Weekly Update - November 2, 2018

Happy Friday! 

3 Tips to Make Any Lesson Culturally Responsive (click for link):

A quick, great read on creating opportunities to link students' learning styles with your teaching. 

Mindfulness Moment:

#3 of 6 ideas for creating a mindful classroom:

The following is an excerpt from: the blog post, The Pause That Refreshes: 6 ideas for creating mindfulness in the classroom, Written by Betsy Caruso, August 16, 2018

3) Check on the environment.
Some of the best teachers I know begin the day with a short sit in the classroom. There is something wonderful about starting off together in silence, and even kindergartners enjoy it. Students in middle and high school often protest that they’re not interested in this quiet few moments, but in my experience students this age are also the most vocal about insisting on the morning sit if it has been forgotten. Some classes find that just after lunch or the end of the day is the best time for a few mindful moments. Experiment to find what works for you and your group(s).

After a brief (two to five minutes) sit, it can be helpful to get a short report from each student about how they’re feeling. Popular metaphors for these reports include a one-word “weather report” (sunny, stormy, rainy, etc.), thumbs up, down or sideways, even sports analogies for the oldest students. The littlest ones can make an animal sound or hold up a colored piece to represent their mood (see Zones of Regulation for more on this). Don’t forget to include yourself and any other adults in the room!

These environmental check-ins allow the entire group to get a general idea of the overall ‘climate’ in the room in that moment. This is great information for each person. As the group leader, you may decide to adjust or even completely change the next activity, based on what the reports tell you

The students also see each others’ responses, which informs them about how others may wish to be treated. A sweet surprise can happen in the form of one or more kids expressing heartfulness (or compassion) for a classmate who has given a negative report. This is usually most immediate in younger grades but often happens away from the gaze of adults in middle and high school aged cohorts.

To read this article in its entirety click here.

Note: I encourage use of the Zones of Regulation.  If you would like any resources please see me.
Challenge: If you currently use Zones of Regulation with your students or if you would like to use Zones but need more resources, post “yes” in the comment area to be included in a drawing for a prize.

-Annette M Warner, LICSW

Phones & Social Media:

As you know, I am an advocate for us "telling our story" through social media.  I encourage staff to have Twitter and utilize it regularly.  However, please be aware of the "personal" likes and posts during work hours.  Again, I am not in any way saying not to use these for professional reasons.  However, personal reasons should wait until your break and after hours.

Same for phones - I know we use these regularly to communicate within the building, particularly with our non-classroom staff.  Be aware of the time we are using our phones for personal reasons.  I'm not going to "police" this - you are a professional, please be only using this for professional reasons. 

I would appreciate your cooperation in this.  

Recess:

As a staff, we have done some learning work around the benefits of students being outdoors throughout a given day.  This is something I fully support.  In saying this, we should not be keeping students in from recess.  Students need fresh air, down time, and time to play.  I often think that our students with the most behavioral needs are often the ones who have recess taken away from them.  There will be rare times that an office referral may result in recess being taken away - mostly to allow for a situation to "cool down".  Again, we should not be keeping kids in from recess.  If you are having issues with what to do now, feel free to connect with Libby or I for some ideas.  

STEAM Family Night:

We have our first STEAM Family Night, "Grateful for Nature" on Thursday, November 8 from 6-7pm.  This will be a night of STEAM challenges and exploring nature.  A huge thank you to our 4th Grade Team for organizing this night.  If you are free, join us for a fun night! 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:

The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to Teaching and Learning Coach, Libby Zeman!  Libby is a knowledgeable, compassionate educator who is focused on not only every student, but every staff member, too.  Libby truly models a growth mindset, each and every day.  One of the things that impresses me the most about Libby is her understanding of teaching and learning - and how to translate the research into practice.  Keep up the great work, Libby! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Justin