1/12/2024 0 Comments The Week in Reflection: 1/12/24Opening: Choosing our Response Each Day
This time of year can create a sense of passiveness or lethargy in energy, creativity, and health. Living in Northeast Ohio and walking outside to cloudiness, wind, snow, rain and other unpredictable weather only adds to the feeling of waiting and wishing for a change. Taking care of yourself will best equip you for emotions that can arise this time of year. The quote in this image is great example how we can choose our response to the waves our lives. We can either let them hit us and react, or learn to ride them and learn.
Weathering the storm When a storm is predicted you prepare the best that you can. Your experiences, along with trusting others who have been in similar conditions, best equip you with the knowledge that you need to get through these situations. Likewise, in your life, there are many people that you encounter that have experienced the trials of good and bad times. Listening to the wisdom of family members and trusted adults can provide insight into the best ways to get through difficult times. Knowing that there are others who are experiencing these feelings, or passiveness is an important reality to remember. You are not in this alone. In order to equip yourself fully, it is important to talk to others and share how you are feeling instead of letting the "storm" grow inside of your life. The third quarter of a school year can be compared to the 7th inning stretch in baseball: the time of year where students can become very restless and lethargic. Every student can fall into this restless period- it is important that parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators work collaboratively to guide students through this seasonal experience. Creating new habits The best way to get out of the third quarter blues is to create new habits and routines. This is easier said than done. Students need to choose this response to create the new outcomes that they desire. Light energizes each of us. During the winter, the days seem shorter due to the change in season and the tilt of the earth. Our bodies adjust to this change and we need to create new routines to increase our energy. In the same way, the third quarter can create a "tilt" in our energy to stay on top of our work, exercise, and past routines. Many students may fall into this trap of the third quarter and wonder what happened when the quarter ends in early March. Instead of wondering where the time went---reestablish the routines that you set forth in the first and second quarters and plowshare the noise of the third quarter. Preparing for tomorrow by living today In the book, Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life from a Championship Program, the authors discuss the success formula that can catapult our responses to any "crashing wave" or event in our lives. This formula is simple: E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome) We don’t control the events in life and we don’t directly control the outcomes. However, we always have control over how we choose to respond.. The key indicator is leadership. This leadership is not only what I can control as a principal. It is what WE can lead as parents, teachers, and coaches to our children--along with how we can support each other in the process. We all need to ask the question--exactly what is it that I am after each day? Having this clarity of purpose will allow us to keep our responses "above the line" of being intentional, purposeful, and skillful whereas living "below the line" of being impulsive, and on autopilot. Under pressure, we do not rise to the occasion. We rise or fall to the level of our training. Therefore, train far beyond the finish line of the third quarter and the outcomes will catapult the goals that you set for yourself. Ride the wave of this quarter and learn from the previous wakes you have already faced. The Schedule for Next Week
Monday, January 15- MLK Day (No School)
Tuesday, January 16- White Day Schedule Wednesday, January 17- Red Day Schedule Thursday, January 18- Black Day Schedule Friday, January 19- White Day Schedule Counselors Corner
Financial Aid Night:
Chardon High School will be hosting a Financial Aid Night in collaboration with the Lake Educational Assistance Foundation (LEAF). The FAFSA has undergone MAJOR changes this year. It is highly recommended that all parents with children attending college attend this meeting. Financial Aid Night Chardon Middle School LGIR January 17th, 2024 6:00pm-7:30pm Read the document
LEAF Sessions: Lake Educational Assistance Foundation (LEAF)The 2024-25 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is an online financial aid application that students should complete if they plan to attend college in the 2024-25 academic year. This form will open up for filing by December 31 at studentaid.gov. The FAFSA is the one form that all colleges, universities, and career technical schools require to allow students to be considered for federal and state-funded need-based aid, including federal loans. It is also the form that MOST schools require to award their own institutional need-based aid. Some colleges (typically private institutions) require a second form like the CSS Profile or their own institutional form posted on their website. Check "Financial Aid" tabs on your schools' websites for requirements and deadlines. Plan to file the FAFSA by Priority Filing Deadlines. These deadlines will vary by institution. You can list up to 20 schools on your FAFSA and they will all receive your information when you submit the one application. If you file your FAFSA by the earliest FAFSA Priority Filing Deadline of all the schools on your list, then they will all receive it on time or ahead of time. Institutional aid is limited. By meeting Priority Filing Deadlines, you are maximizing your aid eligibility. There are steps you can take now to be prepared to file the FAFSA when it opens, including setting up FSA IDs and gathering the needed financials. Review LEAF's November E-Newsletter to make sure you are ready. Click here for answers to common FAFSA-related questions Upcoming Virtual Information Sessions Financial Aid/Filing the FAFSA Monday, January 29, 2024, 6:30-7:30 pm Understanding the various forms of college financial aid and the FAFSA, and how LEAF can help you complete the FAFSA filing process. Making Sense of Financial Aid Offers Monday, February 26, 2024, 6:30-7:30 pm The admission process is over and financial aid offers have arrived. An expert will walk you through comparing college costs and the terminology used on these offers so that you can understand the final costs to attend and be prepared to make decisions. Making Sense of Student Loan Options Monday, March 4, 2024, 6:30-7:30 pm There is typically a gap between the aid provided on financial aid offers and the final cost to attend. Loans can be used to fill that gap. A school loan expert will discuss available loan options (Subsidized vs Unsubsidized or Parent PLUS vs Private) and their impact on your future. Register for a free LEAF Virtual Information Session Mandatory College Credit Plus Annual Presentation
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