Too early for a Countdown to Spring?

Hey there!  We are already one quarter into the school year so I hope everyone is back into the swing of things!  It took some time, but it is finally starting to look (and feel) like November outside.  For some, this is an exciting time.  For others (like me), we begin our countdown to next Spring!  On the bright side, shoveling provides some additional exercise opportunities!

Reports on Responsibility

Report cards recently came out for the first quarter, and I know some of you out there probably feel you could have done better than you did.  With that, I have a few reminders or tips as we move into the second quarter:

1. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for your actions, effort, and behavior.  Taking responsibility for yourself when things don't go the way you would like them is a mature response that often leads to a positive change.
2. ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES of your actions, effort, and behavior.  Recognize what these consequences represent, accept them, and move forward.
3. MAKE APPROPRIATE CHANGES to your actions, effort, and behavior.  Learn from your mistakes.  Turn negatives into positives.  Turn weaknesses into strengths.  Show growth!

Sniffling the Winter Blues

The cold weather also tends to bring more...well...colds.  During the cold and flu season (and really all the time), it is important to remember a few things:

WASH YOUR HANDS - ALL THE TIME!  Hand-washing is the best way to prevent the spread of germs.

EAT HEALTHY FOODS - Getting the proper nutrients into your body is important to help it function at a high level.  Don't forget your Vitamin C!

EXERCISE - Hmmm, diet and exercise are important - where have you heard this before?  Research has shown that exercise can help boost your immune system to more effectively fight off colds.

WELCOME BACK!!!

I hope everyone had a great summer!  It seems like just yesterday I was writing about the end of another school year here at LCS.  Once again, I write about the start of a new, exciting one.

As always, this year begins with some changes.  There are new faces, new places, and new challenges for all of us.  What remains the same is the commitment to excellence from both students and staff here at LCS.  Nobody wants summer to end, but if it has to, at least it is Lake Country School that we are coming back to!

A Few things to remember as we enter the new school year...

Let's BE KIND to others.

Every time we encounter someone, we have a opportunity to impact their life in a positive or a negative way.  Let's spread positivity here at LCS.

Let's BE SAFE

Make good choices and good decisions.  If something that you are about to do doesn't "feel" right, it's probably not.  Choose a safer alternative.

Let's DO THE RIGHT THING

Our days are filled with choices.  Will you choose to do the next "RIGHT THING?"  Will you choose to do the next right thing EVEN when others are not looking?  Will you choose to do the next right thing even if EVERYONE else is not?  Hopefully, the answer is yes!

And let's not forget our Respectful Communication!
When someone asks you to...

"GIVE ME FIVE!"

1.  Put your EYES on the speaker!
2.  Close your LIPS!
3.  Open those EARS!
4.  Sit or Stand up STRAIGHT!
5.  Keep those HANDS and FEET quiet!

Finally, with a NEW YEAR comes an opportunity for NEW GOALS!

We talked a lot last year about the importance of "Goal-Setting" as a lifetime skill, and that it is a continuous endeavor that takes practice.  Many of your set "Summer Goals."  Hopefully you were able to achieve them.

A few tips:

• Make your goal MEASURABLE!
• Make your goal REALISTIC!
• Make a PLAN to reach your Goal!

We will be talking a lot more about GOALS as the year goes on.  For now, we can all have the goal of making it through the first week of school!  I know we will do great!

Take Care!
JB

Summer Time!

Well, another year is almost in the books.  It is hard to believe, really.  Seems like just yesterday we were scrambling to get ready for the start of another school year.  Time sure does fly when you are having fun!

As we head into the summer months, I'd like to offer a few reminders...

1. Remember to SET GOALS and MAKE A PLAN to achieve them!

We talked a lot this year about the importance of "Goal-Setting" as a lifetime skill.  We even set some short-term and long-term goals for ourselves heading in to the Summer Break.  But remember, goal-setting is a continuous endeavor, and takes practice.  

A few tips:

• Make your goal MEASURABLE!
• Make your goal REALISTIC!
• Make a PLAN to reach your goal!

For example, we just finished our Spring Fitness Testing.  Most of you have set goals for yourself to work to achieve next year called "Benchmarks."  Say you were able to do 10 Perfect Push-ups this Spring.  Your goal for next year may be to reach 15.  So what do you need to do between now and then to WORK to achieve your goal?  Continue to eat healthy!  Exercise!   Practice Push-ups every day!  Make a plan and work to achieve that goal and before you know it, your Perfect Push-up benchmark will be 20!

2.  Make your MISSION to have GOOD NUTRITION - Even in the Summer!!!

Remember, the older you get, the more responsibility you need to take with your eating habits.  Practice "healthy habits" when it comes to your food choices.  Limit the amount of sweets, fast foods, and chips and get those fruits and veggies in your body too!

It's OK to treat yourself from time to time.  Just don't over do it!

3.  Have FUN!!!

Enjoy yourself this summer.  Get together with Friends!  Try something new!  Get outside and PLAY!  

