Social Media and Your Child Part 2

By Cara Miller, CA Director of Technology

On Tuesday we discussed what social media is, today we will discuss the benefits and effects of social media.

How does Social Media make them feel?

For most users of social media, online social life and offline social life are one and the same and include similar highs and lows. The unique difference with social media is users have instant reach to a wide audience very quickly, giving kids an opportunity to magnify their lives in a way that’s different from the offline experience. Social media platforms are central to every aspect of teens’ lives, from how they stay in touch with friends, determine the popular trends and even engage with such topics as politics, music and fashion.

Are their benefits to Social Media?

Many children use social media as a means of personal creativity or expression. It allows for connections with those of similar interests.

It allows them the ability to stay in touch with friends and provides easy and instant communication. Social media allows for instant information on news, sports and other social events.

This influx of information could provide a great opportunity to have meaningful conversations with your kids about what they view and watch. Parents can make it an opportunity to discuss happenings and share how they feel about topics they have seen or read about on social media.

There are also teachable moments in how to deal with digital drama. Digital drama isn’t all that different than normal social drama, but the lessons can begin early on how to properly respond to comments or posts online. Teaching children that comments and posts created without proper evaluation of the widespread audience can be one that saves potential digital drama or harm somewhere down the road.

How much is too much?

There are no easy answers when trying to determine how much screen time or social media is enough. It really depends on the child. If your child will put the device down to pursue a more interesting hobby you are probably teaching a good balance. Less time on social media may be beneficial for some, especially becoming more intentional in how they use social media. Following people who enrich them, and adjusting notifications so that devices become less distracting, are all steps in the right direction.

Social networking provides a convenient and compelling supplement to personal relationships in life, but when we use social networks as a substitute for relationships we face the risk of voiding our lives of meaningful and valuable connections.

The answer is not a one-size-fits-all for all children when it comes to screen time and/or social media. And, the truth is, there is no exact science in raising aware, thoughtful, empathetic and self-confident children. Certainly, modeling these behaviors in our own lives is a wonderful start. There is no doubt that our children are exposed to social media, both good and bad, but the key seems to be in finding a way to ‘teach’ them how to handle the information and to process it in a healthy way.

As always, if you would like more information in how to deal with your child and social media as well as other technology issues do not hesitate to contact me at cmiller@clarksvilleacademy.com.

Social Media and Your Child Part 1

By Cara Miller, CA Director of Technology

Social Media and your child

What seems like only yesterday, parents were concerned that their children were watching too much television or playing Nintendo too much. Those might still be a concern for some, but tides of media have shifted from traditional television watching to instant media via mobile devices. The landscape of media, specifically social media, make people feel connected and disconnected all at the same time. Is the exposure to social media harmful to your child, or just part of the daily landscape?

What is Social Media?

Social media is a generic term for a variety of apps used to interact and communicate with others online. Parents face unprecedented challenges as they raise children in a society that is inundated with instant communication. According to a research study by Common Sense Media in early 2018, amongst 13 to18 year old children the most popular social media tools are: Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Each of these social media outlets offers a different way to share information, connect with friends, or collaborate, but it’s important for parents to note that new apps are built and put onto the web every day.

I gave them a device, now what?

If you have wrestled with questions about the effects of smartphones and social media on teens you are not alone. The moment you hand your child a cell phone or tablet you are making a choice to potentially expose them to the rapid world of media information. Honestly, denying the presence of a technology-rich society won’t make it go away. There’s a great deal of responsibility in having a mobile device no matter what the age. Of course, there are measures and parental controls available to reduce the exposure to the undesirables.

If you have a teen driver, the choice is almost one of necessity. In the above referenced research study by Common Sense Media, twice as many 13-to 17-year olds own a smartphone today than just 6 years ago (41% in 2012 compared to 89% in 2018.). During that same period, the percentage of teens who use social media multiple times a day also doubled, from 34% to 70%.

