"K is for Kind"

We are celebrating KINDNESS WEEK here at Willow and I've been having a lot of fun talking to students about what it truly means to be kind, what random acts of kindness are all about, and why it is so important to show kindness for others. 
Sesame Street recently conducted a survey where they asked parents and teachers about their children/students and kindness.  Seventy-eight percent of teachers felt it was more important for their students to be kind than to be academically successful while 73% of parents felt this way (Sesame Street) - so for the most part, we are all on the same page!
This week at Willow we have been busy completing random acts of kindness - from decorating coffee sleeves for a coffee shop in Hudson (patron them all and find them!) to creating Kindness Catchers, notes, or tissue flowers.  We have been checking off our Kindness Bingo sheets or Kindness Checklists and we have been learning in guidance why kindness means so much.

Found this idea on the Elementary School Counselor Exchange group on Facebook - decorating coffee sleeves for a local coffee shop here in Hudson!  What a great way to spread the message about kindness and brighten someone else's morning!

Third grade read the book "Potato Chip Champ" and made "Comprehension Catchers" (Maria Dismondy's Activity) to review the main points in the book.  Students will be making similar catchers that will include "random acts of kindness" inside to challenge those who use the fortune tellers!

Fall Climate Results

For the second year, I have given a "Fall Climate Survey" to students in 1st- 5th grades to get a pulse on what students are experiencing at Willow River to help guide my curriculum and improve the school climate for students.  With 1st and 2nd graders, I sat out in the hall and visited with each one of them for a "Minute Meeting" asking them the questions and checking in with how their year was going so far.  While this takes several weeks to accomplish between classes, it is one of the most valuable things I do.  I'm able to connect one:one to students who might not otherwise visit my office and I'm able to reiterate that I'm here for them if they need me at any point.  In grades 3-5, students are given the survey online and asked to complete it at the beginning of a guidance lesson.

I share the results and ways that the school counseling program is addressing each concern below and look forward to any conversations or ideas you might have in improving our school climate!  Willow is a great place to be and we want to make sure EVERY student feels that way!!

CONNECTIONS WITH ADULTS
I cannot stress enough how important it is for students to have several trusted adults in their lives.  This has been shown in studies to be a protective factor when it comes to mental health and bullying - adults they can talk to about their problems play a key role. 
Last fall, 78% of our students reported two adults they felt safe talking to.  Staff took note of this and we talked about connectivity and the importance of it.  Together we read a text that discussed the brain and learning - and a major point of this text was that students need to feel safe and emotionally connected to their teachers for an optimal learning environment. 
This fall, we saw an increase to 93% - which is great, but not 100%.  Seven percent of our students could not name two adults and a few went so far as to type in "no one" in the survey.  This amounts to 20 of our students.  How can we reach them so they feel supported?
Continued discussion and activities with staff to ensure we are making connections with ALL students.  Developing and beginning a formal mentor program - "Willow River Daymakers" - that will begin mid-January. 
What else can we do to make sure our kids feel connected and supported while at school?

UPStanders
This fall, 64% of our students felt that students stick up for each other "All of the time" or "Most of the time".  What can we do to drive up that number and certainly eliminate the 3% of "Never"?  When it comes to experiencing or seeing mean behavior occurring, 8% of our students reported this happening "every day" and 22% reported it happening "A few times a week".  What can we do to change this and improve our climate?
While we encourage students to be UPStanders, this fall we had 21% of our students report they ignore mean behaviors.  How can we encourage their assertion skills so they can feel confident standing up for themselves and others?

This year the school counseling program pushed for an increased awareness of UPStanding.  The idea is that when you see someone being treated badly by another student, you choose one of four ways to be an UPStander rather than a BYStander.  Speaking out, Being a Buddy, Telling an Adult, or Interrupting are the four main ways students were taught to be UPStanders, complete with examples of how this could work for any personality or age. 

Our Student Council demonstrated the four ways to be an UPStander at our October All-School Meeting and we have been getting reports about UPStanders throughout our building who are brought into the counselor's office, given a t-shirt, pencil and certificate, and we call home to report their UPStanding behavior!  This has become the highlight of my year so far!!

In February, we will celebrate the "National Kindness Week" to help continue the push for kindness toward each other - including sticking up for each other and helping each other be more kind. 

When it comes to "bully-proofing" our school, the most influential people are our kids - not us.  That's tough for us to wrap our heads around sometimes, because they seem so small, but our kids are powerful advocates for each other.  They do need adults to help guide them in effective ways to do this, but ultimately, the message "We don't do that to each other here" and "We Choose Kind" coming from our STUDENTS is what will determine the amount of mean behavior that occurs at school.

STRESS!!

As the holiday season approaches, I know I personally am feeling more stress.  Family gatherings, gifts, full calendar... we all experience it, both young and old, and we all manage it differently.  This cycle I have been talking to 4th graders about the effects stress has on our relationship.  When we are stressed, we tend to snap at friends, be rude to parents, and feel overwhelmed. 

