The Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-10-13, Page 17Commitment to STAR, continues
Last year LOPS adopted a school
wide, problem -solving approach
called STARpower. STAR stands
for Stop, Think, Act and Review. It
helps students and adults handle
conflict effectively. Our school
commitment to STAR continues.
We have planned exciting new
directions for 1993-94.
On Friday, Oct. 8, LCPS had the
annual Pumpkin Run, a schoolwide
finale for the cross-country training
season. The Royal Canadian Legion
generously donated money to pur-
chase numberbibs and trophies for
the run: Thank you! The STAR
theme was evident as the route was
lined with STAR -decorated
pumpkins and STAR sportsmanship
was emphasized.
The STAR committee is proud to
be presenting a workshop to other
teachers and administrators at the
County P.D. day on Oct. 24th m
Port Elgin.
On Oct. 27 our first set of elec-
tives, organized by the STAR com-
LOPS INSIDER
mittee to promote school -wide co-
operation, will be held from 10:30
to 11:50 a.m. Children will have the
opportunity on this and other dates
throughout the year to participate in
co-operative workshops presented
by staff and community volunteers.
Some of the electives are folk pain-
ting, cake decorating, photography,
archery and line dancing. Please
feel free to drop in.
The same evening, Oct. 27 at
7:00 'p.m., the STAR committee is
hosting an information meeting at
the school for parents. This session
will provide strategies for using
STAR problem solving at home.
Guest speakers include public nurse
Sharon Creighton, Constable Andy
Burgess and area guidance teacher
Marg Hendershot. Babysitting will
be provided.
Allen Morgan, a renowned
Canadian children's author,
delighted the primary division on
Oct. 5 with his enthralling story-
telling. You may have heard about
children sending their bad dreams
to the hungry giant living in a cave
near Lucknow!
Also on Oct. 5, LCPS participated
in the regional cross-country meet
at Ainsdale golf course in Kincar-
dine. Outstanding performances
were made by Nigel Black, first in
tyke boys, Trevor Askes, third in
junior boys, and Carrie Moffat,
second in junior girls. Tyke boys
and senior girls brought home
second place team honors.
LCPS staff and students would
like to thank the community for
their support at our open house, and
at the Fall Fair STAR booth.
Special thanks to the Kinettes who
have donated money to help finance
the STAR program.
Please stay tuned for LCPS STAR
news, next month!
Helping your teen solve problems
From fixing the broken TV to
choosing a menu for supper, each
day—you encounter a number of
problems and solve them, often
without realizing the process that
has taken place in your mind. Years
of practice have developed the skill
of problem solving.
Not only do you deal with the
dilemmas which arise in your own
daily life,but you also deal with the
problems of your child(ren). Your
child will attempt to become more
, independent in many areas as he
grows from adolescence to adult-
hood. This also includes the ability
to solve his own problems. As a
parent, you can help him develop
' this skill of problem solving that
hopefully now comes more easily to
yon.
,Initially, you may have •difficulty
in , recognizing . that your teen is
having problems because he may
hide them in statements like "this
stupid homework" or "Kris is being
a jerk." -You will need to be listen-
ing beyond the words for the feel-.,
ing your teen is expressing. Then
you must interpret those feelings
and put them into words eg. "you
must be feeling disappointed" or
"sounds like you're confused." Your
task is not only to name these feel-
ings, but to accept them as genuine.
Once the feelings have been
"talked about" you then should
connect the feelings to his words
such as "you sound angry about
Kris" or "you sound worried about
your homework." You have taken
his own words and made them
clearer - your teen now can begin
to look at himself, his feelings and
his problem.
Whatever you do, don't let Com-
munication Blocks ruin all • your
hard work. Some examples of com-
munication blocks are: .
1. Sarcasm - "Well, I guess that's
just about the end of the world."
2. Distraction - "Don't• wont' about
that."
3. Giving Advice - "Why don't you
try „
4. Moralizing - "The right thing to
do would be..."
5. Commands - "Don't do that
because..."
Communication blocks are just
BLOCKS. They stop the teen from
talking to you. If you use them, you
face disaster,
Now that you have left the com-
munication.door "wide open" you
can helpyour teenager become an
Avoid unnecessary dieting
We have all heard what happens to frequent and dangerous weight
when dieting gets out of control. loss and gain.
The death of Karen Carpenter from Body changes that 9-12 year-old ,
anorexia nervosa and the recent children and their families often
reports of Princess Diana's struggle interpret as "getting fat" are actual -
with. bulimia highlight the dangers ly a part of normal growth. During
of improper weight loss at any age. the growth spurt, which normally.
Although eating disorders only occurs at the onset of puberty, both
mall -percentage -of -people --buys and-girls---gain-weight--more--
who diet, even careful dieting can rapidly thanat any time since they
were babies. Boys' shoulders widen
and girls begin to distribute more
body fat in the hips and thighs.
There are several things parents,
relatives and friends can do to help
children become comfortable with
the normal changes their bodies go
through:
1) Be sensitive to comments about
a child's body size and shape.
Comments like "you're getting fat"
can • easily damage self-esteem.
Children need to know that they are
accepted and loved regardless of
body appearance. They need to
know that bodies come in every
shape and size and that there is no
one perfect figure.
