Email: sandersj@purcellps.org
Website: https://www.purcellps.org/o/phs
Location: 2020 North Green Avenue, Purcell, OK, USA
Phone: 405-442-0099
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purcellhs
Twitter: @purcellhsdrgns

Teenagers & the Pressures of Social Media

When I first began teaching in 1997 social media was a term still unknown to the world. We are all aware how much the world has changed in the last two decades. According to data published in 2021 by the PEW research center, just 7% of teenagers in 2005 used social media. That number had skyrocketed to 84% by 2021. Social media use is highest amongst teenagers in comparison to all other age groups. This is not surprising to anyone who spends significant time around teenagers. But what does this mean for kids who are still growing and maturing and are hyper-sensitive about how others view them?

Studies on teenage social media use are still emerging and the data is still new. However there is little doubt that social media use is a contributing factor to the rise of teenage mental health issues. Many teenagers struggle to recognize that other's social media posts are only highlights of their lives. Teenagers feel pressure from the well-intended posts of their parents highlighting their successes. Teenagers are more likely to scroll passively through social media feeds instead of constructively engaging with others. Studies have indicated that "passive scrollers" are more likely to be impacted negatively through social media use. Teenagers are also more likely to use social media at night which can impact sleep.

One thing that early studies emphasize is the need to better educate teenagers on the potential harm of social media use. Social media use does offer many positives. Teens can better connect to a larger world and learn about different cultures or engage with people of differing views. However teens also need significant guidance on how to avoid the pitfalls of negative social media use. Several recent studies make the following suggestions:

• Take frequent social media breaks
• teach teens that what others post doesn't always reflect reality
• invest more time into person-to-person relationships
• avoid placing pressure on teens by excessively posting about their successes
• avoid social media at night
• delete social media completely

We must help our teenagers develop the necessary tools to self-police their own social media use and emphasize the positive use of social media while avoiding the harmful effects it can have on teenage mental health. Of course some may argue that a school could better support this effort by banning phones completely. The simple truth is that banning phones is not possible as smartphones have become such a large part of all of our lives. What we must do is provide our students better tools to manage their own social media use.

We will conduct a series of lessons during spring advisory focusing on teenage mental health and social media. As educators, our focus will be on teaching our teens about not only the negative effects of social media, but also how to increase their own self-awareness of their mental health and the impact their social media use has on it. We encourage our parents to engage with their teenagers about not only their social media use but also the impact it has on their mental health.

Jason

cell phone number: 918-873-0354

• This will be the last Parent Newsletter of the semester
• Please remember NO SCHOOL during the break
• Staff report back Monday Jan. 2nd for Professional Day
• Students return Tuesday, Jan. 3rd

Krysta is our Algebra II teacher but also teaches alternative education, sponsors STUCO, started our new and exciting leadership program, and coaches tennis!! She devotes so much of her time and energy to make PHS a better place! Krysta is pictured here with her leadership class. This is a program that Krysta started last year. Her work through this program strongly aligns with our mission to instill a sense of service in all of our students. Well done Krysta!

Due to an equipment malfunction, picture retakes for 9th-11th grade will be need to be rescheduled. We anticipate that this will be in January but will post the new date as soon as it’s scheduled. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Yearbook: Yearbooks can now be purchased online and in the library for $45 through January 15. The price will go up to $55 and quantities are limited. So hurry and get your order in!!

• We will conduct an unannounced lock-in drill this week. This drill will likely occur during an unstructured time of the school day. These are times where students are in-transit to their next class, during lunch, or before or after school. A lock-in drill simulates a threat located in the general area but NOT an immediate threat to the school. This allows us to practice safely securing the school as quickly as possible.
• This is a friendly reminder to ALL parents and guardians that you MUST have a visitors pass clearly displayed if you enter our school beyond the front office. THIS APPLIES TO EVERYONE. I do realize many parents visit our school often on a volunteer basis. We obviously welcome and appreciate your support. However not everyone in our school may recognize you. It's imperative that you have a visitor's pass while visiting our campus. You can obtain a visitors pass at our front desk.

I would like to continue to highlight the need for all of us to focus on student mental health. I've been increasingly reminded over the past few weeks of the ongoing mental health crisis facing teenage boys. You will find a recent article linked below highlighting concerns and focusing on solutions. The data is alarming: Teenage depression and anxiety rates have increased 50% over the last two decades. Suicide rates have increased dramatically for teenagers the last two decades with teenage boys 4 times more likely to commit suicide than girls.

