CONNECTIONS, the Walton High School e-Newsletter
Sharing Walton Stories to Inspire and Applaud

August 12, 2016

Missed this Week's Announcements?

Archived E-Blast from Sunday, August 7, 2016

RAIDERS HEADED TO THE GEORGIA DOME! 
Come cheer on the Walton Raiders as they take on the Norcross Blue Devils at the Georgia Dome on August 20th at 2:45 pm.  General Admission is $13.00.  

Ticket Sale Dates are:
  • Thursday, August 11th at the Raider Valley Ticket Booth from 5:30pm-8:30pm
  • Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, August 17th 18th and 19th in the Walton High School Commons from 10:30am-1:30pm.  
Purchase tickets at Walton to save over Dome prices, plus a portion of the cost will go to Walton Athletics.:)   GO RAIDERS!
PTSA Sponsors Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Classes in Health For Fall and Spring Semesters
 
Being a teen today is tough and the stress can really have an impact on school and home life.  To address this issue, the PTSA is again sponsoring an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course developed specifically for teens from the experts at Mindfulness in Schools Project. The name of the course is .b {pronounced dot be}  and it offers students tools for reducing stress and anxiety as well  as  improving focus, concentration, self-control, and creativity. For many students the course can lead to immediate and striking results: feeling happier, calmer, sleeping better, as well as performing better on quizzes and tests.
 
THE 8 LESSONS - The . curriculum is a  set of 8 lessons rooted in neuroscience, each teaching a core skill of mindfulness.  Lessons include a brief presentation by a trained teacher with help of animated visuals, film, and practical exercises to make ideas relevant to real stressors in their lives.   
 
Today many companies and professional sports teams are promoting mindful practices to improve the health and decision-making of their players and leaders. Google trains 200+ engineers in mindfulness each year and c-level execs credit mindfulness as one of the key reasons behind Google's innovative culture. The Atlanta Falcons, Delta, and Coca-Cola are just a few local companies who have implemented it and see mindfulness training as a clear competitive advantage.
 
Aetna, our country's third largest health insurer, partnered with Duke University to study mindfulness and mindful movement. Researchers found these practices decreased stress levels by 28%, improved sleep quality (22%), reduced pain (19%) and improved productivity 62 minutes per week per employee.  Aetna now offers similar programs to all employees as well as their insured customers.
 
Happier teens, better performance, happier parents! 
 
Lisa Wellstead,
Mindfulness Trainer and Teacher Trainer

The Walton Raider Football team has a secret weapon: The MOM's Club! 

This group of uniform washing, Gatorade getting, picture taking, touchdown loving, always cheering, Raider Moms are a constant support for the team.

They provide breakfast for the boys every Saturday morning during the season.  After an early workout, the team enjoys a big breakfast while they watch films. The Sunshine Mom sends get well cards and small gifts to injured players to keep their spirits up. And, the group holds socials to build camaraderie and community among the mothers and the coaches' wives.

Thanks, Moms! 
Athletic Department Launches New Web Site for Raider Nation's Sports
 
Walton Raider Athletics are in full swing for 2016-17!  Athletic Director Chris Williams welcomes this year's athletes saying, "We are extremely proud of everything we do at Walton, and the strength of our overall athletics program is certainly a great source of pride for our faculty and coaching staff, our many successful student-athletes and their peers in the student body, and our community as a whole. There is no doubt that competing on one of our 24 varsity or 20 junior varsity and freshman teams gives our athletes a great chance to express their Raider Pride, and the results speak for themselves."  For Williams' recap of the 2015-2016 Year in Athletics, click here: RECAP!
 
This year the Raiders will feature an online presence that will cover our schools athletic programs like never before.  The site, waltonathletics.com will provide updated coverage of all our Varsity Sports and allow members of the Raider Nation to subscribe to a direct feed. If you would like to get involved with reporting scores, writing articles or even taking pictures or video, the Athletic Department welcomes your participation. Contact the Athletic Department to see what you can do to help make waltonathletics.com the best of the best on the web.
How Can I Become More Involved as an Advocate for My Child and My School? 
Every PTA member can be an effective advocate. The process is always the same: identify, research and understand the issue; identify, research and understand the decision-maker; and develop and communicate the message. The process is not always easy, and dedication and perseverance are usually required. Sometimes success is achieved quickly, sometimes slowly.
Note: In order to maintain a nonprofit status under federal rules, Georgia PTA (and all local units under its umbrella) is nonpartisan and works to direct its efforts at members of both political parties in order to enact change. When PTA officers or lobbyists participate in legislative activities that educate lawmakers about officially adopted PTA positions, or support a particular piece of legislation that is in agreement with the PTA Legislative Program, it is done on a strictly nonpartisan basis.
 

