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Toddler 2 through 12th Grade High School Open House: October 25 Early Childhood & Elementary Open House: October 26
Register at uanola.org for Open House and High School Spend A Days
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All qualified students admitted regardless of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin.
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BUNCH BY SARAH RAVITS
No matter which grade your student is entering, we’ve got shopping suggestions to send them packing in style.
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For elementary school kids 1.) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School, $12.99 at Pippen Lane.
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2.) YETI water bottle, $39.99 at Massey’s Outfitters. 3.) Fuzzy unicorn notebook, $20 at B Kids. 4.) Scented silicone pencil case with cupcake keychain, $12, and scented colored pencils, $15 at B Kids. 5.) Sandwich container, $20.99 at Whole Foods Market.
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6.) Backpack, $32 at Pippen Lane.
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3.) Unicorn headphones, $35 at B Kids. 4.) KIND snack bar, four for $5 at Whole Foods Market. 5.) “I Am Very Busy” notebook, $12 at Lionheart Prints. 6.) Backpack by The North Face, $55 at Massey’s Outfitters.
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7.) YETI water bottle, $39.99 at Massey’s Outfitters. 8.) “Alpaca My Bag” pencil case, $16 at B Kids.
Our girls are
EXPLORERS
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Uniform swap with Sacred Heart school in Santiago, Chile
open yyour Sacred Heart In our Global Exchange program, students can stay with a host family and attend class at one of our 150+ International Network Schools.
Grades 5–12 Open House: Wed., Oct. 17, 5–7pm
ashrosary.org
Sacred Heart admits qualified students regardless of race, color, religion, nationality or ethnic origin.
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For high schoo olers 1.) “Forever Busy” laptop case, $30 at Lionheart Prints. 2.) YETI tumbler, $29.9 99 at Massey’s Outfittters. 3.) Beloved, $16 at Octtavia Books.
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4.) Ballpoint pen by Sttandard Issue, $10 at Lionheart Prints. 5.) “Going Places” nottebook, $16 at Lionheart Printss. 6.) Cosmic lined notep pad with pen, $15 at Lionheart Prrints. 7.) Pencil case, $14 att Lionheart Prints. 8.) Gray backpack by Herschel, $74.99 at Massey’ss Outfitters.
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DAYPACKS FOR CAMPUS & BEYOND
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Massey’s Northsore 819 N. Highway 190, Covington 985-809-7544
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Massey’s Mid City 509 N. Carrollton, New Orleans 504-648-0292
8TH ANNUAL
PRESENTED BY DAVE & BUSTER’S
Bring The Kids To Kick-Off The Season!
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH 5:00 PM - 10:30 PM CHAMPIONS SQUARE
Music by Marc Broussard, Flow Tribe & Paul Varisco & The Milestones
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Kids area with games by Dave & Buster’s and Microsoft, face painting, crafts, science projects Audubon AquaVan • Pep Rally • Super Fan Contest Appearances by Players, Gumbo, Sir Saint, New Orleans Baby Cakes’ Boudreaux, 610 Stompers and The Pussyfooters Restaurant Grab Bag • Auction • Food Trucks
General Admission: FREE ($10 Suggested Donation) For VIP Tickets visit www.GleasonGras.org
DREAM ON Help your teen get more sleep BY SUZANNE PFEFFERLE TAFUR
teens to get an adequate amount of sleep. Perhaps someday local schools will act on that advice, but in the meantime, Layne recommends a few steps that parents can take to help their teens get more sleep. “You want to have a fairly stable sleep pattern, in that you’re going to bed roughly around the same time and waking up roughly around the same time,” Layne says. “A lot of times what happens is that
Signs that your teen needs more sleep • Excessive sleepiness • Difficulty waking up in the morning • Lack of concentration, forgetfulness or a drop in school grades • Irritability or aggressiveness • Overeating or binging on unhealthy foods, which may lead to weight gain
on weekends people will go out, stay up later and then they’ll sleep in. Then when it comes to Monday and it’s time for them to get up to go to school, their sleep pattern has shifted. About the time they finally get everything shifted back into place towards the midto end of the week, it happens all over again.” He says if teens normally wake up at 6 a.m., it’s OK for them to sleep until 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. on weekends, but they shouldn’t spend all day in bed. Teens also should minimize potential distractions before bedtime. “Put the phone and iPad away, because light tells your brain that you are supposed to be awake,” Layne says. “If you’re lying there on the phone, your brain is going to be getting a mixed signal as far as what you’re supposed to be doing.” Teens also should avoid exercise within a few hours of their bedtime and try to get their homework and chores wrapped up early, so they can wind down. “You want to have a set routine, so your body knows you’re now getting in the mode to go to sleep,” he says. “Don’t try to race around, do 50 different things and then jump into bed without having time to decompress.”
