Nature Trail

Our little hikers went on a scavenger hunt this week to observe and enjoy God's creation.  A few of the items we spotted were ants, birds, lichen, spider webs, pine cones, and flowers.

Mrs. Putnal's Newsletter-October 27th, 2016

Lower School Newsletter from Wade Putnal

October 27, 2016

Our mission at First Presbyterian Day School is to educate and equip students

to change the world for God’s glory.

Upcoming Elementary Chapel dates are Nov.1^st and 15^th at 12:05 in the Fine Arts Auditorium. Please join us! Project LEAD will share on Nov.15^th.

Center for Discovery = “Beyond the Classroom Learning.” Many classes are beginning in November (next week!) Sign up now at www.fpdmacon.org/center-for-discovery for a complete class detail list. You may also sign up with paper registration forms available in the Elementary office.

Thank you for avoiding the areas marked off on the elementary playground. New baseball batting cages are under construction.

With cooler weather, please label all things that your child brings to school - water bottles, coats, jackets, sweaters lunchboxes, hats, bookbags, and all! Please check the Lost and Found rack in the elementary hallway if you are missing items.

BOX TOPS: Please continue to send in BOX TOPS to reach our goal by Nov.1. You can also go to www. http://www.boxtops4education.com/bonusapp to download an app to scan your grocery bill for items purchased.

For birthdays and Christmas… The Viking Store has items for all ages, including our own “Viking Bucks” gift card available in any amount!  We have a great selection of short and long t-shirts, uniform-approved outerwear, caps, Tervis Tumblers, and much more. Visit our page at www.fpdmacon.org/TheVikingStore. Open school days 7:45am to 3:30pm and located in the MAC near the cafeteria. Contact Renita at renita.eversole@fpdmacon.org or call 478-477-6505.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

·       Thanksgiving Holidays: November 21^st– 25th (Offices closed 23^rd- 25^th)

·       December 13^th – Elementary Christmas Program (grades 1-5), 1pm & 7pm, in the Clark Fine Arts Auditorium.

·       Christmas Sing-a-Long: December 20^th, 10:15 am; Early Dismissal for 3K-12

·       Christmas Holidays: December 21^st - January 4^th, 2016

·       First Day of school in 2017: January 5^th

Mrs. Putnal's Newsletter

Lower School Newsletter from Wade Putnal

October 13^th, 2016

Our mission at First Presbyterian Day School is to educate and equip students

to change the world for God’s glory.

Football Friday Night – FPD vs Stratford & FAN FARE from 5:15-6:30 with inflatables and fun for all. Game time is 7:30pm. Go Vikings! Beat Stratford!

Congratulations to all the 3^rd-5^th graders who participated in The Pied Piper of Hamelin! It was a marvelous production and you worked so hard! We are very proud of you!

Lower School Chapel is Tues, Oct. 18^th from 12:05-12:30pm. All are welcome.

BOX TOPS CHALLENGE!!  Only a few days left to reach our goal of 8,000 Box Tops by Oct. 21^st! We’re so close! Collection boxes are in the Elementary and High School offices.

LIBRARY NOTES: Parents, grandparents, and children, thank you a thousand times for the wonderful books donated to the library in your names. We are going to have SO MUCH fun reading our 188 new Birthday Book Club books! I can hardly wait to read them all!  When you see Mr. Lance Merritt, Lizzie Sue and Henry’s dad, please tell him thank you for providing such enjoyable party refreshments for us. He put in lots of time and effort to throw a party for more than 160 kids! Thank you so much!

TICKETS for FPD Fall Festival will be on sale during carpool times Friday, Oct. 21^st and Monday Oct. 24^th as well as in the Elementary Office and Kindergarten office. See flyers in today’s signed papers.

Dress Code reminder: As cool weather approaches, remember socks, tights, and leggings need to be FPD uniform colors. PLEASE label all sweaters, jackets, water bottles, lunchboxes, backpacks, etc. Use this link to read uniform requirements for students: http://bit.ly/ElementaryHandbook2016

The Viking Store is “OUTERWEAR Central” for your Viking! We have 20+ different styles of to choose from - all are uniform approved to be worn in the classroom. Our Lands’ End polos, sweaters and outerwear are the same price as the Lands’ End website. We have a great selection of short and long sleeve t-shirts too. We are open school days 7:45a to 3:30p and take all credit cards except American Express. Email renita.eversole@fpdmacon.org or call 477-6300 x 177.

Plan on visiting The Viking Store during the week of Fall Festival and parent-teacher conferences. TVS is a great source for gifts such as wall decorations, decals, auto tags, stuffed animals, jewelry and much more. Visit us on the football field Friday night and check out our new look. “Viking Bucks” gift cards are always perfect for any occasion – birthday, Christmas, good grades, etc.! 

