Dear Parents,

Counseling Corner:

The La Entrada Counseling Department is here to aid in facilitating a smooth transition between the dependence of the elementary school years and the independence of the high school years.  The middle school counselors strive to be a resource for information concerning academic, social and emotional needs for our students.  Mrs. Witthaus is the counselor for 4th, 5th and 8th grade and Mrs. Tavernakis is the counselor for 6th and 7th grade.  We are here to provide support to students in order to maximize potential and academic achievement.  In partnership with teachers, parents/guardians, and the community, we help facilitate a support system to ensure all students at La Entrada have access to a curriculum which is based on their intellectual, social, and emotional needs.  We want our students to be prepared with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute at the highest level as they advance through their academic careers.

 

What We Offer:

• Guidance Curriculum- Assist students in the development of basic life skills.
• Responsive Services- Intervention on behalf of those students whose immediate personal concerns/problems put their personal-social and/or educational development at risk.
• Individual Planning- Guide students as they plan, monitor and manage their educational and social development.
• System Support- Assist with programs that support students and to coordinate with parents, teachers, administrators, and school staff to benefit all students.
• Counseling Groups- Various counseling groups are formed and run on an as needed basis throughout the school year addressing such issues as motivation, organization, stress/anxiety, social skills, grief, problem solving and making healthy choices. Please contact your counselor for more information.
• Individual Counseling - We have an open door policy to deal with problem solving.  We also have ACS (Adolescent Counseling Services), a service that offers weekly counseling to our students.  A permission slip must be signed by parent/guardian before sessions can begin.
• Academic Watch- We track students academically and meet with students regularly if they are missing assignments.  We not only help with an organizational plan, but offer advice on how to communicate with teachers and make up missing assignments/projects.

504 Plans - All 504 annual renewal meetings have been set up for students with a 504.  Please speak with your child's counselor if you have not been notified of a date and time.

SchoolLoop - Please check SchoolLoop regularly.  SchoolLoop is an online application for students and parents to communicate with teachers, review the calendar for homework assignments/projects, and monitor grades. If you have not signed up to receive daily emails, please do so.  If you need assistance, please come to the counseling office, room 7.

La Entrada Community-Our lunch time clubs are up and running. Clubs running at the moment:  Book Club, Knitting Club, Physics Club, Expect Respect, Community Service Club, and the Leopard's Lounge, just to name a few. If your student did not sign up during the Leopards' Faire, but is interested, have your student see their counselor in room 7 as soon as possible.  Lunch time has many fun, enriching activities going on due to our fabulous parent volunteers and dedicated teachers.

Peer Tutoring - Thank you to our Peer Tutors for helping their peers.  If your student would like extra help in a specific subject, please have them sign up in the counseling office (Rm. 7).  Peer Tutoring: Mondays, Room 44 from 2:55 -3 :35 p.m. (A late bus pass will be provided).

8th Grade Parents - It is currently open enrollment for Sequoia District. Online open enrollment transfer applications are due no later than 2/20/2015. No late applications are accepted, no exceptions, so make sure if you are interested in your student not attending their assigned school, to complete your forms as soon as possible. Please click here for more detailed information. Most of the schools have open houses and shadowing opportunities so you can find a best fit school. We are lucky to be located in an area with so many wonderful public and private schools. Both the public and private schools  are holding open houses and shadowing opportunities, check the individual websites for the particulars for each school. If you have questions or concerns regarding high school options, contact eighth grade counselor Kim Witthaus by email or 650-854-3962 ex. 218. 

Allowing the family to grow and adapt as the needs and abilities of the family evolve.

by Jerod Gilbert, LMFT, Site Director at Jordan Middle School

 

When we were expecting our first child, a graduate school friend of mine said, "It's not just the birth of a child, it's the birth of a parent." I laughed and thought this was a bit corny. The cliché has stuck with me, however, as we have grown as a family. Now that we have a second child, and we have both a daughter and a son, I continue to see the validity of the idea of the birth of the parent, and I see the work the children do that makes us better adults. None of us receive instructions. We continue to grow as parents as our children grow. In fact, a primary sign of a healthy family is that it continues to adapt as the needs, wants and abilities of its members change.

 

During adolescence, the family arrives at a new opportunity to adapt to the needs of the family.  It is the first time our children seek to find their own identity outside of the family. It is the first time they consider: Who am I? How am I like my family? How am I not like my family? Before, it was not even an idea, a feeling or a sensation. Suddenly it becomes primary. Because we are social creatures who need connection with others to thrive, our middle-schoolers seek groups outside of the nuclear family in order to test out who they are. They push away from their family because they feel the pull towards other groups, all in service to discovering their own self.

 

You wonder about the fervent pull to the mall on the weekend. You don't get it --why is your daughter Instragramming her drink?  You are not supposed to get it. It is not for you to get. It is for her peer group - the people who are supporting her growing self-identity. Adolescents must struggle to discover their own identities. The struggle entails negotiating and trying to fit in. They do seek leadership, however, and over time they do develop a set of ideals and a sense of right and wrong. In the successful adolescent, these ideals are socially congruent and desirable. But it takes times, and many awkward trips to the mall, to get there.

