Be KINDER Than Necessary!

I think we forget just how simple it is to be kind.  We might not even notice ways we are kind because they are a natural part of our day.  Holding the door for someone, asking a cashier how they are doing, taking the time to really listen to a child telling a story, picking up litter, or sending a note to a neighbor.  These do not have to be grand gestures that cost money and they can certainly be things kids can do too. 

As our world can seem like it is full of hate these days, it is also a world of compassion and kindness.  Here in our Willow River community, we see kindness all the time.  I've heard stories of UPStanders who go and sit by a girl who was all by herself at lunch.  I've had a 1st grade friend offer to have a very sad and scared friend sit by him on the bus.   I've had students give hugs and high fives as I greet them walking in.  Willow is FULL of kindness and this year we plan to showcase that as often as we can - especially at all-school meetings and with programming throughout the year to reinforce how important it is to just BE KIND.

Students were asked to cut out a shape of their hand in construction paper and sign their name to show their dedication to "be kinder than necessary" this year - tying in our experience watching "Wonder" last year in 3rd-5th grade.  The sign turned out beautiful and is a sweet reminder to us as we head out to recess or leave for the day.

NED Show!

All students have watched the NED clip about UPStanding - on Monday, October 1st, we got to meet NED and hear about Growth Mindset!  Students were amazed by the Yo-Yo tricks and magic that the presenter, Will, infused into the message.  We learned "N= Never Give Up" and hiked up Mount Everest, "E= Encourage others" on Kindness Island, and "D = Do Your Best" with an alien spaceship shaped like a brain!
This presentation is free to schools if you offer to sell the yo-yos for five days after the presentation - a "pay-it-forward" model.  All of the proceeds from yo-yos will pay for another school to hear this great message and a portion of proceeds will go to the Children's Hospital. 

UPStander Day!!

In preparation for our big NED Show on Monday to focus on UPStanding and being "Kinder than Necessary" we wore UPStander shirts or blue shirts today!  We are so proud of our UPStanding students for making our school a better place!
Here are just a few of our amazing UPStanders we caught wearing their shirts!

"The Legend of ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!!!!!!"

We have had such a fun first week back!!  In Guidance classes, grades 1-5 have been reviewing the tools we have here at Willow to help us solve problems.  We use:

Stop, Walk, Talk: When someone is being disrespectful to us

Peace Path: When we need to talk a problem through with someone

Tell an adult: When the behavior is considered unsafe or bullying

Stop, Walk, ROCK, Talk: When its a small problem - usually we use Rock, Paper, Scissors. 

I found SUCH a fun book about the "legend" of Rock, Paper Scissors this summer... from the guy who brought you "The Day the Crayons Quit" Drew Daywalt.

To add a little activity to this, we tried the "Hopscotch + Rock, Paper, Scissors" game that Phy Ed teachers on Facebook have been going nuts over... and it has been a hit with our 3rd and 4th graders this week!

Post Secondary Options Breakout EDU!

For the past several years, I've sent students on a scavenger hunt to find out all of the different post-secondary trainings that our staff at Willow have had.  This has been a great way for them to see the different options, the variety of schools, and to learn more about the staff who take care of them each day!

This year, I added the "Breakout EDU" element to the hunt.  Students had to complete the scavenger hunt answer key and find staff who had a technical degree, a doctorate, a degree from a school in another state, a staff member who has served in the military, even a staff member who has a Bachelor's degree from another COUNTRY!  Once students returned the completed sheet, they got a clue to help unlock the box.  Inside the box were "graduation rubber duckies" to remind them that there are TONS of options after high school for training!

"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.