Bullying Presentation

Thanks Mrs. Haggerty for coming to our classroom today to talk to us about bullying. Today was a good reminder to treat others with kindness and compassion. Here are some videos to help you discuss this very important message with your kiddos at home. 

Everyone Is Different

Everyone is Different and We All Learn in Different Ways

Show and Share December Book Share

What is your favourite book? In December, for show and share time, students will be presenting their favourite book! A calendar will be sent home with presentation dates and an information sheet for students to fill out (with family support). This also begins our Guest Reader time where students take turns reading to the class.

On your child's scheduled day, please send
1) the favourite book and
2) the information sheet (completed).

It would help if your child practiced reading the book out loud before they share it with the class.

I am looking forward to this activity! Please contact me if your child can not present on the given date. Family members are welcome to attend our show and share time.

Thank you for listening to your child read at home!

Pip - A Growth Mindset Video

Scratch Garden

Have you heard about Scratch Garden? Are your kiddos coming home singing songs about patterns? the water cycle? short and long vowels? Check out Scratch Garden to see what all the fuss is about!
Enjoy :)

Growth Mindset Videos

How Our Brain Works 

Mistakes Are OK - It's How We Learn!

The Power Of YET 

Why Failure Is Important

Focus on Growth Mindset

We already know developing a growth mindset empowers kids. It also changes their reaction to failure.

A recent study published in Developmental Cognitive Science revealed that after making a mistake, children with growth mindsets show a larger brain response than those with fixed mindsets. They were also more likely to improve their performance as a result.

Failure is inevitable, but by focusing their attention on what went wrong and how they could fix it, kids with growth mindsets were able to turn failures into positive learning experiences.

Let Failure Happen

Kids benefit from experiencing failure. We know this and yet it’s hard for adults to accept. In fact, many parents equate good parenting with preventing their kids from struggling.

In The Gift of Failure, author and teacher Jessica Lahey details the consequences of this approach. She says challenging experiences are the only way we develop certain coping and problem-solving skills. If we shield children from adversity, key brain connections cannot develop.

To face our own fears about letting kids fail, Simmons suggests asking ourselves the following questions:

• How would I parent right now if I weren’t afraid (or anxious)?
• Are the consequences of the mistake permanent or life-threatening?
• What will he learn if I step back and allow this situation to unfold?

Give kids space to fail. They (and you) will become stronger for it. As they say, “Failure isn’t fatal.”

Embrace (and Celebrate) Failure

Failure is an excellent teacher. So why not celebrate each time it happens, knowing a new opportunity has just arrived?

Some ways to celebrate mistakes include:

• Giving kids an opportunity to brag about their mistakes and what they learned
• Introducing “Failure Fridays” (a day of the week when you read about a famous person who failed)
• Giving your child a high-five each time a mistake is made
• Using the “My Favorite No” activity. Each day, identify an especially goodmistake your child makes (your favorite no), maybe one that highlights an important concept. Kids can discuss what went well within the mistake and the correct thinking in every stumble.
• Discussing the acronym for FAIL (First Attempt At Learning)

Explain ‘The Learning Pit’

Stumbles are an essential stage in the learning process. Created by James Nottingham, ‘The Learning Pit’ is a simple and effective way to frame this idea for kids.

When faced with a challenge, all of us must voyage into ‘the pit’ of uncertainty. Thoughts like “I have failed” or “I’m stuck” are just clues that deeper thinking and learning are happening.

“Do you get the sense of ‘Eureka!’ without

Explain the Brain Science

Kids typically fear failure. But what if they knew mistakes grew their brains? Happily, there’s tons of research to prove it and back you up!

Kids’ worries about failure can be general, like always wanting to be perfect, or more specific, such as wanting an A on their next test. Here are science-backed tips for discussing some specific (and common) fears:

If your child fears MAKING A MISTAKE...

Tell him:

• Every error he makes results in electrical signals firing that help him learn
• Discuss a study that proved his brain “sparks and grows” whenever he makes mistakes--and what it means about failure (Moser et al., 2011).

If your child fears MAKING A WRONG GUESS...

Tell her:

• Making guesses is one of the best ways to learn the material
• Making an incorrect guess she thinks is right and then being corrected is even better! Something about making the wrong guess and learning the right one makes it easier for her brain to recall the correct answer in the future.

