On November 8th, performers from Puppets in Education will be visiting MES to teach our students about anxiety, what it is and how to manage it. Lessons will occur during health classes: grades K-4 will watch an interactive puppet show, grades 5-6 will participate in a workshop. For more information, check out the links below. Thank you Vermont Agency of Education for fully funding this important learning experience for our students.
Students learn and practice mindfulness in wellness classes. One practice we use most often is referred to as "core practice." It begins with a chime. We focus on the sound until we can hear it no longer. From there we focus on our breathing, taking deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. The chime sounds again to end the practice. I have found that after these mindful moments students are more focused and engaged in their learning. I will be sharing mindful resources in future posts, including practices you can do with your child at home.
In wellness we are exploring the issue of climate change. This began with a share, what would you be willing to give up if it would reduce global warming? I was impressed by their responses, which ranged from drying clothes outside instead of in a dryer to eating less meat. In the next two classes we will use the KWL model - what we Know, what we Want to know and what we Learned - to delve further into the topic.
Interested in talking with your child about climate change? If so, check out these resources: I am incorporating restorative practices into wellness classes, so I wanted to take a moment to explain what that means. The primary focus of restorative practices is on building relationships, student-student and student-teacher, and repairing harm. Circles are an integral part of restorative practices. In a restorative circle, there is a sense of equality, shared responsibility, ownership, safety, trust and connections. In wellness, our circles will consist of the following:
While I'm not a sports fan, I really got into the Little League World Series (LLWS) this summer. One player stood out and I shared his story in wellness this week. Josiah Porter is the starting outfielder on the Tennessee LLWS squad. Josiah was their standout player, leading his team to the championship final with a .400 batting average and six RBIs, the fourth-best total among participants this season. And he achieved all of this with vision in only his left eye. His story is an inspiration to us all. I encourage you to learn more about Josiah - see links below. Be warned, I cannot help but tear up every time I watch the video. Just ask a 5th or 6th grader!
Josiah Porter Proves Anything is Possible at the LLWS Josiah Porter's Incredible Journey to the LLWS (video) 5th and 6th graders are learning how their relationships, their friends and family, can help them to be more resilient, to overcome and persevere through life's challenges. Each student identified the supports in their lives - family and friends - and created a relationship web to represent these connections. Who do you think are the important people in your child's life?
One way to help kids be more resilient, to be able to bounce back and recover from setbacks, is to ensure that they are getting plenty of sleep. The amount of sleep children need varies depending a variety of factors, including their age. The following are some guidelines:
How Much Sleep Do Children Need? (Grow by WebMD) The first of the growth mindset stances that we covered is resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back and recover from setbacks and failures. When you have trouble, you bounce back and try again. Imagine a ball floating in a pool. No matter how far down you push it, it will always come back to the surface. This is resilience. It is what allows us to persist, and without it learning something new is next to impossible.
Next we will learn how to build our resistance, including doing things that bring us joy, getting plenty of sleep, eating a balanced diet, staying active and practicing gratitude. For other ways to help kids build resilience, check out: In their book, A Mindset for Learning, Mraz and Hertz describe what they refer to as a constellation of stances, or habits of mind, that make up a growth mindset. They are:
In wellness, students are learning about a "growth mindset" and how it differs from a "fixed mindset." With a growth mindset, you believe that your traits, habits, personality, skills are growing and changing. With a fixed mindset, on the other hand, you believe all of these are fixed and immovable. Having a growth mindset is important for learning. Check out these resources:
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Jason StevensonSchool Counselor - Avid Hiker - Reader - Lego Enthusiast Archives
January 2024
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