It's Time to Get Excited for Wellness Week!

The Counseling Center and The Student Health Office have been hard at work planning TWO Wellness Weeks for the current school year! The first one will be held December 7-11, 2015 and the second will be March 28-April 1, 2016. We’re getting very excited as the week quickly approaches and we hope you will be too! The purpose of Wellness Week is to spread an awareness of wellness practices, promote healthy lifestyles, and learn ways to cope with and decrease stress. Our hope is that spreading awareness of wellness practices will result in healthier minds and bodies for our Nipmuc community. The Center for Disease Control's Division of Adolescent and School Health provides evidence that shows a strong link between the health of students and academic success. Healthy students are better learners, and successful students create healthy communities in the future!

During the week, different activities will be available for students to attend during advisory sessions and teachers will be able to do a quick wellness exercise at the beginning of their classes. The activities will cover aspects of wellness such as nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, relaxation, and more! The Counseling Center and Student Health Office want to offer a wide range of activities so that every student can find something they are interested in or that they will find helpful towards improving their individual

wellness. In order to do this, we need your help! We are looking for enthusiastic and creative students to sign up to be Wellness Week Ambassadors. Ambassadors will be responsible for advertising the December Wellness Week, and creating, implementing, and running activities during advisory sessions. If you are interested in becoming a Wellness Week Ambassador, please stop by the School Counseling Center to sign up on Thursday (11/5) or Friday (11/6) during breaks.

Wellness Week is an opportunity to relax and have some fun while learning skills to improve individual wellness. If you have any ideas for activities or a wellness practice you would like to share with students and faculty during the December Wellness Week, please contact the Counseling Center or The Student Health Office. 

College Planning and Financial Aid

Throughout the past few weeks, the School Counseling Center has hosted sessions for both senior students and their parents regarding college planning and the financial aid application process. Below is the presentation we gave to seniors.

There is also a more detailed document available about the Nipmuc College Application process.

For more information about financial aid, please go to www.mefa.org.

Breakfast With the Counselors

On September 22, the Nipmuc School Counseling Center held our first “Breakfast with the Counselors” with the parents of freshmen students. It was a great success! Not only did we enjoy some delicious muffins, but we also enjoyed great conversation. The Breakfast with the Counselors series is a great opportunity for parents to connect with their students’ counselor and to discuss some of the joys and challenges of parenting a student in high school. Here are some highlights from the discussion during the breakfast…

·         Keep communication open
Even a simple question such as “How was your day?” can result in a one word response from your teenager. Teenagers are striving for independence and are naturally turning to peer relationships for social interaction, advice and connection.  It’s very easy for teenagers to feel as though their parents are pushing for information or being intrusive in their lives. Although it is sometimes hard to connect and talk to your high schooler, finding your own way to communicate with each other is key to keeping a close relationship. Strategies that may help with keeping communication lines open include asking open ended questions, talking about your own day,  offering advice or problem-solving suggestions sparingly while validating their experiences will show them you’re interested in what they’re saying, but not hungry for information or wanting to take charge.

·         Create meaningful time with your teen

 Learning about their interests and their passions can help strengthen your relationship with them. Find a TV show you both like or let them plug their IPOD into the car radio so you can rock out to some songs together. These little moments are meaningful to them, even if they don’t show it!

·         Your kids want to please you!

Generally speaking, kids want to please their parents.  When mistakes and disappointments happen in high school, kids are managing not only their responses to the situation, but they are worried about their parents’ response as well.  As parents, we can model how you can grow from these setbacks so students recognize failures and challenges are not the end of the world.

