Community News - Recognizing great things in our community

Community News - Recognizing greatness in our community

Highlands Ranch High School

Highlands Ranch High School has been recognized for the Colorado Department of Education's John Irwin's Award for excellent performance and the Governor's Distinguished Improvement Award for outstanding growth scores.  It is very rare for a high school to receive both awards. Congratulations Falcon staff and students!

Mountain Vista High School

Mountain Vista student journalists garner national award.

"Eagle Eye" news magazine honored with Pacemaker award

http://www.denverpost.com/dougco/ci_24742864/mountain-vista-student-journalists-garner-national-award

Valor Christian High School

Valor seniors were given a challenge in their Senior Seminar Class—take $5 and turn it into as much money as possible with the goal of helping those in need locally. The seniors did just that; they turned $5 into almost $5,000! They helped more than 15 non-profit organizations including Samaritan’s Purse, The Gathering Place, The Jimmy V Foundation and Children’s Hospital. Way to go seniors – Valor is proud of you!

Volunteering in Metro Denver over the Holidays

Volunteering is a great way to give your child perspective and teach them to be generous, caring individuals. Give your child a sense of community and social responsibility through volunteering.

Volunteering helps to create well rounded individuals and encourages them to be grateful for the fortunate circumstances of their own lives. Volunteering should be fun, so take care to choose an activity that suits your child’s interests and age. Volunteering does not have to be emotionally draining either; every small act of kindness is usually met with such positive feedback that your child’s confidence and self image will be bolstered by the experience. Volunteering teaches your children responsibility and commitment and makes them feel needed. Holidays are an especially good time to spread the spirit of the season through helping others. There are many activities to choose from.

Toy Drives

Many children live in circumstances that render it unlikely that they will receive gifts for Christmas. Get your children to donate toys to a worthy cause. Most toy drives take toys up until January or February for the next Christmas. You can get your child to donate some of the toys they got for Christmas to the toy drive. Your children can also ask family members to donate money that they would have spent on Christmas and birthday gifts to a charity of their choice. Your child can help to sort and label or wrap toys for distribution or they can work with teachers and classmates to organize a school toy drive.

Care 4 Colorado Toy Drive

CBS4 has teamed up with King Soopers, MIX 100.3, and the University of Denver Athletics and Recreation to collect new toys and cash donations for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver’s 2013 Care 4 Colorado Toy Drive. King Soopers will collect new toys at all Front Range locations from Friday, November 29 through December 24. Visit their website at www.bgcmd.org/toydrive

Helter Shelter

Most shelters appreciate volunteers who can walk the dogs every day. This will be a great way for your children to get some exercise while learning more about pets. If you have no shelter near you, your children can offer to walk pets for the elderly residents in your neighborhood.

Dumb Friends League. Please visit http://ddfl.org/ways-to-give/get-involved for more information.

Buddy Center: 4556 Castleton Court, Castle Rock, CO 80109

Clean Green

If your children enjoy the outdoors, contact your local municipality for parks or trails that need to be cleaned. Your children can go on hikes and pick up trash as they go. This will not only help to beautify your area, it also helps to protect wildlife.

Food Banks

Food banks need volunteers to sort food, check expiry dates and make up food packages. Kids can also collect coupons from newspapers and magazines to help food banks stretch their budgets. Work with schools or other community institutions to collect food for foods banks, especially over the festive season.

Ansar Pantry: Aurora, CO 80010 (303) 459-2153

A study by the Search Institute found that children who volunteer for one hour a week are 50% less likely to use drugs, alcohol or cigarettes. Volunteering is also a great activity to do together as a family. Encourage your children to volunteer and spread some joy this festive season.

5 Simple Strategies for Encouraging Shy Douglas County Students

Shyness is a complex emotion that is sometimes difficult to understand. What’s important to remember is that it usually elicits feelings of anxiety, fear, embarrassment, apprehension and tension in your student. Being confrontational only exacerbates the problem, but there are ways in which you can help your student to build confidence and participate in class activities. When your students don’t participate, they miss out on vital social and academic skills.

