pop quiz today

It's October. There's a pop quiz today. It's about school and you can grade yourself. I hope you're feeling comfortable in your classes and around the school.
How can you tell? Try this false / true quiz!
1. I know my schedule without checking it very much. F or T
2. Teachers smile at me and know my name. F or T
3. My lunch table is fun. I usually like going to lunch. F or T
4. I have not missed any homework assignments. Well, maybe one. F or T
5. I could show a new student how to get to the nurse or library. F or T
6. My locker is pretty clean and I can find stuff in there. F or T
7. School starts early but I'm getting there on time every day. F or T
8. There are nice kids in the hallways. F or T

Add up your results. False____ True ____

0-2 false. You're off to a very good start. You have adjusted well to life in middle school. Keep making new friends. Invite a quiet kid to join your lunch table.
3-5 false. You're doing pretty well but there is some room for improvement. Are you looking at the floor or daydreaming? Sit up straight in class. Pick one thing that was false and see if you can change it to true this month. Is there a club or activity you could join to make some new friends?
6-8 false. Life in middle school can be stressful. Lots of things can distract us from having a good day at school. If you're having trouble finding anything good about your school then you should probably talk to someone about it. Parents, teachers, guidance counselor, gym teachers.. just pick someone nice and start talking about why school days are dragging you down.

We all have good days and boring days and fun days and terrible days. The secret is to learn from the bad and enjoy the good. Have a happy day tomorrow.

how to be fresh and clean for school

Clean feels good and smells good, too. Start with your skin. All of your skin. And use soap not just water. Some people use body wash which looks like shampoo but is for the skin. As you hit that wacky time of puberty, your skin will begin to change. In fact, your whole body will do strange and unusual things during these years. Don't worry. You can work with these changes when you know what to expect. Expect pimples and new hair where there wasn't any hair before. Oh, and those private areas will be changing, too. It's all part of moving from child to adult and it takes a long time.

Ok, now that your body is clean, work gently on your face. If your skin is beginning to get pimples, use an acne clearing face wash. Most of these products have a chemical called salicylic acid which slows the dead skin cells from clumping up and clogging pores. Start with the mild kind (not extra strength) to be sure you don't get a rash. If your skin feels really tight after using the face wash, it's probably too strong for you. It's also available in a small tube and you just put little dabs of it on any pimples you have.
Now up to the top of your body. Wash your hair to remove dirt and oil. Use shampoo not just water. Rinse out all the shampoo which takes the dirt off of your hair with it.

Check your finger nails for dirt and get rid of it. We don't carry dirt in our finger nails in middle school people. It may have been ok in elementary grades because of playgrounds and mud pies. No more nail mud for you. Hey, check your toes for dirt while you're at it.

On to the teeth. Do you have braces? Well it doesn't matter. Get your teeth clean every day. At least once a day brush each tooth carefully with toothpaste not just the ones in front. Learn how to floss between your teeth, too. If your toothbrush looks scruffy with bent and twisted bristles please get a new one which will do a much better job of cleaning. Think of trying to write with and unsharpened pencil. You can't brush with an unbrushy flat brush. One more thing, rinse your mouth and make sure you're not walking around with extra toothpaste on your face.

Have a great day and repeat the whole thing tomorrow and the next day and the next... I think you get the idea.
Stay clean while you're growing and changing.

make mornings easy

We really hate starting our days with stress! Stress can be caused by not having the stuff we need where it's supposed to be... picture your dad running around the house searching for his keys when he's in a hurry to go somewhere. That's unwanted stress. It causes yelling and sweating and sometimes bad words fly! Let's avoid it.

Here's Aunt Jen's checklist to make middle school mornings start off right.
Use the first part before bed so when you get up in the morning you won't be running around like a crazy person.

• completed homework (this isn't a joke. really. do your homework)


• text books


• pens and pencils


• signed parent papers (like tests and excuse blanks)


• library books


• house key


• calculator


• lunch or money to buy lunch

Put all this in your backpack and don't leave home without it. Keep your backpack in the same spot every night.

Use this part in the morning to be fresh and ready to learn.

• get your body clean


• use deodorant on the armpits (nobody wants to sit beside a stinker)


• put on clean clothes and boys, clean boxers and socks, please


• eat breakfast


• brush your teeth and don't forget to wipe your mouth so you're not dragging around extra toothpaste on your cheeks all day


• check your hair (maybe use that invention called a comb)


• give your parents a hug and get to school on time


• don't forget your backpack

Use these steps each day and soon your middle school mornings will be so smooth you'll feel like a grownup. but cuter.

Tomorrow let's talk more about being fresh and clean.

first day of school plan

Let's think about the first day of school and get everything ready to make sure the day is really fun and easy. Three main things to think about are laundry, lunch and laughing.

1. Laundry. Decide what you want to wear. Make sure it still fits. Make sure it's clean. Moms can't do laundry at 7am on the same day you want to wear the outfit and have it ready by 7:15.


2. Lunch. Here's your first multiple choice question of the year. I like packing lunch the first day because _________ . a. no cafe lines b. I can bring food I like to eat c. more time to talk with my friends d. all of the above


3. Laughing. Hey people it's just one day. It's an important day, and with a bit of planning and being prepared, it will allow you to relax. Enjoy the day. Think of something funny that happened over the summer and put a smile on your face. People who see you smiling will think you're really friendly! Cool.

Oh, the answer to number 2 is d. also, eating breakfast will power up your energy to help you have a good day (and calm down that nervous tummy feeling).

Tomorrow, Aunt Jen's printable first day of school checklist! (you'll need a toothbrush for this one)

first days are fun

hi everyone!
It's the middle of August and we have some exciting firsts coming up. How do you feel about the first days of school? How about the first day in a new school? Did you know that teachers and even principals get excited and nervous on the first day of school too? All your Aunts, Uncles, parents and grandparents have all been nervous and excited about the first day of school and we survived.
Aunt Jen's ready to talk about some things we can do to remain calm and enjoy the beginning of the school year.
Ok everyone thinking about the first day of school take a deep breath. Good. Now take another one and let's get to planning for a great day.
1. Make sure you know where your school is and how you'll get there. Let's all be on time on the first day, please.
2. Make sure you have at least one writing stick for the first day and by writing stick I mean a PEN or PENCIL that you can write with. Teachers will want you to fill in some easy stuff like your name and phone number. Do you know your number?
3. Decide what you want to wear the first day and boys, make sure you wear clean socks.
Tomorrow we'll make a plan for the morning of the first day.