Bright Minds, Happy Hearts

Keep Learning and Be Well All Summer Long! 

We ALL need a rest and have earned our summer break after a year of hard work learning and growing at school. Just remember, keeping your brain active and your mind and body healthy is important ALL SUMMER LONG!  Staying engaged in fun activities and keeping your body tuned will ensure that your mind stays sharp!

SPEND TIME OUTSIDE 🌤

Everyone, both children and adults, need to find time to go outside every day. Playing games, taking walks, even just sitting and watching the clouds go by is good for us. The sun gives us vitamin D and other benefits that keep us healthy and boosts our mood.

GO TO BED AT A REASONABLE TIME 😴

We ALL need enough sleep to stay healthy. Even though you might stretch the day out a little longer in summer, be sure to keep a good schedule. Give your body the rest it needs.

THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS 💬

The words we tell ourself are important. We believe what we think. TRY new things. Learn from mistakes. Write your own personal affirmations. BELIEVE in YOU.

MOVE YOUR BODY! 💪 

Our brain and body are connected in more ways than we can imagine. Exercise helps us feel strong and healthy. It keeps our mind sharp and focused too! Run, walk, bike,  play games and sports, swim, climb, dance... Just move!

EXERCISE YOUR MIND TOO! 🧠

PLAY GAMES: Limit time on online video games and try traditional games instead! Card games, board games, and car games (such as I Spy) are all fun and easy to play. 

KEEP READING! Need motivation? Take a SUMMER READING CHALLENGE: Baxter Memorial offers a fun Summer Reading Challenge. Barnes & Noble Summer Reading and TD Bank Summer Reading programs also give you another way to earn while enjoying reading.

Enjoy Real Life Experiences. Help compute the change when you shop with your family, or plan a road trip if your parents ok it! Read menus, magazines and newspapers, signs, brochures, maps, guidebooks. 

Anything counts, just READ! 

Be ENGAGED wherever you are. HAVE FUN!

Build healthy habits.
Make summer 🌞  
Your superpower!

Words Matter

 

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me ....

 Wait, REALLY?? Do we truly believe that WORDS can't hurt?

Our words are powerful. 

We can build resilience and learn to stay calm when others are rude or hurtful. We can try to ignore insults and use only kind words ourselves.

But the truth is, 

             words can cause lasting harm to any one of us.

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Swears. Using bad language is on the rise and that's not a good thing.

Swearing can make people feel uncomfortable and create a negative environment. Curse words are disrespectful. Using bad language can give the impression that you don't care about others. 

     If you want to show people your best self, choose a better word.

People swear when they might have a hard time expressing big emotions.  You must find the courage to say what you mean and ask for what you need.

Be smart. Find your courage. Listen to your heart. There is always a better word.

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Jokes. Sometimes jokes aren't funny. Sometimes jokes can really hurt.

Humor should connect people and bring us together. Good jokes can make the mood light and fun. We just need to ensure that everyone is included and feels safe when the laughter happens.

Never joke about the unique characteristics of a group or individual. Don't use profanity or mean words. A joke isn't a joke if it hurts.

"You're too sensitive."

"Chill out. I was just kidding."

"Can't you take a joke?"

If you've ever been on the receiving end of one of these comments, you know it can make you feel even worse than the joke that was just made at your expense. 

If a mistake is made and someone is hurt by a joke, don't minimize it. 

Admit your mistake. Apologize and make it right. Do better the next time.

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The Words We Tell Ourselves.

Perhaps the most important words are the words we tell ourselves. Sometimes we might struggle with a challenge, or we might make a mistake. 

We might be angry and call ourselves names or put ourselves down. Our words matter. If we're not careful, we can start to believe the words we say. 

Choose KIND words, forgiving words, accepting words. Tell yourself you are GOOD and SMART, FUNNY and KIND. 

If we are careful, we will BE the WORDS we TELL ourselves.

Our words are powerful. Choose wisely. Show that you respect and care about the people around you. 

Change Your WORDS, Change your MINDSET

Accept challenges. Ask questions. Make mistakes.
Admit you don't know the answer, YET!

