October 24 Update

Happy Friday!

Can you believe next Friday is the end of 1st quarter?   Just a reminder - we do not report grades on a report card for quarter 1.  Additionally, November 3 is a PD day for staff.  

Porcupines:
A huge thank you to our Staff Social Squad for the mid week snack and reminding us to "feed our porcupine". 

I want to take a moment to remind you all about the porcupine story from the beginning of the year.  It’s about this time of year where as adults we can lose patience with some of the students who don’t seem to be finding the routines yet.  Just remember, they need our care the most.  I would encourage you to do something with the students who are in this boat for you (play a game with them at recess, invite them to have lunch with you in the classroom, spend a couple of 1:1 minutes with them during breakfast).  Invest in them; it will pay off!

All In the Hall:

Imagine you get home from a long vacation and excited to see your family.  You walk in the door and notice that everyone is doing their own thing - watching TV, reading, etc.  You announce your arrival and your family says "oh, hi" as you walk in.   You were so excited to get home and wanted that excitement in return.  That analogy brings me to a reminder - "all in the hall" during arrival.   Our students enter the building every morning at 8am.  It is expected we are all outside of our rooms/offices greeting students as they arrive.   That first 10 minutes is a great time for relationship building - saying hi, asking how their night was, and just being around to connect with students.   All in the Hall from 8-8:10.  It's powerful.  

October School Counseling Lessons: Empathy, Compassion, and Bullying Prevention - Guest Blogger Amanda Andrews
This month in our SEL (Social Emotional Learning) lessons we’re focusing on empathy and compassion — two important skills that help our students build positive relationships, show kindness, and create an inclusive school community. We will be learning how to:

• Understand and recognize others’ feelings (empathy)

• Show care through our words and actions (compassion)

• Stand up for others and make respectful choices

October is also National Bullying Prevention Month so we will spend time discussing what bullying actually is and how it’s different from normal conflict. We will discuss what students can do if they see it happening (bystander). The goal is to help students see that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference and that everyone has a role in making our school a safe and caring place to learn.
Thank you for reinforcing these lessons in your classrooms and modeling empathy every day.

Building Weekly Newsletter:
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Have a GREAT weekend!   And, Go Huskies!  
-Justin