Friday Focus

Band meets every Friday morning and is taught by our music teacher, Ms. Linda.

Beginning Band

This year we are offering beginning band lessons for all interested students in grades 4-8. We have flutes, clarinets, and saxophones available to all students who wish to participate.

Although there is no additional charge for these lessons, students in band will be expected to practice their instruments at home just as if they were taking private lessons.

There will be a required deposit of $100 for each instrument. This deposit will be refunded when the instrument is returned in good condition by the student.

Each student will be responsible for the care and cleaning of their instruments. Families will be responsible for lost or damaged instruments.

There will also be band positions available for some of the percussion instruments that will remain in the Performing Arts room. Students who commit to participating with these instruments will not be required to practice outside of band rehearsal time, but may be able to make arrangements with the school office to practice after school. There will be no charge for the use of any of these instruments unless the student causes intentional damage.

The use of these instruments is on a first-come, first-served basis. A form for enrolling your child in band can be downloaded from our website.

Download Beginning Band form here...

After-School Sports

After-school sports begins next Thursday, September 8 and is open to all students in grades 5-8. In order to participate families must sign a Consent Form. Forms were sent home with students last week and may also be accessed on our website.

This sports program runs from 3:30-4:20 pm every Tuesday and Thursday (weather permitting).

Next week students will begin the season with flag football.

Access Consent Form [PDF]...

Are You Setting Appropriate Rules for Your Children?

All children need rules and expectations to help them learn appropriate behavior.

Family rules protect, support, and guide children. And they can keep your family life running smoothly.

Take this quiz to find out if the rules you set are appropriate.

Give yourself five points for something you do often, zero points for something you never do--or any score in between.

___ 1. I give my child as much say as possible when making rules.

___ 2. I keep in mind that rules should teach children something--like how to care, share, or be safe. So when making a rule, I ask, "What do I want my child to learn from this?"

___ 3. I follow the same family rules I expect my child to follow. If the rule is, "Don't hit," I expect my child not to hit. And I don't hit either.

___ 4. I make sure the rules take into account my child's age and the environment. For in stance, a two-year-old doesn't understand time. So I wouldn't make a rule of, "Pick up your toys by five o'clock." And I might allow jumping on the trampoline, but not on the bed.

___ 5. I make rules my child can understand. I tell him "why" a rule is necessary.

How did you score? A score of 20 points or above is good. Fifteen to 19 points is average. Below 15? Try some of the ideas in this quiz.

Piano Available

Our school has an upright spinet piano that is immediately available to any interested family.

According to a musician, the piano is in very good shape, the felt heads are in good condition, and it should be very easy to tune after being moved.

The piano is available at no cost to you; all you need to need to do is to have a few friends help you remove it from our rental house at the entrance of our property.

For more information or to schedule an appointment to see the piano, please contact Mr. Stickney at 415-585-5550, Ext. 23, or send email.

Send email to Mr. Stickney...

Help Your Child Get Organized

Have you noticed that sometimes middle school students can appear to be disorganized? How many of your first learned about a major project the night before it was due? You've probably talked many times about his need to improve, but it just hasn't seemed to help. What more should you do? Still struggling to get your child organized? Try these six tips.

• Stick to family routines. Eat, sleep, and do homework at about the same times every day.
• Choose a study spot. Include an easy–to-use system for storing supplies and filing papers.
• Use "to-do" lists. Have your child keep a small notebook/planner handy. Suggest he use to not only make lists of assignments, but also chores and other tasks. Check this notebook/planner frequently.
• Maintain a calendar. He can note due dates, steps towards reaching goals, special events, and more.
• Be consistent. Always putting things in the same place means your child will always know where they are.
• Plan for the next day every night. Confirm who will be doing what when. Lay out clothes. Pack lunches. Put schoolwork by the door.

What You Say Tells A Lot

"Well, of course it does!" replies somebody. "What you say communicates facts, data, useful information. It tells people where to find things. It helps them manage situations. It lets people in on things such as..."

Maybe the title should have been longer. Perhaps it should have been something like this: What You Say Says a Lot More About You Than You Mean to Tell. How's that for a long, cumbersome title? (Now you know why I didn't use it!) But that really is the point for all of us to think about for a moment.

A friend pointed me to a recent article in The New York Times about gossip. Now that I think about it, though, even that famous newspaper has trouble with titles. "Gossip" is too narrow a word for the research it reported. The article was about the sharing of information in workplaces, schools, and other public arenas. Maybe "informal communication" would have been a better term.

Things get communicated informally, for example, about how things get done in an office or which courses are more helpful. And, sure, there are the derogatory or vicious shots that most of us would call "gossip."

One of the most interesting things in the article was this: People with healthy self-esteem consistently share positive stories and helpful information, while those who don't feel accepted pass along negative and belittling stories.

Haven't you noticed it in your workplace? Even in your church? Or family? The person whose information diminishes someone else or begins with "I hate to tell you this, but..." may have a vendetta. But she may simply feel excluded and powerless. And what better way to be heard (included!) than to bring a shocking report? To rally others who feel powerless? To unify the malcontents?

Sometimes the news that has to be shared really is bad. Sales are off. The roof leaks. Art failed a math course. The report of the bad news should serve to galvanize people into a solutions mode. At other times, however, bad news is just a means to the end of being heard. Being at the center when she has felt pushed to the side. Building a power base when he has felt ignored or overlooked.

So listen to the unhappy employee, disgruntled member, or sad-faced child. But listen for more than information. Listen for the deeper truth that he feels unappreciated and discounted, unwanted and ignored. Sometimes just being heard is all he needs. Scolding or saying "It isn't so!" will probably make it worse.

And if you tend to see more negatives than positives, check your lenses.

--Rubel Shelly