A Newsletter for the families and friends of Westchester Country Day School

From the Head of SchoolLike it or not, the Holiday Season is upon us, replete with lights, tinsel, and

inflatable rooftop Santas as well as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and every type of sales pitch you can imagine. As we wind our way toward a much-needed winter holiday break, our school family is embracing the season as an opportunity to give thanks and to reach out and care for those around us who are in need. The spirit of service and generosity runs deep in Wildcat Nation, and I hope the stories below of how our students have chosen to live out our school’s commitment to serve others will brighten your holiday season as much as they have mine.

C.A.R.E.S. Crews

Throughout the year, our students gather in C.A.R.E.S. Crews to fellowship, play, and serve together. Crews are composed of two grades each and pair older students with younger “buddies.” On our most recent C.A.R.E.S. Crews day, the Friday before Thanksgiving, buddy pairs shared a wonderful afternoon of activities focused on service and expressions of thanksgiving.

In one activity, students were asked to complete the sentence “I am thankful for . . .” on a strip of construction paper, and these strips have been assembled into chains that are hanging in the Finch Center to help us remember the many ways that we have been blessed. Highlights of these include:

• “I am thankful for the freedom of America.” --Marcus Neacsu, 6th grade

• “I am thankful for Christmas, my family, all the animals in the world, and doughnuts, and my dog.” --Harriss Covington, Kindergarten

• “I am thankful for friends, family, and getting to go to WCDS.” --Katie Todd, 3rd grade

• “I am thankful for my friends, family, education, dog, talent, freedom and my country.” --Emily Bunch, 10th Grade

In addition, students also wrapped over 250 books to give as gifts to students at Fairview Elementary School. Members of the 4th and 10th grade classes will be delivering them in the next couple of weeks. Buddies also created over two hundred holiday cards for the residents at Westchester Manor and Elm Towers.

Coat Drive

The members of our varsity boys basketball team are leading an effort this month to collect new and gently used coats for students who attend Greensboro’s Doris Henderson Newcomers School, a Guilford County school for children in grades three through twelve who have recently immigrated to the United States. If you would like to help, coats are being collected in bins at all home basketball games in the Finch Center as well as in the Front Office.

December 2012 Newsletter

In This Issue...

Student Writing

Headlines

Upcoming Events

Meet Your Wildcats

Arts Update

Athletics Update

For the College Bound

Counselor’s Corner

Healthful Hints

WAPA Notes and News

Hurricane Sandy Relief

Through a connection with a former soccer teammate from Western Carolina, second grade teacher and assistant varsity cheerleading coach Erin Hamilton is organizing the cheerleading squad to collect school supplies and other needed resources for three public schools in Massapequa, New York, whose families have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Cheerleaders have taken responsibility for the project and are in the process of reaching out to administrators at each school to assess their needs and begin collecting the items that they identify. Stay tuned for more information over the next several days.

Food Drive for Hasty Elementary

Several of our seventh graders and many of our sixth graders work once a quarter with students at Hasty Elementary during Middle School service days. Each year, the Hasty Elementary community feeds over one hundred adults and two hundred children in local communities during the holiday break. This year, due to our strong partnership with Hasty, their administration has asked us to partner with them in this effort. Over the next two weeks, the members of our Middle School student body who have worked at Hasty Elementary over the last two years will coordinate our effort to collect donated food for their holiday outreach program. Those of you interested in joining this effort should bring any of the following non-perishable food items to Evelyn Jenkins’s room (318) in the Middle School: canned ravioli and/or spaghetti, vegetable and/or chicken noodle soup, and boxed macaroni and cheese.

I hope, as you read about these efforts, that you recognize as I do the rich generosity of spirit that runs throughout Wildcat Nation.

Happy Holidays.

Students wrapped books for students at Fairview Elementary (left), read a story together (above), and made holiday cards for residents at Westchester Manor and Elm Towers (below) during our recent C.A.R.E.S. Crew gathering.

Annual Fund Class Competition

Update

PK - 66%

K- 44%

1 – 85%

2 – 68%

3 – 68%

4 – 61%

5 – 53%

6 – 33%

7 – 55%

8 – 44%

9 – 35%

10 – 16%

11 – 16%

12 – 14%

Thank you for your support! Click here if you have not yet had an op-portunity to make your pledge!

