Middle School

Everyone is affected by COVID -19 in different ways! 

It is normal to feel sad, stressed, confused, or upset during uncertain times. Even though those feelings are normal, we want to try our best to continue to overcome and grow. If you are feeling this way about what is happening in the world right now, talk to a trusted adult about those feelings; connect over a phone call with your friends and family! 

When staying at home, it is pretty easy to fall into some not-so-healthy habits. Try to maintain a healthy lifestyle post COVID-19:

1. Get at least 8-10 hours of sleep every night!

2. Get up in the morning and stretch, a little exercise like yoga could be fun.

3. Try to keep a normal schedule, while staying in your pajamas all day sounds nice, try to motivate yourself to follow your normal routines as much as possible.

4. Having a snack here and there is okay, but try to balance that out with fruits and veggies!

5. We all want to keep up to date with everything happening in the world, but too much information can be overwhelming. Watch enough TV and social media to get the facts, then take a break from the screens.

Say Something Anonymous Reporting System:

If you see any warning signs at school, the See Something organization allows you to submit secure and anonymous safety concerns to help identify and intervene upon at-risk individuals BEFORE they hurt themselves or others. You can do this by reporting observed threats, behaviors, actions, or harassment. 

Say Something: use this link to report your concerns.

You've learned so many skills this year! Let's keep practicing!

Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills:

1. • Sharing: A willingness to share a snack or share a toy can go a long way to helping kids make and keep friends. Next time a family wants to share something like the TV, practice your empathy skills!

   • Cooperating: Work together to achieve a common goal. Remember your group work activities, use active listening and understand others' perspectives

   • Listening: Active listening is something we talked about a lot. Remember, open ears, eyes look at the speaker, mouths closed, and hands to yourself when listening to someone.

   • Following Directions: This is an important one! Sometimes to perform a task completely you have to follow all of the instructions carefully. Make sure to listen and read everything before acting.

   • Respecting Personal Space: Some people are huggers and others required a lot of personal space. Make sure to ask someone if it is okay for you to get close or touch them like a hug.

   • Know Yourself: You know yourself better than anyone, but sometimes our emotions can be confusing sometimes; especially when the emotions are strong. The next time you have a strong emotion like anger, sadness, excitement, think about what happened right before you felt that emotion, what happened during, and after the emotion passed. Understanding what caused our emotions, how we felt in the moment, and what helped to calm down is important in managing your emotions appropriately. Remember emotions are normal but sometimes they get too big to handle without a management plan.

   • Manage: Make a management plan for your strong emotions. Once you start to understand what causes some of your emotions, you can have a plan to calm down. For example, if I know a certain thing makes me upset but I do not want to have such a strong emotion every time that thing happens, I can come up with a coping skill to help calm down that emotion. Check out the helpful handouts below for coping strategies.

A quick note about your brain:

Your brain is not fully formed until around the age of 25-27. We used to think that the brain was fully developed by very early teenager-hood and we now realize that the brain doesn't stop developing until your mid-20s or even early 30s. There's a lot more information and evidence to suggest that actually brain development in various forms goes on throughout the life span. So take care and nurture your brain, it's still growing and maturing!

• Especially as a teenager, your brain is like a sponge taking in every new experience. Your brain is shaped by academics, healthy experiences, positive relationships in a healthy and supportive way. While it is great that your brain can soak up so much information and mature based on those experiences it is important to know that you take in both negative and positive experiences. There are somethings that we cannot control when it comes to negative experiences, however, substance use is one thing you can control. Any substance use like vaping, smoking, drinking all can stunt your growth and disrupt the development of your brain's maturity. Your brain has a big job, be sure to take care of it by gathering positive experiences and doing your best to avoid preventable, negative experiences.

High school is coming up sooner than you think! 

There are going to be a few things different from middle school when you enter the 9th grade. High school classes a cumulative, meaning each class builds on the last one. So your skills from 9th grade will be needed all the way in 12th grade and beyond. But there is no need to worry, continue to be a role model in the classroom, come to class every day, participate in class, follow directions, and keep your grades up. High school maybe a little different but you've got this!

