Bullying Over Food Allergies

Bullying Over Food Allergies | TIME.com

Wright's Law

Found this video on the New York Times website about an inspirational teacher who teaches his students through "wacky experiments," but much more through his own personal story. Throughout the video his students are always engaged to his lesson, through demonstrations or his words. He develops a tremendous rapport and relationship with all of his students. It's a touching video that I recommend..., it's certainly worth the time.

How Not to Talk With Children About the Sandy Hook Shooting - NYTimes.com

How Not to Talk With Children About the Sandy Hook Shooting - NYTimes.com:

'via Blog this'

Tips for Talking to Children About the Elementary School Mass Shooting - NYTimes.com

Tips for Talking to Children About the Elementary School Mass Shooting - NYTimes.com:

'via Blog this'

Talking With Kids About News . PBS Parents | PBS

Talking With Kids About News . PBS Parents | PBS:

'via Blog this'

Waldwick students join Movember - NorthJersey.com

Waldwick students join Movember - NorthJersey.com:

'via Blog this'

The Power Shuffle

Today, with the help of my guidance intern Ms. Hickey, the sixth grade students participated in an activity called "The Power Shuffle." The silent activity began when all students lined up side-by-side on one side of a long line in the multi-purpose room.  Mr. Sussman had Ms. Hickey read various statements regarding bullying to the students.  All students were instructed by Mr. Sussman to cross the line and turn around to face students on the other side of the yellow line if they believed a statement held true to them. 

A few examples of the statements read are as follows:

*Cross the line if you've ever been teased or called a bad name or made fun of
*Cross the line if you've ever been called a mean name or put down just because you're a girl
*Cross the line if you're a boy and you've ever been told you shouldn't cry, show your emotions, or be afraid
*Cross the line if you've ever been a part of gossip/spreading a rumor.
*Cross the line if you've ever had someone write something negative about you on Facebook, Twitter, or on another form of social media.

After all the statements were read, Mr. Sussman separated the boys and the girls.  Ms. Hickey, spoke with the girls, while Mr. Sussman spoke with the boys.  Students opened up to Mr. Sussman, Ms. Hickey, and their peers about the difficulties of standing up to bullies.  Students were given tips on how to stand-up for one another, as well as a reminder of who to speak with if they feel they are a victim of bullying, or witness another student being bullied.

The Truth About Bullying

I stumbled across this infographic online over our Thanksgiving Break.  The facts and statistics about bullying are well visualized for parents and students to comprehend.  I found the most important portion of the infographic The 6 Warning Signs that your Child is Being Bullied.  After school, our children so often keep to themselves like many other teenagers do.    Sometimes they want to chat with friends on OoVoo, listen to music, or text friends until their phone breaks....  Even when they wish for this independence, be sure to keep an eye on their demeanor.   Are they retreating into their bedroom with tears in their eyes?  Are they skipping dinner?  When was the last time they had a friend over?   Please look through the warning signs, and if you have any questions, or any red flags are raised in your mind, please never hesitate to contact me.

SAFEBOOK

I found the poster above  on EducationalTechnology.com.  It is a concise, easy way for our students to understand the dangers of Facebook, and tips for their privacy settings.     The minimum age to join Facebook now is only 13 years old.  Although that seems young, I am not foolish enough to believe there are not students on Facebook that are even younger.  At such a young age, our students may not understand the ramifications of their words and or actions on Facebook.  Please go through the above poster with them and don't be afraid to check their privacy settings to be certain that they are safe.

MOVEMBER!!!

      

      MOVEMBER                                  

Gentleman of Waldwick---

As you may have noticed, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.   By wearing pink, there is increased awareness of this disease while funds continue to be raised.  

What many people do not know, is the month of November is dedicated to men’s health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer.  In order to raise awareness of these diseases, I am suggesting we join the Movember Movement and GROW MUSTACHES for the month of November.

I have created a Waldwick Warriors Page (http://us.movember.com/team/449897)  and hope to get as many students and faculty members as possible to join.  Registration is free, and if you have any issues please let me know.  You do not need to participate in order to donate, and friends and family are welcome to join our team as well, it is open to the public.  

Attached to this document you will find:
*A style guide to different mustache styles: http://us.movember.com/uploads/files/2012/Style_Guide_NA.pdf
*Information about the Movember Movement:  http://us.movember.com/  
*An overview of the charity is found below---and I am including a link to display where all of the donations go..
*Lastly, you can find our team page here:  http://us.movember.com/team/449897

Please shoot me an email or stop by if you are interested in joining and becoming one of my Mo Bros.  

