PACT Newsletter September 2015

September 2015

Shar e your PACT

MESSAGE FROM THE PACT TEAM Welcom e to the fir st PACT New sletter of the 2015-2016 school year. For those of you w ho ar e new to the SAR High School com m unity, PACT stands for ?Par ents Ask Call Talk .? PACT r epr esents our initiative to build a cultur e of com m unication and collabor ation am ong par ents, childr en and the school.

f eedback wit h us PACTFeedback@SARHighSchool.org

We have exciting PACT pr ogr am m ing for the upcom ing year that includes student discussions, par ent evenings and a br and new par ent for um that w ill begin in the spr ing, to discuss cur r ent liter atur e r elating to PACT issues. Som e of the topics that w e w ill be cover ing this year include sexuality, dr ug and alcohol abuse, teen safety, and m ental health as w ell as other r elevant topics to today?s adolescents. For details on this year ?s par ent evenings, please M ESSAGE FROM PACT r efer to the gr id on page 8.

W HAT I S M I NDFULNESS? The them e for our fir st new sletter of the year is m indfulness. We hope that the HI STORY OF M I NDFULNESS infor m ation contained in this new sletter helps you to pr epar e for the new year w ith a m indful per spective on par enting teens and im pr oving the lines of FAST PACED LI VES AND com m unication betw een par ents, students and school.

GROW I NG ANXI ETY

INTHIS ISSUE

HOW PARENTS CAN M ODEL M I NDFULNESS EM POW ERI NG YOUR CHI LD'S ACADEM I C SUCCESS M I NDFULNESS & PRAYER LONG-TERM BENEFI TS OF M I NDFULNESSS

PACTLEADERSHIP COMMITTEE RABBI TULLY HARCSZTARK RABBI AARON FRANK DR. RUSSELL HOFFM AN DR. M I CHELLE HUM I NURSE RUSSI BOHM M R. M I CHAEL COURTNEY M S. CARI COHEN LAYOUT & DESI GN: GI LA KOLB

As alw ays, w e w ould love your feedback . Feel fr ee to em ail us at pact@sar highschool.or g w ith any com m ents, questions or suggestions.

Shana tova! -- The PACT Team

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS? By: Dr. Russell Hoffman, School Psychologist A lot of attention has been focused in r ecent year s on the potential benefits of ?m indfulness.? Ther e have been num er ous r esear ch ar ticles published explor ing the r ole of m indfulness in a var iety of ar eas such as m anaging str ess, coping w ith tr aum a, enhancing com m unication and r elationships, and optim izing classr oom per for m ance, to nam e just a few. Indeed, m indfulness is em er ging as both a pr om ising ar ea of study and a sour ce of easily integr ated exer cises for counselor s and educator s to use w ith students.

So - w hat exactly is m indfulness? Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of the M indfulness-Based Str ess Reduction system and a r enow ned pr actitioner and spokesper son for m indfulness, descr ibes it as pur poseful and sustained (continued on pg. 5)

By: Mr. M ichael Cour tney, Dir ector of College Counseling

THEHISTORY OF MINDFULNESS

The or igins of m indfulness techniques can be tr aced to Buddhist m editation pr actices of appr oxim ately 2500 year s ago. It w as used to r each a state of inner peace, to str engthen concentr ation, and as a w ay of tapping hum an potential. Over the centur ies, m indfulness has been em ployed by Hindus, M uslim s, Chr istians and Jew s as w ell. W ithin Buddhism , it has been taught that m indfulness r equir es intense pr actice and devotion and one m ay only teach it after m any year s of pr actice under the w atchful eyes of a Buddhist instr uctor. Resear ch has show n that m indfulness can successfully r educe both psychological sym ptom s as w ell as im pr ove physical health.