·         Collaborative Problem-solving

The adolescent brain goes through a tremendous amount of development during the high school years. Cognitive skills and capacities often develop in fits and the last part of the teen brain to develop is the pre-frontal cortex; the part of the brain responsible for planning, prioritizing and other executive functions. The good news is that the neural connections responsible for these activities can be strengthened by active use. Parents can support this process by staying calm, listening and when collaborating on problem solving, ask questions to stimulate your teens decision-making and critical thinking skills.  Telling your student the “right” decision will often go in one ear and out the other, so support them to work through decisions and develop these skills independently

·         Encourage your student to get involved

Engagement in school or community activities offers opportunities to build competence, connections with others as well as a variety of college and career readiness skills.  There are many opportunities to join such activities throughout the year. Students can learn about different opportunities at the Nipmuc High School through their counselors and peers or they can stop by Mrs. Hennessey’s office, our Career and Community Coordinator, to see what opportunities are available outside of school.

These are just a few of the discussion points from the workshop on September 22. Please do not hesitate to contact your students’ counselor at the Nipmuc School Counseling Office, with any additional questions or concerns. 

College Expo in Newton This Weekend!

 

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Boston Marriott Newton

10am-1pm

Event is free to attend and there is free parking!

PSAT Registration for October 14

Click here to register now for the PSAT!

On October 14, we will be administering the redesigned PSAT/NMSQT for sophomores and juniors.  You can access the practice test at http://collegeboard.org/psatpractice, where you will also find accessible versions of the test and a complete set of answers and explanations.

The redesigned PSAT/NMSQT, which is representative of the actual exam in content, scope, and design, will help students taking the SATs feel confident and prepared.

This preparation will increase students' chances of receiving scholarship money through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and their visibility to the over $180 million inscholarships offered by partners.

Students can access Khan Academy’s personalized instruction built in collaboration with the College Board for the redesigned SAT.  Because of the tight alignment between the redesigned SAT and the redesigned PSAT/NMSQT, practice on Khan Academy will help students successfully prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT this October and the SAT in the spring.

Students can register for the PSAT/NMSQT in the School Counseling Center with Mrs. Grady, or online. Click here to register now! The cost is $20. The deadline is October 9^th.  

Please contact Mrs. Larracey at klarracey@mursd.org if you have any questions.

School Counselor Summer Adventures!

After a busy first week, the school counselors are starting to get into our regular routines.  We have already met with many new students and gotten reacquainted with some upperclassmen, but there are still a lot of students we haven’t yet had the chance to catch up with.  For those of you who haven’t met your counselor or haven't seen her yet this year, I thought I’d do some quick introductions by way of recapping our summers.  

 

 

I’ll start with Mrs. Towne, who most of you knew last year as Ms. McNamara.  Yup, you guessed it - Mrs. Towne got married in June!  After school ended, she went on her honeymoon with her husband.  They went to Jamaica for a week where they enjoyed lots of sunshine and white sandy beaches.  Mrs. Towne also spent time with her two-year-old niece, and went to a couple of Red Sox games with her family.  She is relaxed and excited for a new school year!

Ms. Larracey also did some traveling this summer.  She was pretty much all over the Southeastern US with the baptism of her 7th granddaughter in Atlanta, the 4th of July in Williamsburg, and a trip to Tennessee.  In Chattanooga Ms. Larracey explored an underground waterfall at Lookout Mountain.  Back in New England, Ms. Larracey went to Maine with her family where they stayed in a cottage on Great Pond and did a lot of swimming, boating, kayaking, canoeing, and hiking.

 

 

Ms. Fagan started her summer off with some professional development by taking an awesome course in Positive Psychology.  She also spent a lot of time out in the wilderness hiking.  Ms. Fagan climbed three 4,000ft peaks in the White Mountains and went remote camping at Lake Umbagog in New Hampshire.  There was lovely weather and beautiful sunsets throughout her camping trip, but the best part was the technology-free quality time she spent with her family.  

 

 

 

 

We have a new face in the School Counseling Center this year and that is Ms. Pittsley.  Ms. Pittsley is our School Adjustment Counseling Intern this year as she begins her Masters program at Simmons.  After her graduation from Emmanuel College in May, Ms. Pittsley went on some great vacations.  She went to Florida twice this summer, once to visit family in Boynton Beach and once to go to Disney World.  In August, Ms. Pittlsey went on a 10 day, 16 state road trip.  Her favorite cities were Chicago and Washington DC. Later in August, she went on a camping trip in North Conway, NH where the resident bear took a walk through her campsite one night, leaving some gigantic tracks right next to her tent!  She is excited to start her year with us at Nipmuc!

