April 30th: A DAY WITHOUT HATE!
Today is “The Day Without Hate.” We wear white to remember the victims of school violence such as victims of the Columbine High School shooting and victims of bullying. Today, all the students and teachers get together to remember and create ways of preventing new disasters from happening.
Through out the day, we talk about how to spend the day with a more positive outlook on life and we agreed to be supportive of others, be more encouraging, and to be more aggressive in stopping bullying. Please take advantage of this day to discuss with your child(ren) at home about what they may have done to promote the environment that is safe and pleasing for themselves and others.
Thank you for your support! May we live in peace!
March 11th: Good Luck, Victoria!!
Victoria has gone to Mexico with her family and Sertoma group to visit Mexico Deaf School (Centro de Integracion) for the Tehuacan Project. She and her family is bringing a dvd that the whole school has made for children of Mexico at the deaf school to watch and learn about our American Sign Language. Please check this website for further information about Tehuacan Project: http://www.mexicoschoolforthedeaf.org/home.htm.
Good luck, Victoria! Be safe and come back with LOTS of pictures!! 
February 26th: CYBER-BULLYING
Dear Parent or Guardian:
We are currently addressing the bullying over the Internet, called Cyberbulling. Cyberbullies use Internet services to degrade, insult, harrass, threaten, and humiliate others. There have been reported incidents of cyberbullying among our students so this letter is written for you to be aware of our collaborating effort to address the serious topic of cyberbullying at school.
The abuse may happen online, or it may be an extension of physical bullying that occurs before, during, or after school. It is damaging because it can be unrelenting for the target and because it can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Since the Internet allows one to be anonymous, the bullies contact their target with less fear of being caught compared to the tradition or physical bullying. Also, cyberbullying allows the bully to get more people involved and the target would experience being bullied in more impacting way. The target would know that everyone can see it and it is more damaging. Futhermore, the words and images bullies post may be impossible to track down and remove.
We are communicating with you about what we do to address the cyberbullying and how to prevent it. First, we explain wht forms the cyberbullying take, and they are the following:
- Send abusive text messages to cell phones, computers, or Internet- connected game consoles.
-Post abusive comments on someone’s blog or social networking site (like MySpace or Facebook)
-Make it appear that the target is posting nasty comments about friends to isolate him or her from friends.
-Post the target’s personally identifiable information on the site to put them at greater risk of contact by predators.
-Take photos (often using a cell phone camera) and post them online, sometimes manipulating them to embarrass the target
What we can do together to help your student stay safe both at school and at home:
-Educate students how to keep his or her online space private to avoid bullying by strangers.
-Explain the importance of protecting passwords so others cannot access a site to post information that may be damaging.
-Encourage the child not to retaliate if someone abuses him or her. Instead, they should report the abuse to you immediately. The school principal (Janet) and/or school counselor (myself) should be reported also.
-At home, use features of Internet devices to block abusers and report abuse to the owners of the Web site where abuse takes place.
-Educate students not to bully others, and to support to those who are being bullied. When students stand up for each other, they create a climate that discourages bullying.
We believe that parents are the most important partner that we have in education and we appreciate your participation by communicating with us and sharing with us bits and pieces of life of your children. There are many different strategies that we, as school in whole, and as parents, can do to eliminate Cyberbullying.
Here are the websites to cyber-bullying. Please feel free to call or email if you have any questions or concerns!
http://stopcyberbullying.org/
http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/adults/default.aspx
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define YOURSELF!” –Harvey S. Firestone
GROUNDHOG DAY! Do our shadows distract us too?
Oh yes, February is here, and we have already celebrated Groundhog Day on Tuesday! The history has it that the German settlers in Pennsylvania had a tradition known as Candlemas Day where they use candles to determine how much longer the winter would be. If the sun shone on Candlemas Day, the Germans believed, the groundhog would cast a shadow and another six weeks of winter was inevitable. If a groundhog sees his shadow when he comes out of his burrow, we are in for 6 more weeks of winter weather. Or so the story goes.
If a groundhog gets “distracted” by the shadow, we could be, too! This week, we talked about how distractions could affect our performances both in school and at home. The students are learning how to remain on task despite hall, classroom, and peer distractions. All students are expected to have abilities to remain on task and ignore distractions, and the skills can be taught on daily basis. During classroom time, we played group games that would foster attention and communication among peers. We also role played and used puppets. We discussed what we should do if someone next to us is very distracting while we are trying to work.
Being active listeners is also critical for ignoring distractions. The middle school students discussed what distractions are visual, auditory, and tactile and then submit suggestions how to ignore distractions in order to be better listeners in classrooms.