RESOURCES WITH TIPS FOR PRACTICING MINDFULNESS: - CLICK HERE t o t ake t he 21 day mindf ul ness chal l enge! Join ot hers around t he gl obe f or a 21-Day Mindf ul ness Chal l enge beginning on Sept ember 2nd. Through t his chal l enge, you'l l receive a dail y email wit h inspirat ion and ideas on how t o cul t ivat e your own dail y mindf ul ness pract ice. way. (ht t p:/ / www.kindspring.org/ chal l enge/ join/ 672/ ) - Mindf ul Parent ing: Simpl e and powerf ul sol ut ions f or raising creat ive, engaged, happy kids in t oday?s hect ic worl d by Krist en Race - For a great exercise t o begin mindf ul ness bot h f or yoursel f and f amil y, wat ch t he f ol l owing ?Three Good Things Mindf ul ness Exercise.? (ht t ps:/ / www.yout ube.com/ wat ch?v=ikjT3829sZ0)

FASt Paced Liv es and Gr owing Anx iet y By: M s. Car i Coh en , Assi st an t Di r ect or of Col l ege Cou n sel i n g Facebook used to be the social m edia of choice for teens. Now, Facebook is passĂŠ, too slow to com pete w ith Snapchat, Tw itter, and YikYak . I find myself r em inding students to check their em ail because that, too, has becom e too slow. Speed m ay contr ibute to students?anxiety and str ess, and one antidote m ay be to help students live in the m om ent and slow dow n. M any students feel over w helm ed by their constant str eam of thoughts and never -ending to-do list. As w e all know, the enor m ous changes br ought on by technological innovations have changed our lives in both positive and negative w ays.

M indfulness techniques can help students develop tools to m anage their str ess. By taking the tim e to focus on w hat?s tr uly im por tant, students can slow dow n their thoughts so that they can stop m ulti-tasking and focus on the pr esent m om ent. By pr acticing m indfulness, and lear ning br eathing and r elaxation techniques, one can lear n to stay fully pr esent. Anxiety is w or r ying about the past or the futur e; m indfulness deals w ith the pr esent m om ent, so by definition it cannot include w or r y. W hen a w or r ying thought ar ises, it can be noted and then let go, w ith the focus r edir ected to the pr esent. By pr acticing m indfulness exer cises, students can lear n the tools to m anage anxious feelings. Once that happens, gaining a new m anagem ent technique helps to em pow er the student to m anage futur e str essful m om ents. Being m indful, in essence, m eans to accept w hatever m ay com e, and to build the confidence and ability to successfully m anage life?s inevitable challenges.

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HOWPARENTS CAN MODEL MINDFULNESS By: Rabbi Aar on Fr ank , Associate Pr incipal

?What?s the secret to parenting?...Be the person you want your kids to become.?

- Dr. Kr isten Race, As par ents, w e have m any goals for our individual childr en and for our br oader fam ily unit. We aim to act as positive r ole m odels, r eflecting the m any pr ior ities and values w e hold dear. W hen it com es to par enting tow ar ds m indfulness, one of the centr al elem ents is the im por tance of m odelling in the hopes that our childr en im itate and em ulate our pr actice of a contem plative appr oach to the challenges of life.

Spending tim e r eflecting upon pr actices of m indfulness and im plem enting them as par ents w ill not only lead to an incr eased quality of life for us par ents, but it w ill set a positive tone for our fam ilies as it w ill m odel pr actices that our childr en can im itate.

In Chapter 9 of her book , Dr. Race, shar es a fr am ew or k for cr eating a ?M indful Fam ily.? W ith a gr ounding in br ain science and step by step r ecom m endations for each of the follow ing points, she challenges us, as par ents to: 1- ?Cr eat e space f or m i n df u l n ess? by noticing how w e physically br eathe and by allow ing us to act r eflectively w ith ?for ethought instead of fir st thought.? (p. 171) We can achieve this by taking m indful br eaths befor e w e em bar k on tasks that m ay cause str ess such as answ er ing a potentially str essful phone call or sitting in tr affic.

She also suggests to sim ply tr y to slow dow n w hen w e appr oach tasks that w e often do quickly such as dr iving or typing.

