Feb 18 - 22

Bullying

Bullying is when an individual with more power, repeatedly and intentionally harms another person  who feel helpless to respond. Bullying can be physical (hitting, kicking, pushing), verbal (swearing at, teasing, threatening, spreading rumours), social (excluding someone or ganging up on them) or cyber (using the internet or social media to put down or outcast someone).
Pink Shirt Day - Feb 27

Signs to watch for:
- changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- mood swings (overemotional or aggressive)
- refuses to tell you what is wrong
- doesn't want to go to school or has stomach aches in the morning
- school grades drop
- becoming withdrawn & sullen
- stolen or damaged belongings
- physical bruises / cuts

As a parent or teacher the first step is to LISTEN without interrupting. Acknowledging their feelings and letting them know you are always there to help them. It is important to get all the circumstances about what happened, how often it has happened and what their reaction or actions were in response to the bullying.
Dealing with Bullies

I Am 

I am the person you bullied at school,
I am the person who didn’t know how to be cool,
I am the person you alienated,
I am the person you ridiculed and hated.

I am the person who sat on her own,
I am the person who walked home alone,
I am the person you scared every day,
I am the person who had nothing to say.

I am the person with hurt in her eyes,
I am the person you never saw cry,
I am the person living alone with her fears,
I am the person destroyed by her peers.

I am the person who drowned in your scorn,
I am the person who wished she hadn’t been born,
I am the person you destroyed for ‘fun’,
I am the person, but not the only one.

I am the person whose name you don’t know,
I am the person who just can’t let go,
I am the person who has feelings too,
And I was a person, just like you.(This poem was written for the BEAT BULLYING ad in the UK and narrated by celebrity sports people.) 

source: http://www.stclares.ie/anti_bullying_poems.html

Feb 11 - 15

Ways to Make Your Day  More Mindfulness

MIND FULL  😳  vs   MINDFUL  😌

Breathing Exercise & Relaxation

1)   Meditate, if even just for a minute of two daily.
2)   Slow down.  Notice how your body or senses change during the day.
3)   Change is inevitable. Reality is what it is.
4)   Listen.... really listen when you are talking to others.
5)   At the end of the day think of at least one thing you are grateful for.
6)   Be kind to yourself. Often we are our worst critics.
7)   Pay attention to the small, sweet moments in the day that speak loudly.
8)   Acknowledge your thoughts, don't judge them.
9)   If stressed take 3 deep breaths, in through your nose & out through your mouth.
10) Spend some time in nature everyday.

"It's not the day that you have to manage, but the moment.

It's not the dragon you have to slay, but the fear.

It's not the path that you have to know, but the destination."

~~M. Dooley~~

Feb 4 - 8

Empathy

By definition empathy is the ability to understand and share the feeling of another. It is how we an individuals understand what others are experiencing as if we were feeling it ourselves.

In order for empathy to grow, children must first be able to identify and understand emotions in themselves as well as others. The next step is kids must have a clear idea of expected and unexpected behaviours.  We here at Ranchlands have been using the Pillars of Care to teach appropriate ways of caring for self, caring for others and caring for this place. Celebrating students that demonstrate a Pillar of Care, by reading their kind act over the intercom for the whole school to hear helps build the overall feeling of belonging in the school.
Having the children explore how they would feel in another person's shoes helps them to get a new perspective on their own unexpected behaviour. Certain stories or movies  can also help build empathy when the student is asked to make connections with between themselves and the character.  For example how one would feel if being teased about their name like in the book Chrysanthemum.

Once a child can identify their emotions and understands expected school behaviour we can them look at how they are able to control their emotions appropriately or self-regulate. Movement breaks, fidget tools, access to a quiet corner, stretching or taking deep breaths are all strategies you might see in a classroom.