--Josh Sussman 
Email: Sussmanj@waldwick.k12.nj.us 
Twitter: @WMS_Counselor

OVERVIEW OF MOVEMBER
During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo's, these men raise vital awareness and funds for men's health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.

Once registered at www.movember.com, men start Movember 1st clean shaven. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

Where does the money go????  --- http://us.movember.com/about/money/
                                                                                        
                          

End of First Quarter/Honor Roll

Just a friendly reminder that the first quarter ends on November 7th, which is quickly approaching!  I hope all of our parents have been taking advantage of our Parent Portal access on Genesis, and monitoring their students' progress throughout this quarter.  I have had a number of conversations with students who are on the very edge of making Honor Roll for this first quarter.  With a little determination and motivation, students can certainly raise their class averages the next two weeks to meet this reward.   If your child is currently in the 70s range, ask them to push themselves for a few extra points to perhaps reach a B - this first quarter.  It's important to get our children started on the right foot this school year...and first quarter grades are a vital part of their success this year.

Dyslexic Fonts

                       

Throughout the years, I have worked with numerous students who have struggled with Dyslexia.   Reading and writing papers can be difficult due to their brains doing "funny" things to the letters they are working with.   Recently, I read an interesting article regarding a new font geared towards assisting people with Dyslexia.  The letters are weighted on the bottom to add some "gravity," and assist in keeping the letters in place to the reader.   This font is free and can be found at http://dyslexicfonts.com/ 

The following paragraph is from the website:
OpenDyslexic is a new open sourced font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. The typeface includes regular, bold, italic and bold-italic styles. It is being updated continually and improved based on input from dyslexic users. There are no restrictions on using OpenDyslexic outside of attribution.
I encourage you to share this website and font with any friends/family members that suffer from Dyslexia.  I am curious if they will find it helpful or not.  Based on the article and comments, trying it out looks to be worthwhile.  

Do Not Let Your Self-Worth Be Defined By Bullies.

The above video was passed along to me through another Waldwick teacher, and again forwarded to me from a Waldwick parent.  Please take the time to watch this video, hopefully with your children, and have an honest discussion with them.  Jennifer Livingston makes excellent points in this video about bullying behavior.  If your child hears his or her parents making insulting comments at home, chances are he or she will exhibit this language in school through learned behavior.  She also reminds us to look beyond the exteriors of others and understand that we are all truly human. 

                                                                                                                                                       I encourage everyone to please think about the e-mail/text/instant message you are about to send and the intents of your message.  Ask yourself, “Is this message going to cause a positive or a negative reaction to the recipient?”   Before you make a joke at another person’s expense, ask yourself, “Is the laughter of others truly worth hurting someone else’s self-esteem?” 

October is National Anti-Bulling Month.  Here in N.J., more specifically, October 1st - October 5th is the Week of Respect.  Please use the above video to create conversation with your children or students.  And please pass Mrs. Livingston’s message along to them: “Do not let your self-worth be defined by bullies.”    

Why Science is Important

Why Science is Important

In my 10th grade Math class at Suffern High School, my teacher had a wonderful poster that was titled, "When are we ever going to use this stuff?"  Underneath the title was examples in everyday life of when we would use fractions, logarithms, long division and other mathematics formulas.  As a student, I felt that it gave the course purpose, and provided motivation to be successful in this course.

The above link directs you to a video about Science in schools, it's importance in everyday life.  While viewing the video, I immediately  recalled that Math poster, and the incentive it provided me to work harder. Please share with your children or students, and hopefully it provides them with motivation as well.

10 Questions About Kids & Gadgets

10 Questions About Kids and Gadgets

I have received a lot of phone calls this year from parents asking if it is necessary for their child to have an iPad, smart phone, or other gadgets at this age. I do not believe any of these devices are absolutely necessary, however, it truly depends on how your child plans to use the device. Does he or she need a brand new iPhone just to post to Facebook quicker? Probably not.  Read the above article....it offers ten quick questions to ask yourself before purchasing a new device.

The Worst Mistakes Parents Make when Talking to Children

The Worst Mistakes Parents Make When Talking to Children

Stumbled across this article from Psychology Today and thought it had some interesting insight into using effective examples when talking to our children.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to remember these pointers when we are expressing our frustration.   Take a look at some of the examples and please feel free to let me know what you think, positive or negative!