2- Li ve m or e i n t h e pr esen t by incr easing aw ar eness of the m om ent. We can achieve this by sim ply talking to our teens about things w e notice that ar e new or unusual ar ound us, either w hen w e ar e dr iving or w alking. Also, she suggests being m or e m indful of our speech. Even tr acking together how often w e use ?filler ? w or ds such as the w or ds like or liter ally w ill allow us to be m or e m indful.

3- Cu l t i vat e em pat hy an d com passi on by decr easing negativity in discour se and incr easing positive inter action w ith one another. We can achieve this by taking m om ents dur ing str uctur ed fam ily tim e such as befor e kiddush on Shabbat evening to expr ess som ething positive about each fam ily m em ber. Subscr ibe to daily good new s em ails such as w w w.dailygood.com and talk about them w ith the fam ily. Also, r em em ber that your teen is never too old to be r em inded to say please and thank you. We can m odel that behavior as w ell.

4-- Devel op pat i en ce an d per si st en ce i n t h e f ace of adver si t y by r ecognizing m istakes and developing our m uscle of patience. We can achieve this not only thr ough m indful br eathing pr eviously outlined, but by ar ticulating the m istakes w e m ake w ith our teens. A once per w eek go-ar ound at the table that asks, ?w hat m istake did you lear n fr om today?? can show a com m itm ent to this value. Also, do not hesitate to m odel to your childr en by apologizing to them w hen you m ake a m istake.

5- Do n ot over sch edu l e you r ch i l d- In our M oder n Or thodox yeshiva cultur e, just our childr en's school hour s ar e filled fr om sunup to sundow n. Additionally, w e w ant our childr en to take par t in extr acur r icular s and spor ts in or der to have var ied exper iences and, let?s be honest, to im pr ove their college pr ofile. Race r ecom m ends that in or der to live m indful, healthy lives, w e cannot over pr ogr am our childr en. She w r ites, ?Teenager s can handle extr acur r icular activities thr ee to five days a w eek .? Befor e star ting the school year, discuss this r ecom m endation w ith your child. Rem em ber, the decision of the w eight of your schedule and your child?s is up (continued on pg. 5)

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EMPOWERING YOUR CHILD'S ACADEMIC SUCCESS: Mindf ul Techniques in t he Parent -Chil d Dial ogue By: Dr. Gail Gumora, Coordinat or SLC Resource Program Achieving and m aintaining academ ic success in high school is less about intellectual ability and m or e about m aster ing per sever ance. W ithout developing a ?stick w ith it appr oach,? even the br ightest student falls pr ey to a ser ies of incom plete or m issed assignm ents, low er test gr ades, and over all loss of m otivation. W hile natur al, a par ent?s w or r ied r esponse to this scenar io can fuel tensions that under m ine the par ent?s desir e to help.

W hat is a par ent to do?

Par enting an adolescent is no easy job. By design teenager s ar e in a tug of w ar w ith dependence ver sus independence. As such, they ar e likely to avoid seeking par ental advice, especially ar ound school-r elated issues.

Asking the per ennial question, ?How w as school today?? m ay now be seen as an invasion of pr ivacy. The r esponse to w hich w ould be intended to keep a par ent in the dar k .

Feeling helpless, the par ent m ay com pensate by nagging or m aking thr eats to lim it activities the child tr uly enjoys. Fr ustr ation and anger tend to becom e em otional bypr oducts for both par ent and child. A m or e effective appr oach for dealing w ith this sensitive issue could involve using pr inciples of m indfulness.

M indfulness is the cultivation of being pr esent and paying attention to daily acts of living that br ings about heightened aw ar eness. This aw ar eness allow s for a m or e honest and thoughtful level of under standing and com m unication. Having an open m ind and hear t r ather than holding on to assum ptions, w or r ies, and judgm ents dr ive the inter action. The par ent w ho applies m indfulness techniques w hen speaking w ith a son or daughter about im pr oving academ ic per for m ance can cultivate cooper ation over r esistance. In such an atm ospher e both par ent and child join for ces to com e up w ith solutions for r echar ging m otivation. W hen appr opr iate, the par ent can act as a study par tner.