I guess summer really is the time to travel because, like my fellow counselors, I did some traveling of my own!  My husband graduated from business school in July and to celebrate, we went on a trip to Iceland and Ireland.  In Iceland we had great food, saw lots of waterfalls, got sprayed by a huge geyser, and swam in a natural hot spring called the Blue Lagoon.  In Ireland we drove along the southern coast and stopped in cities like Kilkenny, Kinsale, Cork, Killarney, and Dingle before heading back to Dublin for a night.  All that driving on the “wrong” side of the road made for quite the adventure!  For the rest of the summer I spent a lot of time with family and friends, did some home improvement projects, and relaxed, relaxed, relaxed!

 

We're all well-rested and ready for a great year with you.  Please feel free to come see your counselor in the SCC whenever you’d like!  Also, don't forget to follow us on Twitter @NipmucSCC for important School Counseling Center information and updates!

 

 

Welcome Back!

 

"So, how was your summer?" was a frequent greeting as school staff returned to school over the last several days.  Answers ranged from "Great!", "Good!", "Too short!", "Relaxing!" ... you get the picture.  At the start of summer, a two month break from the hectic school year schedule, the ability to sleep a bit later, and spend more time on leisure and relaxing activities feels amazing! 

 

Personally, I always plan to accomplish a million tasks around my home and I usually only get to a small fraction of what I actually plan! When we leave school for the summer at the end of June, the first day of the next school year seems light years away!

 

Yet, here we are. As I hear my colleagues talk about their summers, the next comment is often, "It's good to be back!"  It seems as much as we enjoy the down time of summer, we welcome the structure and routine of the school year and the opportunity to get to know new students and new colleagues.  There's an excitement in the air, a sense of anticipation... and yes, some amount of nerves as well.  It kind of goes with the territory!  As students and staff adjust to the new routine and schedule, the nerves settle down a bit and we get down to the business of learning.  It's the start of an exciting and wonderful journey for all of us, and today we take our first step together. 

 

Welcome back from the Nipmuc School Counseling Center!  We're looking forward to a great year!

 

 

 



Thinking about the Summer...What Are Your Plans?

Although it doesn’t really feel like it this week, summer is right around the corner!  Summer vacation can mean many different things for high school students.  For some, it’s nine weeks of freedom, hanging out with friends, trips to the beach, or family vacations.  For some, summer is filled with many hours at full- or part-time jobs.  For some, summer is filled with athletic practices and games, or academic programs and summer camps.  For most, it’s some kind of combination of these plans. 

As high school counselors, we hope that whatever students choose to do with their two month hiatus from Nipmuc provides some kind of meaningful experience.  This post will focus on the benefits of summer employment.  Summer jobs come in all shapes and sizes from babysitting neighborhood kids to doing administrative tasks in an office setting to serving diners at a restaurant.  No matter the job responsibilities, working over the summer has many benefits for high school students.  

Here are some of those rewards:

• Building Up Soft Skills: Soft skills include things like time management, confidence, conversational skills, eye contact, phone etiquette, and maturity.  These skills are often not gained from a specific class in school or job training orientation.  They are skills that many people pick up along the way as they hold jobs and gain experience.  When employers are making decisions about who to hire and who to pass on, they are often looking for soft skills.  Having a summer job can help to build up these elusive skills in order to have them at the ready when looking for a full-time job after high school or college.

• Broadening Social and Professional Networks: Having a summer job is a great way to meet new friends and make make professional connections.  Very often, connections you make in one job can help lead to the next job and other opportunities down the road.  It’s always a good idea to keep in touch with coworkers, supervisors, and employers because you never know who may be able to help you out in the future.