If your child fears TACKLING DIFFICULT MATERIAL…

Tell him:

• When learning challenging material, it’s TRUE he (and everyone else) makes more errors
• It’s also true he retains the information better. In fact, the harder he has to work to understand something, the longer it lasts in his memory and the more deeply it’s processed
• Show this 2-minute video: Brain Jump With Ned the Neuron: Challenges Grow Your Brain

When kids understand the brain science behind why mistakes improve learning, it’s easy to get them excited about the prospect.

Emphasize “Failing Forward”

Failure is as valuable as it is inevitable. So rather than sheltering kids from it, use it to help them grow. Questions like, “What did you learn from this?” or “What would you do differently next time?” shift focus onto the positive aspects of failure.

Originally a business concept, failing forward simply means learning from your errors.

Professional Coach and parent Elaine-Taylor-Klaus suggests we teach our kids to “fail forward into life” by simply being there for them when they fall. As a parent of a child with special needs, she says, “Mistakes are human. They need our permission to be human.”

Teach the Mindful Approach

Even with these strategies, failure can still be overwhelming sometimes. Training kids to take a mindful approach is key in dealing with any big emotion, like sadness or anger. With practice, kids can learn to respond to strong feelings about failure rather than simply reacting.

The link between mindfulness and resilience is very well documented. Recently, a study at Florida State University found mindful college students were more like to find benefit in adversity. When faced with a perceived failure, they also remained confident of their academic abilities (Hanley et al., 2015).

So how can we help children establish a more mindful attitude?

Created by Michelle McDonald, the RAIN technique is a simple way for kids to notice and accept their feelings. Here are the four steps:

R-Recognize what is happening (“What is happening in this moment? How am I feeling?” “Where do I feel it in my body?”)

Example: “I’m so mad at myself for failing my spelling test. I want to cry.”

A-Allow life to be just as it is (“I can let the thoughts or feelings just be here. Even if I don’t like it.”)

Example: “I am mad and I feel like crying. It’s uncomfortable but I can allow myself to feel this way.”

I-Investigate with kindness (“Why do I feel this way?” “Is it really true?”)

Example: “I notice I’m also a little disappointed in myself too, not just mad. I’m wondering why? Maybe it’s because I think I could have studied more.”

N-Non-Identification (“I am having a thought or emotion, but I am not that thought or emotion.”)

Example: “I can have angry and disappointed feelings without being those feelings. I am bigger than how I feel in this moment.”

To practice the RAIN strategy, simply print the above steps and model it using one of your own failures. Then ask if your child would like to try this process with her recent mistake.

By taking a mindful approach, kids can learn to better accept and respond to failure, as well their feelings associated with it.

RECAP

Failure is a stage of learning, to be embraced rather than feared. With a growth mindset, kids can learn how to fail forward and greatly benefit from their experiences. When kids know that each error and difficult task makes their brains stronger, mistakes become a cause for celebration.

Growth Mindset Self Talk

Emotional Learning & Self Regulation 
Last week we focused our emotional learning on identifying what we can control and what we can't control. It can be difficult for children to deal with emotions when they don't feel like they can control the things happening around them. They are still trying to make sense of the world and these can be very difficult times.

We've been learning some strategies to help us.
We learned to focus on the things that we can control to
self - regulate, some breathing techniques and how to ask for help when we are experiencing big emotions.

This graphic might help guide your discussions at home.
 

The Wonky Donkey

Thanks to Leena's Mother and sister who came to school this morning to be our guest reader.
Mrs. B read "The Wonky Donkey" to the class
and it was so funny! 

Here is the song that
accompanies the story. Enjoy

Creepy Carrots

Creepy Carrots have entered the classroom!!

Last week we read the story 

"Creepy Carrots" and on Monday
I brought in creepy carrot muffins.

Pies and Poems Presentation to Families

Grade 2 Pies and Poems Presentation to Families

Wednesday, October 31
Taylor School Gymnasium @ 11:00

Lunch and Snacks to Follow in the Classrooms

Families of grade 2 students are invited to join us for a special presentation of poems and dances at 11:00 in the Taylor School gymnasium.

Families are welcome to bring a lunch and join students in the classroom after the presentation. We ask that families bring a treat to share. (students are still required to bring a lunch and extra snacks will be shared again in the afternoon - do not bring snacks that may contain peanuts) * Please label your tupperware item so that it can be returned to you.