Below ar e suggestions for engaging in a m indfulness dialogue w ith your child.

Pr epar ing for the conver sation: - Reflect on the fear s you have about your child?s academ ic pr ogr ess. Ar e you w or r ied he/she w ill not get into the r ight college? Ar e you w or r ied about his/her self-esteem ? Ar e you w or r ied he/she m ay have a lear ning disability?

- Accept the fear. Once you can do that, the fear loses its pow er and allow s you to deal w ith the pr esent issue ? helping your child find w ays to get his/her w or k done.

Intr oducing the need for a conver sation: - Be honest, not angr y.

- Invite your son or daughter into the conver sation. Set a tim e that is convenient for both of you and stick to it. ?I?ve noticed you haven?t been spending m uch tim e on school w or k lately. W hen w ould be a good tim e to talk about this??

Dur ing the conver sation: - Listen w ithout inter r upting to m ake your point. The conver sation should not be a com petition.

- Show com passion. Tr y to see school thr ough your son/daughter ?s eyes and acknow ledge his/her per spective.

Acknow ledgem ent does not m ean you m ust agr ee. Rather it honor s your child?s per sonhood. Respecting your child for w ho he/she is incr eases oppor tunities for cooper ation. It w ill becom e easier to str ategize about setting pr ior ities and tim e-m anagem ent.

- Ask how else you can be helpful and be available both physically and m entally. Be attentive and have a positive attitude.

(continued on pg. 5)

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EMPOWERINGYOURCHILD'SACADEMICSUCCESS (continued from pg. 4) The par ent as a study par tner : Som e students have a difficult tim e studying alone. They need to bounce ideas off of a w illing listener. Offer to be a listener. Have your child r ecite infor m ation he/she has been studying. Reciting infor m ation helps students r einfor ce and clar ify w hat they know. You do not need to be the exper t, just listen for connections betw een the m ain idea and the details. If you think details ar e m issing, you can say: ?Can you tell m e m or e, I?m not sur e I under stand.? Be car eful not to cr iticize.

Finally, do not under estim ate your child. He/she m ay find it difficult to shar e feelings about m issing assignm ents and low er test gr ades to avoid disappointing you. But the feelings ar e pr esent and m or e than likely coincide w ith w hat you ar e feeling. He/she is also w or r ied and w ants to succeed.

W hen my daughter w as in tenth gr ade she lost som e academ ic m om entum . I w alked into her r oom one evening and snapped at her about not doing hom ew or k . She looked at m e and said, ?M om don?t you think I am as w or r ied as you. W hat I need is a hug instead of your cr iticism .?

WHATISMINDFULNESS? (continued from pg 1) attention to cultivate one?s undistor ted, non-judgm ental aw ar eness of the m om ent.

M indfulness is the pr actice of focusing one?s conscious aw ar eness on the m om ent. It involves actively and pur posefully focusing the m ind on the task at hand, w hether it is a thinking task , such as deciding on a thesis for an essay or thinking about an inter action w ith another per son and deciding how you feel about it, or an activity, such as eating, r eading or engaging in conver sation. M indfulness is the opposite of m indlessness - it is the opposite of doing som ething w hile oper ating on ?autom atic pilot.? In a sense, it is the act of devoting one?s aw ar eness and engagem ent m eaningfully and com pletely to one thing at a tim e. In today?s w or ld of m ulti-tasking and juggling m ultiple agendas/ expectations, m indfulness m ight seem like a daunting endeavor or a thr eat to pr oductivity. How ever, m uch of the r esear ch show s that pr acticing m indfulness can have substantial benefits for pr oductivity as w ell as one?s psychological and physical w ell-being. And, per haps even m or e im por tantly, m indfulness exer cises ar e not difficult to lear n or use.

One w ay that w e have found to help explain and teach m indfulness to students is by focusing attention on just one sensor y exper ience for a shor t per iod of tim e.

