CHOICES Power Box

Our Introduction Letter

Broken Arrow Freshman Academy Families:

We hope each and every one of our families made time to celebrate Native American Heritage Month and embrace your unique culture. While The Power Box provided families with fry bread mix and a Three Sisters Soup recipe to enjoy during the month, our dose of gratitude should be experienced daily. Our students were encouraged to participate in several activities, including a 30-day gratitude challenge. It is important to motivate your student in their gratitude journey.

Can you believe we are already at the end of 2022? December is a an exciting time, especially our students anxiously awaiting winter break. We hope our December Power Box contributes to a bright holiday season as we focus on making positive “choices”. The provided infographic highlights statistics from Oklahoma ninth-graders involving choices students may encounter. As a family, review the data and discuss times they were faced with similar choices.

We are encouraging students make good decisions and one (easy) decision is to prepare a meal for the family using the provided Tuna Helper™ and canned tuna. For experienced students, preparation will be easy. If students aren’t as experienced in the kitchen, this will be a great meal to start learning. For a complete meal, students can add a side vegetable, salad and/or bread. Students should take pride in preparing a meal and know they can get help from other family members, if they need it.

574 Foundation has also provided a fun cultural activity this month! Students have everything to make a gourd ornament for the holiday season. The gourd, paint, paint brush, feathers, eye screw and ornament hook are all included. We think the students will “choose” to participate and gift the ornament to a special loved one.(NOTE: Don’t discard your paint or brush! You will want to keep it for next month.)

During the busy (and often times stressful) holiday season, we encourage everyone to simply slow down and enjoy this precious time with your family. For students and their families who are experiencing emotional distress, dial or text 988 for free, confidential emotional support.

We wish each of our families a happy holiday season and new year. Visit us at 574Foundation.com or connect with us on Facebook.

Sincerely,

Bobby Cook
574 Foundation President

Instruction:

1. Find the Parent/Student Goal card

For Parents: Review the CHOICES infographic and go over the stats with your student. Play the MASH game with your student. Encourage your student to prepare a meal (Tuna Helper and Tuna are included but student will need milk/butter.) Encourage your student to craft a Gourd Ornament.

For Students: Review the CHOICES Infographic and go over the stats with your parent. Play the MASH game with your parent (They might remember the game from childhood!) Prepare a family meal (Tuna Helper and Tuna are included but you will need milk/butter). Craft a Gourd Ornament and gift it to someone special! Keep paint for next month’s activity.

2. CHOICES Infographic

The enclosed CHOICES Infographic highlights the tough decisions Oklahoma 9th Graders face. The tough decisions include the use of tobacco, vaping, alcohol, marijuana use and riding with someone who has consumed alcohol. Smokeless tobacco use is less common among Oklahoma 9th graders; however, vaping is considerably higher with nearly half of students trying vaping.

 

 

 

 

3. CHOICES Activity

With December being the month of giving, the CHOICES Activity provides each student with two activities to complete for others.

We have provided the main ingredients for the student to prepare dinner for their family and the supplies to create a gourd ornament to gift to someone special.

 

 

 

 

4. Choose to make dinner for your family.

The Power Box includes one box of Tuna Helper™ and two cans of Tuna for your family dinner.

For those inexperienced cooks, we think this will be a great meal to start learning by following the simple instructions on the back of the box. Parents and caregivers should encourage students to ask for help, if they need it. We want this to be a positive learning experience for the students. For a complete meal, students can add a canned side vegetable, prepared bagged salad or bread.

5. Choose to make a gourd ornament for a special gift!

Each student will receive the materials needed to create a gourd ornament. Students can paint a gourd mask, tribal designs or something unique for the person they chose to receive it.

Each gourd contains two separate pre-drilled holes for the eye hook and feathers, along with a ornament hook to display.

 

 

 

6. MASH Game

Students face hard decisions every day, but some don’t have to be tough! That is where “The Game of CHOICES” provides a fun, stress-free activity for students and families to create a combination of outcomes based on serious or even silly choices.