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The results showed 46 percent of the 1,602 adolescents surveyed for the study had a low depressive mood score, 37 percent had a moderate depressive mood score and 17 percent had a high depressive mood score. Kids in the last group take longer to fall asleep on school nights and are excessively sleepy during the day. “It’s always a question with depression and insomnia or lack of sleep: Which came first?” Layne says. “Some people feel like depression may trigger insomnia or decreased sleep, or vice versa.” Sleeplessness also may lead to skin conditions such as acne and an increased consumption of caffeine, and the resultant lack of concentration may cause teens’ grades to drop. The American Academy of Pediatrics considers insufficient sleep a public health issue that affects the health, safety and academic success of middle and high school students. The Academy believes early start times (before 8:30 a.m.) for school contribute to inadequate sleep and circadian rhythm disruption, and later start times can counteract chronic sleep loss. They encourage high schools and middle schools to aim for later start times that allow
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ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION (NSF), teens need about eight to 10 hours of sleep every day, but only 15 percent of them get more than eight hours a night. However, Dr. Stephen Layne of East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) stresses that there “isn’t a magic number.” Layne is board certified in pulmonary and sleep medicine, and he’s also the medical director of EJGH’s Sleep Disorders Center. “Everybody’s sleep needs are different,” he says. “We say you need eight hours, which is a typical amount, but there are some people who can get by with a little bit less. Some people actually need more.” But sleep is especially crucial for teenagers, since they’re experiencing hormonal changes and facing a full day of studies, extracurricular activities and a heap of homework — not to mention the emotional hurdles they face along the way. Those hormonal changes can have a negative impact on a teenager’s sleep pattern, as can a burgeoning social life, whether that includes staying out late or tapping on a cellphone while lying in bed. “There is less sleep being obtained by teenagers just because of that,” Layne says. “There’s a shift in circadian rhythm where they tend to sleep a little bit later and stay up later.” Teens who are not catching enough zzzs may become irritable and have trouble concentrating, or even show signs of depression. A study by the NSF revealed that many sleep-deprived adolescents display symptoms of a depressive mood frequently (if not daily) and are more likely to suffer from sleep problems.
stcharlesvision.com
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*Frame and lens purchase required. Some restrictions apply. Cannot be combined with other insurances or coupons. Offer expires 9/15/18.
VOCATION, VOCATION, VOCATION A focus on nontraditional post-secondary programs is on the rise
BY KATHERINE M. JOHNSON
PHOTO COURTESY DELGADO COMMUNIT Y COLLEGE
Students work on a simulator in the Emergency Medical Technician program at Delgado Community College.
so our instructors carefully advise students and really look at their grades and expose them to other professions if they’re struggling or on the borderline.” While the popularity of vocational programs has surged, public opinion of them hasn’t kept up with the trend. “Vocational programs are a tough sell sometimes,” Gaspard says. “Most kids are on a college track and that’s what they’ve been indoctrinated to do. But there are so many students that don’t want that route … and many of our students continue on. Most of [Delgado’s] credits will transfer to other institutions. We’ve had a lot of physicians come through our allied health programs. It’s really not a stigma [to attend vocational school], especially in health care. It’s a good start.” Delgado actively recruits students for its Workforce Development and Technical Education programs by hosting a few annual functions on campus for high school juniors and seniors. The on-campus recruitment events are very hands-on, especially for the allied health fields. Many departments have their own dedicat-
ed labs and simulators, which are open for exploration during these events. “The surgical technician program, the funeral service program — they all have labs on campus,” Gaspard says. “The labs are really first-class. Most of them are really state-of-the-art. Hospitals would love to have [our] ultrasound lab.” Another advantage of vocational training is that job placement is virtually guaranteed. The programs offer close contact with the industries into which they feed and many networking opportunities, and graduates of these programs often need little or no orientation or on-the-job training upon hiring. Because of the clinical component of their courses, students in the allied health fields are at 100 percent placement within months of course completion, Gaspard says. “[Vocational training] works,” he says. “It’s a lot of students — the need is there, both for the education and the workforce. … I had a sonogram (recently) and it was one of our students performing the exam.”