The Walton HS Club Fair was held during WEB this week.  Students had an opportunity to talk with student representatives from many of the 80+ clubs at Walton. From Mock Trial to Habitat for Humanity to the Bridge Club, there is truly something for everyone.  Take a look at the list of clubs here: WHS CLUBS for more information and contact numbers.  You can explore new ideas, meet new friends and maybe find out some interesting things about yourself! Get involved today! 

The Walton Touchdown Club is hosting a golf outing at Atlanta Country Club on August 16th.  The outing will be a great opportunity to celebrate the start of the 2016 Football Season.  Tee times will start at 3:30 pm.  The registration fee is $275 per individual golfer (light snacks, drinks and golf cart included) or $1000 per foursome.  Please make plans to join us for what promises to be a great day of golf and fellowship! REGISTER HERE.
IN THIS ISSUE
Raiders Head to the Dome!
MBSR Classes in Health
Mom's Club
New AD Website
Education Advocate
Club Fair
Touchdown Club Golf
Walton Strong
Open House
WaltonStrong
 
Nutrition and Academic Achievement
 
Welcome Back!  Let's kick off the year with what we can do as parents to help our students succeed.  What can you do to optimize the brain function, energy, attention and mood of your student?  You can help them begin their day with a balanced breakfast.  Research shows that eating a balanced meal in the morning supports brain function in addition to balancing your blood sugar (creating mental clarity).
 
Growden & Wurtman (1980) showed that food consumption is vital to the brain being able to make enough amino acids (protein) and choline. The two precursors that are needed for the brain to function normally.  (Colby-Morley,1981)
 
Kretsch et al (2001) showed that low iron levels was related to attention span and low levels of zinc are associated with slowed verbal memory.  
 
I inserted these two tidbits because I wanted to show that having the typical American breakfast is not great in providing these vital components to optimal brain function.
 
So what does a balanced meal look like?  It is a meal consisting of all 3 macronutrients required for life.  Protein, fats and carbohydrates.  Proteins are found in foods like meat, fish, dairy, eggs, quinoa and soy.  Most people think of protein as building muscle.  While this is true, it is not the only function.  Amino acids carry information from brain cell to brain cell.  Not eating protein causes an imbalance in the brain and blood sugar therefore resulting in sleepiness and blood sugar crashing as well as sugar cravings.
 
Fat makes up more than 60% of the brain...bye, bye "fat-free" foods!  Omega 3's in particular (salmon, kiwi, coconut oil, avocado, nuts) are important to the brain and if deficient can lead to poor memory, learning disabilities, ADD and depression (Erickson, 2006).  Good fats also help you stay full longer.
 
And carbohydrates...everyone's favorite!  And there is good reason for this and it makes total sense when client's tell me, "I love carbs!"  You should!  It is your fuel source and they make you feel good!  However, eating a carb-heavy meal or only carbs spikes your blood sugar causing you to crash later and then makes you sleepy...more on that later!  Carbohydrates can be found in fruits, vegetables, grains and junk food (Pop Tarts, cereal, muffins, frappachinos).  All carbs (except fruit) is broken down into glucose (sugar) which is where our brains get energy.  Another reason we LOVE them and should by all means eat them!
 
The good news is when you eat "real food" as a balanced meal you also get the invaluable vitamins and minerals essential for optimal brain function and learning.
 
And let's not forget sleep!  I was amazed last year at the amount of students struggling to stay awake during their school day.  Many of them stated that they do not get to sleep until after 1 am!
 
Sit down with them and brainstorm on what are their favorite proteins, fat and carbohydrates and then come up with a few tasty recipes that THEY can learn how to prepare!
 
Jill Gregory, NC, PT 
Walton Health & Wellness Co-Chair
Board Certified Nutritionist and Personal Trainer
 
SAVE THE DATE!
OPEN HOUSE
Come walk your student's schedule and meet their teachers!  Due to parking constraints, Open House will be held in two shifts: 
3:45 & 6:30 (
0 Zero Period at 6:20)

Don't miss the 5:30 pm
General PTSA meeting in the Theater

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