Next Monday, September 22, is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child's teachers and get documentation on the PowerUp program. It is also an opportunity to help teachers out with a few supllies.

PowerUp: As you go through your child's schedule, you will also have the opportunity to fill out the documentation for the PowerUp laptop your student will receive in January. A $25 cash or money order insurance payment will also be collected at that time. Payment and submission of documentation will take place in your student's house or in the Commons.

Teacher Shower: We all know how expensive it can be setting up classrooms with supplies for the year. Many of you have already helped our teachers by sending in extra classroom supplies and we thank you greatly.  However, if you haven't had a chance to help or if your student protests to walking into school with rolls of paper towels, tissue boxes, Expo markers, etc.  We have a way to make it easy to get the supplies to the teachers... You can bring them with you to our Parent Teacher Night, next Monday, September 22 at 6 p.m.  Westside's wonderful NHS (National Honor Society) students will be happy to collect the items as you arrive. 

In asking teachers what they need, these were the top #10 most requested items:

1. Hand Sanitizer

2. Tissue Boxes

3. Expo or White Board Markers

4. Black/Blue/ Red Pens

5. White  Board Cleaner

6. #2 Pencils

7. Batteries AAA, AA, 9 Volt

8. Colored copy paper

9. White copy paper

The term "trolling" has been in the news a lot lately.  An internet "troll" is an abusive or obnoxious internet user who intentionally tries to upset people on the internet by starting arguments or posting inflammatory comments.  A troll is also someone who stirs up drama and abuses their online anonymity by purposely spreading hatred, bigotry or racism.  Trolls feed off of a big audience, so they frequent blog sites, new sites, discussion forums, and chat rooms. They thrive in any environment where they are allowed to make public comments.

Unfortunately, Robin Williams' grieving daughter, Zelda, was the victim of trolling recently.  Two users sent her photos and messages about her late father which were untrue and inflammatory.  She then made the decision to deactivate her social media accounts as to avoid any more hurt and abuse by these users or any others.

There are important steps to take when you are faced with an online troll, and Zelda Williams set a great example for our teens by quickly deactivating her account.  Often times, when a teen is being bullied online, it is difficult for them to cut off ties online.  However, it is an important step in ending the negative conversation.  If your teen is unwilling to deactivate their account, it is important for them to remove the negative content immediately.  It takes a lot less time to delete a comment than it is to write one, so it is good to suggest that they don't respond, as that will only feed the troll's ego.  Another step to take when dealing with a troll or an online bully is to block and report the user and to ask friends to do the same.  Most importantly, trolls seek attention, so if they don't get a reaction to what they said or posted, it will eventually die down.

Tomorrow during lunch, we will have students sign a banner that reads "I Won't be Mean behind the Screen".  By having students sign this pledge, it will give them an opportunity to stand up for what is right and positively peer pressure their friends into doing the same.  I encourage you to have a pledge in your own homes that your family can sign that promises the same thing.

Just a reminder: this Thursday, September 18, in S100 from 8-9:15 a.m., before late start Thursday, I will be hosting a bullying awareness seminar for students called the "Upstander Project".  Part two of the seminar will be next Thursday on September 25, same time same place.   

Questions? Please email me: mparsley@council-houston.org.