The ARKFamily is off to a wondrous beginning this first quarter of 2010, and we extend our thanks to you, dear readers, for joining us.

We have received several incredible letters of support this month. We've been notified that the federal Head Start evaluators of the AVANCE Head Start Schools in Houston have communicated to their National Head Start offices that our ARK for Parents programming has been cited as an "innovative strength" of AVANCE's schools.

In addition, we received this note from a Dallas area elementary school counselor. The counselor is running the ARK Program at the Head Start center at Clifton Elemenatry School (in the Irving ISD):

"I have good news regarding the ARK groups held at Clifton. The principal has asked me to submit my work with the ARK groups for the Irving Celebration of Excellence (ICE) Awards. Last week I received notice that our school has been selected as one the 3 top nominees for the award.

• Sending hate email messages.
• Creating Web sites meant to humiliate a victim.
• Forwarding private emails without permission.
• Taking an embarrassing photo with a camera phone and posting in on the Internet.
• Setting up polls on Web sites to vote on who's the fattest, ugliest, geekiest, or sluttiest kid in the school.

Parents can play a major role in preventing cyberbullying. The best preventive is for parents to give their child the unconditional love that generates high self-esteem in that child. Children who value themselves, value and respect others; and don't feel a need to victimize those who are different from them. Wilde suggests that other things parents can do to prevent cyberfullying include the following:

• Supervise your child's use of the computer. Many experts recommend moving the computer from the child's room to the family room.
• Learn about the sites that your child visits and what she's doing online.
• Encourge your child to come to you if he is experiencing cyberbullying, or has witnessed it. One survey claims that 58% of kids did not tell their parents when someone abused them online. Talking about it helps release some of the hurt.
• Investigate what's going on if your child spends an excessive amount of time on the computer or hides the screen when you approach.
• Teach your child empathy for others.

Wilde also has some sugggestions on teaching your child how to protect himself from cyberbullying. She says to tell them:

• "Be careful about giving out personal information such as email addresses and phone numbers. And don't give out passwords, even to a friend. If the relationship sours, a former friend can use the password to get into the account and impersonate the owner."
• "Walk away from the computer if any sort of harrassment starts."
• "Tell me if something seems wrong so we can talk about it."
• "Remember that whatever happens online can be reproduced and spread very easily. Nothing you put online is ever really private."

Wilde also has some sugggestions on teaching your child how to protect himself from cyberbullying. She says to tell them:

• "Be careful about giving out personal information such as email addresses and phone numbers. And don't give out passwords, even to a friend. If the relationship sours, a former friend can use the password to get into the account and impersonate the owner."
• "Walk away from the computer if any sort of harrassment starts."
• "Tell me if something seems wrong so we can talk about it."
• "Remember that whatever happens online can be reproduced and spread very easily. Nothing you put online is ever really private."

Above all, remind your child that, if they are ever the victim of cyberbullying (or face-to-face bullying), it's not a result of any short-coming upon the part of the child. It's a reflection of how the bully feels about herself. "Bully cliques" are populated by kids who are insecure and who try to prop themselves up by putting others down.

The best form of bully-proofing is to consistently remind your child that he is a beautiful, precious child of God and that you love him with all your heart!

Share with us your suggestions of hope and encouragement, and we will pass them on to others.

An acquaintance of mine who is a physician told this story about her then four-year-old daughter. On the way to preschool, the doctor had left her stethoscope on the car seat, and her little girl picked it up and began playing with it. Be still, my heart, thought my friend, my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps! Then the child spoke into the instrument: "Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?"

A new neighbor asked the little girl next door if she had any brothers and sisters. She replied, "No, I'm the lonely child."

I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct. But it was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"

A class professor was giving a lecture on company slogans and was asking his students if they were familiar with them. "Joe," he asked, "which company has the slogan, 'come fly the friendly skies'?" Joe answered the correct airline. "Brenda, can you tell me which company has the slogan, "Don't leave home without it?" Brenda answered the correct credit card company with no difficulty. "Now John, Tell me which company bears the slogan, 'Just do it'?" And John answered, "Mom."

"Success is almost always totally dependent upon drive and persistence.The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is he secret of your dreams."
Dennis Waitley

"Cherish your human connections--your relationships with friends and family."
Barbara Bush

"God grants liberty only to those who love it and are always ready to guard, defend and speak for it."
Daniel Webster

And finally, this little lesson in humility... "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe."
Albert Einstein

A memorial gift to ARK is a great way to remember a deceased friend or relative. A gift in honor of a co- worker, a grandchild, or a teacher is a gift that will "enrich the lives of children" as we use those monies to better the lives of children. A gift to ARK--offered simply because you believe in our mission-- will have a wonderfully significant impact.

If your gift is memory or in honor of a loved one, please include the address where we can send an acknowledgement of your gift.

Since the ARKGroup is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, all of gifts are tax deductible. Checks can be made out to "The ARKGroup" and sent to our Houston office (20515 SH 249, LoneStar College University Park CB-122, Houston, Texas 77070) or our Dallas office (2215 Canada Dr., Dallas, TX 75212).

Thank you for your generosity and for helping ARK to make a difference in the lives of countless children and students.

We read a lot about kids who are gifted and talented, but as a parent, grandparent, neighbor and observer of lots of kids, haven't we noted that all kids are gifted and talented in some way? For certain, I have heard my neighbors talk about the extraordinary talent their child displays in ignoring their cries for a clean room. Truth be told, if we look for them, I suspect we can find "gifted and talented" moments in every child's day.

What does it mean to appreciate the gifts in each child? I offer these humble ideas for you to digest as you help your child clean up their room tomorrow.

A child should be seen as gifted when they ask questions. They are not being rebellious; they should simply be seen as seeing things in a different way and encouraged not to shy about pointing out flaws in our thinking. Be understanding.

A child should be seen as gifted when he or she accomplishes an age- appropriate task. That success deserves our comments regarding that gift of accomplishment.

One area of giftedness is your child's gift of passion; and, as the adult in her life, you should find ways to encourage that gift. Look for ways you can provide nurture for those passionate gifts -- in trips to the theater, the woods, the local pond, or the playground of imagination.

Lastly, a gifted child needs our advocacy. If you believe that your child is not getting a day's worth of education for a day's worth of attendance, get involved. Share your concerns with the teachers and school staff, and volunteer in ways that can help make a difference.

Your child/student needs social peers, intellectual peers, and every age of adults and kids in his or her life to share their common interests. Strive to make it so.

Just musing...
Bill

We encourage you to commit to renewal and growth with education and networking facilitated by the ARK Program DVDs: ARK for Teachers, ARK for Parents (faith-based and secular), ARK Facilitator Training, The ARK Group Process and an Introduction to ARK hosted by Pat Summerall. Order today at www.thearkgroup.org. The ARK Program has excellent lessons, DVD's, manuals, workbooks, texts and materials. They will equip you to provide life-changing ARK programs including breakthrough parenting and teaching "skills courses." With your help, we can make ARKRelationships the norm for the 21st century family, church, school and community.

Check out Liveunited.org now for even more insights regarding what can become possible when we get serious about assuring a basic education to all.