Welcome, Dr. Tom Kulla-Abbott
Yesterday, our 8th graders had an opportunity to meet Dr. Kulla-Abbott or Dr. TKA. Dr. TKA will serve as their assistant principal for the remainder of the year. You can reach him at
Kulla-Abbott.tom@wgmail.org or 314-963-6450.
Below is Dr. TKA's welcome letter:
Happiest
of New Year’s 2018
I
would like to introduce myself to you and your family. My name is Dr. Thomas
Kulla-Abbott. The students may address me as Dr. TKA because my name becomes
long and hard to pronounce at times. Adults may call me Tom but if you are
uncomfortable with that you may also call me Dr. TKA.
My
career has taken me into many venues for very specific reasons and am excited to have been
hired as the interim Assistant Principal at Hixson Middle School. I bring to
education a multiple perspective. I am a husband, advocate for students and
their equity as a public-school administrator, Doctor of Education with an
emphasis in Educational Leadership, and an adjunct professor at Maryville
University. In addition, I was the athletic dept. compliance officer, academic
coordinator and position assistant football coach at Wichita State University, an independent business owner and a phase I and II
corporate trainer. Most recently, I retired from Maplewood Richmond Heights after serving as the middle school assistant principal. I consider all of these perspectives when I evaluate and assess the
situations and qualities of students and adults I interact with.
It
is most important to me for the students, staff, parents/guardians to collaborate
and help keep the culture and climate of a school focused on equitable learning
by keeping the environment safe, positive, accountable, respectful/responsible
and cooperative. My expectation is that all students will choose to help and
collaborate with me and the other administrators on a daily basis to keep learning
as the priority for all students. I am very aware that middle school students
have many changes going on at this developmental stage in their life and can
demonstrate challenging behaviors. We need to focus and support who students
are becoming, not just who they are right now.
I
sincerely look forward to being as transparent and collaborative as possible
with you as I hopefully get the opportunity to meet each of you as I collaborate
with you and your children for their success. Please stop in and say hello face
to face so each of us can put a name to a face.
May your New Year be the best ever 2018,
Tom
Our Library
Yesterday, we shared information that our library experienced flooding due to a pipe break. The library will be closed for the remainder of the week for repairs. If your child needs to return a book, please have them drop by the main office where a bin to collect books is in place.
Vape Pens, JUUL and E-Cigarettes
We wanted to share information about a trend among young adults around Vape Pens, JUUL's and e-cigarettes. If you have any concerns or would like more information, please reach out to your child's grade level counselor or administrator.
What Parents Need to Know About Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
While Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) have been
around since the 1960’s, their popularity has increased dramatically in the
past decade. Vaping is popular among teens, although it is not legal for anyone
under the age of 18 to purchase or be in possession of an ENDS (e.g. vape pen,
JUUL) or vaping liquid. The vape pens and
JUULs commonly used among teens today differ greatly from the e-cigarettes from
10-20 years ago. Vape pens tend to look more complex and include a “tank” that
can be filled with various e-liquids (vape juice) that have different flavors
and different levels of nicotine or THC.
A JUUL on the other hand, looks more like a flash drive and can be
hidden in a closed fist. The JUUL uses “pods” that are attached to the device
and contain the e-liquid and are also available in different flavors. A JUUL is
charged through a normal USB port, making it appear more like a form of
technology. JUULs are more popular among
teens because they can be more discreet due to their size and the less visible
smoke. They are also more simple to use because the pods containing the liquid
are disposable and do not need to be refilled. There are many more brands and
styles than could possibly be listed/described, but vaping and JUULing tend to
be the common terms used to describe the use of an Electronic Nicotine Delivery
System.
Because the current mechanics of the current forms of
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems are new, there is not much research on the
long-term effects of their use. Parents should be aware that the e-liquid used
with ENDS can contain nicotine or THC (the intoxicating ingredient in
marijuana). Both nicotine and THC are known to have damaging effects on the
developing teenage brain. The liquid will also often contain diacetyl, acetyl
propionyl, or acetoin, which are used as flavoring, and have been connected to
a condition commonly referred to as “popcorn lung,” which causes permanent lung
damage.
What should parents
look for?
·
Suspicious online orders/packages
o
Because teens cannot buy devices or liquid in
stores, they will order online. Deliveries may be sent to a friend’s house or a
vacant home.
·
Pieces to pens (coils, fabric/cotton)
·
Flavored liquids (with or without nicotine)
·
Empty JUUL pods/cartridges
·
USB chargers for JUUL devices
·
Fruity or mint smells
·
“Sizzling” sounds
For more information
and tips on how to talk to your teen, visit the sites below:
The Teen Vaping Trend – What
Parents Need to Know
E-Cigarettes/Vaping
What are electronic cigarettes?
To Begin Addressing Your Child’s
Drug Use, Start Talking
Preventing Teen Drug Use: Risk
Factors and Why Teens Use
The Unique Risks of Teen Substance
Use
Mardi Gras @ Cyrano's
Come and join the Mardi Gras celebration on February 11th at Cyrano's from 6-9pm and support the Webster Groves School District Foundation. For details and ticket information, please visit the Foundation website: http://www.wgsdfoundation.org/
JET's Pizza Night
Our monthly Hixson JET's Pizza night is this Thursday. 20% of sales will come back to our school. Please present the flyer that is going home with your child this week or let your driver/check out server know you are supporting Hixson. Thank you for your support!
Have a great week and enjoy your weekend reconnecting with each other.
With gratitude,
Grace
Grace