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Your Adolescent-

“Inside & Out”

Parent Orientation Presentation 2024-2025

Presented By:

Megan Shuster & Karen Infantino

CVMS Counselors

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Topics of Conversation

STUDENT SUPPORT

SETTING YOUR STUDENT UP FOR SUCCESS

SCHEDULES & FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT

QUESTIONS

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STUDENT SUPPORT

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Counseling Support at CVMS

Available for ALL families to assist with:

Personal/ social concerns
Academic concerns
Scheduling & course level concerns
Future planning- high school & postsecondary (college, career, etc)
Referral to outside resources if needed

Counselor caseloads are determined by first letter of last name

Students/ parents can email us directly. Students can also fill out a form in the counseling office if they would like to speak to us about any of the above

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School Based Supports

COUNSELORS

Social/emotional and academic support

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Individual teachers
Academic Power Hour- more information coming soon
Morning math support- keep an eye out for more information

PAW (Productive Academic Work)

Tuesday- Friday before lunch. Students can:

complete homework
complete missed tests/quizzes
get questions answered from one of their teachers

ADVISORY

Alternating Mondays
Social/emotional and academic lessons

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SETTING YOUR STUDENT UP FOR SUCCESS

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Supporting Daily Organization & Study Skills

Scheduling specific study/academic time
Check agenda/ google classroom for assignments & help prioritize
Writing down assignments in important
Backwards planning for upcoming tests & projects
Let your student work independently in a distraction free environment
Turn off notifications/phones/extra tabs on computers when doing homework- even better if phones are out of the room
Check assignments for completion
Be sure all completed work/ supplies are in student’s notebooks & backpack
Make sure chrome book is charged

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Getting your student connected

Encourage your student to get involved in:

Clubs
Sports (through the Boys’ and Girls’ Club)
Music
Drama
Student Council
Science Olympiad
Math League
Bobcat Backyard
No Place for Hate Leadership Team

Club Day- August 28th at lunch

all clubs are student run & held at lunch

Studies show that students who are connected to school generally do better

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SCHEDULES & FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

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Class Schedules

Student schedules will be available online via AERIES (parent & student accounts) August 9th after 4pm
Mosey Monday- 8/12 from 9am-12pm
Students should contact their counselor for needed schedule changes- missing class, incorrect level, two classes in a period, etc.
No level changes after the 4th week of school
No elective changes after the first week of school, pending space availability
No changes in schedules for the first two days of school other than missing/ double periods
No teacher changes based upon student/ family preference or so students can be with friends

Schedule changes will be for level changes only on a space available basis until the fourth week of school

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First Day of School

Practical Tips for Day 1 at CVMS:

Recommended supplies-

Basic school supplies
Each teacher will give their class specific recommendations
All students receive a district issued chromebook
If in orchestra/ band- instruments not need the first week of school

PE clothes not needed the first week of school; more instructions from teacher
All students will receive a locker for their PE clothes
ISPE students will meet in the gym/ dance room on day 1 for a meeting

Lunch

Lines move slower the first week as students are learning the system
Helpful for students to know their student ID number

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ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT

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Guiding Principles When Dealing with Middle Schoolers

This is a time of change- intellectually, physically and emotionally
They are extremely self conscious -EVERYTHING is embarrassing
Moods change on a dime- there are no shades of grey
They will need assistance from you with study skills & organization and keeping track of 6 classes/ teachers
They are under construction

They need our: empathy, calmness and reasonable boundaries

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Peer Relationships

Becomes the center of your teen’s life
Needing to belong is a priority
Being seen in the company of your parents is “not cool”
Your child needs to be with peers, but in a supervised environment
Teens are often impulsive & subject to “group think”
Role play situations with your teen

talk about choices and ways to get out of potentially dangerous situations
if you aren’t talking to them about critical issues, they are finding out that information from peers or social media

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Supporting your teen

Anxiety

Definition:

when feelings are pervasive and intense, going on for weeks, months, or even longer and/or get in the way of their ability to learn, engage in school/ home environments

Acknowledge your teen’s fears & emotions- take their emotions seriously and be ready to listen.
Don’t meet them with too many questions- let them talk
Give your child love & empathy
Start with a level of exposure- slowly work up to the concern, but provide positive reinforcement for tasks and social activities they are worried about
Remind them they have dealt with this before and help them remember situations where they have been successful in overcoming anxieties

Seek out medical professionals when needed as well

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The Art of Parenting Positively

In an effort to foster a strong self-image, many parents devote themselves to protecting their children from any situation or experience which may be difficult, upsetting or stressful. �
However, over-protection may actually handicap your child’s confidence. Overcoming obstacles gives children confidence and a sense of their own abilities.

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Fostering Independence

First we do it for you.

Then we do it with you.

Then we watch you do it.

Then you do it completely independently.

Don’t do for your kid what your kid can already do, or can almost do.

From How to Raise an Adult by: Julie Lythcott-Haims

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Critical Reminders

Clearly communicate your expectations of them
Get to know your child’s friends and their families
Supervise and structure free time
Life balance needs to be taught, modeled and practiced
Seize teachable moments!
Social media boundaries. Think about:

Look for ways to embed children in stable real- world communities (instead of online)
Don’t give a smartphone as the first phone- give a phone or watch that is specialized for communication, not for internet based apps
Don’t give a smartphone until high school
Delay the opening of accounts on nearly all social media platforms until the beginning of high school (at least)

Taken from The Anxious Generation by: Jonathan Haidt

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So…why do we love middle schoolers?

They are resilient

They are full of surprises

They are forgiving

They are passionate about the things that matter to them

Every so often, they let us see a glimpse of who they might become

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QUESTIONS?

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We Are Here to Help!

Please refer to the Counseling Department link on the CVMS website for helpful resources.
We are here to help & support- please reach out with questions or concerns

COUNSELOR	LAST NAME	EMAIL	EXTENSION
Megan Shuster	A-J	megan.shuster@sduhsd.net	3288
Karen Infantino	K-Z	karen.infantino@sduhsd.net	3007