Greetings Spectrum Families,
Impactful:
Cheer on your child! Sounds like a “no brainer”, doesn’t it. I was recently reminded of a theory I used to help develop a praise-encouraging system in my physical education class back in my teaching days. The theory, referenced here, indicates that humans need five positive interactions in order to outweigh the effects of one negative interaction. The system I developed as part of my PE curriculum was called, “Positive Laps”. At the beginning of each school year I would inform my students about the system including the rules and the expectations. In summary, I could select any student I wanted to at the beginning of each period. I would not share my selection with anyone in the class, therefore, the student remained unknown to all present except me. The goal was for that student to state, out loud, to their peers in the class, at least 10 positive things throughout the period. At the end of the period, if I had not heard at least 10 positive statements from this individual, students ran laps around the gym for however many short of the goal (10) they were. If this was the case, the student remained a secret as to not provoke any kind of negative retaliation from their peers. However, if the selected student succeeded and reached the goal of 10 positive statements, I would announce with enthusiasm and excitement who the student was and all of us would celebrate with rounds of applause and high fives. My theory was that because my selection was unknown to all, then all students would need to follow through on being extraordinarily positive towards one another every day. They never knew what day they were going to be selected. The goal, of course, from a teacher’s perspective, was to create a culture of positivity.
The short jog at the end of a failed period was a reminder to my students of how critically important it is for us to remain positive in our interactions with others. I’m choosing to reference and share all of this today as I think it’s good to be reminded of how we, as parents/guardians, should interact with the developing adolescent brain. School is stressful and there is a lot on our student’s plates. Please consider this an encouragement to mix in sharing how proud you are of your student’s successes in greater numbers than their shortcomings. I’m a believer in feedback, both positive and negative, but ensuring we are building up, not tearing down, is critical to the development of our future!
Finally, I’m reminded of the fact that my mom and dad continue to cheer me on to this day. Even though I’m 40 years old, I am still their child. We are all someone’s child and if we are to succeed in life, we need cheerleaders for all the ups and downs we encounter while here.
Practical:
As we begin a new semester here at SHS, I want to share another reminder regarding enrollment for aspiring Spectrum students from our Registrar:
We are now accepting student enrollment applications for the 2022-2023 school year.
To be included in the 2022-2023 Spectrum Student Enrollment Lottery applications must be received by January 31, 2022. Applications received by January 31, 2022, will be included in our annual enrollment lottery to be held on February 15, 2022.
Student Application for Enrollment
If you need any assistance with the Student Application for Enrollment, contact our Registrar at Phone: 763-241-8703 ext. 9859 or Email admissions@spectrumhighschool.org
Weeks At A Glance:
- Monday, January 24th - Friday, January 28th: Winter Fest!
- Monday, January 24th: C@SH day / Delayed start
- Tuesday, January 25th: Students will be taking a needs assessment to help the counseling department review the overall needs of SMS. This will take place during Sting Time Advisory. It is optional.
- Friday, January 28th: B Day (modified block - no Sting Time) PEP FEST/CORONATION @ 1:40 pm
- Monday, January 31st: C@SH day / Delayed start