- Upcoming Dates and Reminders - October
- Upcoming Dates and Reminders - November
- In October we are celebrating:
- Communicate with Your Kids Month
- In November we are celebrating days that showcase Gratitude, Kindness, Giving and Tolerance.
- SEAL Class Updates
- Nashoba Valley Technical School
- Private School Information
- Community Resources
- Articles, Webinars, and Resources for Students/Caregivers
- Social Media Awareness
- PowerSchool
- Requesting Parent/Team Meetings
This month promotes and spreads awareness about the importance of communicating with your kids. Effective communication is a very important life skill. It is important that we nurture our children's communication skills, so they are capable of expressing themselves effectively and confidently in all aspects of their life. Parents who communicate with their kids often build a great relationship with them and send the message that they value their thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, communication skills are crucial for learning, as children need these skills to make friends, learn, and let people know what they want. Communication is the foundation of all healthy relationships. As children grow older, they will need strong communication skills in order to be independently successful; good communication skills are listed among the most desirable skills in nearly every job description.
There are 3 very easy and effective ways you can impart these skills onto your children:
1. Communicate to them and listen to them when they communicate to you.
2. Have a daily connection.
3. Spend time with them.
Better ways to talk with your tween or teen when they go silent
How to communicate with your tween or teen (and why that’s so hard)
The themes that arise in the month on November are Gratitude, Kindness, Giving and Tolerance. Therefore, we are recognizing days in November that celebrate these themes:
November 7-11 - Solidarity Week
Solidarity Week is dedicated to supporting and deepening our understanding of others regardless of their differences and raising awareness of the injustices that people in our society experience. It is important that we recognize and understand that we all don’t share the same risks, and we must work across all differences to ensure that everyone has the right to a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment.
November 13 - World Kindness Day
World Kindness Day is a global observance dedicated to promoting and celebrating acts of kindness. This day serves as a reminder that small acts of kindness can have a significant impact. This day encourages people to practice kindness in their daily lives. It highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and cooperation to create a more compassionate and caring world.
November 16 - International Day for Tolerance
Established by the United Nations in order to recognize societies are ever more diverse – but intolerance is growing in many places. Tolerance is much more than passively accepting others. Tolerance encompasses the obligation to act, teach, reinforce, and nurture. We should try to understand the perspectives of others, develop a dialogue and build a mutual understanding, culminating in a peaceful co-existence.
November 18 - Family Volunteer Day
Celebrates the power of families to work together to support their communities and the people in them. During this time of year, it is important to celebrate our gratitude by giving back to others which has a positive impact on our society.
November 24 - Random Acts of Kindness Friday
According to research, spreading kindness not only helps others feel better about themselves, it can also boost our health and happiness. It’s a win-win for all. Random acts of kindness should be celebrated daily. Take time to think about how you feel when you perform or receive an act of kindness. Small acts can have big positive impacts.
On Friday 9/29/23, we held an assembly to introduce all of our eighth graders to the opportunities Nashoba Valley Technical High School has to offer for high school.
As a follow-up to this presentation, NVTHS and our counseling staff coordinated a field trip to tour NVTHS Friday 10/13. This trip was open to any student who is seriously considering attending/applying NVTHS for ninth grade.
NVTHS is also hosting an Open House on November 5th from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Students who are applying to NVTHS should be in communication with Mrs. McCoy as early in the year as possible. The application deadline is 1/15/2024.
For more information on Nashoba Tech's programs or admissions, please contact Nashoba Tech directly:
THE SALVATION ARMY ANGEL TREE APPLICATION FOR CHRISTMAS ASSISTANCE
Christmas assistance for families in need. The Salvation Army Angel Tree program helps provide Christmas gifts for hundreds of thousands of children around the country each year.
For more information and to start an application, Click Here.
This is time sensitive and they do have limited capacity.
bryt Family Engagement Team
Click on the image to view the full 2023-2024 bryt Family Engagement Team calendar. The calendar provides links to recordings of the FREE Monthly Virtual Speaker Series for 2023-2024.
Learn from community members with expertise in areas most requested by parents.
Parents Learning with Parents (PLP)
FREE Virtual Speaker Series for ALL CAREGIVERS of students in K-12
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW:
FREE ~ VIRTUAL ~ OPEN TO ALL
Parents/caregivers are not on camera -- only the speaker is
Parents/caregivers have the option of typing questions into chat
NOVEMBER 7th- 4 pm-5 pm (PST) - 7 pm-8 pm (EST)
"Communicating Around Conflict: Big Feelings & Hot Tempers"
*Listen to our panel discussion and Q&A about this parenting dilemma.
Here are some top Technology Trends for Teens and Tweens and what you need to know:
The nonprofit research organization Common Sense Media, found that overall screen use among teens and tweens increased by 17 percent from 2019 to 2021.
On average, daily screen use went up among tweens (ages 8 to 12) to five hours and 33 minutes from four hours and 44 minutes, and to eight hours and 39 minutes from seven hours and 22 minutes for teens (ages 13 to 18).
Social media use among children ages 8 to 12, on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, has also increased dramatically even though such platforms require users to be at least 13 because of a law that prohibits companies from collecting data from children.
Some concerns include:
Decreased time on other activities: time with family and friends, sleep, other non-technology hobbies
Exposure to graphic or scary content that kids are not developmentally ready to see
Misinformation
Unhealthy exposure to social complexities intrinsic to social media
See Here for full article
Keeping teens safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids
Not sure how to access your student's schedule and/or Progress Report? Please see below:
- Use your device (Go to: https://westford.powerschool.com/public).
- Download the 'PowerSchool Mobile' app on your phone - see image on the right for how to access your account. Once logged on, click on the "My Schedule" icon in the left nav and you'll see your student's schedule.
