A message from Mr. Bloomquist

The Official Newsletter for Wyoming Intermediate School
Phone: 616. 530.7540 |Attendance Line: 616.257.9345 | Fax: 616.249.7659
Visit our website at: www.WISwolves.org
A message from Mr. Bloomquist:
It’s the Holiday Season again. It is hard to believe that our year is going
by so quickly. Your kids are doing a great job here at school and we are
thankful to you for allowing us to be a part of their education.
As we enter the Holiday Season it is appropriate that we take time out
from our busy lives and remember what is most important. Spending
time with family and friends and reconnecting with each other. However, many of our kids do not go home to that place pictured in Norman Rockwell paintings. Sometimes the holiday season can be difficult
on our students, as their families stress over bills and providing the basic needs for their children. This unfortunate scenario plays out every
day in many households throughout our community, but is particularly evident this time of year.
With that in mind I have three Holiday Wishes I would like to share:
1. It is my wish that each and every one of our children goes home
to a place where they feel cared about, loved, and that they are
thankful for the wonderful people in their lives.
2. It is my wish that every household in our school community is
able to enjoy (at a very minimum) the basic necessities for a
comfortable, stress free Holiday Season and New Year.
3. It is my wish that we all recognize the importance of being with
those we love and enjoy each and every minute we have with
them.
Have a wonderful Holiday Season!
-Kirk Bloomquist, Principal
In this issue:
A message from
Mr. Bloomquist
1
Counselors’ Corner
2
Sturm’s Salutations
2
From our PE Dept.
3
From our PE Dept.
4
Messages from the
office
5
Upcoming Events
5
Happy….. Healthy…… Holidays
The holiday season often brings many wonderful and happy feelings but sometimes a couple of
“unwelcome guests” appear too – stress and depression. The holidays present many more demands - no matter what your age. Don’t let the holidays become something that you dread. Mayo Clinic suggests some practical tips to
help you minimize the stress that accompanies the holidays.
1. Acknowledge your feelings. If someone close to you has recently died or you can’t be with loved ones, realize that it’s normal to
feel sadness and grief. It’s OK to take time to cry or express your feelings. You can’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s the holiday season.
2. Reach out. If you feel lonely or isolated, seek out community, religious or other social events. They can offer support and companionship. Volunteering your time to help others also is a good way to lift your spirits and broaden your friendships.
3. Be realistic. The holidays don’t have to be perfect or just like last year. As families change and grow, traditions and rituals often
change as well. Choose a few to hold on to, and be open to creating new ones.
4. Set aside differences. Try to accept family members and friends as they are, even if they don’t live up to all your expectations. Set
aside grievances until a more appropriate time for discussion. And be understanding if others get upset or distressed when something goes
awry. Chances are they’re feeling the effects of holiday stress and depression too.
5. Stick to a budget. Before you go gift and food shopping, decide how much money you can afford to spend. Then stick to your
budget. An avalanche of gifts does not buy happiness.
6. Plan ahead. Set aside or pre-arrange days for shopping, baking, visiting and other activities.
7. Learn to say no. Saying yes when you should say no can leave you feeling resentful and overwhelmed. Friends, family and colleagues will understand if you can’t participate in every project or activity. If it’s not possible to say no when your boss asks you to work
overtime, try to remove something else from your agenda to make up for the lost time.
8. Don’t abandon healthy habits. Don’t let the holidays become a free-for-all. Overindulgence only adds to your stress and
guilt. Have a healthy snack before holiday parties so that you don’t go overboard on sweets, cheese or drinks. Make sure to get plenty of
sleep and get regular exercise.
9. Take a breather. Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to
handle everything you need to do. Same thing for kids – some quiet time is helpful. Find something that reduces stress by clearing your
mind, slow your breathing and restoring inner calm. Try such things as; taking a walk, listening to soothing music or reading a book.
10. Seek professional help if you need it. Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself feeling persistently sad or anxious,
plagued by physical complaint, unable to sleep, irritable and hopeless, and unable to face routine chores. If these feelings last for a while,
talk to your doctor or a mental health professional.
