Dear IHS Families,

Give yourself a virtual high five!!

You have made it through the first 3 weeks of “virtual learning”! As we head into our fourth week of distance learning, we wanted to reach out, to not only wish you and your family well, but to also remind you that although there is no formal break next week, to take time for yourself! (Need some suggestions of how to manage your stress? Click Here!) You are doing your best. Don't forget to engage in things that interest you, spend time with your family, get fresh air, and enjoy the slow down.

As always, please reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Or just to say hi! We miss seeing you all and look forward to getting back to school as soon as we can!

Best,
Your High School Counseling Team 

The School Counseling Team
Emily Colman (last names A-C) e-mail
Heather Attenello (last names D-J) e-mail
Andrew Lund (last names K-P) e-mail
Rebecca Kruge (last names Q-Z) e-mail

Jen Monness, of Meditation lab, is offering meditation sessions for Irvington families. Just like you did at school, you can participate in mediation at home! To access these meditation videos, please follow this link and enter the password "SpringMedLab". You can use the videos as many times as you would like.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has guided meditation videos with jellyfish, turtles, and other relaxing critters.

The Center for Healthy Minds (connected with the University of Wisconsin) is now sharing their Healthy Minds Program App for free.

Take a free MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) online class! Click here to view the many courses available.

The Met is releasing live recordings of operas from past years for free. A new one drops every night and is available to watch for 24 hours on their homepage.

Broadwayworld.com is broadcasting "living room concerts" -- big-time Broadway performers singing from their homes, often accompanying themselves. You can sign up on their website to receive alerts when new ones drop.

Do you know about Kanopy? LA Library's film catalog. Watch great indies, foreign films, and more for free. All you need is your library card!

Want to feel like a kid again? Check out these crafts that will get your hands dirty while making your mind clear!

Not sure what craft is right for you? HGTV has an online quiz that can help you decide what your next project should be! Check it out here!

Active by POPSUGAR is offering Free at-home workout tutorials. There’s no excuse now!

NIKE is now offering their subscription service for no charge. This service includes studio-style streaming workouts, progressive training programs and expert tips from our elite Nike Master Trainers.

Need some musical inspiration? Here’s a list of 100 songs to lift your spirits!

Want to listen to a new heartwarming story every day? Check out Storycorps’ catalogue of uplifting true tales. StoryCorps’ mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.

Need a new podcast? Here are some to look into:
Dear Hank and John
Harry Potter Fan? Check this out!
Radiolab is one of Ms. Colman’s favorite podcasts!
Love science? Here’s one for you!
Stuff You Missed In History Class
Another goodie! Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!
For our Video Game Fans
Who Would Win? Finally, someone is taking this question and others like it seriously in a geeky podcast about beloved comic, sci-fi, and fantasy characters.

List of podcasts provided by: Parent Map - 10 Must-Listen Podcasts for Tweens and Teens

National Parks are offering virtual tours of many of their breathtaking parks.

The San Diego Zoo offers live cams on many of their animals. See what the baboons are up to while we’re all stuck in our homes.

The Northern Lights are on livestream all the time.

If you like the idea of learning, take any one (or more) completely free classes at Coursera. Thousands of courses in Arts & Humanities, IT, Literature, Languages, etc.

Here is a list of 450 Ivy League courses that you can take online for FREE.

Not tired of learning? TED Talks are free and amazing.

Take up your own STEAM project. MIT hosts a site of projects that may give you some inspiration.

Disney Imagineering fans, get ready! If you’ve ever been one of many guests who’s visited a Disney theme park and found yourself inspired to dream, build and create, there’s a FREE online program you just can’t miss! 

Want a new game to play? This article lists some of the highest rated family focused games currently available!

Test your knowledge! Take a trivia quiz here: http://quizfreak.net/