The Bulldog's Woof

For the past several years, there has been a lot of discussion about the impact of the pandemic on kids' social skills and mental health. In education circles, we have discussed the pandemic's effect on students' academic skills as well as their social development. As shutdowns, online learning, and daily mask protocols have drifted into distant memory, recent patterns fell into line with longer trends starting earlier than 2020. The increase in anxiety among adolescents began long before the pandemic, steadily increasing since the introduction of smartphones in 2007. Adolescents' decreased mental wellness and social confidence/competence have been steadily worsening since the decade prior, as the Millenial generation gave way to Gen Z in schools.  Over the past year, these topics have moved into the cultural conversation more and more, thanks in no small part to Jonathan Haidt's popular book,  The Anxious Generation . You may have heard of it and it may even be on ...

Five quick items from South to wrap up your week! SOUTH PTO The PTO meets next Tuesday, 1/14, at 7pm in the South Library/Media Center. Agenda will be sent next week. Join the PTO Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/southmiddleptogroup Follow PTO on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/southmiddlepto SOUTH BASKETBALL Monday's basketball games will be held at East Middle School; the boys tip off at 3: 15 and the girls' game plans to begin at 4:30, immediately following the boys' game.   We encourage students & families to attend the games and give our players a true fan experience. It is essential to ensure a safe & enjoyable gameday experience for all players and spectators in attendance, so fans are expected to demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times.  All spectators must adhere to our  Fan Code of Conduct , and the  MIAA Taunting Policy . Students in attendance are reminded that the school's  Code of Conduct  applies to...

  I don't necessarily believe in making New Year's Resolutions. The practice of making a bunch of decisions on this random Wednesday in the middle of winter to quit bad habits and pick up good habits often doesn't lead to lasting change anyway.  Nearly 2/3 of resolutions have been abandoned within the first month , so what's the point? The one thing I  do  like about the New Year is that it's a good excuse to spend some time reflecting on what my goals are and whether I'm making progress toward them.  Without a concrete plan, it's easy to let one day bleed into the next  and weeks pile up without making much progress.  In classes, several teachers have asked students to reflect on how they spent time in 2024 or how they plan to spend time in 2025. The kids have some amazing insights about things they want to achieve and ideas for how to get there, but we often don't want to think about time we've wasted. It's in the past and there's no need t...

  Happy New Year! (1.) It's an exciting week for Braintree Schools, as we'll be hosting the candidates for Superintendent of Schools. In particular, I hope some South Bulldogs will attend the Student Forums to ask questions and get to know the candidates. There will be free pizza each night from 5-6 PM for a casual opportunity to get to know the future leader of the school district! Tuesday, January 7th - Robert Berretta - BHS Media Center, 5-6pm Wednesday, January 8th- Tim MacDonald  - BHS Media Center , 5-6pm Thursday, January 9th - Melissa Ryan  - East MS Media Center , 5-6pm To make sure there are enough pizzas & chairs, please register here if you're considering attending any (or all!) of the forums:   Student Forum RSVP (2.) Our 5th & 6th Grade Winter Concerts are tomorrow evening at 6pm (choral) and 7pm (instrumental). Please carpool & reserve the closest parking spots for folks with mobility needs.  Doors open at 5:45 PM for audience members....