For exam ple, w e m ight have students sit quietly, w ith eyes closed, and focus their attention on their tactile sensor y input: the feel of the cool air fr om the air conditioner vent blow ing acr oss their skin, the feel of the desk under their hands, the w eight of their shir t

fabr ic pr essing dow n on their shoulder s, etc.

Alter natively, w e m ight ask students to focus their visual attention on a flicker ing candle flam e or a tr ee outside the w indow, noticing and appr eciating the r ange of visual details that they usually over look , w hile also tuning out the backgr ound ?noise? of their other senses. Each of these m indfulness exer cises lasts about 3 m inutes. Using these br ief exer cises, w e give students an exper iential lesson in w hat it feels like to be m or e fully pr esent and aw ar e in the m om ent, so that they have a r efer ence point for using these techniques on their ow n. W ith pr actice, this can allow students to develop m or e contr ol over their attention r egulation and other cognitive pr ocesses, w hich is cer tainly a useful asset for lear ning.

HOWPARENTSCANMODELMINDFULNESS (continued from pg 3) to you and them . How w ill you all cr eate a schedule that is, at once, challenging and stim ulating and also one that has enough br eathing space to cr eate a healthy balance in your teen?s life and the life of your fam ily?

W hile each of these dir ectives m ay seem intuitively sim ple, they ar e easier said than done. Only by conscious, deliber ate and thoughtful planning can w e succeed in inter nalizing these behavior s. Thr ough pr acticing these techniques w e w ill be able to be m odels of m indfulness for our teens, w ho, even though som e m ay deny it or m ay not w ant to adm it it, look to us as one of the centr al, if not the centr al, r ole m odels in their lives.

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MINDFULNESs and PRAYER i n an AGEof DISTRACTION In his book , Focus, Daniel Golem an, the psychologist and jour nalist calls the tim es in w hich w e live, ?The Age of Distr action?.

All ar ound us, for ces ar e com peting for our attention. The pr evalence of technology and m edia have r aised this to an unpr ecedented level in our society.

He w r ites, ?The r eal m essage is: because attention is under siege m or e than it has ever been in hum an histor y, w e have m or e distr actions than ever befor e, w e have to be m or e focused on cultivating the skills of attention.?

Focus and m indfulness ar e cr ucial ingr edients, not only for per sonal achievem ent, but for inner peace, r ootedness, a sense of tr anscendence and an appr eciation for w hat w e have.

Achieving this level of m indfulness takes pr actice; in our m edia-satur ated envir onm ent, even m or e so. Jew ish life contains w ithin it a pow er ful m echanism thr ough w hich to cultivate m indfulness and a deep inner spir it: it is the pow er of daily pr ayer.

Pr ofessor M ichael Fishbane explicates the w ay that tefilla and br achot expr essly ser ve the pur pose of cultivating a spir itual m indfulness, focused attention and an appr eciation of the basic exper iences of ever yday life. His book is aptly titled Sacr ed Attunem ent, r eflecting the idea

BY: RABBI TULLYHARCSZTARK, PRINCIPAL

that developing such m indfulness and spir itual aw ar eness r equir es pr actice. It r equir es developing a disposition and cultivating an attunem ent to the beauty and sacr edness of ever yday being-in-the-w or ld. ?Daily life is filled w ith events that lar gely escape r outine attention. It is halakha that tr ies to focus the m ind so that one m ay acknow ledge the m any occasions of life as they happen. At the nexus of w or ld-being and per sonhood, the language of blessings is a pow er ful agent of tr ansfor m ation. The ear ly m or ning r ecitations and blessings for food or unexpected occur r ences (of sight and sound) ar e exem plar y (p. 121)?. The br achot that w e r ecite each m or ning ar e r em ar kable in the intensity of their focus. Although w e com m only r ecite these ber achot in shul, they w er e designed to be r ecited as w e exper ience each m om ent of the m or ning r outine. Consider its pow er : a blessing w hen w e open our eyes and see; w hen w e cover our selves w ith clothing; w hen w e ar e able to str etch out and m ove our body; w hen w e place our feet on the gr ound; w hen w e stand up.

