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Results for category: Middle School

Create a “Tween Dream” Space
9/2/2010

Does this conversation sound familiar? Parent: “Wait just a second honey, I couldn’t hear you — did you say want to paint your room black?” Child: “The official color is called “Midnight Crush.’”  Wel...


Tween Redesign
9/2/2010

    If you and your tween need more inspiration, here is a recent space that Roberta Wagner designed for a client of hers. The theme was, “Cottage Chic Meets the Beach.” The tween, Mary Auringer of Po...


Get crafty
9/2/2010

Jazz up your shades: Get some ribbon and dress up plain lamp shades. Wrap the ribbon around the shade and tie in a bow, or use multiple colors, and hot glue stripes. Desig...


Clearwater’s Power of Song Program: Teaching the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders
3/29/2010

The Valley’s fabled Sloop Clearwater is a replica vessel of the cargo ships that sailed the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries, developing commerce and sustaining early communities. It was built by...


Web Exclusive: 4 Great ways to encourage journaling!
2/22/2010

Donnalyn Yates, author of Kid’s Writing Journal – Writing Prompts to Stimulate the Imagination, is a former teacher and a popular educational consultant and speaker at teacher conventions. She is also...


March health notes:
2/19/2010

Did you get the Nintendo Wii Fit as a holiday gift for your family a few months ago, with the hope that it might spur them to become more physically fit? How’s that working out? If it hasn’t quite liv...


Best tips for writing at home with your child
2/19/2010

“When children are encouraged to write at home, they are taking learning into their own hands and making their own connections to language and the world around them,” says Cindy Volk, a first grade te...


Aspiring authors
2/19/2010

While advertisements for soccer, karate, basketball, tap, jazz and gymnastics dot the bulletin boards at our local youth center in West Point, finding an extracurricular boost for a budding Steven Kin...


Talking to your children about sexual abuse is not easy, but there are ways to approach the subject.
2/8/2010

Talking to your children about sexual abuse is not easy, but there are ways to approach the subject.   Here are 7 tips to keep your children safe: Talk openly with your children. Good communicati...


When it comes to talking to your children about sexual abuse, make it as clear as possible!
2/6/2010

Call it what you will   Pat Weiss, associate executive director of the Middletown YMCA, says parents should speak in the language they’re comfortable with.  “Just make sure they know their ‘tushie’,...


Your Kids' Body Guide
1/25/2010

Discussing sexuality and/or sexual abuse with your child can be uncomfortable, but in today's world responsible parents cannot afford to ignore the issue. Even if you are not comfortable talking to yo...


Tic Talk: Living with Tourette Syndrome
1/5/2010

Read Dylan Peters’ tale about his experiences with TS. This courageous young man, who is entering fourth grade, is a boy who loves reading and math and playing with his friends. “TS does...


Self Esteem –every child needs a healthy dose
1/4/2010

I hated Sundays at my Aunt Dorothy’s house. Every time we visited, she would embarrass me because I was a bed wetter. Right in front of the whole family she would say, “Have you stopped wetting your b...


Improving Self Esteem in Children
1/4/2010

Janne Dooley, a psychotherapist from New Paltz, counsels parents to improve their own self esteem to help their children. “I want to help parents to be able to have a secure connection with their chil...


To vaccinate or not to vaccinate- That is the question
1/4/2010

When Gulay Powell was young, she was vaccinated to prevent her from contracting the measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, once deadly infectious diseases. She also remembers that her older relat...


Do video games lead to violence?
1/4/2010

It seems that every week a news headline relates a story about another adolescent or even preadolescent disclosing a plot to bring guns to school or highlights another plan where a child or group enga...


Do video games create a violent culture?
1/4/2010

There are some researchers who don’t believe exposure to violent video games produce benign results. Some researchers believe these excessively violent games may be more harmful than either violence o...


Hudson Valley needs kid volunteers
10/5/2009

Jesse Chance, circulation manager and volunteer coordinator of Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz, says library volunteers make phone calls, retrieve books, and file. At New Paltz Middle School, the...


Save $$$ on school stuff
9/29/2009

You’ve bought the school supplies, but you’re not done spending money on school just yet. Be prepared because it’s those unexpected school expenses that make dents in your budget! You’re done buying n...


Raising the Bar
9/9/2009

Cisca Harriss: In 2007, despite opposition from friends and family, Harriss joined the freshman football team at California’s Palo Alto High School. Since fifth grade, she had thought about playing fo...


Hey, that’s a girl!
9/8/2009

When young children first start out playing sports, boys and girls play on the same team.  As they grow older, the teams are divided -- one league for boys and the other for girls—based on physical na...


Becoming bilingual now will help your child later
8/3/2009

Your child will be required to take a foreign language once they reach junior high, but Barbara Weiss, Principal of Meadow Hill Global Explorations Magnet School in Newburgh, said it’s never to early ...


5 ways to keep your toddler happy when his older sibling goes to school
8/2/2009

Make time for your toddler to explore on his own. Kim Lane, a Pine Bush mother of four, suggests allowing your toddler some alone time for self-exploration. Remember, he’s always had an older sibling...


Separation anxiety
7/31/2009

When that big yellow school bus pulls away in a few weeks, it might be a toss up as to who sheds the first tear – you, or your little one standing next to you. You thought your toddler would be jumpin...


Whether team or individual competition, all sports have benefits for kids
7/30/2009

All sports have benefits for kids who participate. Individual and team athletes can improve their self-discipline, increase their self-esteem and confidence and even perform better in school. Team ...


It’s back-to-school time!
7/30/2009

Pretty soon, your kids are going to be heading back to school! Once again, you’ll be setting alarm clocks, checking homework, and packing lunches and backpacks. Use these next few weeks to start makin...


Teaching your children appropriate bus behavior
7/29/2009

One of the strongest statements made from everyone interviewed for this article is how important it is to empower our children. As Lynn C. LeFevre, supervisor of Guidance & Counseling Services at ...


Choosing team or individual sports for your kids
7/27/2009

Play both types of sports before deciding It might be best to expose your child to both team and individual sports. Frank Wisnewski is glad his son Brenden, 13, reaps the benefits from both his LaGra...


Bus stop blues
7/27/2009

It’s the first day of school and your child doesn’t know anyone at the bus stop. He’s scared and lonely. Whether you’ve recently moved or it’s a transitional year (when your child moves up to a high...


Sports programs for special needs kids
7/24/2009

There are a variety of sports programs for special needs kids too so they can join in the fun all-year round. Check out the programs below. They are based in LaGrange, but they accept children from ar...