Chameleon's Journey: A Free 2-Day Overnight Grief Camp Opportunity

Research indicates that one in seven Americans lose a parent or sibling before the age of 20. Regrettably, some of those are students and support is needed to help them cope with the experience of the death of a parent, sibling, or other close relationship. Chameleon's Journey offers boys and girls, ages 7-16, a unique opportunity to meet others who have also lost someone special and together share their feelings and experiences of loss.

Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region is pleased to announce the 15th Annual Chameleon's Journey Overnight Grief Camp. The camp will be held October 11-12 at Camp Thunderbird located in Lake Wylie, South Carolina. The camp is free** to all participants. Campers will sleep in cabins in small groups of the same age-range and gender, with an adult leader present in each cabin.

Campers learn that the feelings that surface during the grief process are normal and that it is okay to laugh and play while remembering the ones they love. While taking advantage of camp recreational activities like wall climbing, zip line and canoeing, campers also learn appropriate ways to cope with grief through a variety of activities including art, music movement, storytelling, and a campfire memorial service. The activities are designed to help campers take steps towards healing.

All Chameleon's Journey camp counselors and volunteers are trained by the Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region professional staff. These staff members have an understanding of the grief process and are experienced in supporting children coping with loss.

At Chameleon's Journey parents and guardians can get the grief support they need, too. Although parents and guardians do not stay overnight, they are encouraged to attend a workshop each morning. The two workshops address adult grief and ways to help their grieving children.

The application for the camp can be found online at www.hpccr.org. Space is limited and the final postmark date for the completed application is September 19, 2014.

**Chameleon's Journey is offered free of charge to all participants through the generous support of individuals, community organizations, and area foundations. You can help ensure this camp remains available for all who need it by making a contribution to Chameleon's Journey. For information about donating, please call our Development Office at 704-375-0100, or donate online at www.hpccr.org.

SAT tips from BrainWorks

Students at Hickory High had the opportunity to participate in a BrainWorks SAT prep class for three days after school in April. The following were some tips provided by BrainWorks staff that we would like to give to all of our students in hopes that it will help them when they take the SAT. 

1. Guess when you can confidently eliminate one answer choice on the multiple choice questions.
2. Predict your answer before looking at the answers. 
3. Math:  you will have 3 math sections.  They are all multiple choice except for the 10 grid-in questions.  There is no penalty for getting a grid-in question wrong.  Math problems are presented from easiest to hardest, so pace yourself accordingly.  If you don’t know how  to do a problem, skip it and move on.  You get the same point value for the easy ones that you do for the hard ones.
4. Review geometry formulas
5. Reading comprehension:  make notes as you read the passages.  Words to notice:  descriptive words, opinions, differing opinions, repeated words, contrast words.  Often the main idea will be followed by an illustration of the main idea.
6. Reading comprehension:  eliminate answer choices.  There is usually a ‘good’ answer that is the trap.  You are seeking the ‘best’ answer.
7. Every word counts:  sometimes just one word in an answer choice can make it wrong, it may sound great, but that one word makes it invalid or incorrect.
8. Vocabulary:  make your own predictions before looking at the answer choices!!!
9. Vocabulary:  use word charge, sentence tone, contrast/agreement words, punctuation, and prefixes/roots/suffixes.
10. An intro + 2 supporting paragraphs + conclusion = strong essay
11. Intro:  remember the ‘magic’ sentence:  Two distinct examples of this idea are ----------------- and -----------------.
12. Supporting paragraphs need to contain at least 3 facts – who/what/when/where
13. Organization and logical flow of ideas are critical
14. Do:  vary your word use and sentence structure.
15. Don’t:  use contractions, slang, abbreviations, repeated word use.
16. Grammar:  remember the hierarchy of errors  (verb, pronoun, etc.)
17. Memorize the correlating conjunctions:  either/or, neither/nor, as/as, not only/but also, just as/so, both/and
18. Comparative and Superlative forms of words:  
1. Comparative when comparing two things: "er" ending (ex: happier, fuzzier). Also use "better" and "more." 
2. Superlative when comparing three or more:  "est" ending (ex: happiest, fuzziest). Also use "best" and "most." 
19. Know when to use:  fewer (countable) vs less (non-countable), between (comparing 2) vs among (comparing more than 2)
20. And most of all  RELAX! Remember to breathe. Practice deep breathing to promote relaxation and reduce stress by breathing deeply, pushing out your diaphragm, holding it for 5 seconds, then exhaling for 5 seconds. 

BrainWorks offers one-on-one SAT tutoring and various classes throughout the spring and summer. Check out their website (http://www.brainworkslearningcenter.com) for more information.

See your counselor if you need assistance registering for tests. Also, if you believe you would qualify for a fee-waiver, please see your counselor to assist with test costs.

You have been preparing for these tests for a long time and should be prepared. Try not to stress too much.  We wish you the very best when taking your tests!

Sincerely,
Your HHS Counselors