Spotlight on Student WritingHulk By: Jackson Barton

I hopped in the seat, sweaty and out of breath, sitting in what felt like a snake choking me. Then I heard, “All clear, enjoy the ride.” I was at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida having fun walking around, enjoying food, and riding rides such as The Mummy. I meandered around aimlessly until I saw it: The Hulk. That massive ride seemed like a hungry cat staring down at little mouse Jackson. The top of the ride seemed like miles away from my grasp. Working up the courage even to step in line gave me anxiety, but I simply had to ride it. “Wanna go?” I heard my step-dad question. “I won’t go if you don’t,” he finished. I told myself, “I may not come here again for a very long time. This is my chance to conquer the beast!” I had finally mustered up enough courage to respond, “I’ll do it.” My step-dad eagerly shouted,” Let’s go then!” As we sprinted to the line, I felt lightheaded. After what felt like hours of waiting, I was strapped in the seat. The car was launched in a funnel, and then a raspy recorded voice spoke intense words that terrified me as mist hit my face. “Booosh!” screamed the tracks as we started. Dizzying loops and flips made me unaware of everything except my screams colliding with others’ around me. Wind slammed my face and made my hair feel as if it had been taken off. “Slam!” screeched the brakes as the ride ended. A smile covered my entire face, and I proclaimed, “Let’s do it again!” I, however, quickly changed my mind once I gazed at the line. Instead, we rushed to my mom with our newly bought ride photograph. “Was it fun?” she questioned. “You have no idea!” I replied. Next trip, I hope there is another challenge like the Hulk.

The New and Improved Swim Team By: Julia Ormond

Stars and devoted swimmers of the varsity swim team are students Avery Goho, Sarah Catto, Charlie Branson, and of course, Christian James. However, this year the swim team is like a team on steroids. The team grew to twice the size it was last year! “Why?” you might ask. Well, it’s because of all the people excited to experience something new (and easy). New freshmen joined the team to participate in athletics and achieve a varsity letter, and seniors joined because they want to experience new things before they leave. New swimmers include Luca Lagemann, Emily Gilliland, Angel Valencia, and Will Thomas, but these are just a few of the new recruits. There are plenty more (myself included), and they were quite surprised when they found out just how difficult swimming really is. “It’s hard, but we’re all a big family, and we like to have fun!” says senior Charlie Branson. The new swimmers are in for a tough season, “but it’s great to have new people that are excited to experience something new,” says lifetime swimmer Sarah Catto, “Our team is going to be so awesome!” I’m sure we can expect great things from this new and improved swim team!

Southern United States Model United Nations By: Nicole Danch

The Model UN is a student group designed to model the actual United Nations. The UN deals with affairs such as education, cyber terrorism, the

World Bank, and several others. Westchester Country Day School formed a Model UN team this year with the help of Mr. Martin. On the weekend of November 9th, 13 students and two faculty members attended SUSMUN (Southern United States Model United Nations) at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. This was Westchester students’ first conference; however, at his previous school Mr. Martin was a faculty advisor for the Model UN. Mr. Martin introduced the Model UN program to Westchester this year. The students were assigned countries that they would represent within specialized committees. The students spent several weeks studying the issues of their designated countries prior to the conference in Atlanta.

The group arrived Friday and had conference committee meetings from 6-11 p.m. The Westchester team was listed as beginners because this was their first Model UN event. On the first day, each committee debated the choice of topics to come to a consensus on which was the most pressing issue. Only one topic was chosen in each committee and discussed throughout the weekend.

Saturday was an all-day event. Each committee met at nine and was not released until ten thirty that night, with breaks for lunch and dinner. On this day they wrote working papers about issues addressing the particular topics of the different committees. After the working papers were written they were presented, and the issues were debated among countries. After taking into consideration every country’s views, different groups organized final drafts of the programs they planned to implement. These drafts were given to the head of SUSMUN and then again presented to that committee. Countries that were concerned about any issues in any of the final drafts could write amendments with the consent of a few other countries. These amendments were then voted on.

Sunday was the final day of the conference, which ran from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. On this day the committees voted on the remaining amendments and then voted on the final drafts and the chosen amendments. Some groups had multiple final drafts passed, and some had none. The conference then concluded with a closing ceremony.

This was an extremely educational and exceptional experience for all students involved because of the skills needed and acquired. This program helps students strengthen skills in debate, knowledge, propositional speaking, and diplomatic skills. The group plans to attend an additional conference in February at the University of Georgia.

