The pandemic has led to record levels of screen time and reports of online predators. It has also created all sorts of new issues for schools conducting remote learning. These trends have made digital citizenship and online safety education more important than ever. The first step to keeping kids safe on social media is knowing which apps they are using. A short while back I spoke briefly about the app TikTok. According to a recent survey, Snapchat is the most popular app among teenagers in 2021 with 34% of teenagers listing it as their favorite app. This is compared to TikTok with 29% and Instagram with 25%. Very few teenagers today are active on Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, students want to be on the apps parents aren't familiar with, so it's important to stay up-to-date about popular apps and potential dangers.

With Spring break just around the corner, there are some great opportunities to stay busy. One of these is by attending some Spring Break Camps. For more information about these camps go to https://greatlakesbaymoms.com/placecategory/camps-2021/spring-break-camps/. Another great opportunity is to take advantage of local libraries. Go to www.ioscoarenaclibrary.org to see their special events and what they have to offer. They have many “magical” events to take part in!

And when you return from Spring Break, please spread the word about our Kindergarten and GSRP Preschool Roundup taking place on April 7 from 4:00-7:00 pm. How can you forget the day and time of this event from 4-7 on 4/7? It’s a great day to become a Wolverine!

It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of the 3rd marking period. There are a lot of things to come in this final quarter of the year. First, we will be wrapping up reading month next week with a variety of final events to lead us into Spring Break. Once we return to school, we will be headed right into testing season. At this point, we still have a green light from MDE to administer state testing. Depending on the grade level, students will begin testing as early as mid-April and between M-STEP, PSAT, SAT, and NWEA, we will be testing through the end of May. More information regarding testing will be coming out in the near future.

Just a reminder that the Middle/High School Online Book Fair will run through Tuesday, March 23rd. Also, due to the snow day this week, we are going to keep the on-campus Book Fair open through Monday, March 22nd. Students can still bring money to spend at the Book Fair on Monday, or you can set up an eWallet at the link above for your student to spend at the Fair.

The final marking period of school also brings about conversations about summer learning opportunities. With the extended school closure that we experienced last spring, along with the unique school year that we are currently experiencing, the chance for enrichment and additional learning opportunities has never been more important! We are currently looking at the different possibilities for summer learning offerings for our Au Gres-Sims students from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Be sure to watch for information in the coming months as we work on finalizing plans for summer learning options!

At least most of us (and probably all of us) have experienced anxiety at one time or another. Whether it was short term, like the minutes before having to speak before an audience, or longterm, where there is constant worry about what you have done or will be doing, you probably know how debilitating anxiety can be. Although a degree of anxiety has been shown to help us increase productivity and can motivate us to improve ourselves to some extent, intense anxiety and prolonged, sustained anxiety can be crippling. In order for us to reach our full potential we need to learn to manage our anxiety. A first step is to identify when anxiety is occurring.

There are some telltale physical symptoms associated with heightened, unproductive anxiety that throws our body into fight or flight mode. Some of these you may have experienced yourself.

1. Hands Trembling like you’ve had six espressos? Adrenaline coursing through your body sets it up to fight or flee. Your muscles contract, including those in your jaw and limbs, leading to chattering teeth and shaky hands.

2. Mouth When your body veers into survival mode, your frontal lobe goes offline. You might stutter or draw blanks midsentence. You may also experience a dry mouth setting in immediately, making it difficult to talk.

3. Underarms Stress hormones streaming through your system activate sweat glands in the skin, leading to a glistening brow, drenched palms and the dreaded pit stains. Even the soles of your feet can become sweaty and hot.

4. Stomach Fight-or-flight mode redirects bloodflow from your digestive system to your muscles, leaving your belly in knots. You might feel nausea or —for reasons scientists don’t fully understand — the bubbly tickle of butterflies.

5. Eyes Your senses are heightened as your brain goes on high alert for danger. Blinks become shorter so you don’t miss whatever’s next.

6. Bladder Normally, a muscular wall keeps your bladder closed. But when you are in freak-out mode, the energy usually devoted to engaging the muscle is diverted to limbs, resulting in the gotta-go dance (or worse, an accident).

To learn more about physical symptoms resulting from anxiety, you can watch a short cartoon here.

Depending on the intensity of the situation causing anxiety, some or all of these physical symptoms may show up. Learning how to control our anxiety instead of our anxiety controlling us is a life skill that can be practiced and improved. Next week we will look at some strategies that can help reduce anxiety.