Most importantly, remember to do all things WILDCAT STYLE!  

Be KIND, Be SAFE, and Do the RIGHT THING!

May is National Fitness Month!!!

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month!

Most people know that regular physical activity is good for everyone's Health, and that people of all ages and body types should be physically active.  Physical activity can help to improve muscle fitness, cardiovascular fitness, can lower the risk of heart disease, can improve your coordination to help reduce the risk of falls and injuries, and the list goes on and on.

May is a great time to push the "reset" button and get yourself back on the path to a healthier you!  It is also an opportunity to spread the word to others about getting more physically fit!

Here are a few tips/ideas to share to increase your Health and Wellness:

1.     When trying to increase your activity level, even the little things count.  Make choices such as taking the stairs instead of elevators or escalators.  When you go places, encourage the driver to park further from entrances and exits.  And finally, walk; jog or bike to run errands when doing so is an option.  These little tips that you can do on a daily basis can add up to a healthier you. 

2.     Exercising alone is not enough if you want to be the healthiest that you can be.  Along with exercise, make your mission: Good nutrition.  Not only is eating healthy good for you, it also gives your body more energy so that you can exercise more.  Exercising and Good Nutrition by themselves are good things.  If you put exercise and good nutrition together, you’ve created a winning team.  

3.     Are you getting enough exercise?  Make your goal at least 30 minutes of exercise on at least 5 days of the week.  Write down how much you exercised on each day, and check to see if you are meeting your goal.  Sometimes it helps to make a schedule or checklist for yourself to help keep track of your exercise.  Remember: exercise is more than just playing sports or running.  Walking, raking leaves, cutting the grass with a push mower, swimming, skating, or even doing chores can count as moderate exercise.  Make sure that you’re getting enough. 

4.      30 minutes of moderate exercise on at least 5 days of the week is only a start.  Many people are very physically active and will need more exercise to achieve fitness results.  You may need to exercise closer to 60 minutes a day or add 20 minutes of vigorous activity to your 30 minutes of moderate activity on 3 of your exercise days.  You can also add strength training such as lifting weights to your routine.  Remember that everyone’s exercise routine will be a little different.  The point is to make sure that we are exercising.  Exercise for Fitness.  Exercise for Fun.  Exercise for your Future. 

Wildcat Wellness Challenge

In the spirit of National Fitness Month, I would like to propose a challenge to "LCS Nation."  Let's call it the:

"Park Healthy Challenge"  
(see what I did there...took the term "Heart Healthy" and replaced "Heart" with "Park" because it sort of rhymes and is a catchy term?!?)

Anyway, the Park Healthy Challenge is simple - for the month of May (and perhaps longer if you choose), try to park (or encourage your driver) to park further away from places than you normally would.  Perhaps start with a few spaces further away.  Perhaps park in the very back of the lot.  Whatever you are comfortable doing - just try to increase your trip to and from your car.  The extra walking will add up over the course of the month.  Of course, if you are in a hurry or it is raining out, park close.  But if not....Park Healthy!

Winter Wellness

Well, as it seems to every year, these winter months seem to just drag on and on and on......

The good news is, there is light at the end of this "winter tunnel."  That said, the cold weather has not stopped activities from being hot and heavy here at Lake Country School!

Just what have we been up to?

The LCS Fun Run & Fitness earlier this month was a Great Success!  The effort put forth by our kids was fantastic, and their efforts took us all the way from Hartland, WI to Kansas!  Great Job!

The 7th to 8th Grade transition for PE and Health has taken place with the start of the 3rd Quarter.  That means the 7th graders have moved on to Elective Classes and Project Lead the Way and 8th graders have begun their Health, PE, and Guidance classes.  This also means revisiting some of my favorite Units in PE!  Anybody up for some badminton?!?

Our 6th graders continue to learn First Aid strategies in Health class as they put together their personal First Aid Kits.  So, if you have a cut, burn, sprain, strain, or are choking, you know who to go to!

Snowshoeing!  We are doing our best to put our new Snowshoes to work.  The melting snow and frigid temperatures have held us back a bit, but we are ready to hit the trails and snowshoe our way right out of winter!

Sniffling the Winter Blues

The cold weather also tends to bring more...well...colds.  During the cold and flu season (and really all the time), it is important to remember a few things:

WASH YOUR HANDS - ALL THE TIME!  Hand-washing is the best way to prevent the spread of germs.

EAT HEALTHY FOODS - Getting the proper nutrients into your body is important to help it function at a high level.  Don't forget your Vitamin C!

EXERCISE - Hmmm, diet and exercise are important - where have you heard this before?  Research has shown that exercise can help boost your immune system to more effectively fight off colds.

What's next?

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

This year JRFH will be held on March 19th at Lake Country School.  Details will come out soon.  Prepare to once again be HEART HEROES!

Getting Back into the Swing of Things...