WHO I AM

In the beginning of every school year, before back to school night, we distribute poster paper to all of our students with the following directions:

“Who I Am” Posters

 Who – All students will be creating “Who I Am” posters that will display their character traits, interests, etc. Please include things that you are responsible for as a student/family/community member. 

What – Students will create a poster that will be displayed in the school hallways.

When – Completed “Who I Am” posters must be handed in to your homeroom teacher by Monday. All posters will be hung up by in time for back to school night.

 ·       Feel free to talk to your teachers and other students for ideas!

 ·       Remember to make your poster unique! It should resemble who you are as a person and show off the wonderful traits you have! Don’t be afraid to try 3-D aspects; many students did last year and they were great!

 ·       September is the month for RESPONSIBILITY, your poster should reflect  that!

       What I love about this assignment is the originality it brings out in all of our students.  Every year I cannot wait to walk through the hallways and admire the creativity and uniqueness of all of our students.  Some students draw flowers or trees, others draw landscapes or buildings.  Between classes I catch students and faculty admiring each others' posters, and learning about one another.  Very often I witness students initiating conversations with one another based on their posters, often times in our new 6th grade class.  

"Hey, I didn't know you were a Mets fan too??"  Or "Wow, I didn't know you listened to One Direction!"  

Of course, faculty members are required to create their own posters as well.   Here is a picture of my poster..., but I encourage all parents to take a glance of the remarkable student posters at Back-To-School Night tonight. Our students truly did a wonderful job displaying how terrific they really are!

"

The Fall 2012 Waldwick Middle School Newsletter

The Waldwick Middle School Guidance Department distributes a newsletter in the Fall, Winter, and Spring with a tremendous amount of information.  This season's blog includes information about our school twitter account, new enrollment numbers, our Character Education plans, and much much more!  I encourage you to please read!

Waldwick Middle School Newsletter!

The Guidance Office Face-lift

At the end of last year, we began to redesign our guidance department.  Old bookshelves were removed, we got some fresh paint and new office furniture was added. What we were left with was a fresh start to a new, modern-looking office, with bare walls.  We discussed what motivational posters to purchase, but we wished for something that was a bit more personal to Waldwick. 

I was introduced to Wordle.net by my mother, a second grade teacher in Westchester, N.Y.  This is a free website that allows the user to enter a plethora of unique words that are applicable to him or herself, and a design is randomly created.  The user can choose the colors, and by duplicating a word 4-5 times, those specific words are distinct.  In our case, we chose to have WALDWICK and GUIDANCE as the two key words in our design.

We saved our design and had it printed in school.  For the cost of a frame, we now have a our own, inexpensive design that is unique to our own Guidance Department.  The word choices come from counseling terms in both the Middle School  and High School.

LOCKER DAY!!

In the later months of every school year, our fifth grade students always come up to Waldwick Middle School for a "tour."  We have current middle school students walk them around the building, and we leave fifteen minutes at the end of the tour for a  question and answer period.  Every year, the number one question on every student's mind is...."What if I can't open my locker??"  For some reason, there is always a constant fear in our incoming students' minds about lockers!   Don't worry, these fears are almost always gone within the first week of school.  Even before the first day of school as we offer LOCKER DAY here at Waldwick Middle School on August 30th, 2012 from 9:00am - 2:00 pm.  Students will have an opportunity to open their own locker, to try out the combination, and to put any school materials they want into their locker.  This saves time on the first day of school, and also takes away some anxiety before that first day...so I hope many of our new students take advantage of this day tomorrow.

I am including directions on opening lockers below.  These instructions will also be available on a table outside the main office.   Hope to see a lot of our new students tomorrow!!

Welcome!

Welcome to my counselor blog!

I have decided to start a blog for the Waldwick Middle School Guidance Department for a number of reasons.  The first reason is the ease and quickness it allows me to get information out to parents.  I can quickly dispense information regarding scheduling, NJ ASK testing, report cards, field trips, etc.  My hope is to use this also as a resource for parents to view events at the Middle School, and keep the community aware of assemblies and our latest character education adventures.

I also wished to start this blog as a way to distribute information to parents that I believe is interesting.  It may be an article I stumbled upon regarding parenting, or a video explaining how to better monitor your child on the internet.  My hope is that parents and educators use this blog as a way to gain information regarding the adolescent world.

I look forward to reading some of your comments, and please bear with me as this blog will continue to be a work in progress.

Mr. Sussman