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Missed this Week's Announcements?
Archived e-Blast from 9/21/2014
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RAIDERS' CHOICE PROGRAM DEBUTS OCT. 1st!
Fall Session for the WHS RAIDERS' CHOICE Program offers students an opportunity to gain understanding and skill sets in three areas: Stress Management, Academics, and Life Skills. One of the biggest concerns parents have voiced to the PTSA Board this fall is the incredible pressure their children feel from the combination of rigorous high school classes, extracurricular activities and the breakneck pace of their 21st Century lives. In response, the overriding theme for our first Raiders' Choice Session is stress management. Each class will provide strategies to deal with the stressors that our children face academically and socially each day.
Direct instruction in techniques to cope with stress and anxiety will be complemented with classes on organization, time management, study and test taking skills. Collaboration and creativity are necessary ingredients for the team projects like the pumpkin decorating competition and the gingerbread house construction segment. Etiquette and social skills including reading body language and even exploring the art of conversation. There will be practical tips like how to do your laundry and inspiring messages about motivation and defining individual success.
Each class will be offered during a W.E.B from 1:15-2:15. Registration is required and students can choose which classes interest them and can be scheduled around their W.E.B commitments. Registration for each week's classes will be opened at 7:00pm on Sunday evening through the WHS PTSA e-Blast.
On Oct.1, a large group program entitled, "Coping with Stress and Anxiety" will kick off the Fall Session with registration opening on Sept. 28. For a catalog of classes, please visit our website with your student to choose the enrichment topic they want to explore. Raiders' Choice Catalog
Please encourage your student to take advantage of these programs and learn how they can take control and become strong in Mind, Body and Spirit!
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Principal's Leadership Committee(PLC) Named Student Ambassadors for Wounded Warrior Project 
"The greatest casualty is to be forgotten." The motto of the Wounded Warrior Project inspired Walton's PLC to seek to become Student Ambassadors for this special philanthropy. This status allows students
to work with the WWP to raise funding and awareness to support our heroes. The PLC, a committee of Walton students gaining leadership skills through the planning and implementation of fundraising and advocacy campaigns, have several events planned to benefit WWP. On Tuesday, Sept. 30, Marlow's in Merchants Walk will donate a portion of the proceeds for lunch, dinner or take out purchases to WWP. A WHS/WWF card must be presented to the server to receive the donation. (Print card)
Other activities include t-shirt sales, GRILL DAY on 10/1 during WEB and a donation drive during the Walton/Pope football game on 10/3. Donations given by check should be made out to the Wounded Warrior Project.
The group's Holiday Project will be geared towards patients at Atlanta's Veteran's Hospital. On February 7, 2015, the PLC will host Operation Miracle - a mini Dance Marathon in the Commons. Operation Miracle raises funds for the Children's Miracle Network CHOA. In May, the group will participate in Cobb County's Relay for Life - a signature event of the American Cancer Society. Please visit the PLC website to learn more about the community service, citizenship, and school spirit activities of the Walton PLC.
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NOVEMBER Elections Important to Education
 Officials Are Making Decisions About YOUR Child's Education! Do You Want To Decide To Be a Participant In Their Election? As parents, our lives are extremely hectic. With so many demands on our time, it's sometimes difficult to prioritize. But the quality of our children's education directly impacts the quality of their future and the future of our country. With this in mind, one of the most important tasks you can accomplish this November is to vote and have the opportunity to "hire" the individuals you believe will make the best choices for your child's education! Here are just a few of the crucial leadership positions that impact education. Governor: The Governor is one of the single, most significant decision makers in education. The Governor starts the funding process for our states' education by developing and submitting an annual statewide budget for review and approval by the legislature. This official also has "line-item" veto power which is used to remove appropriations they oppose. Governors of Georgia play a strong role in establishing priorities for the use of state resources and determining the amount of state funding allocated to education. State Superintendent of Schools: The State Superintendent of Schools is the administrative head of the Georgia Department of Education. The Superintendent oversees the state's K-12 public education system and is charged with establishing the policies and managing operations of the system. The office determines how federal education dollars are allocated, the type of standardized testing administered, how our teachers are evaluated and the type of standards they must meet. Georgia General Assembly: The Georgia General Assembly consists of the State Senate and the House of Representatives. Their main role is to propose and vote on legislation that can and does impact the way our schools function and how our teachers educate. Cobb County Board of Education: Cobb County School Board members have the authority to