• Making Money: Although it seems obvious, making money is worth adding to this list.  Not only does making money mean you have cash to spend, but working to earn money can teach the the true value of money.  Once teenagers work hard to earn their own wages, it becomes motivation to save.  Money can later be used to pay for college, a car, or maybe even a fun vacation with family or friends.  

• Gaining Experience to Add to a Resume:  It is not uncommon for adults to be turned down from jobs because they do not have experience or because another candidate had more experience.  Being able to show that you have had job responsibilities, whatever they may be, will make future employers see you as someone they can rely on to maintain the duties of the job for which they are hiring.  The more experience young adults can add to their resumes, the better!

Finding a job may be easier said than done.  Keep in mind that summer employment doesn’t have to be traditional.  Many high school students create their own employment by offering skills and talents to their local communities.  Doing yard work, babysitting, or tutoring younger children can be considered jobs.  Just be sure to stay organized by tracking your time and money and be reliable by following through on your commitments.  Also, make sure to take a little time to relax and have fun.  It will be September before we know it!

Senior Breakfast with the School Counselors

April showers may bring flowers, but at Nipmuc, like many area high schools, May also heralds the departure and graduation of our senior students.  The month seems a blur of exams, projects, activities, celebrations and emotional goodbyes.  In the midst of all of this, the Nipmuc School Counseling Center’s senior parent breakfast, held on May 12, 2015 focused on “Leaving the Nest” or supporting students as they transition to college or other post-secondary options.  Senior parents were given the opportunity to discuss issues related to college academics and residential life;  changing dynamics in family relationships as children become adults; emotional and physical health; finances; communication,  to name just a few of the discussion points.  Parents who were sending their first child off to college were able to receive support from parents who had been through this transition with older children. 

Regardless of the topical area being discussed, parents were encouraged to keep lines of communication open between children and themselves.  As high school students transition to college, parental roles are changing as well; parents are becoming more of a consultant or coach to their young adults.  The idea of supporting students to solve their problems on their own and seek appropriate campus resources, as needed, was highlighted.  This sends a message of confidence and support to young adults and reinforces the belief that parents trust their ability to handle any challenges that come their way.  Parents were encouraged to make agreements with their children about how to stay in touch, financial responsibilities, academics and any other issues related to college life.  

The discussion was informative and feedback from parents who attended was very positive. For parents who were not able to attend,  I have included links to the handouts from the breakfast as well as to a website entitled College Parent Central which has a number of educational and timely resources for parents of students transitioning to post-secondary education. 

http://www.collegeparentcentral.com/

http://www.greatschools.org/college-prep/planning/304-letting-go-new-college-students.gs 

http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/articles/Pages/Relationships.aspx

http://www.westga.edu/parents/index_9138.php

Thank you to all who attended the School Counseling Center's senior parent breakfast.  We would like to wish all of our graduating seniors the best of luck as they pursue their future endeavors! 

 

 

Wellness Week

In an effort to highlight April’s Stress Awareness Month, the Nipmuc Counseling Center and Student Health Services joined forces to bring Wellness Week to the Nipmuc school community.

We know that adolescents have high rates of stress and often, not enough time to practice effective stress reduction or wellness skills. Our goal for the week was to offer students and faculty the opportunity to engage in relaxation and healthy lifestyle activities in an effort to reduce stress, improve health, and increase awareness of wellness practices and habits.  Relaxing nature videos were shown on the lobby television all week long and teachers were given a menu of brief relaxing classroom activities to do with their students at the start of classes. In addition, an Advisory schedule ran on Wednesday and Thursday of Wellness Week and each advisory group was given the opportunity to choose a different stress reduction activity in which to participate each day. Choices included: yoga, mindful meditation, art activities, outdoor games, walking outside, a nutrition activity and music.

 

We were very grateful that the weather cooperated and initial feedback from both students and staff has been very positive!  We are looking forward to planning more wellness activities in the future, with a focus on helping our school community build stress reduction skills on an ongoing basis.  Please see the IMovie created by Ms. Hefez which highlights some of our Wellness Week activities!

 

 

 Be well!