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Emergency Card Reminder
All students should have received their 2012-2013 Student Emergency Card via mail (if LE) or the Monday packet (if LL). This needs to be updated once a year. It documents important information about your child and also serves as a registration form for the next year in our District. Please check that all the information is current, all missing information completed, edit where appropriate, sign and return. We find that parent's emails addresses changes are most often overlooked, so we ask you to double-check that and all information for needed changes. If any information on this form changes during the next school year, please update the school office. Even if you are not returning to the District, please check the appropriate box at the top of the form and return the form to your child's teacher. PLEASE Return the Student Emergency Form, updated and signed, to your child's teacher by May 18th. Thank you.
Peer Tutoring
As the end of the year quickly approaches and things becomes very busy and exciting, peer tutoring is coming to an end. Peer tutoring will end Thursday, May 17th. Study Center will still be open after school for all students to attend.
Calling all HP Parents!
HP's Employee Product Giving Program reopens on Tuesday, May 1st . Please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to donate HP products at 25% of list price to the Las Lomitas and La Entrada schools! Funds are available on a first come, first served basis so you'll need to apply quickly. Details on how to donate are available at this following link . The school is particularly looking for HP TouchSmart 9100 PCs for the classrooms. If you have any questions, please contact Suzanne Mitchell or Bob Wrenn.
Washington DC Trip 7th Grade Parents Meetings
7th Grade parents are invited to attend one of the following meetings in the MUR about information on next year's 8th grade Washington D.C. Trip:
- May 16, 2012 7PM
- May 24, 2012 6PM - just before our Open House Event!
Mrs. Dineen will present this exciting enrichment opportunity and share discount deals with early registration.
Special Parent Event with ACS on May 22 at 7pm in the MUR. "Setting Your Child Up for Success: Strategies for Motivating and
Communicating Effectively with Kids and Teens"
Jenna Rinsky, M.A.
Do you worry about your child's grades, school motivation, or interest in learning? Do you struggle to get your child to take responsibility for homework and studying? Do you ever wonder how to gain your child's trust while also enforcing rules and expectations?
In this workshop, led by Jenna Rinsky, M.A., one of our own Adolescent Counseling Services therapists and co-leader of the Organize your Mind group at La Entrada, you will learn strategies to:
* Ignite (or re-ignite) your child's drive to succeed
* Spark a love of learning
* Improve your child's problem-solving and executive functioning skills
* Enhance self-efficacy and self-esteem
* Improve study skills and maximize efficiency
* Communicate more effectively with your "tween" or teen
* Reduce conflict and grow closer to your child
Dress Code Reminders
The weather is warming up and students are starting to come to school dressed in clothing that does not follow our current dress code policy. Parents, please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for school before they leave the house in the morning. We all enjoy working with your children and do not want to spend time discussing clothing choices in lieu of instructional subject matter.
Below is a copy of our dress code policy, which can be found in our Student Handbook:
Informality is acceptable, but immodesty is not. Tops must be long enough to keep the midriff covered. (A good test is that the midriff should remain covered when a student is raising up her/his hands.) Tops with shoulder straps less than one inch wide are not allowed, nor are any kind of spaghetti straps. Underwear should not be visible at any time. Micro-mini skirts and short tennis type skirts are not permitted. Shorts/skirts must reach below the length of the fingertips ( arms extended down to the side). "Bermuda" style shorts are the best choice when choosing school appropriate shorts. The wearing of pants below the waistline is also not acceptable. Hat/caps are not allowed in classrooms, office, library or assemblies.
Students out of dress code will be sent to the office to call home for appropriate clothing, or to put on "lender" clothes available in the office.
On behalf of all the teachers and staff, we thank you in advance for seeing to your child's school clothing choices during these warm school days.
"Fine": Getting Beyond the One-word Answer
by Rom Brafman PhD., Site Director at La Entrada Middle School
It's a sure sign that your son or daughter is entering adolescence. You ask them how their school day went, how was the afternoon spent hanging out with friends, or how was the movie they just watched, and you get the overly succinct and curt, "Fine."
