Aptos Junior High School

One of my favorite things to do is read. I love to go to bed early with a good book, or find a cozy spot in the house and read my book during the middle of the day.  As much as I love a good book however, I also love to stay fit. It has become somewhat of an obsession around my house. Both my wife and I exercise and enjoy going for a run or to the gym. Most importantly we are setting an example for our kids, that being healthy is important. Exercise, healthy eating and making smart choices is just as important as picking up that good book.

You can set that example as well. You don’t have to go to the gym every day or be on some crazy diet but you can help your family make choices that lead to a healthy lifestyle.

Try these when you are looking for healthy choices

1. Take a family walk on the beach-
2. Family bike ride, Monterey and Nisene Marks both have great trails.
3. Instead of an ice cream get a piece of fruit
4. Don’t order the french fries
5. Play catch in the back yard, baseball, frisbee, football, it doesn’t matter
6. Turn off the TV and just stand in the yard
7. Start a garden
8. Go boogie boarding
9. Dig a sand hole
10. When you have done all 9-Read a book

Just to let you know, I love a good ice cream and I love to sleep in late. Do I do those all the time? No way, they have become treats for me and you know what, since I do all that other stuff they have become so much sweeter.

Till next time,

The Principal News!

This may be a duplicate of something I wrote earlier in the year, but it is important enough to post twice, so here I go.

7-1 is one of my cornerstones for working with junior high students. What is 7-1 you ask? Well I will gladly tell you. 7-1 is the concept that you hand out 7 positive comments for every 1 negative comment. The theory is that this will help reduce discipline at your site as well as create positive relationships with your students. This same theory applies to adults but that is another post.

My goal is to attempt to do this each day. Believe me it is tough. I find that I fall into “corrective” ruts. Comments abound from my mouth that have nothing to do with forming relationships, they are simply corrections. Don’t sit there, spit out your gum, stop running, throw away your trash and on and on. Those things are important but students don’t engage with you when you are giving out those comments, they simply ignore you or make a blank acknowledgement and move on. When I notice that I am in “corrective” mode I make myself do a an about face and start to look for things to that are positive. Thanks for picking up your trash, I like your hat, how was class, did you get a haircut and the list gos on and on. You would be surprised at how often I get a reply back when I am making positive comments and not just corrective comments. The students are genuinley interested in what I am asking them and they usually like to talk about the question.

This came to light when one of my wife’s co-workers went to observe a school and walked around with the principal during the lunch period. She told my wife that over the course of 30 minutes she never heard the principal utter an encouraging word-the principal was always in “corrective” mode. After hearing that I challenged myself to make sure I didn’t lose sight of my 7-1 concept and that I would work on recognizing when I had fallen into “corrective” mode.

Don’t get me wrong “corrective” mode needs to be there for a lot of reasons. Safety, consistency and for the general well being of the school. I just want you to know that the 7-1 mode is so much more fun. To be able to pass on compliments instead of corrections is so much easier. It is sort of like that old saying “It takes less muscles to smile than it does to frown”, well it is the same with the 7-1 concept. Saying positive comments is so much easier, plus it gives you a better outlook on the day.

I challenge you in your home to adopt the 7-1 policy. 7 positive comments for every 1 negative/corrective comment. Try it for a while and then let me know how it is going. You know where to find me!!!

Until next time,

Brian

Summer is almost upon us. The long, lazy days, vacations, family trips, summer camps, sleeping in late and everything else that comes with summertime. After everyone has enjoyed the first few weeks, caught up on their relaxation and realized that sometimes the day is just to long, it is time to get back to work. What you say? Work, yes the work of being ready for school in August. I know what you are thinking…he is just saying that because he is the principal, well sort of, but I do believe it in my personal life as well. Just ask my two kids who have a principal for a dad and a teacher for a mom.

During the summer it is important to maintain your childs academic skills and rhythm. This means that they should be hitting the books for a few hours each week. Preferably about an hour a day would be great.

Here is what I am not saying: you do not need to have them sit down at the table and do homework for an hour each day…that is horrible, although it has been know to happen in the Saxton household. What I am saying is that for an hour a day they should be engaged in some sort of academic learning type of activity.
Here are some examples for you.
1. Flash cards are great for car rides-multipication, states, periodic table and anything else you can think of.
2. The most 100 common misspelled words is always a great conversation starter.
3. Keep a journal-writing is excellent for the mind and they will keep up on their penmanship
4. Read a book-no comics or magazines but a real book. The local library has tons of them
5. Take a nature hike and take pictures then identify them online or with a field guide
6. Do that dreaded workbook to keep up on grade level specific skills
7. Attend a learning academy during summer. Many colleges offer “learning academies’ for students.
8. Have a conversation surrounding politics, sports, lifestyle-these help children with their critical thinking skills
9. Do a puzzle-fun and challenging-also works on problem solving skills
10. Play a board game such as scrabble, rumikub, risk or even yahtzee. These games work on spelling, math patterns and critical thinking.

So there you have it, 10 ways to keep learning during the summer. Hopefully you will work your way through all 10.
Don’t forget there are only 22 days left till you can start working your way through the list.

Have a great end of the school year,
Brian

Brian has high hopes to return to his weekly posting of important junior high age information. Check back here often to see if he has realized his dream.