With regard to clothing: For the K-2 grades I would suggest any colors that blend nicely with the teal backdrop, such as fuschia, pink, red, grey, lavender, pale yellow, dark blue and peach. But, truly, anything will
be fine. For the 3-8th grades (on the steps) there are no color recommendations other than avoiding white as it is a color that tends to wash out faces and is too similar in tone/lightness to the stairs and may prevent your child from really standing out against that backdrop. I always recommend against wearing anything with a logo/character/busy design on the front. Last year, I had several requests to photoshop out logos etc.. and it’s just easier to avoid them in the first place. This year, I’m also giving parents the choice to “opt out” of having their child’s photo taken. If you are absolutely certain, for whatever reason, that you will not be ordering any professional spring school pictures of your child, fill out an “opt out” form in the office. This is just an option for those of you who unequivocally know you do not want these images. It should be noted that if you choose to have your child(ren) photographed, you are under no obligation to purchase images and there are no fees collected up front. Package order sheets and online gallery viewing informational sheets will all be sent home within two weeks of the photo shoot.

For all of you who enjoyed your child(ren)’s portraits from last year’s spring sessions, I very much look forward to providing you with more great images this year! Thank you for the opportunity to do this for you! It was an absolute delight getting to meet all the Baymonte students and capture their joyful little spirits with my camera!

I also took to heart last year’s many requests for Photography Print Packages and will thus be offering packages, in addition to a la carte pricing, to meet all your needs and budgets.

Dates: K-2nd on Tues. March 20th, 3rd-5th on Wedn. March 21st, 6th-8th on Thurs. March 22nd.

If you have any questions you’d like to ask me, please feel free to email me directly at: pascale.w@sbcglobal.net.

Pascale Wowak, Photographer

fabphotos.biz

Performances will be February 17-26, 2012 at Olivet Community Theater in Scotts Valley. For more information about the show or to purchase tickets, please visit www.cytsantacruz.org.

Kindergarten students using an iPad to learn phonics.

As we enter our second semester of school I’d like to provide an update on how we are using the funds generated by your support of Baymonte’s Tech Trek.

Our first priority was to replace the elementary classroom teachers’ aging Dell laptops with twelve new MacBooks.  We also purchased six iPads for group instruction in the primary classrooms.  A new laptop cart was acquired so our classroom set of MacBooks could be transported between floors in the Wallace Building.  We recently placed an order for three new SMARTboard interactive whiteboards which will be permanently mounted in each fifth grade classroom and in a middle school English classroom.

In addition to the hardware purchases listed above, we used professional development funds for two full days of teacher technology training in November.

I am excited about our increased use of instructional technology at Baymonte.  When our Technology Team meets to set goals, the test we use to establish priorities is whether the technology will serve to increase student achievement.  We believe we are meeting that goal.  Thank you for all you have done to support the Tech Trek; we are looking forward to next year.

Fourth grader, Anthony Youssef, earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Fourth grader Anthony Youssef earned his black belt in December at Elite Martial Arts Academy in Scotts Valley. Anthony has been studying Tae Kwon Do since the age of 6. Elite owner and Baymonte alumnus, Elliot Stone, teaches the art to many in the Scotts Valley community.

Anthony Youssef with Tae Kwon Do instructorsAnthony Youssef with Tae Kwon Do instructors and Baymonte alumni, Elite owner Elliot Stone (left) and David Schimmel (right).

We would like to celebrate your student’s achievements. Please send photos and information to gretchen@baymonte.org.

Coach Serena Whiting with her undefeated championship team.

The Baymonte girls’ basketball team posted a 9-0 regular season. This was the schools first undefeated season in the recent history of girls’ basketball. The team, coached by Serena Whiting and Courtney Pulley, advanced to post season play where they won the Bay Area Christian Schools’ League championship with a 53-25 win over Tabernacle Christian of Concord held at Fremont Christian School.  This victory capped a perfect season lead by 9 returning 8^th graders from last years’ league championship team.