Hi All!  I apologize for the delay between posts.  New schedules, new students, new responsibilities has led to a bit of an adjustment period for students and teachers alike.  But now, as we are firmly in the month of October, everyone seems to be rolling along nicely.  Let's take a look at some Review and Preview of events taking place here at Lake Country School.

Wildcat Wellness

Our Wildcat Wellness initiative is well underway.  There has been an added focus on the importance of Healthy decisions stressed to the students in both Health and PE to start out this year.  That said, there is still plenty of room on the Amy Mulrooney Fitness Track for students to log some laps during their recess.

Staff members are on the Wellness trail as well.  All staff members have come up with their own personal Wellness Goal that will help to motivate them to make positive choices in their lives.  Some of the goals include reaching a number of steps on their pedometers each week, continuing their yoga routine, getting more sleep at night, and choosing healthier snack options during the day.  Keep up the good work!

Run @ Work Day

On September 19th, Lake Country School once again participated in the 9th annual Run@Work Day sponsored by the Road Runners Club of America.

This from the RRCA website:

The goal of Run@Work Day and Run@ School Day is to encourage adults and children to get 30 minutes of exercise each day, in accordance with the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, either before work/school, during lunch, or immediately following work/school.  Run@Work Day also encourages companies to help employees schedule time for physical activity.  Incorporating exercise into one's daily routine can markedly improve one's overall physical health.

It was great to see so many staff members participate in this great event and for the students to encourage their teachers!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Take a look at the following statistics from www.breastcancer.org:

• About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
• In 2014, an estimated 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,570 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
• Breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. began decreasing in the year 2000, after increasing for the previous two decades. They dropped by 7% from 2002 to 2003 alone. One theory is that this decrease was partially due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study called the Women’s Health Initiative were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.
• About 40,000 women in the U.S. were expected to die in 2014 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1989 — with larger decreases in women under 50. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.

When we wear a little pink in October, remember that it is more than just a "fashion statement."  Increased awareness has lead to decreasing death rates.  Let's keep that trend going and going!

Don't Let the Cold/Flu get You!

Cold and Flu Season is upon us.  Please remember the following tips to avoid the bug.

1.  Wash Your Hands - ALL THE TIME.
2.  Try to avoid close contact with those already sick.
3.  Keep your surroundings clean.  Regularly clean areas that are touched by many hands such as doorknobs and light switches.
4.  Get your Flu Shot.
5.  Don't touch your face.
6.  Exercise regularly.
7.  Eat healthy foods - lots of fruits and veggies to help build your immune system.
8.  RELAX - get plenty of rest.

Good Luck to the LCS Girls Basketball Teams!

Our 5th through 8th grade Girls basketball teams begin their league games next week.  Good Luck Wildcats!

Take Care!
JB

WELCOME BACK!!!

I hope everyone had a great summer!  It seems like just yesterday I was writing about the end of another school year here at LCS.  Today, I write about the start of a new, exciting one.

As always, this year begins with some changes.  There are new faces, new places, and new challenges for all of us.  What remains the same is the commitment to excellence from both students and staff here at LCS.  Nobody wants summer to end, but if it has to, at least it is Lake Country School that we are coming back to!

The "Old" and the "New"...

With the new year on the horizon, we have many exciting things in store.  We have the official launch of our "WILDCAT WELLNESS INITIATIVE,"  we have PROJECT LEAD THE WAY, we have this year's musical "BUGSY MALONE," we have new PBIS themes,
we have NEW IDEAS, NEW OPPORTUNITIES, NEW GARDENS, NEW CHICKEN COOPS, NEW FIRE PITS, and the list goes on and on...

What remains constant - in all that we do here at LCS - is that we do it WILDCAT STYLE!

Let's BE KIND to others.

Every time we encounter someone, we have a opportunity to impact their life in a positive or a negative way.  Let's spread positivity here at LCS.

Let's BE SAFE

Make good choices and good decisions.  If something that you are about to do doesn't "feel" right, it's probably not.  Choose a safer alternative.

Let's DO THE RIGHT THING

Our days are filled with choices.  Will you choose to do the next "RIGHT THING?"  Will you choose to do the next right thing EVEN when others are not looking?  Will you choose to do the next right thing even if EVERYONE else is not?  Hopefully, the answer is yes!

And let's not forget our Respectful Communication!
When someone asks you to...

"GIVE ME FIVE!"

1.  Put your EYES on the speaker!
2.  Close your LIPS!
3.  Open those EARS!
4.  Sit or Stand up STRAIGHT!
5.  Keep those HANDS and FEET quiet!

Finally, with a NEW YEAR comes an opportunity for NEW GOALS!

We talked a lot last year about the importance of "Goal-Setting" as a lifetime skill, and that it is a continuous endeavor that takes practice.

A few tips:

• Make your goal MEASURABLE!
• Make your goal REALISTIC!
• Make a PLAN to reach your Goal!

We will be talking a lot more about GOALS as the year goes on.  For now, we can all have the goal of making it through the first week of school!  I know we will do great!

Take Care!
JB