Sturm’s Salutations
Happy holiday season to you! The season can sometimes bring much pressure to families with gift giving and personal commitments. Many parents organize time in a stifling manner; leaving little or no
personal time together as a family to enjoy each other. At this time of year, parents believe that they
have to go out and buy things. But the greatest gift we have to give our children is our time. Enjoy
the season as a family. Enjoy the New Year as you may take on more challenging endeavors. But remember that family is most important to us, and we are an extension of your family!
I would like to personally invite all of our families to our first Holiday Family Night. This is a simple
event for our WIS families to gather at the Grand Rapids First Life Center. The center is located at the
2100 44th Street in Wyoming. The center is just west of the church. The event takes place on Monday,
December 14th starting at 6:00 pm. We hope all of our families will come out for some simple family
fun, refreshments and a few holiday give-aways! Watch for more information as we approach the
date.
Physical Activity Keeps the Brain Young; the Brain Regions That Benefit From Exercise
By Lecia Bushak
Olga Kotelko became famous for competing in track and field competitions well into her 90s, showing that even an elderly person could remain physically and mentally fit through activity. The Canadian loved her consistent workout routine, and researchers were fascinated by the effect it had on her
health as she aged. In fact, MRI brain scans showed that exercise had reversed her aging in a way, preventing her brain from shrinking compared to
other people her age.
Now, a new study adds more evidence to the notion that exercise keeps your mind young. Published in NeuroImage, the study shows for the first time
that physical fitness directly impacts brain activity and function. The researchers examined 60 older Japanese men, and found that those who were more
physically fit performed better mentally than those who didn’t exercise.
The participants were all aged 64-75 years old. They were given an exercise test to measure their physical fitness, and another test to measure their selective attention, executive function, and reaction time. The mental test was the “color-word matching Stroop test,” the one in which you must name the
color of the words, rather than the words themselves (even though the words spell out the name of colors). During the test, the researchers measured
activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) region of the brain — the right side of which is associated with short term memory and word identification as we
get older. Left-PFC activity, meanwhile, is typically associated with younger brains.
They also tested blood oxygen concentration in surface blood vessels, which showed activity in the brain’s outer layers. The researchers then compared
and contrasted the links between aerobic fitness, reaction time to the color tests, and brain activity. It turns out that higher fitness levels were linked to
more left-PFC activity, or the “youthful” brain activity. In other words, fit older people are more likely to use their brains the way they did when they
were young, compared to older people seeing a decline in this area.
“One possible explanation suggested by the research is that the volume and integrity of the white matter in the part of brain that links the two sides declines with age,” Professor Hideaki Soya, an author of the study, said in the press release. “There is some evidence to support the theory that fitter adults
are able to better maintain this white matter than less fit adults, but further study is needed to confirm this theory.”
While the study is the first to make a direct link between exercise and younger minds, it’s not the first on this subject. In the past, researchers have
found that physical activity — done on a consistent, relatively intense level — boosts not only cognitive function, but also reduces stress, improves
memory, and protects you from Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. The “runner’s high” you experience after pushing yourself to a sweat is actually a hormone-induced euphoria that protects you against mental illness and depression, and paves the way for you to concentrate better on a day-today basis. While exercise may not completely protect the brain from aging or shrinking over time, it will at least slow down the aging process and regenerate brain cells. And it will make you feel better — physically and emotionally — at the same time.
Dear Parents,
The Physical Education Department wanted to speak to you about a program gaining momentum in elementary
schools across the country. It’s called BOKS, Build Our Kids’ Success, and is intended to empower administrators,
teachers, parents and kids alike to live a healthier lifestyle. The program is making a positive difference in schools,
helping kids get their brains and bodies ready for a day of learning. I am extremely interested in enriching our school
with BOKS and would love to share more with you.
BOKS, an initiative of Reebok and The Reebok Foundation, is a free before-school physical activity program designed to be run before a day of learning. The program was developed by Kathleen Tullie and a group of moms who
were inspired by the book Spark written by Dr. John Ratey. Dr. Ratey states that “exercise is the single most powerful tool we have to optimize the function of our brains”. BOKS brings this to life by empowering and training parents, teachers and passionate community members to provide our children with more opportunities for physical
activity and nutritional knowledge. Implemented in nearly 1,000 schools the program has proved that is scalable,
evidence-based, and most importantly sustainable.