 

By middle school, our children have been attending schools and camps, riding bikes, and playing sports for some time; their worlds have already expanded quite a bit and we, as parents, have already begun to reconcile that we as parents are no longer the complete authorities we once were, though we are still at the top of the list. Our task with adolescents is to continue surrendering to our children's growth, but to do so with an understanding that the developmental task of adolescence is to form a personal identity. If the family successfully navigates this time, the children will ultimately form an identity that feels true and stable to them. If the family fails, the children may experience role confusion and a weak sense of self.  The reward of the family's successful navigation of adolescence results in a child who is self-assured versus self-conscious. We would all like to give our children this experience in the world. The process during this time is critical and generating a respect for their task may help you understand and support them through the challenge.

 

But how exactly do we support them? As stated earlier, our children do not arrive with instructions. So we must struggle ourselves to find the right balance of guiding and following. We must guide them towards making healthy decisions and, in order to maintain a connection, we must sometimes follow them towards their interests, which may not be our own. Additionally, sometimes we must see the bigger picture and understand that we cannot even follow. As parents we can expect our children to experiment with different - usually constructive - roles, knowing that the alternative for them is to adopt a "negative identity" (such as delinquency). No matter what, sometimes they will act like jerks, but our ability to continue to tolerate and guide them has lasting benefits for the rest of their lives. Allowing our middle-schoolers to experiment and explore, while providing a safe and supportive home-base, provides the stability our children need to actually anticipate achievement, rather than to feel paralyzed by feelings of inferiority and uncertainty.

 

Ultimately, we want our children to trust themselves. Trips to the mall provide an opportunity for them to try on different aspects of themselves, so do trips to the state park, the beach, church and other non-consumer activities. The good news is there are lots of adults who can be good role models. In our community there are lots of programs in which they can explore their roles and identities. Adolescent Counseling Services provides students with another venue to begin to understand the patterns and themes that are emerging within them and around them. It is another way for students to investigate their self-identity, but to do so with a supportive, trained professional who is there for them - not a parent, a teacher, a priest or a rabbi, but a counselor who is there to support their own unfolding self without a potentially competing agenda. This can be a very powerful experience for an adolescent.

 

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 or call Rom Brafman, Ph.D., Site Director at La Entrada (650) 854-3962 ext. 216.  ACS relies on the generosity of community 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! 

Please help the families of Haven House Family Shelter have a great Halloween by donating new or gently used costumes in all sizes (infant through adult).  The Girl Scout troops of Las Lomitas and La Entrada are working together with Suzanne Mitchell (La Entrada Technology Director) to collect costumes at both schools.  Look for the bins and Girl Scouts during morning drop off the weeks of October 6th and October 13th at Las Lomitas and the week of October 6th at La Entrada. There's no need to even get out of your car.  We will take the costumes to the bin for you! (The bins will be out at both schools until 10/17.)

New changes to 9th Grade Open Enrollment were approved by the Board of Trustees effective for the 2015-16 school year.  The open enrollment policy for the 2015-2016 can be viewed here.

Get to Know M-A High School

Shadowing will take place between mid-September till early February of the school year. This shadow program is designed for all students, including transfer students, who are interested in attending Woodside High School. The shadow program is run through the leadership class and the students in leadership are the shadow leaders. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people; we are sure that you will find Woodside students to be friendly, welcoming, and fun. Register here to shadow at Woodside.

 

The Freshman Video:

Are you wondering what it is like to attend Woodside High School? What makes Woodside High School special and different from other high schools? Well, wonder no more...go to our website and scroll to the bottom of the page.

 Woodside Parent Education Series

We offer multiple parent education forums throughout the year.  Our next event is 

Thursday, November 13 entitled "Building a Positive Experience for Student Athletes," with the national non-profit Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., Woodside MUR.

 

For a complete listing of events throughout the year, click here.

 Interested in what's going on at Woodside High School? 

Sign up to receive the Woodside High School weekly newsletter here. 

 

 

• Tuesday, November 4th at 7:00 p.m. @ Everest (455 Fifth Avenue in Redwood City)
• Thursday, December 4th at 7:00 p.m. @ Summit Prep (890 Broadway in Redwood City)
• Saturday, February 7th at 10:00 a.m. @ Everest (455 Fifth Avenue in Redwood City)

 

 

 

8th Grader Information Night

 

When: October 14, 2014
Where: Sequoia High School, Carrington Hall
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

 

Come and take a closer look at a wonderful place for students to grow and learn. See why Sequoia High School is an award-winning, high performance school.

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS/PRESENTATIONS:

 

6:30 - 7:15: Come to Carrington Hall for an overview of Sequoia High. Hear from students and alumni and see a scene from the fall musical.

 

7:15 - 8:30: Choose what you'd like to see: dance performances, practical art demonstrations, visit with extracurricular leaders, department chairs and coaches, and experience Sequoia High in action.

• International Baccalaureate
• Art Showcase
• Music/Drama/Dance
• Athletics

 For more information on Sequoia High School, click here.

 

Submission Requirements: