Gratitude

 

Received this book in the mail from a Principal Leadership Program I am apart of!  Self-Care for all of us is important, especially during these times.  As Jules Alvarado tells us, "We cannot give to others what we do not possess."  Our emotional well-being is essential if we want to give our best to others.   

In honor of Thanksgiving, I chose to focus on Week 12's Self-Care Suggestion:  Gratitude.

By now, you have probably heard about the benefits of gratitude, which include improved physical and psychological health, enhanced empathy and reduced aggression, as well as improved sleep and esteem.  A study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reports that people who write about their gratitude rather than their negative or neutral life events show greater signs of emotional well-being (Boogren, 2020).   

Gratitude will make you appreciate the good days and pulls one out of negativity.  This week, I encourage you to practice gratitude daily.  Here are some suggestions: 

Monday: First thing in the morning, record three things you are grateful for: friends, shampoo, roof over your head, heat, flavored coffee, etc. 

Tuesday: Take a photo of something you are grateful for and share it on social media!  #gratitude

Wednesday: Send a text expressing gratitude for someone.  

Thursday: Right before you go to bed, jot down more things you are grateful for!

Friday: Write a handwritten note of thanks to someone - mail or deliver!  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Important Information: 

* ORANGE all of you SUPER!  I am not exactly sure how many assignments this team helped students get caught up on this week, but it was an amazing amount!   Our students worked hard, received help and found success.   Thank you all so much for caring and helping our students learn.  To celebrate,  you will find some orange snacks and drinks in the office for all of you!  Energy to get you through the week!  Orange your excited!!  :-)  

Missing Assignments:  This week, we will go back to using 8th period/LL and our weekly missing assignment form to track missing work.  You can fill out the form HERE.   

         We will be contacting families to see if we can get them in on the 30th this week.  If you have specific students you feel like could benefit from coming to school on our virtual day please email that information to Jody and Phil.   Otherwise, we will use the lists we have to make determinations.  

COVID Reminders:  Thank you for being mindful last week of social distancing, hand washing and mask wearing among faculty and staff.  All of you play a very important role in the success of our school. Keeping your distance will help ensure that we can keep our doors open for students and that all of you are safe and healthy!

Observations:  If you would like to send in video links for Phil and I to use as a teaching observation, please feel free to do so!  If you have a link to an on-line lesson, we will use that as a short observation.   Swivl or recorded in-person lessons are welcomed as well for long evaluations.   Remember we are focusing on three areas of the observation tool:  2.1 - Learning Objectives,  2.2 Teach, Model and Practice and 2.5 Creating a Culture of Classroom Respect and Collaboration.    

       Adam Stowe had a great learning objective posted this week:  "I can explain how the crusades started on a formal quiz."  

Congratulations to the Girls Varsity Basketball team for their win this week!  Good luck to the Boys Varsity Team as they host Tell City Wednesday evening!