Classroom Fun!At left, 6th graders enjoy a dry ice lab in Mrs. Beale’s science class. Above, Mrs. Hawley and her 4th graders have fun making masks for Native American Day.

HeadlinesJunior Nominated for Governor’s School

Eleventh grader Hunter Heinbach has been nominated by the faculty for Governor’s School 2012-2013. He has been nominated in mathematics. The Governor’s School of North Carolina is a highly selective, six-week summer residential program for intellectually gifted high school students. The program integrates academic disciplines, the arts, and unique courses on each of the two campuses: Governor’s School West at Salem College in Winston-Salem and Governor’s School East at Meredith College in Raleigh.

Message from the Middle School

For some reason, the Middle School hall has been filled with humming and singing recently; it sounds like “we got no troubles, life is the bubbles in Middle School!” We swam through November with many adventures.

The highlight of the month was the K-12 play, The Little Mermaid Jr., which was directed by our most marvelous mermaid, Debby Noyes, and showcased five Middle School actors and actresses. Three more students swam in to help with stage work and sound and lights.

Mr. Burns, Ms. Jenkins, and Mrs. Noyes invited the seventh graders to dive into history with a journey to the Guilford County Courthouse and Battlefield, which was a thrilling field trip. Students enjoyed actively learning and exploring these venues.

We plunged into one family’s experience with a veteran while listening to Joy Myers, a veteran’s widow, express her gratitude for letters received from Mr. Burns’s global studies students. Students were attentive and demonstrated empathy and compassion as they witnessed the effects of devotion to one’s country. Similarly, the eighth graders learned first-hand of the realities of war when they welcomed Ian Craig’s brother, Ryan Coleman (at left), into their classroom. Ryan is preparing for his third tour in Afghanistan. His candid account of daily life in Afghanistan gripped the hearts and minds of our eighth graders, as well as their teachers. We are most grateful for his visit.

Student Ambassadors made a splash with their fifth grade buddies as they spent part of a day guiding them through the daily schedule and experience in preparation for middle school. Fun was had by all!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Middle School Wildcats have blazed a path. Students and faculty alike are serving Triad area schools with collections this holiday season. Our C.A.R.E.S. crew event wrapped the hundreds of books we collected for Fairview Elementary, and we have just begun a canned food collection for Hasty Elementary. Their assistant principal said, “Our canned food drive will feed approximately one hundred adults and two hundred children during the Christmas break. At this time, we have four students enrolled who are actually homeless.” Our Middle School students are indeed making a positive difference in our community. We have also begun the coat drive that will benefit students at the Newcomer’s School in Greensboro.

John Adams modeled a more creative fundraising effort by inviting Middle School students to join him in raising money for prostate cancer research. Students contributed over $150 as they voted on which style beard and moustache Mr. Adams should aspire to grow.

Several Middle School Wildcats have reminded us of the impact of sacrifice by donating their hair to Locks of Love. Katherine Freund (from left), Lilly Sheffield, and Kammy Forester demonstrated beauty inside and out. We are thankful for all our Middle School Wildcats and the adventures yet to come!

Human Relations Members Present to Mayor

Daniel Ayodele, Kristine Chukwuma, Lewis Miles, and Kimberly Watson are making a presentation on diversity to the High Point City Council and Mayor on December 6 as part of their responsibilities as officers of the Human Relations Student Commissioners Council.

Mock Trial Readies for Competition

Mock Trial team members have been meeting weekly to prepare for their case, a civil case, for competition in February 2013. Members are: Lewis Miles, Lead Counsel (11th Grade); seniors Claire Councill and Walker Rose; juniors Baxter Bruggeworth, Arinze Chukwuma, Tommy Frungillo, Prajan Marhatta, Tracey Neza, Erica Sawyer, and Cameron White; sophomores Tommy Boggis and Catherine York; and freshmen Ryan Beale, Ariana Winkle, and Caroline Womack. The group expresses its gratitude to John Bryson, Wildcat parent and trustee, for all of his work and support as their legal advisor.

From Bog to Bag

Miss Hamilton, Ms. Seelig, and Ms. Robinson combined second and third graders for seven science, math, and social studies centers recently.