control and manage the public schools within the county. They hire your school system's superintendent, make our school system's budget decisions and allocations, determine your property taxes which fund our schools and decide how to allocate the education SPLOST dollars. In short, guided by the policies and budget provided by the State, the School Board sets the direction of all Cobb County Schools. Ready to have a voice in the election of the officials making decisions that will directly impact your child's education? First step: Are you registered to vote? Is your 18 year old son or daughter registered? (They can register now even if they are 17½.) You must register by 10/ 6 to be eligible to vote in the this election. If you have a valid driver's license you can register online through the Secretary of State's website: SOS Georgia's Secretary of State is making the voting process easier than ever. Do you travel a lot? Even if you don't, you can still request an absentee ballot for ANY reason. Applications must be received by 10/31 and all ballots must be returned by 7:00pm on 11/4. Don't like to stand in line? Try Advance Voting: Throughout Cobb County, there are advance voting locations and many open on 10/13. Not sure who to vote for? You can print your very own Sample Ballot before Election Day. Use the sample ballot to help make decisions ahead of time, so you are well-informed and efficient. For complete details on voting in Cobb County, visit Cobb Elections. If we want a world class education for our children, We have to Hire the Right People! Get Educated about the candidates and the issues. And, then VOTE on Nov. 4! Karen Hallacy, WHS PTSA Legislative Chair |
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WALTONSTRONG
MIND
BODY
SPIRIT
STRESSED OUT!
Just reading the title of this article triggers a stress response in most of us! Stress can be defined as our physical, mental and emotional response to a stimulus. As long as something requires effort or resources from you, it can be a stressor in your life. From tragedy to traffic to planning a celebration, when the brain senses stress, our bodies undergo a physiological change designed to marshal our resources and confront the perceived challenge through "flight or fight". Hormones flood our bodies; blood is directed from our extremities to the greater skeletal muscles; our heart rate and blood pressure increase; our pupils dilate; and resources that would be devoted to activities like digestion are redirected to prepare our bodies to react to the stressor.
Mild to moderate stress reactions can be seen as positive. They provide us resources to confront new problems, to grow and to learn. After a stress reaction, our bodies should go through a period of restitution with rest, relaxation, and sleep. With proper restitution, our body will suffer no ill effects. However, when the body is constantly on alert in a prolonged stress condition, there is increased risk of physical and psychological impairment.
Chronic stress and anxiety lead us into a vicious cycle. Anxiety is one of the major causes of insomnia which causes fatigue, attention problems, and lowers mental and physical capabilities. Stress hormones weaken our immune system which leaves us more susceptible to minor and major diseases. Chronic stress can cause high blood pressure, low-level inflammation with accompanying joint and muscle pain, migraine and other headaches, gastrointestinal issues, weight gain, skin problems, depression, and substance abuse. It impacts our children's ability to absorb new information and their performance on assessments and in social situations. In short, a state of chronic stress can severely impact our children's (and our own) health and education.
Are you ready for the good news? New brain imaging technologies show that we can learn to manage our bodies' response to stressors and mitigate its effect on our health and our performance. We can use stress management techniques to improve our attention and focus. Research studies prove that providing students with strategies to develop their skills to cope with stressful experiences can decrease anxiety levels, depression, and risk for academic failure. Learning to manage the mind/body connection leads us to choose how to respond to a stimulus instead of reacting to the stressor. These mindful techniques are being utilized from the school room to the corporate board room to the US House of Representatives and all points in between.
We owe it to ourselves and our children to recognize that the mind, body and spirit are all equally important as we strive to develop life-long healthy habits. The WHS Raiders' Choice Enrichment Program kicks off its Fall Session Oct. 1 and offers instruction on a wide variety of skills to enable our students to manage their own stressors. Please encourage your student to attend the classes that appeal to them. Recently, a WHS student spoke to a group of parents and advised them to "just breathe". Turns out, that is great advice for all of us!
For more inspiration and practical tips to make your BODY, MIND, and SPIRIT STRONG, please visit our Pinterest page.
 WaltonPTSA
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The WHS Website, eBlast,
Connections and The Raider Review
are paid for by funding from your
Visit Our Website to Learn more about Walton's PTSA
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Have you taken the PTSA "Passion into Action Survey" yet? This brief survey, designed to identify subject experts across many fields, will be used to offer parents the opportunity to meaningfully utilize their skills to meet specific needs at Walton. Here is the link to take the survey now:
"Passion Into Action"
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