While you are in high school, you will begin to think about what you are wanting to do once you graduate. Start thinking about what you might want to do when you are grown up. Here are some educational links to help you along the way:

• Know How 2 Go: This is a resource to help you start planning for your education and career in the future. It is never too early to start thinking about what you want to do in high school and beyond!

• Interest Inventory: Everyone has a different way to describe themselves and what they like to do. This survey lets you rate activities you enjoy, your personal qualities, and school subjects you like. Then you can see which career clusters are a match for your interests. Remember this is not set in stone, people are always changing, this is just to give you an idea about what you might like to do in the future.

• Study Tips: Why work on your study skills? It will make it easier for you to learn and do well in class, especially as you move up to middle school and high school.

• Note-Taking Tips: Note-taking is a skill that can help you do well on all your schoolwork — everything from taking tests to researching a paper.

• Khan Academy: This is a FREE online resource to practice subjects you are learning in school. If you feel you need a little more practice with a new topic in high school or even middle school, there are step-by-step videos to help you through understanding something new.

This is your toolkit for all of your Second Step Skills. 

Please review this toolkit to help improve academic skills, practice getting along with others, learn to manage your emotions, and develop problem-solving skills.

1. Empathy:

   • This is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. This includes:

     • Understanding someone else's perspective.

     • Using active listening during a conversation.

     • Not making assumptions about others.

     • Always being kind, we do not know what everyone is going through. A kind face could make their day!

2. Assertiveness:

   • This means being able to stand up for your own or other people's rights in a calm and positive way, without being either aggressive or passively accepting. How can we do this:

     • Use your empathy skills.

     • Use a clear, firm, calm voice.

     • Look at the person with a confident expression.

     • Keep your head up and shoulders back in a confident posture.

3. Emotional Management:

   • Emotions are completely normal and natural to have, but sometimes strong emotions might not fit the situation you are in. We need to practice understanding our emotions and practice coping skills to help calm down.

     • Notice: Recognizing your physical and mental signal, notice what caused you to have a strong emotion.

     • Pause. Use your signal, pick something you can tell yourself in your head that would get you know to calm down.

     • Think twice. Use your brain, before having your string emotion think about how it might impact you and others around you.

       • Try this to calm down:

         1. Doing something physically active

            • Take a walk

            • Bounce a ball

            • Stretch each muscle group

         2. Doing something relaxing

            • Coloring

            • Write in a journal 

            • Make a homemade stress ball

         3. Thinking about something else

            • Count to ten

            • Count all of the blue items in the room

            • Think about a positive memory

         4. Using centered breathing (Examples in Harmony Home Tab)

         5. Using positive self-talk

4. Coping Skills:

   • Centered breathing

     • Get into a comfortable seat or lay down.

     • Close your eyes and place your hand on your tummy.

     • Slowly breathe through your nose into the lower part of your lungs for 4 seconds.

     • Feel your stomach moving out when you breathe in.

     • Slowly breathe out through your mouth for 4 seconds.

       • Repeat 3 times, or until you feel relaxed.

   • Positive self-talk

     • This is when someone seeks to bring the positive out of the negative to help you do better, go further, or just keep moving forward.

     • Instead of "I cannot do this, I am not good at it" try "I am still learning, I can handle this, I get better every day!"

5. Problem-Solving Skills:

   • There are some important things to think about before solving a problem:

     • Can I actually do this?

       • Sometimes to solve a problem, we might need help from others. For example, if your frisbee ends up on top of the roof and your decision to solve this problem is to fly a helicopter to the roof get the frisbee... that sounds cool but might not be something you can actually do. Instead, ask a trusted adult to get a ladder and help you get your frisbee down.

     • Is it safe?

       • This relates to the first consideration, when solving a problem, think about the consequences before you act. Please keep yourself and others safe, your safety is the most important thing to consider.

     • How might people feel about it?

       • Considering others' feelings and perspectives is apart of our empathy skills. You want to try and make a decision to solve a problem that does not hurt someone else's feelings.

     •  Is it ethical?

       • Ethical is something that is considered a good or right thing to do. For example, a white lie might seem harmless enough, but lying is not considered good or right to do. Think about the consequences, what is someone catches you in a white line, how would that make them feel?