Be Understanding

Students aren’t shy because they choose to be. Accepting their feelings as valid is the first step to overcoming them. According to family therapist, Rose McAloon: “Be sure not to criticize your child for being shy. And don’t compare her with other kids or her siblings who may be more socially adept. Instead, respect her feelings and fears and work around them.”

Discuss ways in which shyness can be practically overcome. Role-play scenarios like how to start a conversation with someone your child would like to get to know better or how to deal with bullies. Having an arsenal of prepared responses will help your child to feel more confident. You can also ask them about situations which made them uncomfortable in their daily interactions at school. Discussing the ways in which your students could have responded will help them to feel more prepared.

Meeting strangers

If you bump into a friend and want your child to greet them, but they are too shy, don’t apologize. Preempt this behavior by chatting with your friend for a few minutes before you introduce your student. When your student sees that you are comfortable, they are more likely to respond or make eye contact.

Small groups

Most shy students find large groups intimidating. Instead, arrange for one-on-one meetings with new people or new friends.

Preparing your student for large events will help to ease their discomfort. If they have to perform at a school concert, practice their part until they know it by heart. Then get them to perform it in front of your family, then add some friends so that they are accustomed to performing in front of a crowd.

Get them to visualize their performance, the stage, and all the people in the audience. They should visualize themselves giving a successful performance and feeling confident. The same technique can be used to great effect when preparing for presentations.

Small challenges

Try to give your student small, confidence-building challenges every day. Be sure to only give them challenges that they can cope with as failure only helps to reinforce shy behavior. Be patient and understanding and never push them too hard. While you should encourage them to move outside of their comfort zones, let them move at their own pace.

Always build their confidence with praise. Focus on the positive and don’t be over critical. Focus on their positive attributes and help to build their confidence.

Get a tutor

If your student is not participating in class, you can help to build their confidence by getting an in-home tutor. Here they can work in the comfort of their own homes which helps them to feel secure and confident. They can overcome gaps in their knowledge and feel more confident when answering questions in class.

Telltale signs that your student is being Bullied

Being the recipient of bullying or showing aggressive behavior towards others is becoming an increasingly predominant experience among students. The cyber space has opened up a whole new avenue for bullying to take place and parents and educators need to be aware of the potential for online bullying. As parents and educators, you are instrumental in preventing bullying and helping students who are both the recipients and aggressors. There are many signs to alert you to students who are being bullied or who may be displaying aggressive behavior towards others.

Emotional and behavioral signs that your student is being bullied

You know your student better than anyone else and changes in behavior are more noticeable to you. Even if you have always enjoyed a close relationship with your student, they may not feel comfortable telling you when they are being bullied. This may be due to fear of reprisals or that you will take action which will embarrass them further. Signs that your student is being bullied include:

• Fear of going to school or engaging in after school activities
• Low self-esteem and negative comments about themselves
• Displaying anxiety or fear
• Isolating themselves from their group of friends or peers
• Sudden unexplained illnesses that are recurring like headaches or stomach aches
• Losing money, lunch and other items
• Irritability and unhappiness or depression
• Disturbed sleep patterns

If your child is the aggressor, there are some signs that they may be bullying other students which include:

• Student may have trouble resisting peer pressure
• They are bossy and manipulative
• They lack empathy
• They are quick to anger and resort to aggression to solve problems rather than reason and discussion
• They have money or things that you didn’t buy them
• They are secretive and uncommunicative

Of course the behaviors above can be attributed to other phases or challenges that all teenagers have to go through, but it’s best to act if you suspect that there is a problem. Speak to your student about their behavior in a loving and caring way. You can also consult with your student’s teacher and friends to get a better idea of what’s going on during school hours.

Most schools have strict bullying regulations and can help you to deal with bullying in a way that is constructive for both the aggressor and the victim. Be sure to include your student in any discussions about what action is to be taken when dealing with situations that directly affect them.

Even if your child isn’t a victim of bullying, speaking with them about it will help them to recognize the signs and not support the practice of bullying and assist students who are in difficult situations to come forward and get help.

DIY STEM Projects for Kids in Castle Rock

Like many of you, I recently bought bargain binders, dollar notebooks and other school supplies.  However, in the name of after-school enrichment at home and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) projects, I also took advantage of seasonal sales to stock up on supplies for my makerspace.