Parents: here are some websites that can be shared with your child at home to review:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5236004_ignore-someone-annoying.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2249596_ignore-annoying-classmates.html
“Don’t let your own shadow distract you”– (a quote made by me )
HELLO! HAPPY NEW YEAR, FOLKS!
We kicked off this exciting year with the reminder of what responsibility is and how we can be responsible for ourselves. The middle school students were asked these questions throughout the week:
1. Do you consider yourself to be a responsible person? Why? In what ways?
2. The people in the video identified several aspects of responsibility. What were they? Do you agree with them? What does responsibility mean to you?
3. Do you consider it important for your friends and family members to be responsible? Why?
4. Think about somebody you know who is very responsible. How does that person demonstrate responsibility? Does that make you respect him/her more?
5. It’s been said that “There are no rights without responsibility, and there is no responsibility without rights.” What does that mean? Do you agree? What is the relationship between rights and responsibilities?
6. We need to separate problems into three categories: ones we have no control over, ones we have some influence over, and ones we have total control over. How would it help resolve our problems to look at them in this way?
7. What does being responsible have to do with the quality of your character?
8. What are the benefits of being a responsible person? How do you benefit from the responsibility of others?
During the assembly, the middle school students came up with their own list of goals they would like to set for the year 2010 and three of the most important goals are the following: attending to classes prepared and on time, paying attention during the class; and being prompt with their class assignments.
Woo hoo! Parents, what a great start to the year 2010! Let us cheer them on, it’s going to be great!
“It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities” — unknown
HAPPY DECEMBER! Tis the month of giving and sharing!
We have kicked off the month going to the mall to see what we have wanted for the holidays and some of us visited Santa Claus to tell him what we are hoping to get, then we continued the week thinking about what we want to give to others. In each class, we reflected about people who are less fortunate than us; people without jobs, without home to go to, beds to sleep, and even clothes to stay warm.
Since December is a month of giving and sharing, that sprit is especially relevant for this school because we are hosting food drive for Food Bank of the Rockies. Our students are excited about giving back to the community! The boxes for donations will be out in the hallway of the school, next to Ms. Janet Dickinson’s office, for students, parents, and the community to bring non-perishable food and drop them off. Last day of drop-off will be on Thursday, December 17th because the boxes will be taken to Food Bank that day in the afternoon. The items that would make great donations are boxed/canned food such as tuna, ham, beef stew, chili, baked beans, soups, fruits, vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, and pasta.
It is interesting to note that Food Bank of the Rockies is able to purchase so much more food at a lower cost than the average person going to a grocery store. With a $1 donation, Food Bank can provide four (4) meals or 5 pounds of food!! If you are interested in monetary donating, a fund has been established through the website: www.foodbankrockies.org. On the left column, click “donate food” then scroll down and click on “Feeding Hope Fund Page,” which will lead you into new page. Click on “find a fund” and then type “Rocky Mountain Deaf School.”
The flyer was given out to the students to take home. It is also attached here for your information. Thank you for wanting to support our school’s desire to give back to the community!
“The manner of giving is worth more than the gift” — Pierre Corneille
Week of 11/9- 11/13
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
This week for elementary, we focused on learning cultures and races as a goal to prepare students for life in an ethnically diverse society and can bring about cognitive and affective benefits to students.to build understanding among racial and cultural groups and appreciation of different cultures. For pre-schoolers, we identified differences and similarities; we played games by grouping up based on physical and clothing similarities, such as pink shoes, brown hair, blue eyes. When they notice the differences in others, they are encouraged to cheer each other for being “different” as a goal to install the importance of being yourself and to be independent in what you are born to be and desire to be. With k-2nd graders, we identified ethnic/racial groups and identified which countries have the majority of which groups. For older elementary students (3-5th graders), we distinguished these groups and then identified the terms, “discrimination” and “prejudice” and how they impact on our society. We discussed how to defuse intergroup tensions and conflicts.
Parents: to teach your children tolerance and acceptance of differences in others, please check these website links:
http://www.catalogs.com/info/children/teaching-children-tolerance.html
http://www.surfnetparents.com/teaching_tolerance_to_children-18475.html
http://stayathomeparents.suite101.com/article.cfm/teaching_children_tolerance_and_acceptance
“The most influential of all educational factors is the conversation in a child’s home” –William Temple, Sr.
Week of 10/26- 10/30
SAFETY AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR HALLOWEEN!
Now that we have said BOO to drugs, we are kicking off this Spirit Week with ugly shirts and ties! Many students and teachers are wearing some cool, ugly clothing and it’s so fun sharing what ugly things we have in closets at home! Tomorrow will be Senior Citizen Day so we will see what how that brings the creativity out of us!! Wednesday is Hat Day, Thursday is Team Spirit Day, and Friday is…HALLOWEEN!!
