McNair School
Guidance
 
 

Happy New Year 2009

How did you celebrate the start of the New Year 2007?  Maybe you went to a party or watched on TV as the ball dropped in New York’s Times Square.  Maybe your family has a special food you eat on New Year’s Day.  People all over the world have different ways of welcoming the start of a New Year.

New Year’s  Day, January 1, is a holiday in many countries. In Australia, since it is summer there at this time of the year, people celebrate on January 1 with outdoor activities like picnics on the beach, rodeos, and surf carnivals. In Spain, it is traditional to eat 12 grapes, one each time a clock chimes, at midnight on New Year’s.  Spanish people say eating grapes brings good luck.

Some people in the southern US eat black-eyes peas and turnip greens on January 1 to bring good luck earning money in the New Year. The peas represent coins and the greens stand for dollars.  Other countries start the New Year on a day other than January 1.  Many Chinese people celebrate the New Year between January 21 and February 20.  Their celebration is based on the lunar calendar, which starts each month on the day of the new moon.  A big parade with huge floats of dancing dragons, the dragon is a symbol of wealth and long life.
 

People often make New Year’s resolutions. A resolution is a promise to make an improvement or do something different in the New Year.   Like setting goals, resolutions help you stick to a plan.  Have you made a resolution for the New Year?  Consider those things that you would like to improve.  For example, study habits, being more responsible, helping others, or improving your game in sports.  Think of some things you would like to do differently this year and make a resolution to meet this goal.

 

Let’s have a safe start to 2009!
 
 

McNair Guidance Program mission statement is to help all students develop skills in the areas of personal-social growth, educational planning, and development.

  • Help students develop a positive attitude toward self.
  • Help students develop responsible social skills.
  • Help students gain life planning skills as they experience the educational process.
  • Help determine the most appropriate services to assist students.
  • Help identify strengths and weaknesses which may impact academic performance.
  • Help implement programs that promote, recognize and motivate students.
Helping Families Deal With Deployment

During this difficult time of deployments and uncertainty, please be assured that your school is supporting you and your children. Activities will be conducted with all grade levels to help students deal with separation and deployment.  If your child is experiencing sadness, anxiety or depression, please contact your school's guidance counselor.  Counseling services are available in the schools.  The school counselor will also assist you with referrals to other agencies if necessary. The following tips may assist you and your family in dealing with separation and deployment:

.....View and discuss the situation as temporary

.....Stress the positive aspects of the situation:  more time with the
     parent in the home, visits by friends and relatives

.....Gifts from foreign countries

.....Provide frequent communication through e-mail and letters

.....Promote caring by sending photos, pictures, toilet items and food
     to the deployed family member.

…..Establish and Keep Routines
 

Everyone at McNair is proud of everything our service members are doing for our freedom.  If you or your spouse has served or is currently serving on an overseas deployment, you can send a picture to school with your child to be placed on the "Wall of Heroes".  Please put the name of the service member and child on back of photo for the display.
 
 

Terrific Kids Program

Terrific Kids Program:   This program is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Spring Lake, N.C. The program celebrates the accomplishments of students on a monthly basis.  Students achieving this honor receive the following rewards:

  • They are presented a certificate, "I'm a Terrific Kid" pencil and sticker, and a coupon for a FREE Kid's Meal at Wendy’s.
  • The parents receive a bumper sticker that reads "Proud Parent of a Terrific Kid."
  • Students' names are displayed on the Terrific Kids Bulletin Board at the school each quarter.
TERRIFIC Kids are:
Thoughtful, Enthusiastic, Respectful, Responsible, Influential, Friendly, Impeccable, and Caring
 

Honor Roll

Students are recognized for
All "A's" and "A-B"
 

BUG

The "I Brought Up Grades" (BUG) program, generously sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Spring Lake, celebrated the hard work and determination of 3rd and 4th grade students who brought up at least two grade during the nine week grading period.




Coming February 19th to a 4th grade class near you…..NAEP TEST

The Nation's Report Card, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), is a nationally representative and continuing assessment of what  America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Since 1969, assessments have been conducted periodically in reading, mathematics, science, writing, history, geography, and other fields. By making objective information on student performance available to policymakers at the national, state, and local levels, NAEP is an integral part of our nation's evaluation of the condition and progress of education. Only information related to academic achievement is collected under this program. NAEP guarantees the privacy of individual students, their families, and their schools.

http://nationsreportcard.gov/2005_assessment/s0052.asp?printver=


 
 

3rd and 4th Grade Students Mark your Calendars

TERRANOVA MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT
March 9 - 13, 2009

The TerraNova Multiple Assessment results are important because they provide us with consistent, accurate, and objective information about how our students are performing, compared with students throughout the United States.  The TerraNova Multiple Assessments results, and other performance measures, are used to guide our decisions about system, school and classroom programs. Information about 2006 TerraNova results may be obtained through the following link

http://www.dodea.edu/communications/news/releases/080106.htm


Coming This Spring

June 2009
The President's Education Awards Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, was developed to help principals recognize and honor those students who have achieved high academic goals by their hard work and dedication to learning.  Students are eligible for one of two honors:  The President's Award for Educational Excellence or the President's Award for Educational Achievement.
 
 

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page updated January 5, 2009