What Parents Should Know About Drugs and Drug Use

Dr. Anthony Wong will be on campus Wednesday from 8:30 - 10:00 am in the Auditorium for a MS/HS Coffee

In this dialogue, the following topics will be addressed;

1. What are the drugs available to our youngsters?
2. What are the most dangerous drugs?
3. How do drugs act and how do they cause addiction?
4. Why do they drink and try drugs?
5. What is addiction and how does it come about?
6. How do I know my child is using drugs?
7. What are the signs that my child is using drugs?
8. What are the short and long term effects/consequences of drug use in a youngster?
9. How can drug use be avoided or prevented?
10. What can parents, community and school do to make their respective environments safe?

• Drugs and alcohol seem to everywhere nowadays. Everyone who is famous, chic or in the headlines (whether good or bad) seems to be involved with them. Opinion polls seem to indicate that the majority of the people favor drug liberalization, but everyone you know seems to oppose it. Where is the truth?

• There are so many drugs on the market, many new ones that appear more lethal. They are available to anyone and can be acquired over the internet. Bu they can be more readily purchased in raves, nightclubs, “danceterias”, or wherever young people meet. Even more dangerous is the fact that some are fake or counterfeit, more potent and addictive than the real ones.

• All drugs, whether legal or illegal, can be dangerous, depending on the amount or purpose for which they are used. They are even more dangerous in young people, when their bodies and systems are still very immature. But it is worse when experimenting with alcohol and drugs at this age because addiction is much more likely at these early ages. 

• We all have heard of the telltale signs and symptoms of drug use in youngsters. But let me tell you that when you detect these signs and symptoms, it is generally too late, for they appear only when addiction is already established. Many permanent and residual damages, especially to the brain and neural system, will have occurred.

To prevent this chain of events, it is necessary that we establish a healthy and secure ambience for our children, at home, in school and with friends. The first step is to know the enemy and how it infiltrates and acts. Next, we must gain the trust and respect of our children. And finally, establish programs, methods, goals and cooperative measures to prevent and curtail drugs and alcohol in the settings our children are exposed to.

And the end result of these efforts is that it was really worth it.

Anthony Wong, MD, PhD

What is your personality type?

Grade 10 students are facing important decisions 

These are the most frequently asked questions in the 10th grade hallway this week: "Shall I do the International Baccalaureate diploma"? "Which  Higher Level courses should I take"?  "What will be my CAS project or Extended Essay topic?" Life is full of decisions... and for the 10th graders this is only the beginning!

To  identify their natural preferences, gifts and talents,the 10th graders are taking the Do What You are (DWYA) personality assessment, which is an inventory based on the Myers-Briggs personality indicator.  This assessment is widely used in university campuses and career development centers to help students identify personality preferences and match them with possible fields of study and careers. You can learn more about the meanings behind ISTJ, INFJ, ESTP, ENFJ and others by visiting the Truity site.


Once students complete their assessment,  parents will be able to see the results using their Naviance family connection account. 

Luciana (Lucy) Gomes Andrade
HS Counselor

Breaking Down Barriers and Developing Relationships

We want to thank the PTA and The Graded Fund for supporting Libby Stephens's visit to Graded. Libby was able to meet with students, teachers, counselors, administrators and parents during her three day visit. Libby provided us with valuable information on third culture kids and the discussion continues. You can see Libby's interview with Isabela Riechert and her Tuesday evening workshop with parents below.


Watch live video from GradedLive on Justin.tv
If you missed the Tuesday evening session for parents you can view the archived version below.
Part 1


Watch live video from GradedLive on Justin.tv
Part 2


Watch live video from GradedLive on Justin.tv

The Next Steps with Challenge Success: Create a more balanced and academically fulfilling life for our students.

We had a lively discussion at yesterday's High School PTA Coffee about the culture and climate at Graded. We used what we have learned from our work with Challenge Success to frame the discussion and participants were asked to take a stance on several position statements. They had to decide where they felt the Graded parent community stood on the topics of homework, future university plans for their sons/daughters, extra-curricular activities, and posting of grades on Veracross. The group also developed statements about the school culture that faculty and students will respond to. This was our first meeting after releasing the data and we are clearly moving into an action phase. The next steps include:

• Begin the dialogue with faculty and students 
• Join the Challenge Success community and begin working with them on an action plan 
• Recruit Volunteers for a team of representatives from all stakeholder groups

Below is the presentation from yesterday's meeting. We'll be sharing the parents' views after sharing with the faculty. Please feel free to add comments and/or questions using the comment feature below. We look forward to getting input from a larger group of community members.

Senior Parent College Night: Live in-person or in the comfort of your home

Image from the Norfolk Public Library site

Next Thursday, September 12, the high school college counselors will have a presentation at 7:00 pm in the Black Box Theater. Topics to be covered include: 

• US application process and timeline, 
• common application, 
• reporting standardized test scores. 

They will also touch on certification of finances for international applicants, FAFSA for US citizens/residents, as well as UK/Ontario and European application timelines and processes. We hope that all seniors and their parents will attend this important event.

This meeting will be the first time that GradedLive will broadcast an evening meeting for parents and students. Participants can watch the meeting online and submit questions through a chat feature. The questions will be moderated and will either be addressed during the meeting or at a later date. Here is the link to the video stream and we will present more information on the chat feature next week. Thanks to the GradedLive students and the counselors for being risk-takers. We hope that this will be the first of many parent evening events that we can stream live.  

Welcome to the High School

Yesterday, Ms. Andrade and I met with 8th grade parents to talk about the high school program and courses for next year. The 8th graders will be selecting courses during the next three weeks as they make the transition to high school. Below is the presentation from that meeting.

The Road to College Presentation

There was a full house last night at the Road to College presentation that was given by Cory Miller and Todd Daniel. This is such an exciting time for the juniors and their parents. The presentation from last night is below.

Feb 20 Junior Parent Meeting by Blair Peterson

Greetings from the Counseling Office!

For those of you that are new to the High School, the Counseling Office is located on the second floor of the technology building. Feel free to stop by if you need assistance with scheduling classes, study skills tips and many more...