Gilson Middle School News

Dear Parents,

I wanted to send you an update from the Gilson Middle School Parent Meeting that took place on November 6th. The meeting’s focus was to engage parents and the community of the current drug/alcohol issues that we are currently facing. From the meeting, we heard from parents that more communication is needed from the school on what kind of issues we are seeing in school. Parents also want to know how they can be more proactive in the reinforcement of the schools.

• GMS has seen an increase in “bullying” behaviors. Many students are unaware their actions are sometimes perceived as “bullying.” Some examples of this include calling another student a name, telling someone they are stupid, pushing someone in the hallway, or tripping someone. Parents can help by reminding your students that they need to keep their hands and feet to themselves, and that it is not OK to call someone a name. Students need to be respectful of others
• GMS also had our first student fight at school. Typical discipline at GMS for fighting includes an automatic out of school suspension and a report to the Valdez Police Department. Please remind your students there are many other ways to deal with anger issues.
• The GMS staff just returned from the National Middle School Conference. At the conference we gathered a lot of insight from other schools and experts on the most successful ways to help MS students. I wanted to share some of the suggestions for parents on successfully raising an adolescent without going crazy.
• Be consistent. 10:00 P.M. means 10:00 P.M. – No exceptions.
• The more consistent you are, the easier it is for the young adolescent to live up to your expectations.
• Teach them to say “I feel…, I need…, I want….”
• Check up on them. Don’t hesitate to call to make sure they went where they said they were going.
• Don’t take it personally. The mood of your son or daughter should not dictate the mood of the entire house. Wait a few minutes and the child’s mood will often change.
• Keep the backpack cleaned out; a weekly cleaning will turn up missing assignments, notices of upcoming important school events, and dirty Tupperware with moldy science projects in it.
• Talk with other parents and form a support system; find out what methods they are using effectively.
• Enjoy their humor. The middle school years can be a fun time for adolescents as their senses of humor develop; don’t be afraid to laugh with them.
• Be aware of technology use; it is critically important to help children learn the appropriate uses and dangers of their digital world.
• Keep in touch with the school – remember there are always two sides to a story. Talk to the teacher and get his or her input before rushing to judgment.
• And, finally, remember that you are the parent.

Gilson Middle School is currently in the planning stages to host a monthly MS parent night that will focus on different issues that we face at school. These meetings will be on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:00 P.M.; the exception to this being January, we will meet on the 8th. We have also ordered materials to help parents with understanding their middle school students.

Sincerely,
Rod Morrison
George H. Gilson MS Principal
Valdez, Alaska 99686
(907) 835-2244
At Gilson Middle School, SUCCESS is the only option!