Counselor Connection Spring Edition

Spring Break is quickly approaching and fingers crossed for warmer weather as well. These last few months for the 2025/2026 school year, teachers are continually giving their all to cover the state standards and prepare your student for the upcoming ILEARN test in April/May. Please continue to establish good homework routines at home, check Harmony for your students latest grades, and communicate with us if we can help ! Making sure your student has good attendance can only help them in their success!

◾Get outside ! ☀️ Even if you have to bundle up -- the fresh air will boost your mood! Take advantage of all that Valparaiso has to offer. 🥾 Hike the trails at the Dunes or Rogers Lake Wood Park, window shop downtown Valparaiso, visit Ogden Gardens Park, or for a small fee check out Gabis Arboretum!

◾The garden centers should start to open with new plant arrivals!🌺🌾🌷🌼 No need to purchase- just visiting and appreciating nature and beauty can be a nice welcome for Spring. You could even purchase some seeds to start growing indoors.

◾Warmer weather may mean a happier mood for a lot of us. Use that good mood to make a "warm weather bucket list"! 😎🌴

◾The dollar store starts displaying " spring items." Stop in and buy a kite 🪁 for $1.25, head to the park, and pack a picnic.🍉

◾While you are there, grab some chalk for your kids, bubbles or an umbrella☂️so the kids can still have fun outside with rainy weather.

◾ Simple game of catch outside,⚾ basketball, frisbee, or search for a four leaf clover ! 🍀

Our theme for ILEARN testing will be "Almost at the Finish Line!"

We will make sure the commons is decorated and festive when students enter during ILEARN week to hype them up for the test! We will be sending an email when we near that time for snack and treat donations for our kids during testing. Below is an article I will be sharing with teachers to help with any of that nervousness before testing.... Enjoy!

Many students will come to school, especially in the first few days of testing, with high levels of fear and anxiety. Keep the start of your testing sessions light and casual. Here are a few suggestions you do with your class before you hand out any materials for state testing:

• Motivational notes on the board – The Friday before testing begins, I had students in my last class of the day write inspirational/motivational quotes on the board.
• Upbeat music as students enter the room – middle schoolers may groan but they secretly love it especially if you play music from your teen years!
• Candy – If you don’t hand out candy often, it is super exciting when you do! I buy a different candy for each of the few days I hand it out over the testing season. I pair the candy with a funny little saying I know my students will love – usually something about or school or mascot. I place the saying and the candy in a clean, beach sand bucket and hand it out personally to each student giving them a quick pep talk before the session begins!
• Spontaneous Dance Party – after the testing session has officially ended for the day, blasting a song and encouraging a dance party is a great way to break the tension in the room!

In April, the high school counselors Mrs. Dobson and Mr. Rosta will come to meet with the 8th grade students individually. The counselors will go over the scheduling process with each student and start looking at their pathway and potential classes to take. Be on the lookout for an email from them about parent scheduling information as well. If you have questions before this time their emails are as follows:

kdobson@union.k12.in.us ( Kim Dobson)💚

mrosta@union.k12.in.us ( Mike Rosta) 🧡

I am currently working my way through meeting with every student in the school. 6th grade minute meetings have been completed for some time and 7th and 8th are nearly done ! It was a goal of mine to make sure to connect, in office, face-to- face with every student. It has been so heart warming to truly experience how great our UTMS Bearcats are. We are such a special and unique school system hidden away in Valparaiso.

💚Email: asims@union.k12.in.us
🧡Website: https://uniontownshipmiddle.union.k12.in.us/
💚Text/phone: 219-759-2562