The Race to November 1st

As we look to turn the clock backs in just over a week, we also look to the looming early action and early decision deadline for many schools: November 1st. Counselors are putting finishing touches on letters of recommendation, teachers are uploading Common Application forms, and students are tweaking their essays one last time.  However, it is very important to not wait until the last minute.  Millions of applications are submitted every year through the Common Application website.  It is not uncommon for students to incur issues with the Common Application the last couple of days before a major deadline. As a parent, it is an excellent idea to set an earlier deadline for your young adult, no later than the 30th of October.

Here's why: Saturday is Halloween. Yes, many teenagers have outgrown trick or treating, but some like to hang on for one last time. Even if your senior is not trick or treating, it usually provides the perfect excuse to hang out with friends and do something fun. Then, Sunday smacks you in the face and the deadline is here.  Along with millions of other teenagers who also slept until noon, your senior attempts to go on the Common Application website and cannot get through.  You spend your Sunday afternoon desperately trying to help, but there is no phone number to call and email requests are not responded to for 72 hours.  Hence, the deadline has passed. So instead of spending your Sunday watching football, adjusting to turning the clocks back, and preparing for your work week, you are trying to help but there is nothing you can do.  Savor that Sunday, finish the applications ahead of time, and let your entire family enjoy the weekend.

What We Put In Is What We Get Out

We often tell students the effort you put into an assignment will be reflected in the knowledge retained. We tell athletes what you put into practice and training will be reflected during game play. We tell musicians, dancers, and actors the commitment made during rehearsals will be reflected in the performance.

Yet, we do not typically talk about how what we put into our bodies will be reflected in how we are able to function on a daily basis. The American Psychiatric Association offered numerous workshops at their annual conference this year on how nutrition needs to be considered when treating mood disorders..

How we fuel our body impacts student learning. A search on the New York Times website produces article upon article about the role of nutrition and brain function, overall health, and relationship to disease. As parents and role models for our students, it is important that we take on the challenge and encourage positive eating habits and reduce processed food. According to the Mind Body Green website, what we eat literally effects our genes.  Tom Brady was interviewed this week and provided a brief, educated summary on the challenges facing the American food industry and our children.

As busy parents with too busy children, we want the meals that we share together to be enjoyable, to be a time when we bond together and catch up on what is going on in each other's lives. Yet, we need to offer our children whole, real foods, and provide them with the nutrients they need to give 110% in their overly busy lives.

Fall, Football, and Fairs

As we transition from summer to fall, we welcome the cooler temperatures, hold on to the last minutes of daylight, watch football on Sundays, and settle into the routine of the new school year.  For the guidance department, the sixth graders are deep into the middle school study skill survival curriculum, seventh graders are rewriting their personal and academic goals, and eighth graders are preparing for what it means to be a high school student.  Having spent the last few weeks teaching a seminar for each of those grades, it is amazing the commitment and thoughtful reflection the students show for the group seminars.  They are invested; they are interested; they are thirsting to learn more.

The freshmen have begun to share more in seminars, talking about how they are handling the demands of high school and working on time management outside of school. The seniors are continuing to keep their eye on the prize - graduation- completing college applications, applying for internships, and job searching. The sophomores and juniors are looking forward to the PSAT. The Guidance Department wants ALL sophomores and juniors to sit for this exam on Wednesday, October 14th.  The test occurs during the school day and the cost is 30.00, which can be paid through school bucks or by check.

Here are the upcoming events for the next ten days:

Saturday, October 3rd: SAT at Canton High School: 8 am
Tuesday, October 6th: TEC College Fair at Waltham High School: 6:30 pm
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Thursday, October 8th: MEFA Financial Aid Night: Canton High School Cafeteria: 6:30 pm
                                      Standardized Test Prep Night: Canton High School Library: 7:30 pm
                                      (Overview of the new PSAT/SAT/Updated ACT)
Wednesday, October 14th: PSAT: Canton High School: 8 am

Try to take time to look at the trees in their last minutes of glory, to enjoy the sounds and smells that represent everything fall: pumpkins, apple picking, cider donuts, and Halloween. As busy and challenging as these years are, we never get them back, so it is worth acknowledging them.