                         "We are all humans who share the same fears and concerns, 
                               and we deserve to be treated with dignity."~ M. Borba

10 Ways to Boost Empathy

Jan 28 - Feb 1

The 5 Keys to Reading -
Summary of an article - Read About It: Scientific Evidence for Effective Teaching of Reading 

1. Phonemic awareness: the ability to hear and identify individual sounds in spoken words

- names or letters & individual sounds, beginning - middle - end sounds

2. Phonics: the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language

- letter & symbol connections, blending sounds, chunking sounds, 

3. Fluency: the capacity to read accurately and quickly

- words read per minute, intonation, pausing at punctuation

4. Vocabulary: all the words students must know to communicate effectively

- the definition of the word & how its fits in the story or textbook

5. Comprehension: the ability to understand what has been read

- uses prior knowledge, personal experiences, understanding of vocabulary and visualization or pictures to make sense of what is read

Jan 21 - 25

Building Confidence

Confidence - a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something
Self-esteem - a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal value

The Story of Self-Esteem

Every time we achieve something, learn a new skill or become more proficient at a task we develop confidence. Celebrating these successes makes us feel more competent & increases the chance we will push ourselves to take more risks & try harder & harder things. Children are no different. Giving kids lots of opportunities to practice and encouraging them even when they make mistakes creates a growth mindset & an "I can do it" attitude. Being a role model for them, making your own mistakes & working through challenges will also help them to see how practice and perseverance pays off.

Here are some strategies to build a child's confidence:
- build on their interests & strengths
- encourage them to take on challenging things
- breaks tasks into manageable chunks & celebrate each success no matter how small to keep them motivated
- give frequent feedback
- help them set achievable goals
- model positive self-talk
- don't compare them to others
- teach them how to "fail forward"
- learn from their mistakes

Building a Growth Mindset

Jan 14 - 18

The Power of Words

What we say has the power to build someone else up or squash them down. As a teacher I have always thought, what is the one thing that I say that a student might remember for the rest of their lives?  Or I have taken it personally and thought, what am I doing wrong that is creating poor behaviour in my students? Maybe it is naïve to think my words will last that long, but if they do I want the words they replay in their minds to be affirmative, positive and empowering.  Sadly, I know personally it is way easier to repeat the unkind, unsupportive or mean things someone has said to me when I was a child then recall the nice words.

Adults and children alike make mistakes. Admitting to our errors or having someone point them out is part of life.  However, if we are always reminded or criticized for our mistakes and rarely get praise for what we do well or have been successful at, it can eat away at our self-confidence. Adults can get overwhelmed with the pressures and demands of daily life which in turn tests our patience and ability to stay calm when children make poor choices or behave badly. Rather than calling out the situation, it is less anxiety creating to redirect the child to make better decisions as well as celebrating their strengths rather than pointing out their deficiencies. This may take longer for the child to learn from their mistakes, but if the lesson is learned through fear or criticism it is less powerful then if it is because they intrinsically want to do the right thing or make the right choice.

Food for thought.

"Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don't mean much to you, may stick with someone else for a lifetime." -Rachel Wolchin

"Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder." -Rumi

Jan 8 - 11

Getting Back into a Routine

We go through a busy holiday season and can get off track from usual routines, become disorganized, or feel things are a little chaotic. With the hustle & bustle of the holiday season behind us, it can take some time to reset ourselves into a regular routine.  Here are some strategies to help your child readjust back into a school schedule.

1) set a strict & appropriate bedtime to assure they are well rested for learning (younger kids might like to chart their nightly hours of sleep)

2) establish a nightly routine (ie. reading, prepping their back pack for the next school day, bath time, laying out clothes for the next day...)

3) turn off screen time an hour before bed

4) set a time to wake up that will allow you to get ready, have breakfast & get out the door on time

5) pre-prep breakfast the night before along with making packed school lunches

6) have daily chores posted & give them a time to complete them, having household or personal chores (ie, nightly reading) not only can help you but allows them the chance to feel responsible

7) model good behaviour yourself, ensuring you head to bed on time & have a morning routine to limit an anxious rush in the morning