Happy New Year! I was so excited to get back to school this week and see all my kiddos! :)

K- Two of my classes finished up STAR problem solving this week!
My other two classes talked about feelings. We discussed the basic 4: happy, sad, mad, scared and practiced identifying those feelings faces on someone else and making the faces ourselves. We read Happy and Sad, Grouchy and Glad and discussed the different feelings in the story.

1st- Growth Mindset. We discussed the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset then watched a short video about growth mindset: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zrtHt3bBmQ
We discussed the video and thought about our strengths and areas for personal growth. We read When Sophie Thinks She Can't... and talked about how it is GOOD to make mistakes!! Making mistakes means we are trying something hard for us and that is what helps us learn new things. We spent the last few minutes taking some fixed mindset statements like "I can't do it" or "I'm not good at Math" and coming up with positive growth mindset statements such as "I can't do it YET," "I will try," "I can do my best," etc.

2nd- Growth Mindset. We thought about and shared our strengths and areas for personal growth. Then we read The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes and talked about how unhappy she was when she thought she had to be perfect. Once she realized that making mistakes is okay (and good!) she was less anxious and more herself.
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I missed several classes this week because of the snow days! Those classes will be a little behind until I can make them up after winter break!

3- Reviewed feedback and talked about how we feel when we get it. Compliments might make us feel good (we practiced giving and receiving them), but constructive feedback might make us feel bad. Feedback is information that can help us learn and grow. How can we control the big feelings so we can use the feedback? We discussed and practiced coping strategies like breathing, counting, relaxing our bodies, thinking positive thoughts, focusing on gratitude and guided imagery. We used the website Mind Yeti to do a relaxation script!

4- We used Sour Patch Kids candy to think about how sometimes life is sweet, but sometimes we hit a sour patch! What positive thoughts and coping strategies can we use during the rough patches. Students brainstormed and shared great ideas. We did a relaxation script to practice. We also tied in our last lesson about positive attitude and how important our perspective is in dealing with tough feelings and situations.

​5- Self control/coping strategies/note taking. Last time we talked about what happens with big feelings when we don't have coping strategies. We also talked about how holding feelings inside can make us feel sick. We listened to a story about self control that reminded us that our words and actions have a lasting effect on others. Then we read Soda Pop Head and talked about how the character needed coping strategies so he wouldn't blow up. We discussed and practiced our note taking skills during the book.

K- We reviewed S, T, and A, and talked about R: "Review." When we make a choice to solve a problem we need to decide if that solution solved the problem or if we need to try again. We read What Should Danny Do? School Day again, but this time we made the wrong choices for him! We talked about what he should have done instead and how when he made the good choices, he was happy, but when he made the wrong choices, he was sad and things didn't turn out well for him.

1- Life changes. Talked about what a life change is and listed some things that would change our whole lives. We talked about how those changes affect us-feelings, what you do, thoughts. We read We Are Best Friends and talked about the change in the book and how it affected the characters. They had strong feelings and we might, too! Discussed some coping strategies for dealing with tough feelings that come with life changes (or anything). Practiced deep breaths, counting, guided imagery, positive thoughts, tensing and relaxing muscles.

2- Diversity. Talked about how families and traditions can all be different. Students shared with each other a family tradition their family has. We read How My Parents Learned to Eat and discussed how the characters in the book were different, but made an effort to learn about each other and were respectful of the differences they had.

K- STAR Problem solving. We reviewed stopping- calming our bodies and deciding if the problem is kid sized or adult sized and thinking- what are some solutions? Then we talked about "A": Act. We need to make a positive choice. We read What Should Danny Do? School Day​ and practiced making good choices for him. 

3- Feedback. We talked about what feedback is (information to help us grow) and times we get feedback. We read Thanks for the Feedback I Think and discussed how to accept feedback and use it to get even better! We also talked about giving and accepting positive feedback like compliments!

4- Talked about the intensity of our feelings and how our behavior/attitude affect others around us. Did a cool experiment to show how our attitude impacts the world around us!

5- Talked about people making decisions for us and other things that might cause big feelings. Did an experiment to show how we need coping strategies to help us deal with big feelings. We also can't just bottle feelings up inside--they need to come out in appropriate ways.

K- STAR Problem solving. To review "S" (stop) we used a chart on the smartboard to sort problems into kid vs adult sized. Then we talked about "T"-Think. We practiced stopping to get calm then we thought about different solutions for kid sized problems. We practiced our assertive (strong, but respectful) voices and words!

1- Diversity. We brainstormed ways we are the same and different. Read It's Okay to be Different and discussed the differences the book presented. We talked about how to help people who are different and how to be respectful to ALL people!

2- Life changes. Talked about how a life change is something big that changes your whole life. Made a list of life changes and then discussed how people might feel about some of those changes. Even good changes can come with big feelings! Discussed coping strategies to use when we have big feelings about a life change--or anything! We practiced breathing, progressive relaxation, and did a mindfulness Treehouse Relaxation script.

K- Problem Solving. We learned our problem solving cheer to help us learn how to spell "STAR" so we can use the steps of solving problems :) We talked about "S," which stands for stop. We have to stop, get our bodies calm, and decide if the problem is kid sized (that we can solve ourselves) or adult sized (we need help from an adult).  

3rd- Problem Solving/Conflict Resolution. Talked about the meaning of "fair." Sometimes fair means equal, but, more importantly, fair means everyone getting what they need. We talked about how to be a problem solving STAR to solve problems and conflicts. We used some examples to practice solving conflicts with others!

