Month of Mindfulness
This month our focus is on mindfulness, being completely present and becoming aware of how one feels and acts.
Mindfulness increases student focus and attention on tasks. It increases student emotional regulation and can lead to impulsivity when emotions are triggered. Being able to accept the present, without judgement leads to greater compassion towards others and reduces anxiety and stress.
It's important to give students the tools they need to be mindful in today's fast paced world.
Month of Social Graces
Just as students don't all come to school with the tools they need to read, not all students come to school equipped with the skills of making friends or managing their emotions. Students should be taught skills just like students must be taught skills they'll use to read.
Before we can expect students to respond in productive ways, they must be given the tools they need. It's important that in school, we coach and model social skills for students.
Month of Social Savvy Skills
Just like there are rules to create fairness in games, there are rules to create standards of behavior that are aimed to make everyone comfortable in new situations. Our brains like to know what to expect and what is expected from us. Those rules to being socially savvy are called manners. Manners create an expectation for behavior and teach us what to expect.
We'll explore valuing and appreciating each other's differences and being open to exploring new ideas.
Social Savvy Skills looks at the role of manners, seeing others' perspectives, and making everyone feel comfortable and valued.
Month of Keys to Success
Executive Functions “cognitive control skills” or “mental skills” are like CEO of the brain. The prefrontal cortex works to decide where to focus attention and what should be priority.
Awareness of time and energy management, task initiation, working memory, flexible thinking and self control are executive functions that help us manage well in daily life.
These skills do not “just happen,” for most elementary students, but definitely change the quality of a person's life. They are life skills that are keys to success.
Month of Practice with Purpose
This month we dive deeper into what it means to have a growth mindset and grit.
Our characters see that through effort and deliberate practice they can grow their brain and learn just about anything.
Theo, Grit, and Grace show us that learning can be messy and that making mistakes is just part of the learning process.
They begin to understand the importance mindset has on overcoming obstacles to reach their goals.
Month of We-Me Success
This month, we examine the importance of sharing, taking turns, communication, and encouraging one another.
We dive deep into gratitude. Researchers have found that showing gratitude increases well-being, health, and happiness. Being grateful and expressing it is associated with increased energy, optimism, and empathy.
Last, we learn about emotional intelligence and continue learning to identify emotions, understanding where emotions come from and learning ways to manage our emotions.
In Daniel Goldman's book, Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ, Daniel Goldman explains 5 components of emotional intelligence; self-awareness, self-regulation, internal motivation, empathy and social skills. Students will increase their WeMe Success as they learn more about social awareness, a sense of gratitude and appreciation for others, while learning how their emotional intelligence will help to regulate emotions and build social connections.
Month of Grace Under Pressure
Some people are always trying their very best. But there's a difference between a healthy drive for excellence and a desire to be perfect.
If the pressure to do well is accompanied by negative self-talk, it's not a healthy desire for excellence.
This month, we learn that learning is a process, and failure is feedback so we know what we can work on instead of letting failure define who they are.
The Best Me I Can Be
This month is about being the best you that you can be in regards to self care.
At the root of taking care of ourselves, we need to look at what we put into our body and how much sleep and rest we give ourselves.
This month will introduce many healthy foods, emphasize the importance of eating healthy, sleeping well, and getting time for play and exercise so our children can be the best they can be.
Month of Reflection
We learn so much about ourselves and others when we go back and mindfully reflect on our life. Sometimes we go through our day or even longer without actually slowing down to process it.
When we teach children to reflect without judgement to examine what their attitude was, what their effort was, what their impact was, and what they might do differently after thinking about it, we offer them an opportunity to grow and become more self and socially aware.