The children learned that the cranberry is a Native American wetland fruit which grows on trailing vines like a strawberry. The vines thrive on the special combination of soils and water properties found in wetlands. Wetlands are nature’s sponges; they store and purify water and help maintain the water table.

The students observed cranberries, made words from the word cranberry, measured and weighed cranberries, used estimation, writing, and graphing skills, performed a sink or float activity, and last but not least visited a tasting station!

Pictured at left is Brandon Novak.

6th Graders Practice Ancient Writing

The sixth grade Ancient Civilizations class was excited to practice ancient writing using semi-authentic materials. Students learned about some of the first written languages in Sumeria and Ancient Egypt. Afterwards, students used a stylus to write cuneiform messages on clay tablets and a pencil to write heiroglyphics on papyrus, a gift to the students from Mr. Elsayed.

Pictured at right is Susan Dhakal in Mrs. Scearce’s class.

Seniors Selling Homecoming T-Shirts

In an effort to raise money for their senior class gift, the Class of 2013 is selling Homecoming t-shirts. They will be gray, long-sleeved shirts featuring “King Wally” on the back! Youth and adult sizes are available. The order form is located on Forms & Lists in WestNet Community or click here to order yours today!

Meet Your WildcatsName: Sarah Morrow

Title: Upper School English Teacher

Family: Joe Cerniglia, fiancé; Theresa Morrow, sister, and Lillie Vandergriff, niece; Catherine Morrow, sister; Peggy and Gordon Morrow, parents

What was your favorite subject in school? English, of course! I also enjoyed singing with the Marist Chorale (9-12 mixed-voice ensemble) and Marist Singers (the 9-12 auditioned vocal jazz ensemble).

What book are you reading? Well, I’m reading along with my students, since several of the works on the World Literature and AP Literature reading lists are new to me. My non-Westchester reading these days is focused on studying for my Ph.D. candidacy exams, which I plan to take in April. Right now, I’m working my way through early modern dramas and their critical reception: Shakespeare, Middleton, Marlowe, and Webster.

Name of the last movie you watched: The last movie I watched in a theater was The Avengers. The last movie I watched at home was The Godfather—it’s a perennial favorite with my family, so we all watched the most recent airing on AMC together.

Favorite Restaurant: Pricci, an Italian restaurant in Atlanta (where I’m from).

Dream Vacation: Somewhere that involves lots of historic landmarks/art/architecture (“nerdly things,” as my fiancé and I call them) or lots of live theater! Italy and NYC top the list right now.

Something most people don’t know about you:If you want to take a last-minute road trip, I’m your woman! Over the years, I’ve hopped in the car on no notice and/or have driven overnight for such worthy causes as reality TV auditions, collegiate a cappella competitions, operas, high school marching band competitions, and my friends’ band’s gigs.

Favorite thing about Westchester: The people: teachers, students, parents. Everyone here has been so welcoming! I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to high school teaching.

Upcoming EventsFootnotes PerformanceFootnotes, our Grades 3-5 chorus, will perform at the Briles House on Saturday, December 1, at 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. as part of the Uptowne High Point Holiday Stroll: A Dickens Christmas.

Grades 6-12 Holiday ConcertMonday, December 3, 7:00 p.m., Rives Hall

Arts RecitalWednesday, December 5, 6:30 p.m., Rives Hall

Grades K-5 Holiday Concert “Snow Biz!”Tuesday, December 18, 7:00 p.m.. Finch Center

Holiday BreakThursday, December 20 - Wednesday, January 2. Classes resume on Thursday, January 3. * Please note, we will have an 11:30 dismissal on Wednesday, December 19.

Arts Update from Ann Parks

I hope that you were able to attend our fall production of The Little Mermaid, Jr. We had three sell-out performances and all will agree that it was an outstanding run. Congratulations go to our amazing faculty, staff, volunteers, parents, and students. One group who often goes unnoticed is our crew of students who choose to work backstage rather than in the limelight. This is the first year that Westchester has had a Play Production class as an Upper School elective. Fourteen students from grades 9 to 12 have spent the year learning all about the methods and processes of play production. They have built, painted, designed, moved platforms, and hung lights. Much of the scenery on the stage was through their efforts. During the production, they held jobs such as stage manager (Sarah Catto), followspot operator (Abraham Hernandez), stage crew (Josh Evans) and make-up crew (Kayla Kushner, Morgan Kushner, and Julie Tugwell). I should note that three members of the class were actually acting on the stage: Julia Ormond, Alexis King, and Sarah Kate Christiansen. The class members weren’t the only students involved backstage. George Heath and Calen Epting put many long hours into rehearsing and refining the scene changes. As a production major, I can tell you that this is challenging work and these students performed beautifully.

