MMS Guidance - Advisory & Activities

Mix it Up Lunch Introduction

10/26/2018

This week and the next two weeks’ Advisory activities will be around the themes of acceptance and understanding to help set the stage for Mix It Up at Lunch Day and impact our school culture in a positive way. Mix It Up Day is a national campaign by the organization Teaching Tolerance (www.tolerance.org), launched over a decade ago, that “encourages students to identify, question and cross social boundaries.”

“We ask students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch. It’s a simple act with profound implications. Studies have shown that interactions across group lines can help reduce prejudice. When students interact with those who are different from them, biases and misperceptions can fall away.” (from Teaching Tolerance website)

Mix it Up at Lunch Day will be held on Friday, November 9th during all lunches.

Maine Youth Leadership Day

10/26/2018

On Friday, October 26th approximately 50 students from Massabesic Middle School attended the Maine Youth Leadership Day at Hyde School in Bath, ME. The conference was a great opportunity for our students to learn and practice leadership skills as well as understand the importance of being an upstander.

Digital Citizenship Week

10/19/2018

During Advisory, students watched the videos above and were asked to reflect on the impact technology has on their lives.

Suggested Discussion Questions:

What do you use your technology for?
How does it feel if you DON’T get a certain number of likes? If you DO get a lot of likes?
Could you imagine a week without your technology and social media?
What are challenges that come from using technology and social media?
Do you ever add “friends” on social media that you don’t know? Why? Why not?
Are there changes you could make to be a better digital citizen?

Kiki Challenge

9/21/2018

This week’s Advisory activity was to do a school-themed version of a current viral video trend, the “KiKi Challenge.” It is also known as the “Shiggy Dance.” The activity focused on creative and practical problem solving as well as cooperation and teamwork. Students worked together to re-write the chorus of the song to school related themes and then create an accompanying dance.

Air Band Challenge

10/21/2016

During our second advisory lesson, students were split into groups or "bands" and asked to perform a lip-synced version of whatever school-friendly song they liked. Groups discussed who would be the singers, guitarists, drummers, etc. during their performances. Students worked on their teamwork skills throughout the activity, and used their imagination to create props to go along with acts. The lesson allowed students, and some staff members, to work outside their comfort zones all while having fun!

MMS Great Kindness Challenge

1/7/2016

Massabesic Middle School encourages community members and businesses to come together and participate in The Great Kindness Challenge, January 25-29, 2016. The Great Kindness Challenge is a positive, proactive bullying prevention initiative, reaching millions of students during the last full week of January every year.

School events and activities to help support a safe and caring school environment include grade 6-8 guidance lessons, school-wide Advisory activities, morning kindness stations, and the creation of “kindness cards” with kind actions to be performed by staff and students. Massabesic Middle School, in collaboration with Kids for Peace, is sponsoring the event.

“We are thrilled to be participating in the Great Kindness Challenge at MMS this year. Our work will be an extension of our Advisory curriculum, and will be another way for us to continue to foster the supportive climate and culture we have here at MMS. The ideas that go into fostering kindness; the self-awareness, the interpersonal skills, the responsible decision-making, are all critical to student success. We hope to see many of our community members become involved in the Challenge!” Angela Scully, Assistant Principal

The Great Kindness Challenge was created by Kids for Peace to provide schools a tool for creating a positive school environment. In 2015 2,188,669 students participated and performed over 100 million acts of kindness nationwide.

For more information about The Great Kindness Challenge at Massabesic Middle School, or to participate in the Challenge, please contact the Massabesic Middle School Guidance Office at 247-6121. To learn more about the national initiative, please visit http://www.greatkindnesschallenge.org/.

Life Raft Team Building Activity

12/11/2015

The beginning of the trimester was a great time to remind students that working as a team is a crucial part of the MMS philosophy. Team building allows students to work together in social situations just as they would in the classroom, their daily lives, or down the road in the workplace. Advisory groups worked together on the "Life Raft" team building activity which encouraged student collaboration on a task while dealing with various obstacles in their way. After the activity, groups debriefed by discussing the importance of group work and the types of challenges our students face every day.

Students lined up from shortest to tallest, shoulder to shoulder, facing the same direction. Then, using duct tape or other material, teachers made a rectangle on the floor around them so that they had very little room in front of or behind their feet. When in place, students then reversed the line from tallest to shortest without stepping outside the lines. As the "life raft,” was created, teachers asked students to imagine that they were surrounded by alligators and lava. If they stepped out of their raft, even if by mistake, all students had to return to their original spots and try again. Take a look at all the fun below:

Mix It Up at Lunch 2015

10/30/2015

For our 2nd Annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day, students completed a lesson about cliques and the benefits of breaking out of your comfort zone. Students were then "mixed up" at lunch by the first letter of their first name in an effort to have children sit with someone new and break down social barriers. Please watch a recap of Mix It Up at Lunch Day below:

Attendance Matters

10/23/2015

September and October Advisory lessons had students explore the importance of coming to school everyday. Discussion focused on the benefits of regular school attendance, potential consequences of excessive absences, and strategies to help students stay on track when they must be absent. Advisory groups then created Public Service Announcements and/or a slideshow to highlight the importance of attending school everyday. Take a look at the following student-created PSA's:

Back to School Pep Talk...

8/26/2015