The start of a new year is a great time to help your children focus on forming good habits. Making New Year's resolutions can be a fun way to do this!
 

As a pediatrician and mom of three kids, I know how important it is to set healthy goals with kids – and to be realistic about those goals. Kids also love having something to work toward. They can have fun keeping track on sticker charts or getting praise or rewards as they reach these goals, depending on their age.

 

I encourage you to sit down with your kids and, together, pick maybe one or two goals they want to set as their New Year's resolutions. If it's too overwhelming to think of them as resolutions, then just talk about them as goals and make it fun.
 

Keep it fun
If your 8-year-old meets that goal of reading every day for a week, maybe they get to pick the family movie during the weekend. Maybe your preschooler can eat more vegetables by drinking them in smoothies that the whole family enjoys. Involving kids in the decision-making and making these fun for the entire family can help turn these resolutions into long-lasting habits.
 

 

New Year's resolution ideas for kids (5 to 12 years old)
 

 

New Year's resolution ideas for teens (13 years old and older)
 

 

Talk with your child's pediatrician about other important habits that can help ensure a happy, healthy and safe new year.

“Multiplying at the Hip Hop Table” is an album produced by Dominque Gibbs, Music Specialist and Director of The Famous Singing Pirates of Park Forest Elementary Creative Sciences and Arts Magnet.  This body of work is the product of an Arts Integrated lesson between Music and Math as well as a Cross-Curricular project referencing both subjects. 

 

Mrs. Gibbs indicated it is her desire that all students will have a tool to help improve their math scores by learning their 2 through 12 timetables. 

 

On January 20, 2025, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday will mark the 30th anniversary as a National Day of Service. This day was established to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, and to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

 

Americans celebrated the first official Martin Luther King Day, which is the only federal holiday commemorating an African-American, on Monday, January 20, 1986. In 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a national day of service and marking the third Monday in January every year as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service - a "Day On, Not a Day Off."

 

Dr. King advocated for nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice as a means of lifting racial oppression. He created change with organized sit-ins, marches, and peaceful demonstrations that highlighted issues of inequality. Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964; he was the youngest person to ever receive this high honor. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father by entering the ministry to become a Baptist minister. On April 4, 1968, at the age of 39, he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee as he stood on the balcony of his hotel. Dr. King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to lead a march in support of striking sanitation workers.

 

We remember Dr. King as a husband, father, friend, and fierce advocate for the betterment of all people. Honor his memory by organizing, volunteering, and spreading the word. Remember to MAKE IT A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF, for you and those around you.

 

Join us as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy with a day of service at Hartley/Vey Park. This event brings together community members to serve, support, and uplift the Gardere area. The MLK Day of Service is an opportunity for volunteers to engage in hands-on projects that address local needs and strengthen our community. From beautification efforts to community building, this day is dedicated to creating positive change in Gardere.

 

Come be a part of this impactful event and help make a difference in the lives of families and individuals in our neighborhood. Let’s work together to continue Dr. King’s vision of service and unity.

 

Date: January 15, 2024
Location: Hartley/Vey Park, 1702 Gardere Lane

 

For more information please visit the Gardere Initiative website at:  https://www.gardereinitiative.org/

 

What started out as a 1-day event on MLK Day Monday, January 2015 has grown into a festival of service, spanning the entire weekend of MLK Day. This event was created to revitalize and reactivate neighborhoods in Baton Rouge with the help of volunteers. This year our efforts will be focused on a section of Eden Park.

 

 

While it can be tempting to simply count down the days until summer break, spring semester is a prime time for high school underclassmen to prepare for the college admissions process, and for college-bound seniors to close out the year on a high note.

 

Here are some tips for high schools students to ensure a productive and successful spring   semester.

 

All Students: Admissions officers like to see an upward grade trend, so freshmen, sophomores, and juniors need to work hard to maintain good grades and improve upon not-so-stellar grades. Seniors, it is especially important to maintain spring semester grades because colleges will see your final transcript, and a dramatic dip in academic performance can result in a school rescinding an offer of admission. Just because you’ve been accepted doesn’t mean the work stops. Work hard to finish out the year strong.

 

All Students: One of the biggest mistakes students make is not meeting with their college counselor on a regular basis. Be proactive and set up meetings for the beginning, middle, and end of the semester, so you can check in regularly with your counselor and he or she can evaluate your progress and determine what you need to do to prepare for the admissions process. It’s also important to build and maintain a relationship with your counselor, as he or she will write a recommendation for you come college application time.

