January 11th FINAL Walk About Training 7pm, Commons
January 12th Reflections District Wide Art Reception 6:30-8pm, IHS Commons
January 15th Spirit Day Backpack Bootcamp
January 18th NO SCHOOL- MLK Day
January 20th 10:30am PTSA Meeting
January 25th NO SCHOOL
IMS PTSA Board
President Becky Gordon
Secretary Anne Livingston
Treasurer Tara Moe
VP Hospitality Kristen Brennock Kristen Wood
VP Communications Rachel Stoner
VP Ways & Means Amy Cancelosi
VP Programs Victoria Evans
VP Volunteers Valerie Yanni
January 11th, 2016
LAST WALKABOUT TRAINING!! TONIGHT!!
We want to keep our Walkabout program lively and robust in this dark, dull winter season. Please join us and please send friends to our LAST TRAINING OF THE YEAR, MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2016 at 7:00pm in the library. Please spread the word to parents who have not yet been trained. Walkabout training is a once per lifetime event and will only last an hour! It does not require you to ever walk, but allows you to whenever you feel called to do so!
Introducing a new PTSA/School Partnership: Backpack Bootcamp!
Wandering down the hallways of IMS between classes or before or after school, it is impossible not to notice that some of our students are struggling with organization. Binders are crammed with papers stuck haphazardly in every direction. Lack of organization can lead to missed homework, misplaced finished homework, and general angst. The PTSA has an opportunity to partner with the school in helping kids get organized and on top of their personal paperwork. Parent volunteers will work with one or two students in the cafeteria onFriday January 15th. There will be sharpies, folder and labels as well as manila folders to create a “take and leave home” folders. A brief training will be provided at the beginning of each period. The number of students served will be contingent on the number of parent volunteers** who sign up. Please consider giving an hour of your time. Students will be chosen by teachers; the kids most in need of organizational services will be prioritized. If this is successful, however, who knows how many kids we could help!
The PTSA is looking for some enthusiastic, patient recruits to help IMS students get organized! January 15th will be IMS’ first ever Backpack Bootcamp. Volunteers** will work with students to help them organize their binders and backpacks.
** volunteers must be cleared by the district to participate. If you have not yet completed this step, log on to the school website and follow the link.
Anxiety -- Yours, Mine and Ours: Finding a Way Out of the Cycle to Support Your Teen’s Success TUESDAY MARCH 8 AT 7:00PM
IHS THEATRE Laura Kastner, Ph.D
Some stress is good! Challenges energize, focus and motivate us, building competencies and sparking new neural circuits. The flip side is the “flooding” that can occur when demands exceed our ability to meet the challenge. Heart rates soar, thinking clouds, brains lock and overwhelming anxiety takes over, turning our efficient survival system into an obstacle to learning and mental health. Stress management and resilience are key personal strengths that can determine success or failure — especially in this "age of anxiety.” For tweens and teens feeling the pinch of social pressures, academic competitiveness and college prep, life can become mired with one long list of stressors including school, peers, social media and family problems. How do parents help rather than hindering their teens’ stress management? What is circular anxiety and do you participate in co-ruminating? Are you worried about your teen’s grades, friendships, or risk-taking but need help finding skillful ways to address your concerns? Do you struggle with ineffective nagging and lecturing, but feel stuck in a cycle? This evening’s lecture will discuss research on teen stress and what parents can do to support their teen’s health, success and character development. Predictors of success in adolescence will be emphasized, as will parental strategies which enhance them.
Dr. Kastner is a clinical professor in the department of Psychology as well as the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. She is the author of five parenting books, numerous published academic articles and many news articles related to child-rearing. She also has a private practice in which she sees children, couples and families.
This talk is appropriate for both middle and high school audiences!