Makerspace?

A makerspace is basically a spot where you make stuff. It could be an elaborate community creative space, an area in your basement or garage, or just a TV tray in a dedicated corner of your family room. I’m lucky to have a home that came with a well-worn workbench in the basement, the original man cave, if you will. But like a cave, the basement workshop is a dark, dank spot that isn’t much fun to hang out in, so it functions more as a storage area. The actual tinkering and creation of things tends to take place on my dining room table. Regardless of location and aesthetics, the making is more crucial than the space.

Making is not only a creative outlet but is also an activity that can build STEM knowledge, the most sought-after 21st-century skill set. Designing, measuring, building or even taking things apart helps developing minds enhance abilities in these critical areas.

Stocking Your Makerspace

• Mark It — My boys were never big on traditional art supplies like crayons and paint, but your mileage may vary. To make markers more interesting, acquire a range of types like gel pens, permanent markers, spy pens or paint pens, taking care to note which ones may leave permanent stains.
• Build, Baby, Build — Fill your space with inexpensive building materials:

Toothpicks

Straws

Wooden skewers

Popsicle® sticks

Drinking straws

Twist-ties

Chenille stems (formerly known as pipe cleaners)

Corks (go ahead, finish that bottle of winein the name of enriching your child’s education)

Tubes from toilet paper, wrapping paper and paper towels

Sturdy corrugated cardboard boxes, as well as chipboard from cereal and snack boxes, are like giant building blocks. They can also be cut, colored and otherwise manipulated to make new things. (http://cainesarcade.com/)

Finally, PVC piping and joints are another great resource for all kinds of fanciful inventions.

• A Cut Above — Special scissors make special projects. Look for scissors that leave unique decorative marks like jagged edges, wavy edges and other intricate styles.

• When Things Get Sticky — What my younger boy lacked in attraction to crayons he made up for in his love of tape. It started when he was in preschool and last year, as a seventh grader, he came home from school with an inventive sculpture created solely out of transparent tape (created during a few stolen moments in class, apparently). This is an amazing decade for tape. In addition to old standbys like masking, painter’s and transparent tape, there’s an explosion of decorative tapes on the market that can add a splash of special to any project. Even duct tape now comes in bright colors and fun patterns that have not gone unnoticed to makers. Loads of duct tape projects are just a click away.

• Connect — Tape can also hold things together, as can paperclips and brads, those brass tack like objects that have two little legs or prongs and allow for motion between connected objects.  Twist-ties, chenille stems and magnets can also be used for this purpose. If your child can safely handle the heat, a hot glue gun really helps things stick together.

• Electrify — Help your child dabble in electronics with basic supplies, such as button cell batteries, LED lights, battery leads and DC motors.

You might feel more comfortable with a starter kit that comes with suggested projects or a set like littleBits that enables kids without prior electronics experience to easily add sensors, lights and movement to maker projects. It’s worth noting that littleBits are also the most girl-friendly electronics I’ve come across to date.

If your children are ready to take their electronics to the next level, read up on things such as Arduino, theRaspberry Pi or the Makey-Makey, which makes anything into a keyboard. You can check out one of my younger teen’s projects here.

Did I miss anything? You might have noticed I didn’t mention glitter. It’s pretty much the only craft supply I ban from my house, and with two boys, I’ve never had anyone question my policy. What are your favorite maker supplies?

Kim Moldofsky started out as a dolphin trainer and later became a potty trainer. Now this leading Social Media Mom of two teen boys blogs hosts online chats and createsvideo content in addition to consulting and speaking at events.

Kim married her love of science and passion for blogging in 2012 by launching a blog reflecting her interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). That blog, The Maker Mom, is dedicated to helping parents raise STEM-loving, Maker-friendly kids.

Kim M started out as a dolphin trainer and later became a potty trainer. Now this leading Social Media Mom of two teen boys blogs hosts online chats and creates video content in addition to consulting and speaking at events.

Kim married her love of science and passion for blogging in 2012 by launching a blog reflecting her interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). That blog, The Maker Mom, is dedicated to helping parents raise STEM-loving, Maker-friendly kids.

