Mrs. Heilman's Counselor Corner

What does it mean to have ADHD? ADHD is a disorder of the brain. Brains are very complicated, even to a brain surgeon. The workings of a brains are hard to understand. If a normal brain is hard to understand, imagine how a differently-working brain can be misunderstood. Here are some basic facts about ADHD to help you more fully understand the diagnosis: What having ADHD means: Your child's brain takes in information or stimuli differently. Your child's brain organizes information or stimuli differently. Your child struggles with paying attention...sometimes. Other times, your child may hyperfocus on, or pay A LOT of attention to, something that interests him/her. Your child may be more sensitive than others to certain noises, smells, tastes, or to movement or visual stimuli. Your child may have difficulty regulating, or controlling, their emotions. Your child is awesome! What having ADHD doesn't mean: Your child is dumb. Some kids with AD

Sleep and Your Student's Behavior One of the Cardinal Rules at CB Smith is "Do your best learning." Both Starke and Willow have a rule about taking care of ourselves. One very important way we can do our best learning and  tkae care of ourselves is to get a good night's sleep. Good sleep habits, or sleep hygiene, can help us bring our "A Game" to school. Not enough sleep for our students can lead to learning difficulties, thorny behavior problems, and mood managing issues. Teachers and support staff have often noticed that individual students struggle more with choose good behaviors on days when they don't get a good night's sleep. (The day after Halloween is universally difficult at school.) Sometimes, we suspect that chronic thorny behaviors are a result of poor sleep or not enough sleep over many days and/or weeks. To help your student get a good night's sleep throughout the school year, follow these tips. Tips for Good Sleep Habit