Photos/Class Photographers: If you have photos of your child’s class field trips and other school-related activities to share, please send to your child’s teacher all throughout the year. Thanks so much!

All carpool drivers: Thank you for helping keep ALL safe at carpool by remembering our carpool areas are "NO PHONE ZONES." Please pull over and park to get your child if you must be on a phone call. Thanks! J

TEACHER BLOGS: Be sure to check out your child’s grade level blog, as well as blogs from our music, computer, Spanish and art departments. Follow this link: http://bit.ly/FPDTeacherBlogs

BACKPACK MINISTRY: Immediate needs are: Vienna sausages, tuna cans, applesauce and juice boxes. Thank you for all the donations!

PROJECT GIVING – Christmas Family Adoption Project – If you are looking for a way to exercise compassion during the holidays, go to: www.projectgiving.net to sign up to adopt a needy family from our Middle Georgia area or to make a tax-deductible donation to help those in need. You may also contact Natalie Woodward at: natalie@projectgiving.net or call her at 478-397-4135.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

·       Dress Down Day for “United in Pink” – Oct. 21^st – “PINK OUT” in Elementary! Students may bring a $1 donation and wear jeans and a spirit top or a pink top or pink “head to toe!” This Middle Georgia area outreach supports families of those fighting breast cancer.

·       FPD Fall Festival – Tues, Oct. 25^th – 12 noon to 3 p.m. Food, games, prizes – Something for everyone! Early dismissal for 3K - 12^th grade.

·       Oct. 26^th – Early Dismissal for 3K – 12^th grade – NO LATE START - On this Wednesday school will begin at 8:15 and end at noon for grades 3K-5^th. Upper grades will dismiss at 12:15.

Counselor's Corner

Adrenaline Addiction

Children love excitement. From as early as a few months old, they are thrilled with the “peek-a-boo game.” Most love playing “hide-and-seek,” riding on fast rides, and swinging on high swings. 

Parents love to surprise their child to see the looks of glee and wonder on their faces. It is fun. And, to be honest, grown-ups love excitement, too. The feeling of excitement comes from a hormone called adrenaline.  Adrenalin gives a sensation of euphoria and energy. It provides a feeling of competence and strength as well as pleasure. 

However, for every emotional high, there is an equal and equivalent low. The problem comes when the “rush” is gone and the emotions take a dive. You know this if you have ever given your child a birthday party complete with overstimulation and sugar. By the end of the party often there are tears and temper tantrums. Just as with a drug, the “let-down” can lead to a form of the blues called “post adrenaline depression.”

Parties are fun and worth the aftereffects, but it is important to understand the connection of adrenaline to stress. Adrenaline is closely related to another hormone called cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone.” Adrenaline arouses the cardiovascular system and cortisol regulates many of the body’s systems during stress. Excessive cortisol is responsible for severe anxiety, including panic attacks and depression. Too much adrenaline stored in the body can cause health issues such as insomnia, lowered immunity toward illness, premature aging, and hyperactivity often diagnosed as Attention Deficit Disorder. Classroom learning and social relationships are frequently affected. Adults may respond to an adrenaline addiction through perfectionism and workaholic tendencies.

Children can easily become addicted to the adrenalin rush. Developers of screen games test the biological responses to the product to make sure the games cause the elevation of the hormones. This is why some children become so consumed with gaming. Addiction expert Dr. Nicholas Kardaras says that after treating hundreds of heroin and crystal meth addicts, he has found these addictions are easier to treat than treating a true screen addict.

Children addicted to screens, games, and social media suffer in other ways. Their creative abilities are not developed when they are not allowed the down time to use their imaginations. Technology can stunt the normal growth of the frontal cortex which is the center for judgement, impulse control, and making good social decisions. Their “reality check mechanism” is distorted when much of their lives are spent in an unreal world. It can affect their brains so that the normal stimulation is no longer effective causing boredom and boring children. In Dr. Kardaras’s 10-year longitudinal study he observed “kids raised from an early age on a high-tech/high screen diet suffered from digital malaise. Bored and boring, they lacked a natural curiosity and a sense of wonder and imagination that non-screen kids seemed to have. They didn’t know – or care to know – about what was happening around them in the world. All that seemed to drive them was a need to be stimulated and entertained by digital devices.”*

God knows our bodies need to relax. He instructed us to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11

And in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Psychologist, Dr. Archibald Hart, recommends three ways to help your children break the adrenaline addiction:

·      Parents can model a ‘balanced life.’

·      Build in some down time where your child can relax and avoid stimulating activities.

·      Most importantly help your child develop the habit of regular quiet time in the Scripture and prayer.