Once your child has a smart device, it’s up to you to train them on how to safely use it. It is important for you to do your research regarding the above mentioned apps and many others. Educate yourself on the uses of these apps and to educate your child on the positives and negatives of the apps. In the coming blog posts, I will discuss Social Media on many levels. Check back Thursday for part 2.

Weekly News: November 26 – November 30, 2018

Winter Carnival

The Winder Carnival is THIS SATURDAY!! We invite you to join on us Dec 1st from 10am-2pm. We have over 35 vendors expected to attend, Reindeer Games manned by all our grade levels, and so much more! Don’t forget to send in your items for your baskets and to sign up to work your grade level game. The Carnival will include Reindeer Games (grade/class booths), Mistletoe Market (larger vendor area), the Jingle Bell Jog, FaLaLa Food Court, Santa’s Silent Auction and more!

The Jingle Bell Jog will take place prior to the Carnival on Saturday. Registrations are due today to Jerri Bragg at jbragg@clarksvilleacaemy.com.

Entry Form
One Mile Fun Run/ Walk December 1, 2018 9:30am at CA (Registration 9:00am)
One Entry Form Per Person/Family

Name__________________________ Additional Family Names _________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Phone _____________________Email____________________________________ Male________ Female_______ Grade of Student________________________
Name of Student, Grade, 7th period teacher for delivery of T-shirt ___________________________ Please add qty of t-shirts per size:

Adult Sizes S______ M______ L______ XL_______ XXL_______ XXL__________ Child/Youth Sizes XS_____ S_______ M________ L__________

Students & Adults are invited to participate. The entry fee is $15 and includes a t-shirt. Please send check to CA attention: Jerri Bragg.

Literacy Day

Friday, November 30 will be our annual Literacy Day for Lower School. We will focus on The Grinch and the children will enjoy many special activities surrounding this wonderful story. Make sure to check out our tree which is decorated with ornaments made by our Lower School students. The library will be open on Saturday for guests to walk through.

Cougar Store

Now through December 14th all items in the Cougar Store are 25% off! Shop early to secure your favorite Cougar something special this Christmas! Specials will run the whole month of December so check back often!

Basketball

The first home basketball game of the season kicks off Tuesday, November 27 on Procter Court! Girls tip at 6 with the boys immediately following.

Thanksgiving Lunch

Thank you to everyone who attended our Thanksgiving lunch last week. We fed over 800 people! A huge thank you to Mrs. Karen Dirksen and her cafeteria staff for all their hard work preparing the food! Thank you to Mrs. Kristi Truitt and Ms. Kristen Stowe for keeping us organized and getting us through the line! We are so thankful for all our Cougar Family.

Exam Schedule

Mid-Term exams will begin on Tuesday, December 11 and continue through Thursday, December 13. Students are only required to be on campus during their assigned exam time. A study hall will be provided from 8-11:15 daily if students need a place to go when not taking an exam. All Intermediate and Upper School students should be picked up by 11:30 daily. There is no mid-day van service during this week.

2018-2019 Upper School Semester I Exam Week Schedule

Grades 6-12

Tuesday, December 11
8:00 – 9:30 1st period exam
9:30 – 9:45 Break
9:45 – 11:15 2nd period exam

Wednesday, December 12
8:00 – 9:30 3rd period exam
9:30 – 9:45 Break
9:45 – 11:15 4th period exam

Thursday, December 13
8:00 – 9:30 5th period exam
9:30 – 9:45 Break
9:45 – 11:15 6h period exam

Communication of School Closing

When inclement weather prevents us from coming to school or causes us to be late, school closing information can be found on News Channels 2, 4, 5, and Fox 17, the Leaf Chronicle and Clarksville Now. We will also email and send text notification. Our website will have any school closing information posted as well. We will do our best to quickly assess the situation and make an announcement. We do not follow Montgomery County School System in these closings.