A typical BOKS session runs 2 or 3 times a week for 12 weeks. It consists of an active warm-up activity, running,
relay races and many other fun team oriented games. The goal of BOKS’ curriculum is to keep children moving while
having fun. All classes end with a cool down which include a nutrition talk about making healthy choices and then the
children transition to class or the breakfast program. With the program, children have the opportunity to increase
their levels of physical activity between 80-120 minutes a week and in turn gain the ability to focus more in the
classroom.
BOKS provides training and support and I feel confident I will be set up for success to bring the program to our
school.
If we have the interest and numbers, I’d like to set up a time to speak with you further about how to incorporate
BOKS into Wyoming Intermediate School’s morning routine. More information will be sent home with your students
in the upcoming weeks.
I truly believe that Wyoming Intermediate School will benefit from BOKS and be proud to have BOKS as part of its
school day. I will contact you next week to see if we can schedule a time to meet about BOKS!
Healthfully Yours,
Mr. Brandon Witherspoon
Messages from the office
Calling in absences and appointments
Whenever your student is going to be absent, please call the attendance line at 616.257.9345 by 9:00 a.m.
excusing the absence. In the event they need to leave early, please send a note with your student and we will
have them waiting for you in the office when you get here. That way, we do not interrupt classes.
Drop off/ Pick up area
The parking lot in front of the building is for bus drop off only. If you are dropping your student off, or picking
him/her up after school, you can stop in front of the building (on the street) or preferably, in the back of the
building off Robin street. If you want to get out quickly, then you will want to check out the back parking lot
as this is by far the less congested area to access. Thank you for your cooperation!
General Mills Box Tops
We are collecting General Mills Box Tops. Please help Wyoming Intermediate earn cash by clipping Box Tops
and having your child bring them to the school office. Wyoming Intermediate will receive 10 cents for each one
which will be applied towards educational adventures for our students. That can add up to big money if we all
participate, Thanks for your support!
December
Upcoming Events
Tue. Dec. 1st– AYYLA, Art Club, Math Club,
Orchestra Club @ 3:15 pm
Wed. Dec. 2nd– Game Club, Math Club @3:15
pm
Thurs. Dec. 3rd– Math Club, Orchestra Club @
3:15 pm
Fri. Dec. 4th– Progress Reports sent home.
Mon. Dec. 7th– Return signed Progress Reports,
Skating Party at Kentwood Fun Spot @ 6:00 pm
Tue. Dec. 8th– AYYLA, Art Club, Math Club,
Orchestra Club @ 3:15 pm
Wed. Dec 9th- Game Club, Math Club @3:15
pm
Thurs. Dec. 10th- Math Club, Orchestra Club @
3:15 pm
Tues. Dec. 15th- AYYLA, Art Club, Math Club,
Orchestra Club @ 3:15 pm
Wed. Dec. 16th- Game Club, Math Club @3:15
pm
Thurs. Dec. 17th- Math Club, Orchestra Club @
3:15 pm
Fri. Dec. 18th- Glow Party 2:00 pm– 3:15 pm
Mon. Dec. 21st– Fri. Jan 1st-Winter Break
January
Tue. Jan. 5th– AYYLA, Art Club, Math Club,
Orchestra Club @ 3:15 pm
Wed. Jan. 6th– Game Club, Math Club @3:15
pm
Thurs. Jan. 7th– Math Club, Orchestra Club
@ 3:15 pm
Tue. Jan. 12th- AYYLA, Art Club, Math Club,
Orchestra Club @ 3:15 pm
Wed. Jan. 13th- Game Club, Math Club
@3:15 pm
Thurs. Jan. 14th- Math Club, Orchestra Club
@ 3:15 pm
Tues. Jan. 19th- AYYLA, Art Club, Math Club,
Orchestra Club @ 3:15 pm
Wed. Jan. 20th- Half day for students, dismissal
at11:45 am
Thurs. Jan. 21st– Half day for students, dismissal at 11:45 am
Fri. Jan. 22nd– Half day for students, dismissal
at 11:45 am
Wed. Jan. 27th- World's Finest Chocolate Sale
Kick-Off