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now are college-credit-based, which means vocational students are eligible for federal student aid, including loans and grants. “We have a large percent of students on Pell grants,” he says, “as well as some merit-based scholarships. As long as they’re credit-based (classes), they qualify. Seventy percent of our students are on financial aid.” A typical vocational program will take about 60 to 65 hours to complete, and federal aid for these programs maxes out at 95 credit hours. If a student has used federal aid for college courses before beginning an eligible vocational program, it’s possible to appeal funding used for dropped courses and have that aid reinstated, especially if the student is close to completing the program. Gaspard says many students come into vocational programs knowing what career they’d like to pursue. Some of Delgado’s programs are more popular than others, such as nursing, X-ray technology, physical therapy and polysomnography, or sleep studies. “For a while, medical coding was really hot,” he says. “But these programs have a limited number [of students] that they can accept,
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COLLEGE ISN’T FOR EVERYONE. It’s a hard truth to swallow, especially for students who find themselves disinterested or disheartened during their tenure at a four-year university and those who’ve been preached to their entire academic lives about the absolute necessity of a college degree. But there are alternatives to a traditional university route. The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act defines post-secondary vocational education as “organized educational programs offering sequences of courses directly related to preparing individuals … [for] emerging occupations requiring other than a baccalaureate or advanced degree.” While the ’90s saw a general decrease in the number of high school graduates enrolled in these courses, enrollment is on the rise — The National Center for Education Statistics published a report in fall 2016 that shows 38 percent of all undergraduates are enrolled at two-year or less-than-two-year institutions. In fact, 49 U.S. states enacted nearly 250 policies to support vocational programming in 2017, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Harold Gaspard, dean of Delgado Community College’s Allied Health Division, a unit of Delgado’s Workforce Development and Technical Education department, touts the school’s extensive catalog of vocational programs. “There are 28 different professions and three levels of nursing just in our health care programs, and three of those programs are unique to the state,” Gaspard says. Delgado’s offerings also include studies in business, pre-electrical engineering, pre-architectural engineering, drafting, arts and humanities, sociology, psychology, criminal justice and culinary arts, and attract students from an array of educational backgrounds. “We have lots of older, nontraditional students, who maybe tried college and now want to try something else,” he says. “We also have lots of returning students and even (doctorate) holders.” Gaspard says the traditional trade school has fallen by the wayside — most vocational courses
I SCREEN,
YOU SCREEN BY KATHERINE M. JOHNSON
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(504) 561-1224
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Louise S. McGehee School is open to all qualified girls regardless of race, religion, national or ethnic origin.
Members have more fun!
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Learning and exploration happen each time you visit LCM. With hands-on exhibits, educational programs, and daily art encounters, the play possibilities are endless! Members enjoy free, unlimited general admission for an entire year, discounts on camps, birthday parties, Museum Store purchases, and MUCH MORE! Bring in this ad to receive $15 off your purchase of a new or renewal membership by September 30.
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How parents can create healthy technology plans for their families THE FIRST COMPUTER THAT CAN BE CALLED A “PERSONAL” COMPUTER was the minicomputer, developed in the mid-1960s. It was large (about the size of a refrigerator) and expensive (tens of thousands of dollars). Its inventors likely could never have imagined that just 60 years later, nearly everyone would be walking around with one in their pocket. Screens are everywhere. Smartphones, tablets, televisions, laptops and desktops are an integral part of our lives, whether for work, school or play, and Lisa Phillips, social worker and parent educator at the Parenting Center at Children’s Hospital, works with parents and their children to establish beneficial, realistic relationships with tech.
“Now, we can’t live without technology,” Phillips says. “So, it’s not realistic when you talk to parents and just say, ‘Get rid of that phone … or Xbox or TV.’ We’re not going to go back to the way things were 20 years ago, so we have to figure out some healthy ways that we can all live with it.” The allure of digital devices goes beyond habit and convenience. “It’s immediate gratification,” she says. “It activates those reward centers of the brain, so it is very hard for kids to stop and transition (to other activities).” The complaint that Phillips hears most frequently from parents is about their kids’ behavior when they’re forced to unplug. “There does seem to be an intensity to letting go of this that takes parents back,” she says.
up your hands and saying, ‘Oh, whatever, kids these days are just addicted to their phones.’” Phillips stresses that our own role modeling is a key piece of the tech puzzle. If parents are constantly distracted from interacting with their kids because of their own devices, it sends the message that screen time is the priority, not the child. “We know with very young kids, such as toddlers, preschoolers and babies, that they’re learning about relationships from (adults),” Phillips says. “They’re learning empathy from your face and from their emotional connections with you. If you’re constantly distracted when they’re searching your face and listening to you, it’s very detrimental to their development, even with older kids.” Setting boundaries — and respecting those boundaries yourself — reprioritizes screen time, and shows kids that technology is a part of life, not its entirety, Phillips says. “We can’t expect our kids to be better and to have more self-control than we do,” she says.