Studies have shown that self-control is the single most important to determinant in academic success, more important than gender, economic class, race or even (believe it or not) IQ.  Self control is defined as “deciding which of your desires you really want to espouse and then upholding them against the challenges of competing desires that you like less.” (12)  In this “Musing” I’d like to tackle the topic of self-control with insights I have gained from Daniel Akst’s We Have Seen the Enemy: Self-Control in the Age of Excess.  Here are the good, the bad and the interesting concerning self-control.

First, the interesting.  The “marshmallow test” and other versions of it have demonstrated that self-control in even the youngest is an important determinant of success later in life. If you haven’t heard of the test, basically here it is: a tester and a 4 or 5 year old sit at a table.  On the table is a plate with a marshmallow.  The child is told that he can eat the marshmallow or have 2 marshmallows if he/she can wait until the tester returns to the room at which point the adult leaves the room.  The children of this study were followed for years after the test and those who did not eat the marshmallow (i.e. those with better self-control) were more successful later in life; as adolescents they were “best adjusted,” (103) who were “verbally fluent and able to express ideas” (104) and they also scored better on their SATs when applying for college.  The big picture of the study: self-control, even at a young age is important for success.

But now, the bad news.  We don’t have nearly as much power over our destiny as we would like to have.  Psychologists have run numerous studies that prove that heredity and environment undermine our self-control.  With regards to heredity, another way that you can blame your parents for your problems, but that really doesn’t get you anywhere!  Studies have also shown that the environment affects self-control and this environment is being shaped by niche marketing that appeals directly to you.  For example, when I go on-line I see ads targeted for me specifically (i.e. ads for soccer equipment or books) which make it difficult for me to just say no.

Lastly, the good news.  According to Akst, “freedom of choice is to a great extent a matter of degree and falls along a spectrum of possibilities,” so even though we don’t have absolute control of ourselves, we can take some steps to manage our environment in order to maximize our self-control.  There are certain steps that you can take to develop self-control in your children.  Below are some suggestions with concrete examples and if you come away with nothing else from this article, get this!

Practice it yourself as a model for your children.  If you want your children to read more and watch less TV, then you should read and watch less TV.
Practical application: Make rules such as no video games or TV until homework is done and no snacks before dinner.
Talk about what self-control is and why it is important.  If your children can understand what self-control is and why it is important, then there is a better chance that they will want to exercise their “self-control muscles.”
Encourage children to control their own environment to maximize self-control.  Compulsive gamblers should not live in Las Vegas and in the same way children should not attempt homework with cell phones or the TV as a tempting distraction.  Remove the temptation!  For example, how on earth can a middle schooler be expected to concentrate on the complex dialect of Huck Finn when he/she is being interrupted by text messaging?
Make a “to do” list.  Each day I write down what I need to get done and I find that it helps me to not forget and also keeps me accountable to myself.  If I accomplish all the tasks on the list I also have a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.
“Trust and verify.”  Your children are not mature enough to do all this on their own; they need you as an “accountability partner.”  Don’t micro-manage your children but check-up on their progress.   “What have you got for homework tonight?” might be enough to get them started, and then asking to see the completed math assignment to check up.  Accountability is also good for adults.  If you have New Year’s resolutions, for example, the best way to keep them is to let several people know about them; that way your reputation is on the line.
In sum, you and your kids have some measure of self-control and free will.  You and your children can take steps to increase your self-control and school is a great time and place for this exercise.   And a lack of self-control can be disastrous.  One-half of all deaths in the United States are caused by bad habits that demonstrate a lack of self-control: smoking, drinking, risky sexual practices, and poor eating.  Practicing self-control in school can help to make for academic success and, even more important, healthy living.

Please share any practical ideas you might have about developing self-control by responding in the “comment” section.  Here’s an example from the Olson household.  We are not the world’s greatest housekeepers, so we allow Gwen to have friends over every couple of weeks in an effort to compel us to get the place clean.  This helps cut down on the CHAOS (can’t have anyone over syndrome).  (This anecdote shared with the permission of my boss, Mrs. Olson.)