Well, I caused 4th graders some stress :)  We played a game called "C'Mon 6!" from Tom Jackson's book "Activities that Teach" to induce stress and to notice how our behavior changes as the game amps up.  Students were in groups in which everyone had a piece of paper and the group shared a dice and a pencil.  Students took turns rolling the dice, and if one rolled a "6", they got the pencil and began writing and counting up to 100.  If another team member rolled a "6" , they got the pencil and began their list of numbers.  This went on until one team member finally got to 75.

Every time it is the same.  Students start off rather polite, asking for the pencil or dice.  As a few team members near the 100 mark, they start grabbing the pencil out of each other's hands, yelling to "hurry up", and grabbing the dice.  They start out sitting, usually, but inevitably end up standing at their desks, some even jumping.

When the game is over, we process - "How did you feel at the beginning of the game?"  "How did you feel as someone neared 100?" "How did you treat each other at the beginning of the game vs. the end?"

We refer back to our amygdalas being heightened by this activity and talk about strategies to calm this down.  My favorite is the 'Bubble Journey' by Smiling Mind, a non-profit, web-based meditation program developed by psychologists in Australia.  It helps students focus on slowing their breath, paying attention to that breath, and calming down their amygdalas. 

Ask your 4th grader about the activity and share with them what healthy ways you have learned to manage your stress!

Breakout EDU - MINDSET!

Several cycles ago, we talked about Mindset in 4th grade.  We read Julia Cook's "Bubble Gum Brain" and talked about how a growth mindset meets challenges with a positive attitude and how when we try difficult things it is helping our brain grow stronger.  When we have "brick brain" and we quit things that seem too difficult, we miss out on growing our brain.

Students in 4th grade were given several puzzles related to a growth mindset and the brain - challenges that had them practicing using a growth mindset!  For each puzzle completed, they received a clue that helped unlock one of three locks on a box that contained a prize.

The prize?!?!  Since Mrs. Flier loves play-on-words, eraser brains because a strong brain makes mistakes and learns from them!!

Mix It Up Day!!!

October 31st was National Mix It Up Day - an international campaign to challenge students to get to know peers outside their circles and appreciate our differences that Teaching Tolerance promotes.  At Willow River, students took a "Dum Dum sucker" and had to find the table that had the corresponding flavor such as pineapple, cherry, or root beer. 

Students had fun asking the "Get to Know You" questions on each table and learning more about peers they might not otherwise sit by.  There were several reports of new friendships too!

More info on Mix It Up Day

4th graders have fun answering questions such as "What superpower would you want to have?"

3rd graders Mixing it Up

Kindergarten Mixing It Up!

UPStanders!

This month we are learning FOUR main ways to stand up for others when we see mean or bullying behavior.  The people with the MOST power to end mean behavior is actually our kids.  By ignoring mean and bullying behavior, they are sending the message that it's okay to continue doing that at Willow.  But by saying something, they are letting the offender know that it is NOT okay and they are letting the victim know that they have support.
I use the NED Show video with Kindergarten through 5th grade, sending the message that there are 4 ways you can stand up; Interrupting, Be a Buddy, Say Something, or Tell Someone.  Student council showed what these all looked like in specials classes in front of the school on Friday at our All-School Meeting.
All staff purchased a "Kind is the New Cool" shirt and wore them on Friday, while UPStanding students were awarded a t-shirt of their very own.  Staff helped purchase half of the shirts while Willow River Parent Group purchased the other half for us.
Ask your child what they have been learning in guidance class this month and chat about what method of UPStanding they feel the most comfortable with.
We are VERY proud of our 15 students who have been nominated so far this year!

Ms. Cameron's class watching The NED Show clip on how to be an UPStander instead of a "bystander"

Students were encouraged to "Wear Blue" to support UPStanding on Friday - Look at this sea of blue at our All-School Meeting!

Willow River Staff support our students who are UPStanding!

Our AMAZING UPStanders!!

Remembering Lily

A Willow parent had mentioned purchasing a necklace with "Lily" on it for her daughter to remember her 5th grade classmate and had made the comment "I wish I could buy one for everyone in the class who wanted one!" I read this comment just moments after finding this gem on my Facebook feed:  Middle School Counselor Blog  and got the idea to make something similar with all 5th graders who were interested.  Many said they'd prefer a keychain instead of a necklace so they could attach them to their backpacks etc.  I wrote "I am awesome" on the back of each, quoting our sweet Lily and giving every child that positive mantra.  Students chose their own washi tape or scrapbook paper to put on the front and we sealed it all up with Mod Podge.  They turned out great!!

 Lily's favorite animal was the butterfly, so we topped them off with a butterfly charm. 

I walked down to 5th grade the other day and this stopped me in my tracks and made me smile :)