With Halloween coming up this week, students will learn the responsibility of being safe when going out for trick or treating for Halloween on Saturday. Halloween is a fun night for students to dress up and go door to door trick or treating. They should, however, be aware of the danger snad how to be safe. As part of a safety lesson, ways to stay safe on Halloween night will be discussed with students.
We discuss with them that Halloween is a fun night, but that it can be dangerous if they are not careful. There are things they can do to ensure that the night is a success and that everyone stays safe and healthy.
Here are the links for parents to share with their children:
(click here for pdf) preparing_children_for_trick_or_treating.pdf
(website link) http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/octhalloween.cfm
October 19, 2009– RED RIBBON WEEK!
This week, we are celebrating “Red Ribbon Week” which focuses on keeping our students drug-free. Red ribbons, pencils, and lollipops are handed out to students of all ages to promote drug and alcohol-free lifestyles. Classroom teaching with me as a counselor in each room is themed to fit their learning goals. The Middle School will cover reasons teens give for drinking alcohol, and reasons for NOT to drink alcohol in addition to covering basic information and facts about drugs. These issues will be covered during Boys/Girls Clubs and Teen Living class. The Pre-K-2nd and 4-5th grade classes will sing “I am strong”, discuss why drugs and alcohol are bad, and draw a picture showing themselves saying no to drugs then explain in ASL about their pictures.
Children often do drugs because of peer pressure. The program encourages them to be good models to each other so if they are ever put in a situation like this, they will have a better idea what is the right way to deal. The program also promotes healthy lifestyles while showing students how to take responsibility for their actions. We teach students positive decision-making skills and confidence on how to lead healthy lifestyles.
For assembly on Friday the 23rd at 12:30 a guest speaker from Dark Knight K9 Detection Agency will visit us with a drug sniffing dog. Parents and community: please feel free to come and join us!!!
Reminder for this week:
– Family Math Night on Wednesday at 6-8pm
– Jeffco School Board Hearing on RMDS High School on Thursday starting at 6pm
October 2, 2009–Field Trip to CSDB for College Fair
College Fair? Who from RMDS may have gone to college fair already? Yes you guessed it right–The middle school had a day field trip to Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB) in Colorado Springs for Post Secondary Education College Fair! All 6th, 7th, and 8th graders had an opportunity to visit the exhibits of participating colleges and universities, in addition to support agencies, at their own pace and get answers to their questions. They got an idea of the options available in higher education, the strategies for financing college, and the importance of early planning.
Participating schools and agencies are the following but not limited to:
California State University in Northridge (CSUN)
RIT/ NTID: Rochester Institute for Technology/ National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, NY
Gallaudet University in Washington, DC
Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf (SWID)
University of Colorado in Colorado Springs (UCCS)
Community College of Aurora
Red Rocks Community College
Community College of Denver
Vocational Rehabilitation
Federal Student Aid
The colleges and universities shared information on career trends, tuition, financial aid and scholarships, saving and investment ideas, high school course selection and high school athletics, tips on choosing a college and getting ready for college. Our students gathered information and they were encouraged to bring them home to share with their parents. I have all the information available in my office, so please feel free to stop by and check them out!
(Updated 9/9/2009)
Parents, please click on link below for the letter:
(Updated 8/25/2009)
INTRODUCTION!!
It’s with great pleasure that I get to work with the students at Rocky Mountain Deaf School. I have found the RMDS students and parents to be involved, inquisitive, leaders, and in general just a wonderful bunch of people!
Focus areas:
Classroom guidance: Throughout the year, the counseling program provides classroom instruction K-8th. I will be in your child’s classroom every other week presenting lessons and a variety of topics on success in school, conflict management, safe choices, and careers and future planning.
Small groups: I work closely with students in small groups. Small groups are offered to any students that will benefit from some support from their peers. Groups offered range from friendship, self-esteem, grief and loss, and any other group needed.
Individual work with students: If there is a situation that is preventing a student from performing his or her best in the classroom, I can meet with that student on an individual basis.
Parent consultation: I am happy to meet with parents at any time to discuss your child’s educational needs or social/emotional concerns.
Please click on the link below to view the brochure describing School Counseling Services that are available at RMDS:
RMDS Counseling Services brochure (in pdf)
About Nicole Beatty:
B.A. Creighton University; MSW Gallaudet University. This is my 5th year working within school setting- I have worked with students in all school age groups relating to issues ranging from social/personal to transitional. I am enjoying the opportunity to work with students in this school and to make an impact in each child’s life.
