WCSD PBIS Newsletter
Volume Two: March 2017
Positive School Climate Boosts Test Scores
Get your "happy" on!
April is stress awareness month. Here is an idea to fend off the stress of testing season & end-of-the-school-year fatigue: a Kindness campaign!
Staff Challenge: 21 Days to Cultivate Happy Habits
Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. In fact, science has shown that, “The brain at positive is 31% more productive than at negative, neutral or stressed.” ~Shawn Achor, Harvard
DAILY HABIT # 1: Mindfulness, the ancient practice of focusing non-judgmental awareness on the present moment, is increasingly recognized in today’s scientific community as an effective way to reduce stress, increase self-awareness, enhance emotional intelligence, and effectively manage painful thoughts and feelings.
DAILY HABIT # 3: Physical wellness (exercise, sleep, healthy diet boosts mood, enhances work performance, improves motivation and feelings of mastery, reducing stress and anxiety)
DAILY HABIT # 4: Altruism, compassion, giving back (5 acts of kindness over the course of a day will make you feel happier)
DAILY HABIT # 5: Authenticity, vulnerability, forgiveness, letting go (these are the roots of social connection)
DAILY HABIT # 6: Social connection, nature connection, empathy (increases immunity and longevity and boosts mental and physical health)
DAILY HABIT # 7: Meaning, purpose, strengths (looking forward to something raises endorphin levels by 27%! Do something that emphasizes your strengths. Infuse positivity into your surroundings - 5 to 1 ratio, anyone?)
Find a free "Happy Teacher Challenge" Calendar at Teachers Pay Teachers
21-Day Happiness Challenge
https://projecthappiness.com/
Create a Random Acts of Kindness challenge for a week or a month
A favorite is the trio of kind acts:
An act of kindness for someone you don't know,
one for someone you know,
and one for yourself.
Get ideas from these websites:
http://minds-in-bloom.com/random-acts-of-kindness-one-teachers/
https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas
http://neatoday.org/2016/04/01/random-acts-of-kindness-classroom/
This counselor's website includes lessons and schedules:
http://www.elementaryschoolcounseling.org/random-acts-of-kindness-week.html
https://www.kidsforpeaceglobal.org/events_peace_day.html
No act of kindness,
no matter how small
will ever be wasted
- Aesop
If you want others to be happy,
practice compassion.
If you want to be happy,
practice compassion
- Dalai Lama
Do your little bit of good where you are;
it's those little bits of good put together
that overwhelm the world.
- Desmond Tutu
Inspiring Students to Pay It Forward
Pictured above:
pencils with handwritten positive messages.
Here are some short videos that show students "paying it forward":
Lacy Elementary Kindness Boomerang (3:24 min) features lonely kids who are invited to join activities, as well as helping kids being harassed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXDL_qW_mvI&feature=em-share_video_user
Third graders demonstrate the kindness boomerang (1:20 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXDL_qW_mvI&feature=em-share_video_user
Kind kids club features class projects that benefit kindergarten students and hide bookmarks with kind messages in random library books at school (4:17 min):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBicz2uoG8Q&feature=em-share_video_user
Spread the love project: Middle school students take turns writing compliments about each student in class (5:04 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzkqx0WdW_Q
Pay it forward video that comes full circle - Liberty Mutual commercial (4:35 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZMEIPCVgXY
Find list of children's picture books about kindness here:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/kids/8-books-for-children-about-kindness/
WCSD School Climate Survey Results 2016-17
- Focus on reporting the student's progress
- Use growth mindset phrasing that acknowledges productive and strategic effort
- Point out the value of errors as evidence that students are challenging themselves and learning (this is true for behavior errors as much as for academic ones)
As a staff, set a goal to increase the use of powerful feedback strategies and see if we can close that gap between items 2 and 3 on next fall's School Climate Survey!
Resources for feedback strategies (from ResponsiveClassroom.org):
Reinforcing Language: Giving Middle Schoolers Supportive Feedback
Naming What Children Can Do
Reinforcing, Reminding, and Redirecting
WCSD PBIS: Positive School Climate for Student Success
Email: pbis@whittiercity.net
Phone: .