Transition

Sixth graders will slowly begin the process of looking toward a new school next year in late winter/early spring. Amherst Middle School works very closely with MVVS to thoughtfully transition each student by offering multiple opportunities to interact with the staff, students, curriculum and social opportunities. As the calendar for these events is confirmed, it will be sent home to families and posted here.

If your student will not be attending AMS next year, please let the MVVS office know so we can assist in a smooth transition for your student.

                                              

       How Do I Help Myself Cope With This Time?

 1. Express Your Feelings in a tangible or creative way.  Write about the person or situation in a journal.  Create an appropriate memorial in the person’s honor (for example if the person loved flowers, plant or fund a garden); get involved in a cause or organization that was important to him or her.

 2. Take care of yourself physically.  Get enough sleep, eat sensibly, and engage in regular exercise.  Do not use alcohol or drugs to numb the pain or grief or lift your mood artificially. Healthy habits will help you with grieving but substance use may impede recovery and lead to long term dependence.

3. Don’t let other people tell you how you feel, and don’t tell yourself how you feel either.  Your grief is your own, and no one else can tell you it is time to “move on” or “get over it”.  At the same time, it’s ok to be angry, cry and if you need to, yell at the heavens without being embarrassed.  Conversely it’s ok to laugh too.  If watching The Three Stooges helps you heal, no one has the right to tell you it is inappropriate.

 4. Plan Ahead.  Anniversaries, holidays, and milestones in life can be particularly challenging.  Be prepared for an emotional wallop, and know that it is completely normal. 

 5. Let Your Friends And Family, and Colleagues Help You.  Share your feelings with friends and family or colleagues.  Take advantage of their offers to help you.  It makes them feel good when they are doing something for you.

6. Give Yourself Some Quiet Time.  You will need time alone to let your mind run free, let it roam.  This will help you heal.

There is no timetable for grieving.  While the sense of loss, stress and intermittent sadness may never go away completely, people experience the cycle of grief differently.  Some find that within a few weeks or months the period between waves of distress lengthens, and they are able to feel peace, renewed hope, and enjoy life more of the time.  Others may face longer periods of being hit with what feels like relentless waves of grief.

      *Wherever the support comes from, accept it and do not grieve alone.  One of the key elements of healthy grieving is allowing your emotions to surface in order to work through them.  In the long run, trying to suppress your feelings in hopes that they’ll fade with time won’t work.  Blocking the grieving process will delay or disable your ability to eventually recover.

       *If people don’t know what they can do to help you, tell them -whether it’s going with you to a movie, cooking a meal for you, or just holding you as you cry.  If someone is uncomfortable with your displays of emotion or your need to talk about the person who has died or the worrisome situation, gently let them know that talking out your grief is part of your healing process.

 The new year is off to a fast pace! We began understanding our country's history with individual tolerance and celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday/Civil Rights day. We've jumped right into our Personal Safety units across all grades that will run for many weeks. We've been practicing calling for help on cell phones, rehearsing our emergency information and reminding ourselves of our trusted adults. Our DARE program also began on Wednesdays for our 5th graders.

October has had us participating in the NECAP test; we've provided snacks for all and even a special NECAP song. We have continued our conversations about bullying, teasing and harassment, including strategies for yourself as the victim, bully or bystander. There is a poster in the MPR signed with the initials of those students who sign on to Be a Buddy not a Bully. We will begin our Drug/Alcohol Awareness classes at the end of the month.

In September we started building our school community and reviewed MVVS safety rules on the playground and bus. Kindergartners and 1st graders got to learn about the parts of the bus and how to get on and off safely from Howard Brown. We are all discovering ourselves as learners; what our learning style is and how we can best study. We have welcomed many new students this year and held our New Kids Lunch to welcome and celebrate their arrival at our learning community!

  On-line resources

PBS Parents: http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/ is a website with many links for parents with children of all ages offering advice on child development, gender differences, educational opportunities, television programming and other specific issues. 

Common Sense Media: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/ Our Mission: Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the media and entertainment lives of kids and families. We exist because media and entertainment profoundly impact the social, emotional, and physical development of our nation's children. As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, we provide trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume.

Practical Parenting:  http://www.practicalparenting.com/ Vicki Lansky's Bio:Vicki Lansky's practical, common sense approach to parenting and household management is familiar to thousands throughout the world. Her books, audiotapes, newsletter, media appearances, magazine and newspaper articles and reviews, make her one of America's most popular and visible parenting figures. According to one parenting newspaper, "If you have young children and you don't use Vicki Lansky's books as a reference, you are working too hard!"

Please Stop the Rollercoaster!! http://www.pleasestoptherollercoaster.com/about/ Mission: Founded by Sue Blaney, ChangeWorks Publishing delivers programs and products that educate, empower and connect parents of teenagers and those who work with them. Sue Blaney is the author of the nationally acclaimed “Please Stop the Rollercoaster! How Parents of Teenagers Can Smooth Out the Ride,” a parent discussion group program in a book.