Students can dress up in their Halloween costumes during recess @10:45 and costumes will be sent home with families after the presentation. Please do not send your child to school in their Halloween costume.

Looking forward to seeing you at our
Pies & Poems Presentation!
Ms. K Carter & Mrs. C Holland

How Are You Incredible?

How Are You Incredible?

Today we talked about what makes each of us incredible. Our homework tonight is to show how each of us are incredible. Draw a picture, take a picture, write a story, have a friend or family member write a note or send a picture to Ms. Carter ( kcarter@svsd.ca ) telling or showing how YOU ARE INCREDIBLE! Try something new, don't give up! It's ok to make mistakes - don't give up! Let's share what makes us incredible! 

Take The Pumpkin Dice Latte Challenge

Take The Pumpkin Dice Latte Challenge 

Patterns All Around Us

Patterns All Around Us

This week we have been exploring patterns.
Can you try making patterns at home? 
Go for a pattern hunt and name the patterns in a different way.
Enjoy!

Getting Ready For A New School Year

Well, summer vacation is over and I'm getting ready for another school year.

Tonight we had our open house and I was so excited to see the students and their families come to visit and drop off their supplies! I'm feeling a lot of excitement and a few butterflies as tomorrow is the first day of grade 2.

Lunches are made, breakfast is ready (I'm having oatmeal :) YUM!) my bags are packed and I'm set to have a good sleep. I know tomorrow is going to be a big day and I want to put my best self forward with a positive attitude and a strong cup of coffee.

Wishing you all a good night and a great first day back to school! 

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Year End Pictures

Parents Matter

Beat the Heat

Oh my gosh it's HOT!!!

How do we beat the heat? Cold popsicles for snack yesterday and today..... BUBBLES!

Summer Art

Today we are experimenting with lines and colour to create a beautiful summer landscape. 

On such a hot day, it would be refreshing to sit by the lake or ocean. 

Happy Friday

I hope you all are enjoying the wonderful spring weather! No school Monday folks! 

Understanding Stress

Step 1: Reframe Stress

Help your child shift from a “stress hurts” mindset to a “stress helps” mindset. Stress can be an impetus to growth if children understand that stressful situations won’t last forever. Instead, these situations represent challenges to overcome and lessons to learn.

Cognitive neuroscientist and author Ian Robertson compares the stress response system to the immune system: It gets stronger with practice. 

After a strong stress response, the brain rewires itself to remember and learn from the experience. This is how the brain prepares you to handle similarly stressful situations the next time around.

“Children need to experience a certain amount of adversity so that both their body and mind become toughened and resilient.”

- Ian Roberson

Stress causes the brain to secrete a chemical called noradrenaline. The brain can’t perform at its best with too much noradrenaline, but guess what? Too littlenoradrenaline isn’t good either.

Reasonably low stress levels can actually build stronger brain function, which makes humans smarter and happier, according to Robertson.
Step 2: Shift from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset

Reframing stress means that your child will need to switch from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Studies show that even brief growth mindset training significantly reduces stress and improves grades among teens.

In stressful situations, we often feel overwhelmed and are more likely to fall into a fixed mindset thought process: There’s nothing much we can do to change the situation, our abilities are limited to what we can do, and we might as well stop trying.

For example, if your child is stressed about exams, he might think, “It doesn’t matter how much I study. I’ll never be able to pass these tests. It’s hopeless.”

Help your child look at the situation from a growth mindset perspective: It’s not fixed, it can be improved, and he does have the power to influence the situation.

If you hear your child say a fixed mindset statement like, “I can’t do this,” or, “I’m just not good at math,” help him find a growth mindset alternative. 

Encourage your child to practice growth mindset affirmations, and remind her that putting forth effort and trying different solutions will help her solve the problem and reduce her stress.

Step 3: Stop Catastrophic Thinking

Often, children and teenagers (and sometimes adults) respond to stress with catastrophic thinking. “If I fail this test, my whole life is ruined!” or, “Sarah is being mean to me. No one will ever like me!”

When this occurs, start by validating your child’s emotions so she feels heard and understood. “I understand you’re feeling nervous about your algebra test.”

