Mindfulness Newsletter
August 2017--#mindfulAISD
Welcome Back!!
We are changing to a monthly rhythm in an effort to reduce clutter in your inbox and allow for more intentional work with campuses. If you'd like more regular updates, please follow me on twitter, @mrbutler629. I post regularly, providing tips and highlighting mindfulness happening across the district. If you post, feel free to use the hashtag #mindfulAISD to keep everyone connected.
Starting Mindfulness on Day 1
Define Mindfulness
Right here, Right now:
Paying attention on purpose
Responding, as opposed to reacting
Being kind to yourself
Teach About the Brain
Teach your students about neuroplasticity and how mindfulness can help strengthen the brain. Use this poster to teach about the three parts of the brain affected by mindfulness: FREE download on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Take 3 Deep Breaths
Focused, intentional breaths take time to learn. Start small with three collective breaths. You can use these animated GIFS to help guide your students' breathing.
Communicate with Parents/Families
Communicating with parents & families is incredibly important to start the year off right, especially when it comes mindfulness. Here's a letter about mindfulness you can share with families. It provides a brief description of mindfulness and a message from Dr. Cruz supporting mindfulness in schools.
The letter is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi/Dari & Burmese. (Shout out to our amazing refugee support team for the translations!)
Explaining Mindfulness....
Secondary Videos
Elementary Videos
Mindfulness in 2017-2018
Mindfulness Specialist Role
Elementary Projects & Initiatives
- Supporting PK-2 suspension ban, especially at Title 1 campuses
- Creating mindful rooms/spaces
- Connecting schools with community members to facilitate mindfulness for teachers/students
- Working with teachers on how to lead mindfulness on their campus
Secondary Projects & Initiatives
- Working with student-athletes at Lanier, Austin, LBJ & middle schools TBD (pilot program)
- Starting a Mindful PALS program at Reagan, Ann Richards & McCallum (pilot program)
- Connecting schools with community members to facilitate mindfulness for teachers/students
- Working with teachers on how to lead mindfulness on their campus
- Creating mindful rooms/spaces
As always, please email me at james.butler@austinisd.org if you have any wonderings on the projects above or would like discuss additional needs.
Vote for Mindfulness @ SXSWedu
If you'd like to support the ideas below, take a minute to vote using the links. Thanks!
RESOURCES
#mindfulAISD archives
2016-2017 Newsletters (Check out the #mindfulAISD archives to access newsletters from last school year.)
Mindful Classrooms: The Educator Guide
#mindfulAISD YouTube Playlist
Calm--FREE for educators!
FREE Calm.com Lifetime Subscription for Teachers (PreK-12)
**There are free sections on calm.com and the app, so feel free to share with your students' families.
Multilingual Mindfulness
Want mindfulness activities in Spanish, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Burmese, Swahili & Kinyarwanda? We've got them for you! (Huge thanks to the amazing AISD Refugee Family Support Team for translating.)
Zen Den YouTube Playlist
The "Zen Den" YouTube playlist offers 18 videos, ranging from 4-8 minutes in length.
Mind Yeti: Connecting Mindfulness w/ Explicit SEL Lessons
Mindyeti.com is a great resource that connects mindfulness with Second Step lessons, and it's FREE! There's also an informational page that explains the connection between Mind Yeti and Second Step.
GoNoodle
GoNoodle is for the body and the mind.
Here is a link to a document that lists all the GoNoodle Mindfulness videos sorted by channel and with the length of each video.
**Share gonoodle.com with your students' families so they can sign up for a FREE account to use at home.
De-Escalation Strategies Poster
This poster can be an addition to your classroom, Peace Area, hallways, Mindfulness Room, etc.
Mindful Life Project
Guided Mindfulness Activities in English & Spanish--Great for Secondary
Mindful Life Project is an incredible organization based out of Richmond, CA. They teach mindfulness, yoga, expressive arts, and hip-hop/performing arts to elementary and middle school students in under-served communities.
They also have a free app titled "Mindful Life Project."