Screen Time & Kids

“So, your kids must love the iPad?” I asked Mr. Jobs, trying to change the subject. The company’s first tablet was just hitting the shelves. “They haven’t used it,” he told me. “We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”

Click on any of the three articles links highlighted in this post.  The first link above about Steve Job's kids is from The New York Times, the second one below is from the AAP, and the final link is from the Mayo Clinic.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents establish "screen-free" zones at home by making sure there are no televisions, computers or video games in children's bedrooms, and by turning off the TV during dinner.  

Research has linked excessive screen time to:  obesity, behavior problems, irregular sleep, violence, impaired academic performance, less time for play...

What can we do as parents??  Click on this link for advice from the experts at the Mayo Clinic.  Poor habits can be difficult to break, but you have to start somewhere for the health of your kids.  Sometimes the hardest place to start is with our own screen time habits!

Raising Caring Kids: Richard Weissbourd
Click on the link above for an interesting video about raising caring, respectful and courageous children. Interesting to think about what our kids would say, if asked "What's most important to your parents?"  Do we value our kids' achievements and their happiness over everything else?  Also, I think that his last comments about asking for feedback are the most challenging.  Have a listen...it's under 4 minutes!

2014-15 Begins!

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!

Welcome to TAISM!

And for some...

Welcome to Oman!

It's a very exciting time of year as we welcome back all the returning families, and welcome brand new families to our community.  This week, I started my New Student Groups with all the new TAISM 1st through 5th graders.  I will be meeting with them for the next several weeks.  It's great to meet all of the new students from all over the world, and rewarding to facilitate the development of new friendships between those students.  If you are a new TAISM parent, please feel free to stop by and introduce yourself.  If we have met, you are welcome to stop by as well! My office is two doors down from the main ES Office.  It is pictured above.   If you have any concerns about your child's adjustment to Oman or TAISM, email me, and we can set up a time to meet.

Starting on the rotation of Sep 3-10, I will begin to visit all of the KG-5th classrooms for my lessons.  I'll start by making sure they are familiar with my role in the school, then we'll do some "get to know each other" activities.  After this first rotation, we'll begin to talk about Friendship and how to treat each other.  I'm looking forward to the school year ahead!  

Thanks, TAISM!

Elementary students joined the entire TAISM community last week in the Terry Fox Run.  Our community raised over 4000 Rials for leukemia research at SQU Hospital.  Thanks to all who participated!  In my lessons, I focused on "Perseverance."  The kids were able to grasp what it means to never give up, even when things are difficult.  We read The Little Engine That Could by W. Piper, and the older grades also heard Terry Fox:  A Story of Hope.  Ask your child about telling yourself "I think I can!" when things get tough.  We were also treated to a visit by Terry's sister, Judith, who ran with the EC students on their run, as well as the entire school later that day.  The K-12 pep rally before the run was exciting, with the MS Band playing, teachers dancing, and kids cheering.  It's always inspiring to see our community come together for such a good cause.

During our Discover Oman weeks, I will be teaching my "Personal Safety" lesson in each classroom from Feb 4-10.  They will be learning how to keep their bodies safe, and they will begin to identify the adults in their lives that they can talk to if they have a problem. On the day that I teach your child, I will send home a handout to parents with specifics.  Talking about this lesson with your child will help to reinforce the points I cover.  If you have any questions beforehand, please email me or stop by my office.