Our pr ayer char ges us to slow dow n and take notice of ever y m om ent of the m or ning r outine, to take nothing for gr anted, to focus deeply on the ever yday.

Pr ofessor Fishbane continues: Nothing is taken for gr anted; ever ything is r eceived as a gift? The subjective self dir ects m indfulness to this influx of God?s cr eative for ce into one?s daily life, w hich is now not a m indless r outine of m er e natur alness, but seen w ith a focused spir itual attention. Daily sustenance is exper ienced as a divine gift and nor m al habitude is r uptur ed (p.

122).?

Daily pr ayer pr ovides us w ith a pow er ful oppor tunity to begin our day by cultivating a sense of spir it and inner peace; to take a br eak fr om the intense flow of classes and activities to slow dow n, r eflect and appr eciate; and to end our day in a m indful and spir itually attuned w ay. In the ?Age of Distr action?, pr ayer is a gift in w hich w e should invest our ener gies. The sacr ed attunem ent and m indfulness that ar e the fr uits of pr ayer can enr ich our lives in the m ost m eaningful w ay.

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LONGTERM BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS By: Dr. M ichelle Humi, School Psychologist

Recen t l y, t h er e h as been a l ot of con cer n abou t t h e pr essu r e an d st r ess t h at h i gh sch ool an d col l ege st u den t s f ace an d t h e r am i f i cat i on s of t h at pr essu r e an d st r ess on t h ei r m en t al h eal t h . Fr an k Br u n i , a r ecen t SAR speak er , i n h i s Ju l y 29, 2015 ar t i cl e i n t h e New Yor k Ti m es en t i t l ed ?Today?s Ex h au st ed Su per k i ds? h i gh l i gh t s som e of t h e ef f ect s of st r ess on st u den t s an d h ow t o al l ev i at e som e of t h at st r ess. Asi de f r om Br u n i ?s su ggest i on of possi bl y r edef i n i n g w h at i t m ean s t o ach i eve, Jef f r ey Kl u ger w r ot e an ar t i cl e i n Ti m e, en t i t l ed ?I n Pr ai se of t h e Or di n ar y Ch i l d? (Ju l y 23, 2015) w h i ch st at ed t h at ?som ew h er e bet w een t h e sel f -est eem bu i l di n g of goi n g f or t h e gol d an d t h e sel f -est eem cr u sh i n g of t h e I v y-or -di e et h os, t h er e h as t o be a pl ace w h er e k i ds can br eat h e.?

M i n df u l n ess i s a pr ocess desi gn ed t o r edu ce i r r el evan t t h ou gh t s i n or der t o i n t er n al i ze at t en t i on . Resear ch h as sh ow n t h at m i n df u l n ess pr act i ces can decr ease st r ess, i m pr ove r el ax at i on , en h an ce em ot i on al st abi l i t y, i n cr ease con cen t r at i on , an d i m pr ove physi cal h eal t h . Fu r t h er m or e, m i n df u l n ess h as been sh ow n t o h ave si gn i f i can t posi t i ve i m pact on m en t al h eal t h di sor der s i n cl u di n g an x i et y, depr essi on , af f ect i ve di sor der s, an d at t en t i on def i ci t s.

M i n df u l n ess m ay al so h ave l on g-l ast i n g n eu r ol ogi cal ef f ect s. Ri ch i e Dav i dson , a psych ol ogi st at Th e Cen t er f or I n vest i gat i n g Heal t hy M i n ds at t h e Un i ver si t y of W i scon si n M adi son ex pl ai n s, (M i n df u l , Au g 2014) ?We can i n t en t i on al l y sh ape t h e di r ect i on of pl ast i ci t y ch an ges i n ou r br ai n . By f ocu si n g on w h ol esom e t h ou gh t s? w e can pot en t i al l y i n f l u en ce t h e pl ast i ci t y of ou r br ai n s an d sh ape t h em i n w ays t h at can be ben ef i ci al .?