PARENT RESOURCES • www.commonsensemedia.org — This website provides reviews and age ratings for new movies, films released on DVD or Blu-ray and smartphone apps, and a tool to customize the site’s content for your kids based on their ages.
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• www.healthychildren.org — The official website of the American Academy of Pediatrics is focused on the health and wellness of children from the prenatal stage to young adulthood, and there’s a tool that helps families create a healthy media plan. • www.screenagersmovie.com — Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston created the 2016 documentary Screenagers about teenagers and the way screens dominate their daily lives. You can’t view the film through the website, but Ruston’s blog “Tech Talk Tuesdays” provides conversation starters and advice for talking with adolescents about technology.
• www.zerotothree.org — The site offers plenty of toddler-specific resources and services for new parents, including guidance on setting limits and discipline.
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• www.vroom.org — This website and app offers more than 1,000 games and activities based on neurological studies that parents can do with kids. The games are free and don’t require parents to purchase any special materials.
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Signs that a child is overexposed to screens include tantrums that seem beyond what’s expected of the child’s age or coping skills, withdrawal and loss of interest in once-preferred activities. Phillips offers general guidelines for monitoring and restricting children’s technology usage, but she stresses that these guidelines will change depending on a child’s age, personality and developmental stage. She acknowledges the difficulty parents may face as they try to implement limits, especially if kids previously had no boundaries. Many parents admit to letting children play on smart phones and tablets to give themselves a break or to take care of other tasks — something Phillips (a mother of two) says she’s done herself. “Honestly, most of us aren’t using screen time to interact with our child,” Phillips says. “We’re using it so we can take a shower! That’s the reality of it. It’s a balancing act. We don’t want to make people feel guilty about this, because all parents need some time to get things done. On the other hand, it’s very easy for that to snowball, so then parents can feel like they’ve lost control of it.” When setting tech use boundaries, parents must first decide what kind of rules they want to have in their homes. Do they want to restrict usage to a certain time of day or a set amount of time? Do they want to establish control over the content to which kids are exposed? Parents may want to designate days of the week or rooms in the house that are screen-free. Some research (such as studies by the National Sleep Foundation) suggests a connection between exposure to screens immediately before bed time and poor sleep quality — do parents want to prohibit screen time in the hour (or longer) before kids go to sleep? Are mom and dad tech savvy enough to set parental controls on tablets and phones — especially once kids have their own personal devices? Do they want to involve older children in the conversation that establishes these rules? The sooner parents start the limit-setting process, the better. Kids will get used to their parents being in control. But, that’s not to say they’ll never push those boundaries. “As children get older, it gets much more difficult,” Phillips says. “They use screens for school and a lot of times, they are 1,000 times better at it than we are. But there has to be a middle ground between trying to block all access, which is unrealistic, and just throwing
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RESOURCES A listing of the retailers and professi ssionals featured in this issue Gambit’ it’s Kids.
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B Kids 5422 Magazine St., (504) 218-4210; www.bkidsboutique.com Lionheart Prints 3312 Magazine St., (504) 267-5299; www.lionheartprints.com Massey’s Outfitters 509 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 6480292; 816 N. Highway 190, Covington, (985) 809-7544; www.masseysoutfitters.com Octavia Books 513 Octavia St., (504) 899-7323; www.octaviabooks.com Pippen Lane 2930 Magazine St., (504) 269-0106; www.pippenlane.com Whole Foods Market 300 N. Broad St., (504) 434-3364; 3420 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-8225; 3450 Highway 190, Suite 8, Mandeville, (985) 2313328; 5600 Magazine St., (504) 8999119; www.wholefoodsmarket.com
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East Jefferson General Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center 4320 Houma Blvd., Metairie, (504) 503-5920; www.ejgh.org National Sleep Foundation www.sleepfoundation.org
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Delgado Community College 615 City Park Ave., (504) 671-5000; www.dcc.edu
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The Parenting Center at Children’s Hospital 938 Calhoun St., (504) 896-9591; www.chnola.org/parentingcenter
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I SCREEN, YOU SCREEN
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VOCATION, VOCATION, VOCATION