Other related one-word non-answers include the annoying "Stuff" (in response, for example, to "What did you do in school?") or the ever frustrating, "Whatever."
What do these one-word replies mean and what does a parent do when encountering them?
On one hand, these succinct utterances are perfectly normal. Teenagers are in the midst of exploring their independence and place boundaries on what they want to share. "Fine" can be their way of saying, "A few years ago you were my main source of social interaction and I included you in virtually everything that was going on in my life. But now as I'm getting older I'm relying on friends more and I don't really feel like engaging in a conversation with you about this topic."
Still, as a parent, it's impossible not to feel a bit of a letdown or a feeling of rejection by the one-word answer--especially when you learn that your son or daughter is texting endlessly to his or her friends about the exact same subject matter you asked about and got nowhere.
To a parent, the "fine" type of non-response often acts as a stop sign. After all, what can you really say to follow a one-word answer?
Parent: How did your day go today?
Teenager: Fine.
Parent: Oh.
While sometimes it's a good idea to respect your teen's short response and leave the matter alone, it's important to understand that
your son or daughter doesn't truly want you to give up all together. Teenagers don't always know how to broach a subject and they often don't realize that their terse response can come across as off-putting. Here are some things you can do as a parent when you want to have a real conversation with your teen:
- Ask questions that can't be answered with "fine" alone. For example, instead of asking "How was your day?" you can ask "What was your favorite part of today?" or "What unusual things happened today?" You may still get short responses, but at least your teen knows that you are interested in having a conversation, not just checking if he or she is OK.
- Be honest. Let your son or daughter know what's on your mind without assigning blame. For example, you can say, "I love you a lot and I'm very interested in you and what's going on in your life. I don't expect you to tell me everything, but I'd like to hear what you think about things and your opinions and any little things that happened to you today." You may have to repeat this message often.
- Rephrase. If you get a one-word reply, feel free to try again. For example, you can say, "I'm glad to hear it went fine. But what I'm really trying to get at is what was your experience overall. I'd love to hear the full story."
- Use humor. If you and your teen feel comfortable joking around together you can make light of the awkward situation of being given a one-word response. For example, if you ask your teen how her meeting with her friends went and she says, "Fine," you can say, "Is there a secret password I need to hear more?" Of course, this strategy only works if your child understands that it's not meant as a dig but as a way of forming a closer bond. If you think that your humor might be misconstrued as being insensitive, then it may be a good idea not to use this strategy.
- Create one-on-one time. Go somewhere nice, just the two of you. Or just your spouse, you, and your teen. You may want to go for lunch somewhere, to a museum, or on a nice drive. Let your teen know that you're creating this time because you enjoy spending time together and are curious about how their life is going. Try to make this outing a standard, weekly occurrence.
- Model. Sometimes the best way of getting someone to open up is to take the lead. If you share with your teen stories about what your experiences were when you were their age, they might feel more open to go deeper with you. This sharing shouldn't be of the "When I was your age we had to walk a mile to school" variety, but more so about stories from your life about a favorite teacher, a difficult time, or even a crush you had on someone and what you did (or didn't do) about it.
The most important thing to remember is that your teen may or may not open up as fast as you would like, but if he or she knows that you are interested and that you're not one to give up trying, eventually they'll start putting their guard down.
Adolescent Counseling Services is a community non-profit, which provides vital counseling services on nine secondary campuses at no charge to students and their families. To learn more about our services please visit the ACS website at www.acs-teens.org or call Dr. Rom Brafman, Site Director at La Entrada (650) 854-3962 ext. 218. ACS relies on the generosity of com-munity members to continue offering individual, family, and group counseling to over 1,500 individuals annually. ACS provides critical interventions and mental health services, building a better future for tomorrow. If you are interested in helping to support our efforts, do not hesitate to call to make a donation. It goes a long way in helping teenagers find their way!
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