by Mark Smiley | Aug 3, 2015 | General Featured
Beating the stress of back to school: what you can do to help your anxious student
(BPT) – Do you or your child have the back-to-school blues? If so, you’re not the only ones. Saying goodbye to slower summer days can be difficult. For almost three months, you have felt free from the structure of the classroom and the accompanying homework. When the upcoming school year rolls around, it’s common to feel some sadness. For children who suffer from anxiety, this stress may be harder to handle, and it may stem from more than just pop quizzes and earlier bedtimes.
These children need extra attention as the new school year draws near. The best thing you can do to prepare your child is to give the gift of your time and attention. Instead of dwelling on things like tests and homework, talk about how to make the transition into the exciting new school year the best it can be.
Lauren Zimet, director of the Early Insights Healthy Foundations Program, is a mother herself and has pinpointed the top four back-to-school tips and tricks to make the transition easier. These tips will help to reduce the stress and tension felt by you and your child, not only for the first weeks of school (the hardest time to adjust) but throughout the year as well.
1. Connected communication. Engage in a conversation with your child and ask what he or she is excited and concerned about for the upcoming school year. Give your child the freedom to speak openly and avoid asking too many questions at once. You’ll know you are connecting when he starts volunteering information. When you listen to your child, and he can see the genuine interest and attention in your eyes and through your body language, he will feel more comfortable discussing the upcoming year.
2. Creative calendars. Planning ahead makes adults feel prepared, which is a huge de-stressor. The same goes for your child. Younger children only need a day or two to look forward to their big day. Older children may benefit from discussing the year weeks before the first day, especially if those conversations include working on things like organization, planning, prioritizing, and sequencing (those important executive functions of the brain).
3. Visualize the goal. Get specific and help your child visualize the first day of school. Have your child tell you or draw out the sequence of the day, from waking up in the morning, to dressing in an outfit chosen the night before, to what she’ll be enjoying as her brain-boosting energy breakfast. The more your child can visualize her routine(s), the more she will be at ease when the big day finally arrives.
4. Load up on brain food. Breakfast is coined “the most important meal of the day,” and rightly so! Food is the fuel for the brain and body, and the quality of the fuel matters. Whatever you choose to give your body and brain each morning will enable you to do a certain level of thinking. American breakfasts are often unbalanced, heavily favoring carbs, which are only a tiny part of the good-breakfast equation. Encourage your child to pick a protein each morning, as well as fruit, veggie, and healthy fat and carb options. From there, complement his or her diet with an omega-3 fatty acid supplement from a reputable fish oil company like Nordic Naturals. Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to help soothe anxious brains as well as support the entire nervous system, so don’t miss out on this simple improvement opportunity. Research on omega-3 fatty acids can be found at www.omega-research.com.
The new school year is on its way and while this time of year may cause some children to feel anxious, there are things you can do to help. Employ any of the suggestions above to help your child start feeling more excited about the new school year with each passing day.
by Mark Smiley | Aug 3, 2015 | Glendale City News
by Marco Cummings
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
Photo by Seth McConnell
One of the biggest rugby events of the year returns to RugbyTown USA this month when Glendale hosts the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens (SRS) International rugby tournament August 14-16, 2015, at Infinity Park.
Seventeen teams from across the nation and the world, including teams from each branch of the United States Military, will compete in 50 rugby matches over the three-day period for a winner-take-all $10,000 prize.
“It’s our fourth year hosting so we’re quite excited,” said Glendale Raptors head coach Andre Snyman.
“It’s a unique tournament. Quality players come from all over the world: some from overseas, some local and some nationally based. It’s really a good opportunity for players to measure themselves against some quality teams. There’s always a surprise team that comes out of it, so I can’t wait for this year.”
USA Falcons vs Denver in the Cup Final during day three of the Serevi RugbyTown 7s at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado. Photo by Seth McConnell
The SRS tournament serves as a grand event to conclude the summer Rugby 7s season, a format which offers more fast paced action and explosive offense compared to the traditional 15 a side rugby union format seen during the Pacific Rugby Premiership season. It offers both a challenge for the Raptors and a delight to local fans.
“It’s tough for a club side to compete against teams with 12 All-Star players. I’m just trying to help the boys and get our team up to par,” Snyman said of the challenge. “There’s good teams coming in. Pretty much all the other teams are select sides. I’m busy recruiting players to strengthen our side. Unfortunately we’ve had some injuries and hopefully the players will be back on track for Serevi.”
One of those All-Star programs, Stars 7s Rugby, is excited to participate at Serevi RugbyTown Sevens for the very first time.
“Last year I attended Serevi RugbyTown 7s for the first time as several of our Stars players were playing for the programs involved. I was impressed with the competition and the quality of play,” said Star 7s Director Elizabeth Entwhistle. “As Stars Rugby 7s is building our program, we’re looking to play in the best competitions possible with a professional setting and SRT7s sets the benchmark for the men’s 7s game.”
This year’s action kicks off August 14 with Free Fan Friday, beginning with pool play competition divided amongst four different pools.
All five military teams will compete in Pool A. Tournament hosts Glendale will compete in Pool B alongside the Bermuda National Team, Stars Rugby 7s and Upright Rugby Rogues. Pool C will feature locals Denver All-Stars, newcomers Atlantis Rugby, Northeast Olympic Development Academy and Mexico Serpientes National Team. Rounding out the tournament field in Pool D are the Serevi Selects, Texas-based Negro y Azul, Collegiate All-Americans, and the Bahamas National Team.
Tonga withdrew from this year’s tournament, but this year’s tournament is far from lacking in international representation.
“Bermuda Rugby is extremely proud of our partnership with Serevi Rugby, and our participation at the SRS tournament in Glendale is a highlight in our calendar, and a focal point for the development of our 7s program,” said Bermuda coach Jonathan Cassidy.
New to this year’s tournament is a boys’ high school tournament, which will take place on the Infinity Park Sports Field adjacent to the men’s tournament. This year’s inaugural participants include clubs such as Atlantis, Utah Lions, Serevi Institute, Rogue River (Canada), Rocky Mountain Rebels and the Raptors Academy being featured.
At the conclusion of Friday’s matches, a Fallen Rugger Ceremony will take place on the pitch.
On Saturday, August 15, pool play will continue followed by the High School Cup Championship at 3 p.m. and the Armed Forces Championship at 3:56 p.m. Cup and Bowl quarterfinal matches round out the competition on Saturday afternoon.
The Armed Forces Championship has become a staple of the tournament and a highlight of the weekend for fans and participants alike.
“As Marines, our primary attraction to this tournament is the opportunity to square off with our fellow services in the Armed Forces Rugby Championship,” U.S. Marines Rugby coach Major Russell “Bubba” Strange said. “What makes it even sweeter is that Glendale hosts a first-class event that we could never replicate on a military base, and we expose our players to a higher level of rugby than what they are used to seeing.”
The second day of the tournament will also see the return of the Glendale’s Bruises and Brews Beerfest with an impressive lineup of Colorado craft brews and distilleries from 12 to 4 p.m. Tickets for the Beerfest are just $35 and include entrance to all rugby matches held Saturday.
Sunday’s events will have implications for all tournament trophies including the SRS Shield, Bowl, Plate and Cup with games kicking off with a Shield Semifinal at 12 p.m. Championship matches will begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. culminating with the Cup Final set to kick off at 5:14 p.m.
Tickets for all events during the three-day weekend of rugby 7s action can be purchased by visiting the website at: rugby townusa.com/serevi.