6. Using the Action Plan: The ABCs to Problem Solving

   • A: Analyze the situation

     • Think really hard about every aspect of the situation.

   • B: Brainstorm options

     • Come up with a lot of different ideas, no idea is a bad idea!

   • C: Consider each option

     • Once you have your idea, thing about the consequences or outcomes of each one. Make a list of the pros and cons to each idea.

   • D: Decide on the best option

     • Look at your list of ideas and find the best one to solve the problem, then do it!

   • E: Evaluate if it works

     • Did that idea work, think about what happened after you tried that idea.

   • F: Figure out another way

     • Maybe your first idea did not work, that's okay! Try another one on your list until the problem is solved.

7. Working in a Group:

Working in a group can be fun because of all the different ideas and experiences other people have had that might be different for yourself. Our differences are what makes us unique! So how can we work together with people who have different ideas than we do? Try this:

7. • Empathy: Remember we do not always know what is going on in someone's life, your best bet is to always be kind and understanding.

   • Active listening: Involves the listener observing the speaker's behavior and body language. Having the ability to interpret a person's body language lets the listener develop a more accurate understanding of the speaker's message.

   • Considering others' perspectives: It is okay to not have the same ideas as someone else, but try to put yourself in the other person's shoes and think about why they feel differently from you on a subject.

   • Respond thoughtfully: Responding thoughtfully would mean you consider what the other person is saying and then carefully consider what you should say back. If you do not understand what the other person is trying to say, ask some follow up questions (this also shows you were listening!).

1. Yoga: Try the Windmill Pose!

   • From a standing position, move your feet to create a V-shape that is apart about shoulders width apart. Lift your arms until they are parallel to the ground, then in a circular motion with your arms, touch the floor with one hand, then the other. Make sure to pace yourself, if you cannot reach the floor just yet, touch your knees. Repeat the circle shape six times, three floor touches for each hand.

2. Journaling:

   • This can be a fun outlet to write down what's on your mind. You can write in different colors, add highlights, stickers, and pictures to your journal to make it your own!

3. Exercise:

   • Exercise does not always have to be running on a treadmill or doing push-ups, it can be something more recreational. Toss around a ball, jump rope, play basketball or soccer, try to do a cartwheel (safely). Just try to get outside, get your heart rate up, and enjoy yourself.

4. Coloring:

   • Coloring on a page can be relaxing and satisfying. Here's a link to some free coloring pages online: Coloring Pages 

5. Play a board game:

   • A round of monopoly or cards is a fast way to have some fun when things get stressful!

6. Create a new dessert:

   • Here's an easy cookie recipe:

   • 3/4 cup sugar 

   • 1/2 cup butter, softened 

   • 1  large egg

   • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

   • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

   • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

   • Step 1: Heat oven to 400°F. 

   • Step 2: Combine sugar, butter, and egg in a bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Add all remaining ingredients; beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

   • Step 3: Add in something fun, chocolate chips, peanut butter, peppermint, or mixed nuts (just make sure no one is allergic!)

   • Step 4: Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

7. Here are a couple of fun links to explore the world from the comfort of your home.

   • National Museum of Natural History - Virtual Tours: Get up close to some of the world's most precious, historical treasures. Check out the dinosaur exhibit or learn about ancient civilizations! 

     1. To navigate between adjoining rooms in the tours, click on the blue arrow links on the floor or use the navigation map in the upper right of the presentation screen.

     2. Look for the camera icon which gives you a close-up view of a particular object or exhibit panel.

     3. Try zooming in as some of the images are stitched together from individual pictures in order to create very high-resolution giga-pixel images.

   • 360 Cities: Get a 360-degree view of the world, just click on the icon in the nation you want to visit and explore!

   • Access Mars: Get out of this world and travel of surface of Mars to learn about how NASA and the Curiosity rover journeyed through space.

   • The World's Largest Cave: The Son Doong cave in Vietnam is the world's largest cave at five miles long. Travel down the cave and make sure to have the volume on to listen to the sounds of the cave.

   •  San Diego Zoo: Bring the zoo to you with a behind-the-scenes look at all the animals from pandas to penguins.