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The Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Parthership is presently funded by the Montclair school district and by a grant from NJ Department of Health and Senior Services' Child and Adolescent Health Program to the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network. Other past and present funders include The Healthcare Foundation of NJ, Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Montclair Community Intervention Alliance, Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence, Mountainside Health Foundation, Mountainside Hospital Community Benefits, Rutgers University (grant from NJ Department of Education), United Way of North Essex, and from private donations.
This newsletter was made possible in part by grants from the Montclair Community Intervention Alliance, and the Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Addiction.
The Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Partnership is currently seeking office space in Montclair.
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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR:
Welcome to the first edition of HEALTHWISE. 
You are receiving this free E-newsletter in response to your interest, involvement and support of our programs in the Montclair public schools.
The Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Partnership has been committed to supporting healthy students and healthy families since 2001. Our goal is to provide you with useful information throughout the school year regarding your children's physical, emotional and mental well-being - all equally important in acquiring a good education.
This year we are focusing on social-emotional learning, with an emphasis on the concerns of middle-school. The article "Active Listening - Improving Parent-Child Communication in the Middle-School Years" should give you an interesting introduction to this important topic.
This E-newsletter will help us keep you informed about events, programs and resources that are designed to support you - our students' parents and primary caregivers. Please Talk Back to us! Tell us your concerns, interests or questions. We look forward to hearing from you and including those topics in future issues. You can also volunteer to Get Involved in health and wellness activities in your school.
Be sure to Join Our Mailing List to continue receiving this free E-newsletter. And...please share "Health-Wise" with your friends.
Your partner in health,
Joanne Aidala,
Director
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| FEATURE ARTICLE |
PARENT- CHILD COMMUNICATION: THE MIDDLE-SCHOOL YEARS
By Karen Straim, Associate Director
Middle-school is a time of change and challenge for children and parents alike. As our children grow during the middle-school years, they experience change physically, emotionally, mentally and socially in their transition from child to teenager. Research shows that during growth significant changes occur in areas of the brain that are responsible for self-control, judgment, emotions and organization, that do not fully mature until adulthood. Teens begin to strive for independence, self-identity, and a life separate from parents and home. They turn toward the outside word while we, as parents, want to maintain our relationships with them and continue to be a protective guiding support to them. Keeping the lines of communication open is especially important during the adolescent years - to maintain the closeness of our relationships with our children, and to help them be healthy and successful in their changing lives. Listening, really listening, is a way to show our children that they are important enough to have our undivided attention and concern during this time of transition
As parents, we tend to think that what we have to say to our children is of the utmost importance. After all, we're adults, and want our children to perceive us as authorities. We tend to talk and talk and talk at our teens - and then complain that our teens don't listen to us, and that they don't communicate with us. Teens, on the other hand, if asked what their biggest complaint is about their parents, are likely to say much the same thing - they don't listen to me! Is it any surprise then, that parent-child communication during the pre-teen and teen years is such a puzzle or a struggle? Who's really listening to whom?
Active listening is a communication tool that parents and teens can use to create mutual understanding and clarity. Active listening is a skill that can be learned. It is a simple but powerful way for parents to strengthen communication with their teens and help guide them to solve problems on their own. Active listening technigues include the following:
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HEALTH NOTES
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Hand washing
Frequent handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of illnesses like the common cold, viruses and the flu. Frequent washing with regular soap while rubbing vigorously (the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday) has been shown to be very effective in promoting good health.
Remind your children to wash their hands frequently throughout the day - after using the bathroom, after playing outside, before eating, etc. |
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