M or e speci f i cal l y, t h e am ygdal a, ou r br ai n ?s ?f i gh t or f l i gh t ?cen t er an d t h e seat of f ear f u l an d an x i ou s em ot i on s, h as been sh ow n t o decr ease i n cel l vol u m e af t er m i n df u l n ess pr act i ce. Not on l y h as i t been sh ow n t h at t h e am ygdal a sh r i n k s post m i n df u l n ess pr act i ce, bu t t h e con n ect i on s bet w een t h e am ygdal a an d pr ef r on t al cor t ex (ar ea r espon si bl e f or ex ecu t i ve f u n ct i on i n g su ch as pl an n i n g pr obl em sol v i n g, an d em ot i on r egu l at i on ) ar e w eak en ed. Th i s al l ow s f or l ess r eact i v i t y an d m ay cau se f or m or e con n ect i on s bet w een h i gh er or der br ai n f u n ct i on su ch as at t en t i on an d con cen t r at i on . Th e l on g-t er m ef f ect of m i n df u l n ess on ou r br ai n com es f r om pr act i ce an d r ou t i n e. I t com es f r om t each i n g st u den t s t o sl ow dow n , t ak e a st ep back an d becom e m or e aw ar e of t h e si t u at i on ; gau gi n g t h ei r st r ess l evel ; an d becom i n g m or e accept i n g, l ess j u dgm en t al , an d l ess r eact i ve.

W h i l e st u den t s?st r ess l evel s an d l ack of sl eep ar e m u l t i f acet ed i ssu es, m i n df u l n ess i s on e t ool t h at w e as edu cat or s an d par en t s can h el p m odel an d i m pl em en t w i t h ou r st u den t s an d ch i l dr en . Doi n g so m ay n ot on l y com bat h i gh sch ool st r ess bu t al so l on g-t er m st r ess t h ey m ay f ace i n col l ege an d beyon d.

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PACT NEWSLETTERsept ember 2015

GRADEBY GRADE RESOURCES In addition to the suppor t of our school psychologists, our Gr ade Level Coor dinator s m onitor and help shape the gr ade?s cultur e. GLCs over see the gr ade?s advisor y pr ogr am and ser ve as the point-people for m onitor ing the academ ic and social pr ogr ess of individual students.

Along w ith Gr ade Level Coor dinator s and our PACT team , pr ogr am s ar e cr eated to fur ther the PACT goal of incr easing education and str engthening com m unication.

GRADE 9

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GRADE LEVEL COORDI NATOR

PARENT PACT PROGRAMS FOR THE COMI NG YEAR

Ms. Shoshana Chanal es

9t h Grade Par ent PACT Night - Novem ber 4, 2015

schanales@sarhighschool.org

PACT staff facilitate discussion using real life HS scenarios to open lines of communication between parents, their children and the school about parenting and decision making.

Ms. Gl oria Schneider

10t h Grade Par ent PACT Night - Januar y 20, 2016

gschneider@sarhighschool.org

Interactive evening with parents sharing what students are learning about in their health and beit midrash classes regarding sexuality, wellness and good decision making.

Ms. Lisa Birnbaum

11t h Grade Par ent PACT Night - FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS Januar y 25, 2016

Ms. Michel l e Hoch lbirnbaum@sarhighschool.org

Evening for students and parents, hearing real life stories from Riverdale community members about adolescent substance abuse experiences.

mhoch@sarhighschool.org 12

Ms. Al icia Germano

12t h Grade Par ent PACT Night -Decem ber 14, 2015

Ms. Shul i Taubes

"Parenting When Your Child Has One Foot out the Door " The program features a panel by parents of SAR alum. It focuses on the challenges and issues regarding parental responsibilities in a year where we need to foster independence and encourage wise decision making.

agermano@sarhighschool.org staubes@sarhighschool.org

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