5 Amazing Halloween Costumes you can make from a Box

The scary season is nearly upon us and it’s time to start thinking about this year’s unique costume. Homemade Halloween costumes don’t have to take up tons of time or cost a fortune. In fact, making your own costume often earns you extra treats because you went to the trouble to do something original. Making Halloween costumes from cardboard boxes is inexpensive and it’s really great for the environment as you recycle materials instead of using new ones. Here are some of our favorite Halloween box costume ideas from Greenmoxie.com.

The Dinosaur

You can make this costume in an house with a couple of boxes and a pair of scissors. Simply glue (or tape) the boxes together to make the body and the head. Toilet paper rolls work well as the eyes. Open a box and cut out the tail and the spikes for the back. You can paint the box green for a more realistic dinosaur.

Fortune Teller

Use a single box to cut out a front view panel and two side panels as well. Attach straps to the back of the box so that you can wear the costume like a backpack over your shoulders. Paint the outside of the box brightly and write the name of your fortune teller persona on the front. Make a little slot for fortunes in the front of the box. Print out a list of fortunes and cut them out so you can hand out funny fortunes. An alternative to the fortune teller is the claw game costume. Create the same box that your would for the fortune teller, but bend the front of the box up to create a shelf. Fill the shelf with toys from the dollar store and use your hand as a claw machine. This works even better if you have an old joystick from a computer game on the outside so that people can play your claw game. 

Sponge Bob

This is a great homemade Halloween costume when you don’t have a lot of time. Just paint the box yellow with Sponge Bob’s face on the front. Add a pair of brown shorts and yellow leggings to complete the look.

The Lego Block

This is the perfect homemade Halloween costume for the more environmentally friendly student. You will need a cardboard box and eight yogurt containers. Glue the containers to the front of the box and paint. This is a wonderful way to use recycled materials this Halloween.

The Toy Box

Choose any toy action figure or doll that you like and recreate the look with a cardboard box! Gift wrap makes for the best background and you will have to paint the front of the box with the name of the toy. Attach straps to the back of the box so that you can wear it over your shoulders for added comfort.

Homework Help Tips for Parents

With school in session, I have more time. That trip to the gym is easier to squeeze in around my work schedule. The days are less stressful…and then the kids come home and that means I’m on homework help duty.

*insert ominous music here*

The house that was quiet, the laundry that was folded, the email that was half answered are all now a memory because there are things that have to be done … homework! To be quite honest, I was not always a big fan of homework. I saw it as busy work the kids were required to complete at the expense of play. I have changed my mind a bit and so has my approach to getting the work done.

• Homework is the time that I can see how my child is learning. Sitting down and working through a few problems with him shows me what he has grasped and what he hasn’t grasped.That is where my approach to homework help has changed.
• I have taken control over the areas that are still a struggle.At first, I was worried I wouldn’t teach it right or confuse the issue, but jumping in and doing it has made me realize that my kids need my help, even if it isn’t exactly how the teacher would do it.
• We spend the majority of our time on the struggle areas. When it comes to homework help, I tend to have them skip the stuff they seem to have mastered. When this happens, I will often just send a note to the teacher explaining why some things were left blank. In years of writing these notes, I have never had a teacher write back saying that it isn’t OK or penalize my child with a lower homework score for empty answer spaces.
• On most days, homework help really looks like my checking in for a moment on a particularly challenging subject. Once in a while, it looks like a mini class on the kitchen table.
• By checking in, I have also been able to determine when to bring in reinforcements. I have to admit, providing my kids with homework help isn’t always easy for me. On two occasions, the teaching was beyond what I had the skill or energy to do, so the kids went to tutoring to fill in the gap. The downside of this approach is that it takes time on my part. It isn’t always the easiest thing to fit into the family schedule!
• The other issue that I have had was that my children aren’t always thrilled to have mom’s intervention.Whining about extra work and arguing that they already “know how to do it” has been a regular part of my experience.

Holly is a  mom of three boys ages 7, 9 and 12. She has found out (the hard way) that one of the secrets to raising boys is keeping them tired, which is why she writes Kids Activities Blog, an online scrapbook of family activities, learning adventures and tips for maintaining parental sanity. Holly is such a believer in nap time that when her boys stopped taking them, she started.