Annual Giving

Security is another area that is seeing benefits from Annual Giving. As many of you have seen, we installed a new ID check-in system for all visitors. The Konica Minulta Guest check-in will scan all visitors’ driver’s license against the national database. The scan checks for sex offenders, any current or pending felonies and any domestic related offenses committed. Once cleared through the scan, visitors will receive an ID sticker that must be worn at all times on campus. We have also moved forward with our staff IDs and lanyards. All staff will begin to wear a photo ID badge while on campus. This will help everyone to know who is allowed on campus at all times. Our hope is that with enough funds we will be able to install Mag Strike locks for many of our doors. These doors will have key card access to allow the doors to be locked at all times. This will include doors in the main building, new academic building, and the upstairs and downstairs doors in the activities building. The cost for this program is a little over $30,000 to be paid over the course of three years. We would also like to upgrade all cameras on campus and add new cameras to increase our coverage area. This will come at a cost of over $30,000 over a six year time frame. Additionally, we would like to purchase Bollards, which act as a visual and physical barrier that protect lives and property by creating a controlled traffic setting. This has a price tag of approximately $8,000. These are a few, but not all the security improvements we have made and plan to make. Annual funds will help to make these a reality.

As you can see, we have already made strong use of the annual funds already committed, but we need your help to continue to improve our school. We have plans for additional professional development opportunities, emerging needs like AED machines, technology needs, updating our library to be a Makerspace, and continuing to boost our security with upgraded cameras, mag strike doors and more. If you have any questions about annual giving, please contact Sally Allen at sallen@clarksvilleacademy.com.

CAPA

The Clarksville Academy Parent Association (CAPA, formerly CAA) is getting a new name! This association will host a variety of events throughout the year for parents, guardians, and grandparents to get involved by volunteering your time and/or contributions. We certainly hope you will join us in making CA an even greater place for our children, faculty and staff! Please contact Beth Mabry on how to get involved: bethfmabry@gmail.com.

Box Tops, Publix Cards, Kroger Plus Cards

Did you know that you that CA takes box tops for education labels from various products? Last year CA was able to receive several hundred dollars from these labels alone! Simply cut and keep labels and send to school in a Ziploc bag. We also offer Publix shopping cards (a key tag to use when checking out). If you scan this key tag at every visit, CA receives a portion of your purchase. Kroger will also donate to CA for everyone who registers their Kroger plus with CA. It’s quick and easy, just visit their website!

Social Media

Please like us on Facebook—Clarksville Academy, Clarksville Academy Sports Information and follow us on Twitter—CACougarsTN, and on our new Sports Information Twitter—CACougarsSports.

Photos

Throughout the year if you take photos at various school events and would like to submit them for possible use in the yearbook or for marketing purposes, please send them to photos@clarksvilleacademy.com.

Important Dates

November 30 – Annual Lower School Literacy Day
December 1 – Winter Carnival 10AM-2PM
December 10-13 – Intermediate & Upper School Final Exams
December 14 – Lower School Christmas Program—Immediate dismissal from program
December 15 – January 2 – Holiday Break—No School
January 3 – Return to School!

Thanksgiving: The Importance of Traditions

by Kayla Morgan

The 4th Thursday in November brings about a holiday that is rich in tradition. A day where the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life pauses, and families gather together expressing gratitude for their many blessings. Thanksgiving is a holiday that carries quite a timeline of historical events, and it wouldn’t be in my fashion to not incorporate a mini history lesson into this post. We’ve all created our own traditions for celebrating this long-standing holiday, but wouldn’t it be nice to truly understand some of the American history behind why we still celebrate Thanksgiving today?

Everyone is familiar with the story of the first Thanksgiving. In the year 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated a bountiful harvest with their friends the Wampanoags. Coming over from England to start a new life in the New World, proved to be more than what the Pilgrims could handle. Without the help and guidance of a Native named Squanto, Governor William Bradford and his people likely wouldn’t have survived their first year. As they gathered that October, they understood thankfulness in a way many of us cannot relate to. They had survived what seemed to be an imminent doom. This tradition carried on for years to come, altering in outcomes of harvests, and varying in dates.