2) Provide healthy meals and
snacks. Teach your children about
healthy foods and have them
available in your home. Canada's
Food Guide to Healthy . Eating
recommends a variety of foods
daily. For 10-16 year-olds:
Grain products-- 5-12 servings
Vegetable, • fruits --5-10
Milk products --3-4
Meat/meat alternatives --2-3
Other foods --a category in the
effective problem solver. Prompt
him to explore many solutions and
predict the consequences of each.
Statements such as "What do you
think you should do?" or "What
else could you try?" encourages
your teen to develop his own sol-
utions. •
After he has explored several
alternatives and examined the con-
sequences of each, he must make a
decision. It is extremely important
that he take responsibility for
choosing which solution to act
upon: When he has madehis deci-
sion, you can help him follow
through by gently asking what he
intends to do and when. It is also
important that he evaluates . the
success of his choice. Assist in this
process by asking "How didit go?"
Your teen will be satisfied with the
outcome of some problems and
disappointed with others. The
wrong choices are necessary to
learn and become a good problem
solver. For you, it may be painful
to watch as he stumbles and falls
but you will have contributed to the
ability of your teen to make sen-
sible choices and take responsibility
for his actions.
Teen concerns? Callyour local
office of the Bruce Grey Owen
Sound Health Unit.
lead to health problems in young
children.
While we don't normally thing of
dieting as a childhood preoc-
cupation, new evidence claims the
contrary. Incredibly, a recent survey
found that half .of fourth graders
surveyed worried about their weight
and many had started dieting. These
9, 10 and 11 -year-olds . were quoted
as saying things like "I don't eat
foods that make me feel fat" and
"The other girls are thinner and
prettier than I am."
According to Tena Van't Foort,
Director of Nutrition at he Bruce -
Grey -Owen Sound Health Unit, this
youthful obsession with thinness
puts children at considerable health
risk.
"Young bodies mean growing
bones and growing bones need
nutrients. Dieting during growing
spurts can stunt normal growth and
delay sexual development," she
said.
Van't Foort added that early
dieting can put children on "the
slippery slope of yo-yo dieting", a
state of continual dieting that leads
in kids
•e ' ,,. 4,.t , , „!, "/ 1.,- • •,: ,. ,,, " e
Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, October 13, 1993 - Page 17
Paul Steckie
You are the priority
of this election!
You are my priority!
The Goal: Putting people
back to work..
The Plan: Redirecting spending while cutting
the deficit.
The Objective: Creating Opportunity
for a better tomorrow
Campaign Offices
Headquarters
30 Victoria St. N., Goderich
524-4926 or 524-6938
1-800-465-1726
197 Josephine St., Wingham
357-4525
' • 960 Queen St., Kincardine
396-3373
Authorized by K I McLean official agent to Paul Steckle
Working harder together to rebuild
Huron Bruce and Canada
The Future Direction of
Public Libraries
♦� in Iluron ;County
is tip to Von.
The ['mon County Library is holding a series of public
meetings to hear your views about library. service. Hard
economic times and limited budgets combined will] changing
community needs and expectations are challenging the
library to look at the way it delivers its service. We need
your help to set priorities and plan for the future. Do we
have too many libraries? Too few? What is a reasonable cosi
for this service? Your opinion is, important.
Wed. Oct. 13 Exeter United Church, 42 lames St., Exeter
Wed.•Oct. 20 . llo.«'ick Municipal Office, Ilwy 87, Ilowick Twp
Thurs. Oct. 21 Woinen's Institute hall, Brandon SI., Belgrave
Attend the one that is most convenient for you.
All meetings start at 7:30 p.m.
for more information phone: 524-2105
Everyone is Welcome!
guide that includes sweets and chips
should be used in moderation
because they supply few nutrients
and too much fat and sugar..
3) Discourage children from
dieting. While some young children
may be seriously overweight, short-
term obesity during childhood has
little effect-on-weight-as-an-adult:—
"If
ffect-on-weight-as-an-adult---
"If you are concerned about a
child's weight," said Van't Foort,
"you should check with your family
physician or a dietitian." She also
warned against heaping too much
praise on young children who do
lose weight. "It reinforces the' idea
that their worth is tied into their
weight."
4) Encourage exercise and limit
television. Exercise burns calories,
makes the heart . strong, firms
muscles, and builds self-esteem.
Watching television replaces time
spent exercising and encourages
eating of high calorie snacks.
5) Model healthy behavior.
Children pick up the habits of their
family and friends. , Set a good
example by eating healthy foods,
exercising regularly and being con-
fident with your own body image.
Making Health Happen is written
by staff from the Bruce -Grey -Owen
Sound Health Unit. We invite your
suggestions and comments. Please
write to Making Health Happen, cf0
Bruce -Grey -Owen Sound Health
Unit, 920 1st Avenue West, Owen
Sound, Ontario, N4K 4K5.
RE-ELECT
MURRAY
CARDIFF
HURON-BRIX
The P.C. Party under Prime Minister, KIM CAMPBELL, is
committed to a REALISTIC and SENSIBLE approach to
government policies.
In a worldwide recession, Canada is more than holding its
own - but this is not the time for promises that cannot be
kept,
Murray Cardiff
Progressive Conservative
e
WORKING FOR YON 01 HURON -BRUCE
Authorized by Alfred Ross, official agent for Murray Cardiff
MURRAY CARDIFF-Campalgn Headquarters
BRUSSELS 887-9933
KINCARDINE , 396.2030
PORT ELGIN 389-2002
%INGHAM • 3574533
SEAFORTH 527-0956
CLINTON , 482-1240
EXETER 235-3913
GODERiCH 521.2711