December will bring us several opportunities to enjoy the musical talents of our students. The Middle and Upper School Holiday Concert will be on December 3, featuring festive traditional holiday tunes and classical works to get you in the spirit of the season. The audience is welcome to join the choruses as we close the concert singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus!

The Holiday Recital for our instrumental students in violin, piano, and guitar will be on December 5, also in Rives Hall. It is always exciting to see the progress made by these young musicians. Our final holiday event is the Lower School Holiday Concert, December 18 in the Brooks Gym. Together our choral groups, musicians, and dancers play, sing, and perform. It’s a wonderful time for our entire Westchester family to come together and celebrate the season.

Mrs. Parks’s Art Room is always busy with activity!

Athletics Update The following article and photo are reprinted with permission from Amanda Herrington of the American Junior Golf Association. The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.

Walsh honored with Jerry Cole Sportsmanship Award

The American Junior Golf Association presented Thomas Walsh, 16, of High Point, N.C., with the Jerry Cole Sportsmanship Award on Sunday at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet at PGA National Resort & Spa. The honor is bestowed each year to one junior golfer who displays exemplary sportsmanship and integrity in the game of golf.

“I am very proud to receive this award,” Walsh said. “I’ve always thought of myself as a good sport, win or lose. This award encourages me to be an even better sport and to be an example for others.”

The game of golf helped Walsh realize his passion for giving back. Three years ago Walsh, a sophomore at Westchester Country Day School, and fellow junior Patrick Cover of Huntersville, N.C., founded the Dormie Cup, a Ryder Cup-style fundraising tournament held at their home course, the Dormie Club in West End, N.C.

“Golf is a special game,” Walsh said. “An average person can’t just go out and play football. With golf, anyone can play and that is why it is such a great place to help give back. You offer an interest to play and people are always willing to help out.”

In just three years, the Dormie Cup has raised nearly $100,000 for charities including the AJGA ACE Grant, CureSearch for Children’s Cancer and Wounded Warriors. The 2011 event tripled the amount raised in its first year, while this year’s tournament raised more than $40,000.

For the first time the event included a junior-am which raised money for The First Tee of Sandhills. The junior-am raised $1,600, a total that will be matched by the USGA.

“Golf has given so much to me that I want to give back to it,” said Walsh, who is a strong supporter of The First Tee. “I’m inspired by people who volunteer and work for The First Tee and teach young kids about the game.”

Walsh continues to look for ways to help others and spread the values he has received from playing golf. He recently started a program to collect golf equipment and clothing for The First Tee of the Triad.

“I enjoy giving back because it is something I need to do,” Walsh said. “Everyone should be out there helping and I hope I inspire others to do so.”

For the College BoundMembers of the Class of 2013 have produced college applications at

a record pace and, as of November 20, they had submitted over 200 applications. To give you an idea of how impressive this figure is, consider the fact that last year’s class submitted a total of only 149 applications. I have read dozens of essays and hundreds of applications, and I continue to be amazed at the creativity and insight our students exhibit in their writing. While a few seniors are finished with the process, many continue to work hard on both college and scholarship applications. Acceptances and scholarship offers are beginning to roll in as seniors anxiously await word of their dream schools’ decisions, and a list of acceptances received to date can be found at the end of this article.

As the calendar year draws to a close, most of us will turn our attention to the collection and organization of data that we will need in order to file our 2012 federal and state tax returns. Parents with children who will be in college next year have a particular interest in this process, for the information supplied on the federal tax return is used in determining if the family will qualify for financial aid for the next school year. The first step toward applying for financial aid is to complete the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. All students and/or parents who plan to apply for financial aid of any type must file the FAFSA even if they anticipate applying for a low-interest parent or student loan from the federal government. This form will be available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov and should be completed only after completing one’s 2012 federal income tax return. The FAFSA will generate the family’s EFC, or Expected Family Contribution, based on the figures provided. This calculation represents the amount of money the family will be expected to contribute toward the student’s first year of college. In order to continue to be considered for federal aid, a FAFSA must be filed annually, as soon after January 1 as possible, but before March 1. Federal money is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so the earlier the FAFSA is completed, the more likely a family is to receive federal aid if they qualify. The federal methodology employed by the FAFSA places more emphasis on income than on the family’s assets. Once the EFC is calculated, a family can subtract this amount from the total cost of attending a particular college, and the remaining amount will represent the family’s need.

