The school year is almost half over. Reflect back on the past year. Did you make any positive health changes since the beginning of the school year? Are you thinking about making any now? Have you noticed any changes in your child(ren)’s physical activity level or their willingness to try new foods? Is your family eating more fruits or veggies? Do you have low-fat dairy items available? Are your kids drinking sugary drinks less often? Are they asking for healthier snacks to take to school? Little changes add up to a big payoff for your family. We wish you a healthy New Year!
Follow the Leader!
Parents/guardians, teachers, principals, classmates and siblings are all important role models for young children. They DO notice what you eat and drink, and if you’re physically active on a regular basis. At school, we are talking about healthy habits and encouraging students to follow our lead. You can do the same by making healthy choices related to food and physical activity, and talking about them with your child(ren). Eating fruits and vegetables with and in front of your child(ren) is important. Choose ones you like, since kids can tell if you’re just pretending to like them. No one likes every vegetable; it’s OK to have favorites. Limit sugary drinks like pop, juice drinks and sports drinks. If your child shops with you, check the label and talk about what you find. Put fewer of the less healthy choices in your grocery basket. We can’t expect children to make healthy choices if we don’t!
Miss Stephanie Partin
FUN at the NORTH POLE
Founder’s Day Recipients 2019
Outstanding Educator- Mr. Fasca
Outstanding Program- Bingo for Books
Business Partner of the Year- Ruby Photo
Michigan Life Membership Award- Mr. Carlini
Outstanding Support Personnel- Sue Knoch
Distinguished Service Award – Cheryl Frank
December Pride Paw Leaders
Congratulations on being RESPECTFUL< RESPONSIBLE<SAFE
Jackie Caswell
McKenna Gomez
Easton Danosky
Donovan Lennie
Justis Eddins
Liliana Latigo
Justin Baksa
Lily Powers
Brayden Nasutovich
Rocco Tuccini
Maxxon Sulla
Emmy Komray
Rudolph
Jack Woods
Francesco Julian
Jack Doty
Matthew Danley
McKenzie Durocher
Alex Burgo
Frosty
Dominic Raidl
Asher Scroggins
Owen Maxwell
Rania Ahmed
Ashton Keith
Josh Gregoire
Jacob Schleicher
STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING ANXIETY
This article contains great suggestions, regardless of whether your child struggles with anxiety on a regular basis or not. All children may feel this way from time to time.
It’s happening again. Your daughter is frustrated and stomping away down to her room, slamming the door and in general “has her cranky pants on”. You say calm down, but she yells back “I don’t know how to do that!!!”
We tend to tell our kids to “calm down” without ever giving them explicit directions on how to deal with stress and anxiety. Here’s a collection of the best tools and tips I’ve found to teach children how to calm down and relax.
Quick Ways to Calm Down
Sometimes you’ll need a quick way to help your child calm down and you don’t have much with you. Maybe it’s when you’re out at Target or stuck in traffic. These tips will come in handy at those times:
Imagine your favorite place – it’s like taking a mini vacation wherever you are
Think of your favorite things
Name animals alphabetically (alligator, bear, cow, dog, etc…)
Squeeze Something (play dough, clay, silly putty, your fists, a stress ball)