We've had a great year, but It's APRIL and spring fever might be trying to set in. 🥀

You have been strong and stayed positive and learned so much! Sometimes when things become difficult we lose our confidence, or our motivation, and feel like giving up.  

It takes courage to try again, it takes courage to make mistakes, but that is what it takes to develop your growth mindset. 

When you feel stuck, try changing your words. 

Changing your words can change your thoughts too!

It helps when we remember that success doesn't just happen overnight. Success takes work, and lots of it! We can train our brain and we can find new ways to solve problems, if we tell ourselves we CAN! You know how to work hard. You've seen what can happen when you DON'T GIVE UP! So, try one MORE time!

 

Do you want to earn more about GROWTH MINDSET? 

Follow this link to the bitmoji classroom and explore books, videos and more!

🎵🎶🎵🎶 Check Out this Growth Mindset SONG LIST 🎵🎶🎵 🎶

   

Informational Websites for Parents/Teachers:

Mind Shift
Mindset Kit
Mindset Works

What Kids Can Do

In Like A Lion

 

The “in like a lion, out like a lamb” saying makes sense because March is typically when we see the transition between winter and spring. The weather can be wild and windy and less predictable when we begin the month and it usually calms down, warms up, and becomes more settled by the end. We can start to discard all of the warm protective gear that has kept us feeling safe and warm, and begin to enjoy the heat from the sun once again.

Going through transitions and change is much like experiencing the month of March. In the beginning we often experience a variety of strong emotions, and often feel like we have no control. Once we have passed through the change, we often find that we have learned a lot and can even feel stronger.

Here are a few transitions that might feel challenging to manage:

• Changing friendships or social groups
• Beginning school, or changing schools
• Transitioning to middle school
• Moving to a new home or city
• Welcoming a new sibling
• Parents’ separation or divorce
• Losing a loved one or pet

While we cannot affect how the month of March will go, there are a number of things we CAN DO when we experience change. One really helpful activity is called the Circle of Control. The circle of control is a tool that helps us think about what we can and can't control in our lives. It's a way of thinking that can help us focus on what we can change and let go of what we can't. 

What things can YOU control?

Whatever we are experiencing, it is ALWAYS important and helpful
to share our feelings with people we trust. If you are going through a
change, think about your thoughts and how your body feels. Try to name your feeling. Wonder about WHY you feel that way. Then think of ways you can move ahead. 

When we notice and share our feelings, we take back the power they have. It helps us to feel in control and calm.

Change can be scary, but change can also lead to new things. 

Change can help us to grow and feel even stronger than before.

Below are some videos you might find helpful!

Finding A Happy Balance

 

ALL feelings matter. Everything we experience is part of what makes us us. Emotions can be messy, complicated, and just plain confusing. Learning to name our emotions and talk about them — by ourself and with others — is a key part of developing our emotional intelligence and well being.

We are human and we will experience every emotion in our lifetime, but we are not our emotions alone, and we do not need to be controlled by our emotions either. Feeling content, good, and positive can happen and being healthy and happy is where our body will feel best and function best. 

We can feel that way every day, regardless of the the many feelings that 

come and go.   Below are a few GREAT strategies for finding your happiness ~

Name It to Tame It is a powerful way to manage our strong emotions. All it requires is noticing and labeling emotions as they’re happening. The act of identifying an intense emotion (“naming”) has the effect of reducing the stress and anxiety (“taming”) in the brain and the body that that emotion is causing.

Practicing mindfulness can also help us feel balanced. It's a reminder to stop and think 🤔 and appreciate all that we are experiencing in that moment. Mindfulness can help us calm our bodies and thoughts. Being more mindful means we can stay focused and in control of our thoughts and feelings. 

Practice Gratitude. Intentionally appreciating the things, people and experiences 

that bring us joy can improve our mood and feelings of happiness.

Remember to breathe deeply. Deep breathing can help relax your body and calm your mind. There are many different ways to practice, try a few fun ones HERE! The less tense you feel, the happier you'll be.

Get Outside! Spending time in nature can be rejuvenating and calming. You can try gardening, walking in the grass, or just sitting and reflecting quietly.