Eventually, President George Washington presented a proclamation in 1789, calling November 26th “a national day of thanks”. From there different states adopted Thanksgiving as an annual holiday at different times. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to be held the fourth Thursday in November. In 1941, the United States Congress made Thanksgiving an official national holiday.

More recently, a tradition was started in 1989, when President George H. W. Bush officially pardoned the turkey presented to him by the National Turkey Federation. This tradition has continued since, and now these feathered friends are sent to live out their remaining days on the Disneyland Ranch after serving as Grand Marshals for their annual parade.

Today, my family’s Thanksgiving Day begins with the television playing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the background, as the kitchen is full of activity preparing the anticipated meal ahead. Our Thanksgiving traditions include a feast of turkey and dressing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and countless other starch-filled favorites. Our family gathers around tables to enjoy the dishes we only get a few times a year, while taking turns sharing what we are thankful for. Some get the honor of sitting at the adult table, while many of us still find ourselves sitting amongst the kids. The wishbone awaits the lucky two chosen to pull for good fortune in the coming year. The men make their way to empty couches to sleep off their overindulgence, while “watching” the big games. The kids race off giggling and playing, while the women spread out the sales ads, and begin plotting their Black Friday game plan. While this may not sound exactly like what goes on at your family Thanksgiving, there are sure to be special memories that make you smile, and cause you to look forward to this gathering of family and friends each year.

As you prepare for the next week, attending school feasts, potlatch ceremonies, or skits with little Pilgrims and Native Americans proudly sharing the story of Thanksgiving, take the time to stop and reflect on this special time celebrated all over our country. A time of sharing in customs passed from generation to generation. A time where no matter what the past year has brought your way, you can simply be thankful to be here and present, hopefully surrounded by those you love. May your traditions carry on, and may you never lose site of the journey that brought about this holiday we will continue to celebrate for many years to come.

In the words of Charlie Brown’s wise friend Marcie,

“Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown.”

– A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Charles M. Schultz

Clarksville Academy is Blogging

By Jennifer Hinote

Are you busier today than you were a year or two ago?

We have found that as life has gotten even more hectic; it is increasingly more difficult to juggle all that is expected of us. Isn’t it an interesting phenomenon that even though we have greater access to information, we have seemingly less time to access and absorb it?

As parents, family, and friends of Clarksville Academy, we understand this dilemma and want to help you. We also know that research indicates that family involvement in schooling is a key predictor in student success, so we want to make it easier to introduce topics that we hope will interest and support you in your journey of raising children and in our journey of educating them. We value this partnership.

Today we invite you to visit to our twice-weekly CA Blog. The blog articles will be concise, so those valuable moments of your day will be spent wisely. They will feature a variety of authors, utilizing the expertise of our own teachers, administrators; we also plan to solicit articles from experts outside our immediate community during the course of this school year.

We hope that our blog will spark thoughts and conversations. If you have any requests for article topics, please let us know, but for right now, please enjoy our exploration into the blogging world!

Weekly News: November 19 – November 23, 2018

Annual Giving

Security is another area that is seeing benefits from Annual Giving. As many of you have seen, we installed a new ID check-in system for all visitors. The Konica Minulta Guest check-in will scan all visitors’ driver’s license against the national database. The scan checks for sex offenders, any current or pending felonies and any domestic-related offenses committed. Once cleared through the scan, visitors will receive an ID sticker that must be worn at all times on campus. We have also moved forward with our staff IDs and lanyards. All staff will begin to wear a photo ID badge while on campus. This will help everyone to know who is allowed on campus at all times. Our hope is that with enough funds we will be able to install Mag Strike locks for many of our doors. These doors will have key card access to allow the doors to be locked at all times. This will include doors in the main building, new academic building, and the upstairs and downstairs doors in the activities building. The cost for this program is a little over $30,000 to be paid over the course of three years. We would also like to upgrade all cameras on campus and add new cameras to increase our coverage area. This will come at a cost of over $30,000 over a six-year time frame. Additionally, we would like to purchase Bollards, which act as a visual and physical barrier that protect lives and property by creating a controlled traffic setting. This has a price tag of approximately $8,000. These are a few, but not all the security improvements we have made and plan to make. Annual funds will help to make these a reality.