Most studies point to various factors that have contributed to this crisis. However there is little doubt that increased technology use, increased pressure on teens to succeed in school and life, and Covid-19 are significant factors. Another factor that is less discussed is the growing isolation that exists amongst teenage boys. We have long stigmatized mental health issues amongst boys. We are all familiar with the stereotypes: "Boys shouldn't cry", "You need to toughen up". "Boys shouldn't show emotions." These stereotypes have a very harmful effect on teenage boys. They leave them isolated and without the necessary tools to cope with the wide range of teenage emotions they experience.

As a school the most important thing we can do is to continue to prioritize relationships between our trusted adult staff members and our students. We will continue to encourage and facilitate relationship building between adults and students through our advisory program, emphasizing the importance of relationships in our classrooms, and providing a open-door policy for ALL students to seek and receive help.

Please help us continue to raise awareness for this critical issue facing all teenagers but particularly teenage boys. Talk to your teens and always encourage open dialogue to help us de-stigmatize the issue of mental health amongst our kids.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/are-we-facing-mental-health-crisis-boys/

Please be sure to check the regularly updated Counselor's Corner Newsletter linked below. Ms. Feroli has added important information for each individual class. PLEASE SEE UPCOMING DEADLINE FOR JANUARY ACT DATE.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE OF UPCOMING ACT TEST DATES.

Please note the deadline for the December 10th ACT exam passed. The next approaching deadline for ACT registrations is January 6th for the February 11th Test. Remember all juniors will take the ACT on campus next April.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS REGARDING SEMESTER TESTS

• Please see semester test schedule copied below
• All classes are required to have comprehensive semester tests
• All students must take semester test during assigned time.
• Students may be exempt from test on the following basis:

1. A and three absences or less
2. B and two absences or less
3. C and 1 absence or less

• All absences count towards exemption eligibility EXCEPT activity absences
• Teachers have final say on ALL exemptions.
• We will take normal attendance on semester test days. Exempted students who choose to not attend class during their semester test will receive an excused absence

I'm excited to announce we have had nearly 100 students (many repeat attendees) take advantage of our after school tutoring opportunities we offer. As a result we will extend our after school tutoring into the final week of the semester.

Students can make up absences by attending a tutoring session. Attending 2 full sessions will make up 1 Unexcused Absence. This ONLY applies to students at risk of receiving NO Credit for a course due to 10 or more Unexcused Absences in a semester.

PLEASE NOTE if your student has 10 or more Unexcused Absences in ANY class, they will NOT receive credit for those classes. We have met individually with ALL students who are at risk of NO CREDIT. There are 8 remaining after school tutoring sessions available for students at risk of a No Credit grade to attend. The only other way to change an unexcused absence to an excused absence is to submit medical documentation to Candy Tuck, our attendance secretary

Our winter Map testing window will open on Jan 4th and run through Jan 13th. All freshman and sophomores are tested in both math and reading. Students are tested through their Math and English classes. The Map assessments measure learning growth, provide schools and parents valuable data, and help predict future ACT success. Please encourage your students to do their best on the assessments. Teachers will assess students in their individual classes on dates most suitable to their respective classes. All students must be assessed during the window.

Please reach out to your student's math or english teacher if you have any questions.

Allison competed against 131 other flute players from all over the state during the 2nd Round of all-state competition at Westmoore on Saturday. Here is a quote from David Hilger, PHS Band Instructor about Allison:

"Allison will be missed next year. Not only is she a talented musician but a great leader as well."

Way to represent PHS Allison!

Great job PHS Academic Team!

They played 8 games yesterday, and after a close loss to Tuttle, finished 2nd place in the Conference Tournament (2nd out of 12 schools within the conference!). They did great! Watch out for this team in the future...

We had a great trip to the Central Area Preview Contest. We had several students trying new contests. We had students participating in meats evaluation, floriculture, milk quality products, and soils judging.

3rd place individual in meats- Kaden Pliler

3rd place Team- Kaden Pliler, Kacin Bass, Carli Thomas, Chase Anderson

Please contact the high school if you are unable to access Parent Portal. This allows students and parents to access real-time grades 24/7, attendance information and update personal information. I include a parent/portal link for all parents/guardians on every Parent Newsletter. This link is located immediately below this message. It's very important all parents have access to parent portal.

Please complete this form linked here if you are need of a Parent Portal Account:

https://forms.gle/kcw4yFh9UghpFKW76

If you have any problems accessing Parent Portal please contact the school directly: (405) 442-0099