The Connection Corner

Your "Whole Child Hub"

Welcome to your "Whole Child Hub"!

Welcome to the April Edition of The Connection Corner 2024-2025! Here, you'll find insights and resources to strengthen the home-school connection and support your child's social, emotional, and behavioral development. Thank you for being part of our community!

Educate and Empower Parent/Guardian Education Events!

Thank you to all who have attended an Educate and Empower Parent/guardian Event!

Over the past 3 years, we’ve offered parent/guardian workshops on a variety of important topics to help support your child’s development and well-being.

🗓️ Some topics we've covered so far:

Supporting Children with Anxiety
Screen Time & Digital Well-being
Emotional Regulation
How to Talk to Your Child About Sensitive Topics
Executive Functioning: Helping Your Child Stay Organized and Focused
Positive Behavior Supports at Home
Raising an Inclusive Child
Setting Limits and Boundaries

What future topics would you be interested in learning more about?

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Navigating Social Development

Digital Well-Being 💻

The Facts:

Teens spend about 4.8 hours per day on social media platforms.
Kids ages 8–12 use screens for entertainment for an average of 4.7 hours per day.
Teens ages 13–18 use screens for entertainment an average of 7.4 hours per day.

The Impact:

A combination of screen time and too little sleep has been associated with heightened impulsivity in kids ages 8–11.
Kids ages 8–11 who exceed screen time recommendations scored lower on cognitive assessments.

What can you do?

Support prosocial connections—set up no-tech activities and play-dates for your child.
Monitor your child's screen time and content.
Talk about the dangers of too much screen time with your child.
Incorporate digital breaks and offline activities into your daily routine.

References:

DeAngelis, T. (2024, April 1). Teens are spending nearly 5 hours daily on social media. Here are the mental health outcomes. Monitor on Psychology, 55(3), 80. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/04/ teen-social-use-mental-health

Common Sense. (2019, October 28). The Common Sense Census: Media use by tweens and teens, 2019. https://www. commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-censu s-media-use-by-tweens-and-teens-2019

Walsh, J. J., Barnes, J. D., Cameron, J. D., Goldfield, G. S., Chaput, J. P., Gunnell, K. E., Ledoux, A. A., Zemek, R. L., & Tremblay, M. S. (2018). Associations between 24 hour movement behaviours and global cognition in US children: A cross-sectional observational study. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health

Navigating Emotional Development

Growth Mindset for Emotional Resilience 🧠

Reflect with your child on their progress this school year.

This helps them to see their progress and build confidence in their ability to manage emotions, face challenges, and navigate relationships. When children recognize how they’ve grown, it reinforces their resilience and encourages a positive mindset as they head into the final stretch of the school year.

Some prompts may include:

“What’s something you can handle better now than at the start of the school year?”
“Can you think of a time when you stayed calm, even though you felt upset?”
“What’s one way you’ve gotten better at solving problems with friends?”
“Is there something that used to make you nervous that now feels easier?”

Try having these conversations during a walk, car ride, or at bedtime—low-pressure moments when kids are more likely to open up.

Navigating Behavioral Development

Finish Strong! 💪

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, keeping consistent routines at home can make a big difference in your child’s school behavior and success. Sticking with regular bedtimes, morning routines, and screen time limits helps children feel safe, focused, and ready to learn. Even small routines—like packing backpacks the night before or doing a quick check-in about the school day—can reduce stress and increase confidence. Your support at home plays a huge role in helping your child finish the year strong!

Behind the "SEL" Scenes

Vernon Hills High School Students Visit

This spring, our fifth- and eighth-grade students had the exciting opportunity to learn from the Vernon Hills High School VIP (Voices in Prevention) Club. These high school student leaders visited our schools to perform engaging and thought-provoking skits focused on topics such as making positive choices, standing up to peer pressure, and demonstrating leadership. The interactive presentations sparked meaningful conversations among students and helped reinforce the importance of making responsible decisions as they prepare for their next big transition—whether it’s entering middle school or moving on to high school.

Advisory Planning for Middle Schools

The Middle School Advisory Planning Committee is actively engaged in designing a meaningful and impactful Advisory period for the upcoming school year. This dedicated team of educators has been researching best practices, exploring strategies that foster strong student-teacher relationships, promote a sense of belonging, and create space for daily connection and reflection. Their goal is to ensure that every student starts each day feeling seen, supported, and part of a caring community.

Apple Distinguished Educator Showcase

This week, Sarah Lill, Library Media Specialist at Middle School North, had the incredible opportunity to present to educators and administrators from across the Chicagoland area. During her session, Sarah shared innovative strategies for fostering collaboration, building community, and integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) into the library environment. Her presentation highlighted how the library can serve as a dynamic, student-centered space where teamwork, creativity, and connection thrive. We’re proud of Sarah for representing our district and showcasing the powerful role libraries play in supporting the whole child.

Whole Child Wellness Committee

This April, the Whole Child Wellness Committee held its final meeting of the school year, wrapping up a year of meaningful collaboration and reflection. We were fortunate to welcome Quest Food Service, who provided delicious samples of potential new lunch menu items for our students to try. In addition, they shared an informative presentation about the National School Lunch Program, deepening our understanding of the nutritional standards and goals that guide our food service.

The committee also reviewed our district’s Local Wellness Policy and took time to analyze discipline data, using this information to guide future decisions that support student well-being. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the committee members for their ongoing commitment to supporting the physical, emotional, and behavioral health of our students throughout the year. Your contributions are helping to create a healthier, more supportive school environment for all.

ReferralGPS: Connecting Families to Mental Health Resources

ReferralGPS is a web-based service that aids our community in locating local mental health resources and treatment.

Searchable Database: Offers a database of treatment options for easy access.
Care Navigation: Provides services to support families in triage, appointment scheduling, and follow-up care.

Inclusive Insurance Coverage: The service is compatible with all types of private and public insurance, including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and it caters to uninsured or underinsured families.
No-Cost Access: Available free of charge for use by district students, staff, and families.
Confidentiality Assured: Rest assured that all information entered into the ReferralGPS tool is kept completely confidential and securely stored.

Site: https://referralgps.com/find-help/hawthorn73

Educate and Empower: Parent/Guardian Education Series

Educate and Empower Events: YouTube Channel

Click Above To Access the Educate and Empower YouTube Channel

Click for Recording: Setting Healthy Boundaries With Children

Previous "Connection Corner" Editions