Communication of School Closing

Thanksgiving Holiday

Reminder there is no school Wednesday – Friday for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We want to say thank you, to all our families for entrusting us with your child. We appreciate you and are thankful you are part of our family. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Winter Carnival

The Winter Carnival is less than a month away! We invite you to join on us Dec 1 from 10-2. Our Mistletoe Market is fast filling up! If you would like to be vendor please contact us ASAP. We are currently searching for class/grade representatives to supervise the class the Reindeer Game booth. If you can help contact your classroom teacher or class sponsor. We also encourage organizations, clubs or athletic teams to use this as an opportunity to raise money for their group! The Carnival will include Reindeer Games (grade/class booths), Mistletoe Market (larger vendor area), the Jingle Bell Jog, FaLaLa Food Court, Santa’s Silent Auction and more! If you are interested in being a vendor at the Winter Carnival contact Nicole Williamson at 931-801-2488 or nicole.aquino615@gmail.com.

CAPA

Box Tops, Publix Cards, Kroger Plus Cards

Social Media

Please like us on Facebook—Clarksville Academy, Clarksville Academy Sports Information and follow us on Twitter—CACougarsTN, and on our new Sports Information Twitter—CACougarsSports.

Photos

Important Dates

November 21-25 – Thanksgiving Break—No School
November 30 – Annual Lower School Literacy Day
December 1 – Winter Carnival 10AM-2PM
December 10-13 – Intermediate & Upper School Final Exams
December 14 – Lower School Christmas Program—Immediate dismissal from program
December 15 – January 2 – Holiday Break—No School
January 3 – Return to School!

Hinote to serve as Clarksville Academy Head of School

Clarksville, Tenn. – Clarksville Academy, a Pre-K through 12^th grade private college preparatory school, announced Friday that Jennifer Hinote will serve as the seventh Head of School at Clarksville Academy.

Mrs. Hinote has over 29 years of comprehensive experience in education. She comes to Clarksville Academy from Oak Hill School in Nashville, where she served as Head of School for eight years. Prior to that, she was Middle School Division Head at Charlotte Country Day School, in Charlotte NC. Mrs. Hinote earned a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Middle Grades Education from Western Carolina University.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees Tim Sawyer also serving as Chair of the Search Committee commented, “We were thorough and diligent in completing a national search for the permanent Head of School position. After reviewing all the applicants and interviewing the top five candidates, the decision from both the Search Committee and the Board of Trustees was unanimous. Jennifer’s proven leadership and skill at fostering meaningful relationships made her the top choice for Clarksville Academy’s Head of School. Her vision for making our school a premier educational experience for students positioned her as our top choice.” Hinote has acted as Interim Head of School since August 1, 2018.

“It is with great excitement that I officially join the Clarksville Academy family. My first thirteen weeks in this community have shown me what a great school, but more importantly, what a wonderful family we have here,” Hinote stated. “I look forward to continuing the work we’ve started and to begin focusing on our future.”

Jennifer and her husband, Lloyd, have been married for 32 years. They are parents to two adult sons. Landon lives in Nashville, and Justin and his wife Tara live in Fairfax, VA with their three children.

“The Board of Trustees is enthusiastic for this new chapter in the life of our school. We are confident that Jennifer will lead our school to a bright future,” Tim Sawyer concluded.