Our sophomores and juniors took the PSAT test here in mid-October, and the results of that testing should be coming in soon. These results can provide essential information to our juniors who will begin their own college search process very soon, for quite a lot can be gleaned from studying the score report students and their parents will receive. The PSAT test provides good practice for the all-important SAT, and juniors should plan to take the SAT twice this year, once in the winter and once in the spring. Registration for the SAT is accomplished online, with the deadline for registering for the January 26 SAT being December 28. Three additional SAT dates will follow on March 9, May 4, and June 1. It is extremely important that juniors sign up for and take the SAT this year in order to help them make reasonable choices as they compile their college lists. All juniors should go to www.sat.collegeboard.org to register for two of these SAT dates.

Betty Flythe, College Placement Advisor

College aCCeptanCes as of november 20, 2012

Haleigh Breece – East Carolina University

Clayton Brewer – East Carolina University

Leah Caffey – University of Alabama

Megan Caffey – University of AlabamaUNC Greensboro

Nicole Danch – Indiana UniversityMichigan State University

Tyler Fairly – Hampden-Sydney CollegeWingate University

Mary Marshall Fariss – Hollins University

Jeff Green – East Carolina UniversityUniversity of AlabamaWest Virginia University

Olivia Greeson – Auburn University

Meghan Ingram – Meredith College

Abbey Perdue – Anderson UniversityCampbell UniversityLee University

Will Thomas – Stetson University

The School Counseling Office has been extremely busy over the past few weeks. I can certainly tell it is nearing time for exams and the stress levels are definitely rising in some of our students. Many parents have asked, “What can I do to help with this?” and I have pondered this question quite a bit over the past week. There are always the typical things you can do as a parent: check homework assignments to ensure they are completed, help your child study for a vocabulary test or other tests, ensure that your child arrives to school on time, follow up when they are out socially; and overall, be involved in your teen’s life as much as possible, with limits of course…

While researching this topic, I found some information on parenting styles that I thought to be very interesting and caused some reflection on my part of my own parenting style. It has been said that one’s parenting style is the number one influence on a student’s level of achievement. I encourage you to take the time to read the article and see where you fall within the different styles and consider if there are additional steps you can take to encourage success in your teen.

Parents use something close to one of the following styles:

Disengaged: These parents do not get involved in their teen’s overall life. They have allowed a high level of freedom in their children who bond more closely with a peer group. Many parents (statistics say 25-30%) are unfocused parents and tend to pay either no attention or attention only when something is “very wrong” in school, then they “solve” the problem and move back into being unfocused on their child’s life. Often in fighting battles for their teens, these parents feel that they are acting as heroes and proving their importance in the teen’s life. Their teens usually just use them as a tool to solve problems for them.

Helicopter: Parents who hover over their teen, take on all of their teen’s responsibilities, and rescue the teen from hostile situations. This parent tries to protect the teen from any possible negative feelings, makes decisions for the teen, makes excuses for the teen, provides no structure but complains about the results, tends to whine and nag, and annoys and uses guilt about having an irresponsible teen while completing the teen’s responsibilities for them. This parent does all the worrying, the work, and the problem solving. Often these students stop doing anything because their parents will do it for them.

Authoritarian: These parents are rigid and controlling, make demands, and assigns duties. It’s either done their way or somebody is going to pay. Punishments, threats, and humiliations are common. Their teens tend to have poor self-esteem as they are told they can’t make decisions or their opinions don’t matter. Often their teens are afraid until they reach an age when they are no longer afraid and increasing battles become waged. Often these students fight back with either passive or aggressive rebellion, and in the end they show their parents who controls their grades as a major weapon in the war.

Authoritative/Consultant: Provides guidance and consultation while teaching a teen to think for himself or herself. The teen owns the problem, the teen fixes the problem. This parent helps the teen find and explore alternatives and allows personal decision making within time frames to fix problems. The teen is allowed to experience life’s natural consequences which serve as the teacher. The adult predicts what the natural consequences will be, the teen makes decisions, if the consequences come to pass the teen has learned a humbling experience that their parent is worth consulting. This parent does not ignore problems, they discuss them all with the teen and solve together.