Next, use the “worst case scenario exercise.” Ask your child, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” If your child really does fail the test, or if Sarah keeps being mean, what’s the absolute worst thing that could happen?

You can also ask your child how likely it is that this scenario will happen, or if any other scenarios are MORE likely to occur. Conclude by asking, “What would you do if that did happen?” and help your child brainstorm if she struggles to come up with a solution.

Coming up with a potential solution will help your child feel more in control of her stress. Once she has a plan for the worst case scenario, she’ll also spend much less time worrying.

The purpose of this exercise is NOT to dismiss your child’s fears, but to help your child realize that the “worst thing” is probably not as catastrophic as she initially imagined.

Step 4: Practice Problem-Solving

Once your child has reframed stress and adopted a growth mindset, she needs to learn how to put these ideas into practice by problem-solving. This will likely take many examples, modeling, and real-life experience before it truly takes root.

 A good starting point is to teach your child the following three-step process:

• Step One: Naming and validating emotions. Ask your child to name how she’s feeling—overwhelmed, worried, anxious—and then repeat it back to her. “I understand you’re worried that you won’t do well on your exam.”
• Step Two: Processing emotions. Guide your child to her calming space. If she doesn't have one, it's a good idea to create it (we recommend the Time-In Toolkit by Generation Mindful). Let her calm her body and process her emotions so she’s ready to problem solve, learn, and grow. You may have older children take deep breaths or practice some growth mindset affirmations. “I can do well on this test if I try.”
• Step Three: Problem Solving! Brainstorm solutions with your child, doing more listening than talking during the conversation. For instance, your child may come up with solutions such as studying with a friend who’s doing well in the class, asking the teacher for extra help, or devoting a certain amount of time to studying each day.

Once you’ve brainstormed solutions, help your child think through the positive and negative consequences of each proposed idea, then choose one. Your child may need prompting but aim to contribute only open-ended questions to the conversation, allowing your child to do most of the problem-solving herself.

If the initial plan (let’s call it Plan A) doesn’t work, your child will have numerous backup plans ready and waiting. Knowing this will make her problem much less stressful. And once she masters the art of problem-solving, she’ll have the tools she needs to tackle stressful situations on her own.

Step 5: Use Stress-Management Techniques

The techniques listed above will work best when your child is in a calm state of mind that’s conducive to thinking critically and logically. You can help your child achieve this calm state using stress-management techniques.

There are many strategies for managing stress, so consider trying a few of the techniques listed below to determine what works for your child:

• Deep breathing: Breathe in deeply, hold the breath for a moment, then slowly release it. Repeat the process until your child feels calmer.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Pretend you’re squeezing a lemon, then drop the lemon and relax. Pretend you’re squishing your toes deep into a mud puddle, then step out of the mud puddle and relax your feet.
• Stretching: This helps release built-up tension in muscles.
• Listening to music 
• Playing, exercising, or heading out into nature 
• Using brain breaks when facing a tough academic challenge
• Laughing: Laughter can be a great stress reliever. Make silly faces or tell jokes to calm your child before discussing the problem.
• “5-4-3-2-1” Technique: Identify five things you can currently see, four you can hear, three you can feel, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
• Meditation: Can be as simple as having your child close her eyes and breathe in and out. Tell your child to count each breath (a breath in and a breath out makes one single count), focusing on the sound of her breath. When she reaches at least a certain count (50, for example), your child can take a deep breath, release it slowly, and open her eyes.
  
  
  Remember that these techniques are not intended to eliminate the stress. Rather, they help your child reach a calm state of mind so she can address the source of her stress and solve the problem.
  Recap
  When we view all stress as negative and unhealthy and attempt to eliminate it, we ultimately create more stress, for both ourselves and our children.
  Instead, it’s best to teach our kids that stress is a natural part of life that can be managed effectively.
  Start by helping your child reframe stress, shifting from a fixed mindset and the idea that “stress hurts” to a growth mindset and the belief that “stress helps.”
  Help your child learn to recognize and stop catastrophic thinking, and teach her how to identify the stressor (main problem) and then brainstorm solutions. You can also try stress-management techniques to help your child reach a calm state of mind.
  Your child can’t control how stressful situations unfold, but she can control how she responds to them. Instead of going into meltdown mode, she’ll go into problem-solving mode, allowing her to conquer the challenge and learn valuable lessons along the way.

From  Big Life Journal