 

Juniors: If you haven’t already, start heavily researching schools and determining where you want to apply next fall. Look into admissions requirements, academic offerings, courses,       professors, campus life, student organizations, and anything else that will help you make an informed decision about where you want to go to college. A balanced college list should have a range of target, reach, and likely schools, so be sure to look into a wide variety of institutions. 

Freshmen and Sophomores: Sustained involvement in just a handful of activities over an      extended period of time is much more impressive than many one-off participations in several different clubs or activities. Take a look at your resume and all your activities and               determine which ones mean the most to you and align with your core interests. Cut out any activities you’re not completely invested in, stick with the ones you like best, and deepen your involvement by taking on a leadership position.  Also, seek out new activities that you think better match your interests. If your school doesn’t already offer a club or activity that really interests you, then start your own student club or extracurricular project.

 

Sophomores: Now is the time to start seriously thinking about the SAT and ACT and begin preparing for one or both. In one of the meetings with your college counselor, discuss both tests and come up with a timeline for when you should prepare and sit for these high-stakes exams. I recommend taking multiple, timed practice tests in order to identify content weaknesses, evaluate test-taking strategies, and to accurately simulate actual test day. Practice makes perfect, or at least improves scores!

 

Sophomores and Juniors: Spring is the best time to visit college campuses. School is in session, the weather is usually favorable, and you can visit during your spring semester breaks. Begin making plans to visit a few college campuses by sitting down with your family and discussing a trip and dates. Then do your research and register for information sessions, sign up for guided tours, and see if you can stay overnight in one of the dorms.

 

All students: During your check-in meetings with your counselor, discuss options for summer activities or programs, and talk about what classes you need to take next fall in order to stay on track academically. Summer is a great time to deepen your interests with an internship or academic program, so do your research to determine what summer activity is the best-fit for your personal and academic goals.

 

The Office of Social Services, in the City of Baton Rouge’s Division of Human Development and Services, is pleased to announce free tax preparation through its VITA Program. Certified tax preparers will provide free tax preparation in four locations (see locations listed below) throughout East Baton Rouge Parish. Please call the phone number associated with each site to schedule your appointment to receive free tax preparation assistance. Eligible candidates must meet the requirement of gross income under $60,000. 

 

 

 

 

 

9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Fridays by appointment 

                              

National Mentoring Month is an annual designation observed in January.  This month, focus on how we can all work together to increase the number of mentors to make sure young people in our communities have dependable people to look up to and follow in their footsteps. NMM celebrates mentoring and the positive effect it can have on young lives.  Its goals are to:

Mentoring also includes a wealth of benefits for both the mentor and the mentee.

Many organizations offer mentoring programs to help young members to develop skills.  Businesses also use mentoring programs to help employees build their skills and experiences and to maintain a strong workforce.

 

 

Look into a mentor program to see how it can benefit you - and how you can benefit it - and use #NationalMentoringMonth to post on social media. If you want to become an active advocate, click here for more details on what you can do to better your community this month.

 

Make getting ready for school easier by helping your child create a regular routine.  For example, make sue your child packs his or her backpack the night before.  Have your child wake up at the same time each morning.  It should be early enough so that your child has plenty of time to get ready for school (for example, eating breakfast and getting dressed).

 

 

Make time to talk every day.  

This helps you stay connected with your child.  It can also help you keep an eye out of  problems.

 

The mission of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System’s Department of Mental Health Services is to facilitate individual and school change through empowerment, collaboration, counseling and service. Our vision is to assist students and their families in building and maintaining healthy relationships with their schools and communities while recognizing and celebrating individual differences, accomplishments and choices.

 

Please click the links below to access the Mental Health Services January newsletter:

 

The East Baton Rouge Parish School System and all of its entities (including career and technical education programs) do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, national origin, disability or gender in its educational programs and activities (including employment and application for employment); and it is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of gender by Title IX (20 USC 168) and on the basis of disability by Section 504 (42 USC 794). The Title IX coordinator is Andrew Davis, director of Risk Management (ADavis6@ebrschools.org, 225-929-8705). The Section 504 coordinator is Danielle Staten-Ojo, (dstaten@ebrschools.org., 225-326-5668). The Title II coordinator is Dr. Sandra Bethley, administrative director of Federal Programs (SBHorton@ebrschools.org, 225-922-5538).

 

All students have an opportunity to participate in career and technical programs of study, including but not limited to areas of health care; construction crafts and trades; automotive technology; IT computer technology; culinary programs; criminal justice; and agriculture. Admission requirements for each course can be found in the student course guide/schedule packet of the individual campus where the course is being offered. Please contact the guidance counselor at the specific school for additional information, program requirements and/or any questions you may have.