Mrs. Singer

Specific tasks you can do to encourage your teen and skills they can learn from you while doing so:

1) Even at this age… All students need 7-8 hours of sleep each night and breakfast each morning! (time management skills).

2) Check WestNet weekly for updates to grades and communication from teachers. Have your student check them as well and post them somewhere in a public place (home calendar, refrigerator, etc.) where you can see them. Students can then see if they are missing a grade and follow up with that teacher (time management and communication skills).

3) Check homework assignments to ensure completion each night (encouraging).

Counselor’s Corner

Healthful Hints from the School NurseWestchester will hold a Health and Wellness Fair on February 28 in the Brooks Gym. This is an opportunity

for students, faculty, and parents to learn about nutrition and healthy food choices, food allergies, health and fitness programs, and various health services in our area. Students from all school divisions will be able to view over 40 exhibits. Think this is just for kids? Oh no: I’ll bet parents could pick up a health tip or two during the exhibit. Parents and grandparents are cordially invited.

The exhibitors involved in our Health Fair are from all over the triad area and will be present in and around the Brooks Gym from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Also if you are involved in the health care field, this is a great time to share your knowledge with our Westchester family. If you haven’t been contacted yet, please give me a call. I need you. Your children would be so proud to see their mom or dad in the role of teacher and expert. I also need some volunteers to help the Lower School teachers escort classes through the exhibits and helpers in other areas too.

Last week we had our first case of flu. According to the NC Flu Surveillance, compiled by the North Carolina Department of Public Health, flu is on the rise in North Carolina. It is early this year; normally we don’t see this type of increase until January.

I’m presently seeing around 20 students per day for strep throat, colds, lingering coughs, some injuries, and stomach viruses. Not included in this original 20 are students who come in for paper cuts, blisters, and splinters. This is a normal ebb and flow and thankfully, so far our absentee rate for illnesses this year has been very low. Way to go parents! I really believe that your observance of clean hands has been a testament to our healthy year so far. Let’s keep our fingers crossed (and clean) that we all stay healthy for the holidays.

I hope that you all have a safe and healthy holiday season. Cherish this time with your little ones.

Beth Kennedy, RN, Director of Health Services

4) Be aware of projects that are due – star them on the family calendar and ask your student to make a timeline of how he or she intends to complete the project by the given deadline and place that on the calendar (time management skills).

5) Call out vocabulary words for your student in order to reinforce learning. Show him or her www.Quizlet.com - they can enter their words and definitions and be tested in several different ways (study skills).

6) Encourage students to communicate with their teachers in person or by email (communication skills).

7) Look ahead for tests and quizzes on the homework calendar (time management skills).

8) If your student is an athlete, coordinate practice/game schedules with tests and project schedules (time management skills).

9) Have “car conversations” – no music on in the car, no cell phones, just you and your student – have a daily topic to discuss (do this every Friday morning). Include friends and their descriptive words (in 3 words, describe________); favorite cars and what they mean to them (Porsche – fast, exciting, in control); dream travel destinations; best study skill and how it was attained; favorite Disney character and why; favorite attribute about himself or herself; if he or she had to give a speech, what would the topic be on and why, etc. (communication skills).

10) Leave notes in your teen’s backpack or car about why he or she is special to you! (LOVE)

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WAPA Notes and News

Hubs Peanut FundraiserReminder! Order delivery is Thursday, December 6, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the Finch CenterFor questions, please contact Ashton Blackman, Co-Chair, at 336-847-7114 or Jenny Boyette, Co-Chair – jboyette2@triad.rr.com.

WAPA Book ClubThe WAPA Book Club upcoming books are: • December 5 - A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote • January 9 - Room by Emma Donoghue • February 6 - The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls • March 6, The Innocent Spy by Laura WilsonAll parents are welcome! Please join us at 8:00 a.m. in the Library.

Westchester Country Day is a college preparatory school that seeks to educate each child toward moral, academic, artistic, and athletic excellence in a nurturing, family environment where students, teachers, and parents support one another. By respecting the student and honoring learning, Westchester aims to cultivate informed citizens who are ready for a rapidly changing world and to graduate students who view the pursuit and wise use of knowledge as a lifelong joy.