4th- Perspective/Point of View. We used optical illusions to talk about how people see things differently and how there can be more than one perspective or even right answer! Just because we disagree doesn't mean someone is wrong! We talked about the importance of seeing things from other people's point of view to work together better and get along better with our friends. We did a practice situation to brainstorm all the possible perspectives about the situation.

5th- Cooperation/We-decisions. Talked about times they have to work together. Brainstormed strategies for working together and making decisions together. Practiced in groups by choosing a destination for an all expense paid vacation!

 BeIt's always my goal that every student feels cared for an included at Fairview and I'm always looking for new ways to do just that! For the weeks of Oct 28-30 & Nov 4-8, we are focusing on how each person can be inclusive in all settings at Fairview. Our daily focus on the morning announcements has been about inclusion and I have provided teachers with a few videos and resources to use in their classrooms to spark conversation around the topic. Our October assembly included a skit about Spookley the square pumpkin and presented some information to the entire school about how to include others. In the halls, I have hung some half sheet posters with ideas to encourage kids to talk to each other and include each other. The ideas were taken from the Stop Bullying Now-Include Someone kit. I've also asked teachers to have their students color a puzzle piece to represent themselves so we can see how each person is an important part of our community.
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We are taking this opportunity to remind our students about the Buddy Bench on the playground and on Wednesday, November 6th we will present a new space--the Friendly Falcon Spot--in the cafeteria. I'm excited to have another way for our students to advocate for themselves if they are able. And, if they aren't, we are going to keep working to create more opportunities together :) 

This week was short for everyone and next week will be short for me because I'm going to a conference for School Counselors on Monday and Tuesday and will be out of the building for a meeting all day Friday so it's taking me two weeks to do one week of classes! :) 

KD- most of my kinders are finishing up bullying prevention lessons (Hays' class is a lesson behind). Our 4th lesson was about bystanders--people who see or hear bullying happen to someone else. We talked about how we have a lot of power to help others!

1st- Being a good friend and a positive community member (good learner). We read Hunter's Best Friend at School and talked about how part of being a good learner is being a good friend and part of being a good friend is being a good learner! Our classroom community is counting on us to do both so that everyone can learn and feel safe and included.

2nd- We reviewed bullying prevention and feelings then talked about when we should report and when we can be a problem solver so we don't need to tattle. We read A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue and sang my tatting vs reporting song!

5th Character Connection- We've been talking about character and our counselor class last week tied to that with our conversations about peer pressure! This week we talked about the way we treat others and how it impacts them. We read Have You Filled a Bucket Today? and talked about how WE can help others feel good and that when we do that, it helps us feel good, too! The students wrote a little about what being a bucket filler means to them and then Mrs. Holman and I set up a special opportunity for them to practice being bucket fillers to each other--we'll put our plan into action in our next CC lesson :)
This lesson tied in well with the inclusion theme we are talking about school wide right now!

K- Bullying prevention lesson 3. We talked about how to use our strong, respectful voices to assertively "refuse" behaviors that hurt us. If a friend calls us a name, we can stand tall, look them in the eye, and say, "Please stop. I don't like that."

3- Rumors. We reviewed bullying prevention then started to talk about ways to be respectful to others. I THOUGHT I had brought my respect paste with me and we spread it all out before we realized it was RUMOR paste! We talked about what a rumor is (a story that spreads around and isn't ours to tell. Might start out as true, but often changes as it gets passed around), why rumors can hurt people, and what to do if we hear a rumor--check out my Rumor Rules below! We tried to put it all back in the tube and discovered that it isn't possible :( 

4- Cooperation. We reviewed bullying prevention then we did a little activity in which the goal was to earn as many stickers as possible. My participants thought it was a competition and worked against each other. We talked about how when we work together, everyone can be more successful!! We brainstormed times we might need to work together in 4th grade and talked about strategies for making compromises and cooperating.

5- Peer pressure. In our special Character Connection writing classes, we have been centering our work around character--who we really are when no one is looking. We are working toward talking about reputation--how people see us and how we want to be known. In this lesson we brainstormed things (negative and positive) that people in our general age group might encourage us to do. We talked about thinking ahead about what we want to say "no" to and how we can do that. We reviewed I-statements and STAR problem solving to be used with less intense situation, but I encouraged all of them to go home and talk to their trusted adults about real situations they might face and how to solve them.

K- Bullying Prevention lesson 2. We talked about how to report bullying. We brainstormed adults we trust. We can go to those people and tell them *who *what *when *where and ask for help. We touched on kid vs. adult sized problems (telling to get help rather than telling just to get someone in trouble for something we could solve ourselves), but will talk much more about that later on!

1st- Bullying Prevention- bystanders. We reviewed recognizing, refusing, and reporting bullying. Then we talked about what to do if we see or hear it happening to someone else. We have lots of bystander POWER that we can use to make the problem better! We can refuse the behavior, choose NOT to join in or laugh, help the student report, be a friend, etc.

2nd- Expressing a variety of feelings appropriately. We talked about how ALL feelings are okay, but that we have to express them and deal with them appropriately. Ex- it's okay to be mad, but not okay to rip up our paper and yell. Instead we can take deep breaths, ask for a break, talk to someone we trust, etc. We read How are you Peeling? and used the feelings in the book to discuss how to express different feelings.