Below is what we worked on in the month of September!
Defeating Our Worries! Students have been identifying their individual worries and developing strategies to help cope and adjust to school. Some strategies taught have been: taking deep breaths, taking a break, "changing your channel," drawing, and meditation. We have read literature to support our discussions, such as Moody Cow Meditates and Wilma Jean the Worry Machine!
Students created self images and identified their current worries.
After we identified our worries, we identified ways we can take control of them and change our thinking using our coping skills. Most worries we have control over!
Thanks to Moody Cow, we made mediation jars with glitter to use when we get frustrated! The glitter represents our negative emotions and thoughts (frustration, anger, sadness, etc.) and when we shake up our jars we can watch our thoughts settle and calm at the bottom of the jar, helping to make us calm!
Tucker the Turtle is back! Tucker is back at Wilson Hill and cannot be happier to be with students! He has had many visitors from Kindergardeners to 6th graders.
Connecting with Students My favorite part of the new school year is the ability to learn about students and their interests. This past month has provided a lot of self-discovery for students as well as opportunities for me to learn their preferences, strengths, and needs. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with such amazing kids!
PCC word of the month: Respect Students have been identifying what respect in the classroom looks like by defining classroom "i will" statements. Students collaborated on classroom norms so that each member of our classroom community would be held to the same expectations.
We Use Feelings Talk! Before students can relate to others, they must first understand their own emotions and know the appropriate way to express their emotions. We spent time discussing different feelings and painted our interpretations of their meanings.