Dear KMS Parents and Students,

 

Including multitasking, children ages 8-18 spend an average of 4 ½ hours per day watching television or scrolling on smart phones, 1 ½ hours using computers, and more than an hour playing video games. Screen time can be habit-forming: the more time children engage with screens, the harder time they have turning them off as older children.

 

At Kirtland Middle School, we realize that we ask our students to spend a great deal of time on screens, be it their Chromebooks or a large classroom screen. Unfortunately, that’s just where education is today. But we have decided to make a short change. With the support of our Student Leadership Council, beginning May 6, 2024, our entire building will go screen free for one week! In lieu of screens each teacher has been asked to modify their lessons to use other techniques. “The no-screen week would be an exciting thing to do because kids nowadays are always looking at a screen. This week would be beneficial to showing kids how to have fun without a screen and adjust to new and more fun ways to learn. It could show kids that their life isn’t only on a screen and they can enjoy themselves and time with their friends without playing video games with someone.” Our kids will be healthier and happier if they spend less time with television, video games, and handheld devices. In the future, we hope to make this more of a community event including activities outside of the school day.

 

What can you do to help? Each child will be asked to sign a Screen Free Pledge Card. Join us! Decide what “screen-free” means for your family. Does it include email and text messaging? Are you still going to FaceTime with family members in another state or country? Set a calendar of activities and events for the week. Suggestions from out Leadership Council:

1. Organize a game of touch football, baseball, or softball in the local park or play soccer, softball or volleyball.

2. Paint a picture, a mural or a room.

3. Learn about native trees and flowers in your area.

4. Plan a picnic or barbecue.

5. Plant a garden. Work in your garden

6. Cook a meal or bake using a cookbook

7. Take a nature hike.

8. Take an early morning walk.

9. Take photographs and then organize them into an album.

10. Shoot hoops with friends. Play a round of H.O.R.S.E

10. Create sidewalk art with chalk.

 

If you would like to look more into the effects of excessive screen time please visit www.screenfree.org

 

We hope we can count on your support, and would be excited to have you join us in this endeavor! We are hoping to raise money for new equipment for our fitness room, as well as STEM equipment for our newly added electives next year. Below you will find a link to sponsor your son or daughter in their pledge to stay screen free.

 

Use the QR code above or the link below to sponsor your son/daughter/or family to pledge to stay screen free.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Mr. Race and the entire Student Leadership Council members, Kylie Sayle, Olivia Hewes, Harper Lasecki, Johnny Scalish, Matthew Schweinfurth, Bella Marous, Bram Crisci, Tommy Loncar, Gabby D'Amato, Noelle Fisher, Tad Hillstrom, Michael Quinn, Ben Cook, Griffin Gabriel, Ben Trim, Cece Slomo, and Delaney Kothera.

• Including multitasking, children ages 8-18 spend an average of 4 ½ hours per day watching television, 1 ½ hours using computers, and more than an hour playing video games.
• Time spent with screens is associated with:
  • childhood obesity
  • sleep disturbances
  • attention span issues
• Children with 2 or more hours of daily screen time are more likely to have increased psychological difficulties, including hyperactivity, emotional and conduct problems, as well as difficulties with peers.
• Adolescents who watch 3 or more hours of television daily are at especially high risk for poor homework completion, negative attitudes toward school, poor grades, and long-term academic failure.
• Adolescents with a television in their bedroom spend more time watching TV and report less physical activity, less healthy dietary habits, worse school performance, and fewer family meals.
• Children with a television in their bedroom are more likely to be overweight.
• Especially high rates of bedroom televisions (70-74%) have been seen among racial/ethnic minority children aged 2 to 13 years.

 

• Reducing screen time can help prevent childhood obesity.
• Children who spend less time watching television in early years tend to do better in school, have a healthier diet, be more physically active, and are better able to engage in schoolwork in later elementary school.
• Television viewing at a young age is associated with later behavioral problems, but not if heavy viewing is discontinued before age six.
• Limiting exposure to television during the first 4 years of life may decrease children’s interest in it in later years

 

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