advantage of the nice fall weather and spend some time outdoors.  Pack a picnic lunch and head to Oakland Mills Park.  The Oakland Mills Nature Center is open from 1:00 to 5:00 on Saturdays and Sundays until October 15th. Check out the exhibits and learn about the Skunk River Valley.  Then spend a little time on one of the nature trails or visit the resident bobcat and red-tail hawks.

Both Oakland Mills Park and East Lake Park have Disc Golf courses.  The Riverview Disc Golf Course is on the north shore of Oakland Mills and is open year-round.  The Mt. Pleasant Disc Golf Course at East Lake is located on the north end of the park by the driving range.  Bring your own discs!

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Want to make a difference in your community while enjoying the outdoors?  how about a Litter Walk?  Take a walk around town at one of the many parks and pick up litter along the way.  Wear gloves and bring a couple of trash bags.  You'd be surprised what a difference you'll make!

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September 23rd is National Checkers Day!  Grab those Checkers sets and play a few games.

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Mt. Pleasant Community High School Homecoming is October 7th.  Watch the parade through downtown on Friday afternoon then head out to Maple Leaf for the 9th grade and Varsity Football games!

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Club M at the Mt. Pleasant Middle School is off to a great start.  We have an average of 15 youth and over 20 mentors attending each Wednesday.  Over ten mentor/mentee matches have been made so far with more matches on the way. 

The Club M Activity Tubs are being put to good use with the balloon animals, paper airplanes, and bean-bag toss becoming fast favorites.  All mentor/mentee matches as well as those who are waiting to be matched can participate in Club M and get in on the fun.  Give us a call if you have any questions or need more information. 

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Cyberbullying: How a Mentor Can Help

2) Your student may be a victim, bully, bystander, or all three: ask your student what exactly is happening and what is his or her role.  Ask how he or she knows bully (friend, classmate, stranger), how frequently and for how long has the bullying taken place, and how safe he or she feels. 

3) Actions to take if your student is the victim: Encourage your student not to engage the bully immediately. Take time to figure out what is happening, cool down, and not retaliate.  Help the student print out what he/she can and save all correspondence including text messages, facebook posts, pictures, etc. Help your student  document times, websites/chat rooms, screen names, and any witnesses posts.  Advise the student to temporarily stop using the particular social networking site.  Encourage your student to reflect on what is happening and plan out a course of action.

4) Steps to take if the bullying is ongoing: at times cyberbullying is one-time, playground-type gossip.  But if the cyberbullying continues, intensifies, or becomes threatening, you'll want to help the student take further action.  Advise your mentee to talk with his or her parent or guardian about reporting any harassment or threats to network administrators and local authorities.  You and your mentee can contact school administrators or your student's school counselor.  Although school officials may not be able to directly get involved in events that don't happen at school, they may be able to provide information and resources.

For the complete Cyberbullying Toolkit for Tutors & Mentors visit www.americalearns.net/cyberbullying.       

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