Conflict

We are just about the end of November which means all grade levels have just about finished up their conflict resolution lessons. Throughout September, October, and November, students from kindergarten through fifth grade have learned about different sizes and types of conflict as well as how to solve different types of conflict.

Check what they’ve learned! Ask your younger students the difference between big and little conflicts. They should know a big conflict needs an adult to help us solve the problem, and these are problems where somewhere is being dangerous and we feel scared. A small conflict means we aren’t scared, but we might still feel mad, sad, or frustrated. Younger students should be able to tell you the following ways to solve small problems: ignore, take turns, talk it out, apologize, move away, and take a break.

For older students, ask them what the difference is between a disagreement, rude moment, mean moment, and bullying. You can then follow up with ways to solve each type of conflict.

1st Quarter Done!

We made it through the first quarter of the year! It seems like we’ve been in school for a long time, but yet it feels strange that we are a fourth of the way through the year.

As we head into winter, please remember we have no adults available to provide supervision before 8:00 and we also do not allow students to come in the building before 8:00 because of it. If you are in need of finding a solution because you need to drop your student off earlier, please reach out to our office for help and ideas.

In classroom lessons, we have focused on conflict and conflict resolution. We discussed big and small problems, and lots of strategies to solve problems. Ask your student what they’ve learned!

Who Would Have Thought? Not Me!

A year ago, who would have thought we’d STILL be working within the confines of COVID safety procedures? I certainly didn’t. I couldn’t imagine still hearing about COVID multiple times a day, eating in the cafeteria with the plastic dividers, and wearing masks. You and your student might find this year to be even more difficult than last year, believe it or not! At this point, COVID-related fatigue can really set in and feel so overwhelming.

On that note, did you know the elementary school counselors worked to create a website with resources and suggestions for how to help students deal in our “new” world? We do and I even got to have a big hand in creating it!

If interested, you can check it out here!

Elementary Social and Emotional Supports

Sleep!

Recently, I’ve been hearing more and more about the importance of sleep. I found a wonderful book recently released where the author said previous lines of thought were nutrition, exercise, and sleep were the three pillars of health. However, now the scientific community has a better understanding of sleep being the foundation of good health, with nutrition and exercise coming after that. Basically, if you aren’t sleeping well or getting enough sleep, nothing else really matters. Sleep matters to literally every cell in your body affecting every system.

 

With that knowledge, we have worked in my house to make sure everyone is getting enough sleep. Early bedtimes aren’t always fun (especially with the sun staying out longer), but it really is so important to kids and adults to make sure they are getting enough sleep. I have also talked with students about this, and explained that without enough sleep their ability to regulate emotions and handle stress will be greatly impaired. The next time you’re struggling to manage emotions, think about how much sleep you got the night before. It could very well be the problem!

Online Safety and Kindness

The focus of the classroom lessons this month has been online safety and kindness. I talked with classrooms about how we never really know who anyone is on the internet, and just because their profile picture is a kid, puppy, or Pokemon, that doesn’t mean they are a kid to trust. We also discussed being kind using technology, and what to do if you see cyberbullying.

I encouraged students over and over to talk with the adults at their house anytime they feel unsafe online. Ask your student how they can be safe online.

A Big THANK YOU!

Last week, I reached out to several businesses asking if they would be willing to make a donation to recognize school staff for the tremendous work they’ve done this year. Our staff have managed in-person learners, remote learners, students going between remote and in-person, mask breaks, social distancing, and did all this with a mask on!

Super Saver on South 56th Street came through! They donated 65 doughnuts and 35 bagels. The staff was THRILLED this morning with a surprise of a yummy start to their day. Thank you so much to Super Saver for this very generous donation!

Online Safety

Next month, I will be talking in my classroom lessons about on-line safety and kindness as part of the Nebraska State Standards. While this is a lesson that I really like to teach and talk with students about, the education can’t only be this one lesson a year.

Please be sure you are always monitoring what your student is doing with technology. We will be talking about even “safe” sites or apps can be dangerous if students share too much information or don’t know how to handle situations where they feel unsafe.

We also talk about how we don’t truly “know” people on the internet unless we’ve actually met them in person. Often, people (adults and children) will say, and even feel like, they “know” someone just because they see their YouTube videos every week, or their TikToks daily. That’s not truly “knowing” someone, and can open us up to say or do things we shouldn’t be saying or doing.

Getting Back on Track

Well we definitely had a bit of a shake up with the THREE snow days last week. As I go in and out of classrooms, I see teachers’ planners full of strike throughs and eraser marks. We are all readjusting and working to get back on track.

As we head into each new month, week, or even day, I think it is a great attitude to have of getting back on track. Sometimes kids and adults get down on themselves for a mistake or series of mistakes and begin to feel shameful of themselves as a person rather than temporary guilt for a decision they’ve made. So, if you haven’t quite done what you hoped or make a decision you wish you could take back, I offer you this challenge. From now on, you’re going to work to get back on track. What has happened, has happened, and we can use what we learned to move forward and make the best decisions possible moving ahead!

Gratitude!

Well hello 2021! I am so grateful 2020 has passed, and am hopeful for a better 2021. One thing that will be the focus of 3rd quarter groups will be gratitude. I feel like everywhere I look and listen (hello podcasts), gratitude is talked about as being so important. I found this article which I felt summarized it all well!

 

You may have heard the saying attitude of gratitude. It’s a great little rhyme to remind us that we live a life of gratitude – and practice it! When we practice gratitude on a regular basis, it not only impacts our mental and physical health, but those around you.

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and showing appreciation for what we have. At a time when many of us are struggling to adapt to a new normal, practicing gratitude is more important than ever.

Showing gratitude has the following mental health benefits:

  1. Expressing gratitude can improve your mood. People who regularly express gratitude for the positive things in their life are shown to be happier overall, leading to lower rates of stress and depression.
  2. Showing gratitude can make you more optimistic. Studies show that those who express gratitude regularly appear to have a more positive outlook on life.
  3. Sharing gratitude can improve social bonds. People have reported feeling more loved and more connected to others in their lives when they routinely practice gratitude or those around them practice gratitude.
  4. Practicing gratitude can improve your physical health. People who actively express gratitude tend to be more engaged in activities to take care of their physical health, like eating well and exercising. This leads to higher energy levels, better sleep and a stronger immune system, or the ability to fight off illness or infection.

How can your family practice gratitude? The first thing is to build gratitude into your daily schedule – and practice it! Here are a few ways you can practice gratitude to improve the overall well-being of your family and those around you.

  1. Start your day by writing down one thing that went well the previous day and why it went well. You can do this while eating breakfast or before you start on work or schoolwork. Writing it down is important because it is a record of what happened that you can refer back to. This allows you to reflect on your actions and continue growing.
  2. Most of us feel frustrated by something in a normal day. When you find yourself feeling upset or frustrated, hit the pause button and reset your thinking. Come up with something positive about the situation or think about something else entirely that you are thankful for.
  3. Go around the dinner table and have each person state something general they are thankful for, and something specific to that day that they are thankful for.
  4. Share your gratitude with others by writing a note to someone you are grateful for.

From https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2020/05/gratitude#:~:text=Showing%20gratitude%20has%20the%20following,can%20make%20you%20more%20optimistic