I can be mindful

Stopping, breathing, in and out

Still, calm and peaceful.

Haiku by S Sawyer 

ALL feelings really do matter. Everything we experience is part of what makes us us.  We CAN learn ways to feel more calm and happy and appreciate all that we feel and experience.

Positive Psychology 

Blissful Kids

2025 Dreams and GOALS

 

Why not DREAM a little this year?

Think about something you really want to achieve. 

Set a GOAL. 

And you will get there! 

Setting goals and working towards them builds perseverance, the ability to keep trying despite difficulties, failure or opposition. In trying, we develop grit and strength we didn't know we had!

There are many benefits of goal setting ~
It pushes us to take responsibility  for ourselves and our choices. 

Thinking about who we are and what we want helps us to develop purpose, putting our values into action.
Goal setting motivates us to try new things and to take risks. Who knows what we might achieve!
When we set goals and takes steps, we develop organization skills, and when we are challenged, we develop resiliency.

Do You Want to Give It a Try?

The First Step is to DREAM BIG!

Write down your goals, or create a VISION BOARD of all the things you think about and dream of. 

Next, list smaller steps you can take toward your goals. Think about it like it's a To Do list.

Then, set a timeline, even if isn't too specific.

 
Track your progress and celebrate your successes!

Stay positive and remember, 

even when our goals seem out of reach, 

it's in the trying that we grow the most!

AI As A Social Emotional Learning Tool ?

Image AI generated Canva 2024

We are living in a fast paced, ever changing, critical time in history. We no longer live with technology, we live IN it. Improved machines, faster production, and global communication all positively impact our world. We are also realizing another side to some of this science.

Technologies, especially video games and cell phones, have been proven to negatively impact wellness, especially in our youngest population. Overuse of technology, combined with less unstructured free play and reduced exposure to the natural environment has led to sleep deprivation, attention deficit, loneliness, and even anxiety. (The Anxious Generation, 2024)

School and families are having to make difficult choices. We want our children to be ready for the global world. We want them to be confident and smart digital citizens. We also need to ensure that they are developing healthy habits and social skills, to ensure good physical and mental wellness will benefit them well beyond their school years. Just how much technology is the right amount of technology? This is the challenge.

So where does Artificial Intelligence come in? Is there room for this type of technology? Can AI be a tool to help our students build social skills and healthy habits, or will it be counterproductive?

*Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds tremendous potential in enhancing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) within educational settings. SEL revolves around the development of crucial life skills such as empathy, emotional regulation, and effective communication. 

*AI can support this by providing personalized learning experiences and real-time feedback. For instance, AI-driven platforms can analyze students' interactions and emotional states, offering tailored exercises that promote emotional intelligence and  resilience. Additionally, virtual assistants or chatbots can simulate social scenarios, allowing students to practice and refine their interpersonal skills in a safe, controlled environment. 

*By integrating AI with SEL, educators can create more inclusive and adaptive learning environments that cater to the unique emotional and social needs of each student, ultimately fostering a more empathetic and emotionally intelligent generation.           *Text Generated with AI (Canva 2024)

AI, along with other technologies, is an ongoing challenge. It is new and leaves us with many questions around ethical use and over reliance, among others. However, the ideas generated in the paragraph above are one example of how AI can get us thinking and perhaps lead us to solid answers to difficult questions.  Prior to the Covid pandemic it made sense that social emotional always referred to connected, in-person relationships. Today, we recognize there are many lifestyles and many pathways to mental health and social intelligence, can AI be part of that?

There might just be some benefit to this advanced type of technology for some of our students and families. Tools to help us research best practice and supports, such Understood's AI Assistant, might make it easier for parents and educators find answer to questions around social emotional topics and more.

In addition, unique learners might benefit from online support and tools. Below is a small snapshot of what has become available.

Best Free Social-Emotional Learning Sites & Apps

Image AI generated Canva 2024

We need balance in all aspects of life. We have to help students find what works best for them, appreciating that this will look different for every individual.  In-person connections and real-world strategies remain essential for social emotional learning and development. If we can also use AI to motivate and support our students, if AI can help them achieve their best self, shouldn't we explore the possibilities?