Mindfulness Newsletter
December 2017--#mindfulAISD
In This Month's Newsletter...
- AISD Staff Appreciation Gift from Meditation Bar
- New Mindful AISD Videos
- Research Supporting Mindfulness
- Picture Books That Teach Mindfulness
- HCP Spring Mindfulness Courses--Now Available!
- Social & Emotional Learning Newsletter
- Mindful Happenings in AISD
Reminder: For more regular mindfulness updates, please follow me on Twitter, @mrbutler629. I post regularly, providing tips and highlighting mindfulness happening across the district. Also, feel free to use #mindfulAISD when posting about mindfulness.
Meditation Bar has kindly extended their gift to AISD staff until the end of December. The deal is...
- One FREE class (Coupon Code: AISDFREE)
- One $10 class (Coupon Code: AISD10)
Their weekly class list can be seen here. Enter the appropriate coupon code (see above) when signing up online. Bring your AISD badge with you to verify you're an AISD staff member.
Be sure to thank them for their support of AISD in person and/or on social media: Twitter/Facebook
New Mindful AISD Videos
Below are videos recorded around the city with brief guided mindfulness sessions. These practices are beneficial for all ages.
5-4-3-2-1: Bringing attention to our senses can help us focus on the present (3 min.)
Happy Memory: Focusing on a happy memory can help reduce stress levels (3 min.)
Loving Kindness: Sending kind thoughts to a loved one, a group, and ourselves helps us get in the habit of positive thinking (4 min.)
All of these videos can also be found on the #mindfulAISD YouTube Playlist. Remember, you can also add these to your GoNoodle account and use mindfulness to help your champ grow stronger.
Research Supporting Mindfulness
Additionally, Greater Good Magazine compiled a group of studies involving mindfulness in schools.
Picture Books That Teach Mindfulness
Below are details for HCP Mindfulness Courses this Spring. All the Fall courses filled up pretty quickly, so sign up as soon as you can if you're interested. SEL will pay for teacher subs.
Intro to Mindfulness--Elementary
- When: January 25th 8:00-11:00am
- Where: Baker Room 308
- Section #: 86673
Intro to Mindfulness--Secondary
- When: January 25th 1:00-4:00pm
- Where: Baker Room 308
- Section #: 86672
Elementary Mindfulness Leaders
- When: February 15th 8:00-11:00am
- Where: Baker Room 302
- Section #: 86675
- Prerequisite for this course: Intro to Mindfulness from Nov. or Jan.
Secondary Mindfulness Leaders
- When: February 15th 1:00-4:00pm
- Where: Baker Room 302
- Section #: 86674
- Prerequisite for this course: Intro to Mindfulness from Nov. or Jan.
Mindfulness for Elementary Counselors
- When: March 27th 8:00-11:00am
- Where: Baker Room 308
- Section #: 86679
Mindfulness for Elementary Librarians
- When: March 27th 1:00-4:00pm
- Where: Baker Room 308
- Section #: 86680
Intro to Mindfulness--Elementary
- When: April 17th 8:00-11:00am
- Where: Baker Room 308
- Section #: 86677
Intro to Mindfulness--Secondary
- When: April 17th 1:00-4:00pm
- Where: Baker Room 308
- Section #: 86678
Social & Emotional Learning: Giving Back
Mindfulness in Austin ISD
Stretching to Start Class at Sadler Means YWLA
Volma Overton ECP Mindfulness at Home
Mindfulness Room at EDAEP
Paredes MS Counselors Check-In
LBJ Student Mindfulness Leaders
Mindful Stretching at Harris Elementary
Positive Affirmations at Clayton Elementary
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Mindful Classrooms: The Educator Guide
#mindfulAISD archives
November 2017 Newsletter (Free Retreats, Class Dojo, Teens, Mindful AISD in the News)
October 2017 Newsletter (Videos, Meditation Bar Gift, Mindfulness Challenge)
September 2017 Newsletter (Mindfulness Videos)
August 2017 Newsletter (Starting mindfulness from Day 1)
2016-2017 Newsletters (One link to access all newsletters from last school year.)
Letter to Families
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.
Elementary Videos Explaining Mindfulness
Secondary Videos Explaining Mindfulness
#mindfulAISD YouTube Playlist
Calm--FREE for educators!
FREE Calm.com Lifetime Subscription for Teachers (PreK-12)
Multilingual Mindfulness
Want mindfulness activities in Spanish, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Burmese, Swahili & Kinyarwanda? We've got them for you!
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!
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.
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.
They also have a free app titled "Mindful Life Project."