Mead Middle School Weekly Update:
Lost and Found
It is that time again. We will be hanging all lost and found items in the small gym for 2 weeks beginning the day we get back from Spring Break. Please be sure your student looks for their stuff and you are more than welcome to come in and take a look as well. On April 22, we will be donating all items left. Thank you!
8th Grade Continuation
May 25, 2016 at 5:30
Reminder that all fees, fines and overdue library books need to be taken care of before they can participate in continuation.
Follow Mr. Barnett on Twitter:
@MeadBulldogs
Mead Middle School has a new and active Facebook page. Please like us on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/MeadMiddle
We do collect Box Tops for Education as well as Milk Caps from Longmont Dairy. Please turn those into the office.
Mead Middle School PAC News:
Hey Bulldogs,
– Teacher Appreciation week is May 2nd through the 6th. Let’s Appreciate our Teachers and all they do for our students.
-Apparel is available for ordering online at shop.fishesstreetwear.com. You can find a link to our school in the menu.
-The next PAC meeting will be on May 9th at 5:30 p.m. in the Library. Please come join us for our last meeting before summer break. We are in need of a Treasurer, if you or anyone you know is interested in becoming part of the Mead Middle PAC please come to this meeting.
Bulldog Den Update:
NOT ABLE TO GET YOUR KIDS AFTER SCHOOL?
Mead Middle School has an after school ENRICHMENT program called Bulldogs Den that begins at 2:50-6:00 pm in the Cafeteria. We are open Monday-Friday (when school is open). We provide snacks, homework time, activities, games, free-time, and friendships. Bulldogs Den provides a safe place for them to grow and enjoy networking with other students.
For Clubs and Athletics, please check out the calendar of upcoming events.
Kim’s Corner:
Counseling Corner with Kim Styles, LCSW
Mental Health Counselor, MMS
Anxiety and the Brain Part I: What’s up with all the anxiety?
As the mental health counselor, I hear more and more about this from students these days. What does this typically look like in our youth? And more importantly what can we do to help? We also need to reflect on how young people describe their experience, and help them provide the most accurate “labels”. Using the right language helps one figure out what they need to do to address the emotional state they are having.
There are different causes of anxiety and stress. The symptoms that students often report when they say they are feeling anxious are very similar. Physical symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches are pretty common, and may bring your student to the health office without realizing what is causing the symptoms in the first place. When students are feeling intense anxiety, they often report things like increased heart rate/pounding heart, trouble breathing, sweating, worrisome thoughts and sometimes dizziness or even loss of vision. Worrisome thoughts can “spin” in their heads, causing anxiety all on their own, and typically lead to physical symptoms.
When someone is experiencing anxiety, or an anxiety attack, the most important thing is for the person to calm down the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for things like heart rate and breathing. Often times, we may need to help guide and support someone through this process. Once the anxiety is reduced, it is easier to process through what may have led to the rise in anxiety in the first place.
There are many ways to reduce the intensity of the anxious thoughts as well as the physical symptoms. One of the most effective things to do is to slow one’s breathing, which in turn will alleviate symptoms like a racing or pounding heart. This can be done simply with focus on lengthening the duration of breath going in and out through the nose (in 1, 2, 3. Hold. Out 1, 2, 3). The intent is to lengthen each breath, while continuing to focus on ONLY the breath. Breath should fill the chest so you are able to see the chest rising and expanding. Using some sort of cadence can be helpful to keep time for the breath, such as gently patting one’s leg while counting or having someone count for you. Starting with about a 3 or 4 count is usually manageable for most people, and many can get up to counts of 8 or higher as their system restores to a calmer state. When one does this, it is amazing how quickly other systems in the body can return to a more comfortable state.
Practicing breathing exercises at a time when one is not experiencing anxiety helps to increase mastery over the skill. We often take breathing for granted, but we really do need to focus on it purposefully in order to increase its benefits for our mind and body. The simple act of breathing can be our simplest, easiest to use tool to reduce anxiety and stress…
Like the Anna Nalick song says….JUST BREATHE.
Next: Anxiety and the Brain Part II: How we can help our brain respond to stress, and how the movie Inside Out has helped youth understand brain chemistry.
Kim Styles is our Mental Health Counselor and Interventionist. Periodically she will be sharing information about mental health issues facing middle school age students.
Spring Testing April 12-22, 2016
Thank you for your cooperation this week. Testing is going smoothly!
All students will be taking the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) tests for English language arts (ELA) and math.
In addition, 8th graders will take the CMAS (Colorado Measure of Academic Success) test for science.
We have attached a schedule of when the tests will be administered to students.
Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
Spring Testing Schedule
Mead’s Derby Dash
Attached you will find the information for this year’s Derby Dash in Mead, sponsored by Mead Area Chamber of Commerce. This year, we have added a 5K Run/Walk.
Flyer
Entry Form
Please look at the district website for any flyers for sports, fundraisers, etc that are approved by the district. Here is the link to the flyers.
MYSA