Special Edition
March 2020
Stevens Scribbles
I miss you! I miss the strange looks, the greetings, the high-fives, the kind words, the eye rolls, the smiles, and even the loud cafe; all of these things put a smile on my face everyday. Realize that school is important, but so is your health. Take care of yourself both physically and mentally and take care of each other (of course from a safe distance). No matter what happens for the remainder of the year, be proud of yourself, your resilience, and your ability to adapt to these extreme circumstances.
In these strange times many things are out of our control (even us adults that are supposedly in charge) so roll with the flow and concentrate on what you can control! You can control your attitude and your response, you can control getting up and watching the sunrise or for those of you that don't rise until late, watch the sunset! You can get outside and take a walk or ride your bike (my family takes a few mile ride each day it's nice outside). You can go jump on the trampoline in the rain!
For those of you in sports, now is the perfect time to work on your swing hitting off a tee or someone soft tossing, going for a run to work on endurance, shooting the basketball, dribbling two basketballs, dribbling a soccer ball or just playing catch with a football, baseball, or any type of ball! Or go online to find a workout that fits you, there are a ton of virtual workouts and sports drills many of which are on Youtube.
Let's talk the dreaded screen time! Check your Instagram, Twitter, Snaps, etc., and communicate with your peers. We are all in this together! Cheer each other up from a safe distance using the technology that we now have and for the love of everything please work on those Tic Tok dances so when you return to school I don't think you are having some sort of seizure walking down the hallway! With that said, you NEED to limit the screen time on social media as it is also filled with drama and negativity that can affect your health and attitude.
How about some positive screen time on non-social media apps. I challenge you to take virtual trips. Try going to some of our national parks! My family has been to many of these and yet we are virtually going back to remember the good times...and my kids are creating a quick presentation on them using different methods each time, from PowerPoint (Office 365), Google Slides, Prezi, etc. Surprise your parents they will love it! Or check out the resources below that take you to all sorts of educational sites.
Go to We Are Teachers and they have websites for every subject matter and frankly Googling what you are looking for such as website for math study will result in a million hits. Our district has put together some great sources as well that saves you the time sorting through everything found online and here is a list put together by RW teachers as well, just remember these are all supplemental and not required nor graded.
Try Audible, download an app, or Podcast to listen to your favorite book, poems, or short stories. My daughter Googles the title of the book she wants to read and finds it like this "Harry Potter read online" and comes up with sites like Novel24 or PNovels. These sites let you search titles as well if you just go straight to them.
Enough technology, I'm sure our 6th and 7th graders could teach me, so let's talk some activities. My children have been helping my wife and I with all the following: changing oil in our vehicles, rotating the tires (put on the summer tires on the truck), have been target practicing, making maple syrup, organizing the basement, cleaning the outside flower beds, starting seeds, sewing blankets for the animal shelter, cooking, drawing, painting, playing board games, STEM Activities, etc. Think about what you can help your parents with or what hobbies you love and get busy!!!
I hope that all my scribbles above helped to give you some ideas of how to productively fill your time, however, I want you to have the following takeaways:
- I miss you and can't wait to see RW full again.
- Take care of yourself, we will get back to normalcy.
- More than ever #OtherPeopleMatter, tap into your Character Strengths.
- Get outside, it's good for you!!!!
Mr. Stevens
PS. Parents, see below for Google Classroom and Remind information, RW specific online resources, and packets you can print by grade level. Again, all of these items are optional and are considered supplements while students are at home. The district or myself will continue to send out a School Messenger as things change.
Google Classroom/Remind
Also on the second tab of the document below are the teachers Remind Account sign in codes if you haven't already done so! Some teachers have been utilizing this form of communication as well to publish optional learning opportunities.
Rolland-Warner Google Classroom Access Codes and Remind Accounts
Online Resources
Optional 6th & 7th Grade Packets
NJHS Inductees
Congratulations for all on the list as your persistence and dedication have paid off! I hope you are proud of your achievements, and while external rewards and recognition are certainly nice, I hope you have internalized a sense of accomplishment or are intrinsically motivated as that will take you far in life!
Again Congratulations!!!
Ashmore, Nicholas
Baranski, Isabella
Barr, Gloriana
Brandt, Paetyn
Brokaw, Kaden
Brotzke, Saffron
Champine-Smith, Emma
Clay, Aaliyah
Crane, Jonathan
Cummings, Alicia
Day, Sway
Elliott, Ashlyn
Fidler, Addison
Goward, Josslyn
Grote, Elizabeth
Helgemo, Madelyn
Hibbler, Gavin
Houck, Evan
Jasmund, Jacob
Kennedy, Brooklyn
Kosmac, Alana
Kropp, Gryphon
Lomerson, Jenna
Mahl, Charlie
Mathews, Sarah
McKinstry, Samantha
Miller, Ever
Miller, Carter
Norman, Lilly
Parker, Bailey
Parker, Samantha
Percival, Troy
Rutledge, Allison
Sanchez, Berlin
Sandusky, Abbigale
Spencer, Ella
Steffler, Allison
Tackabury, Ryann
Trisch, Ryan
VanWagoner, Haylee
White, Madison
Whitney, Kaylee
Wilcox, Morgan
Wilson, Ryanna
Meals for Students from LCS
I was happy to see some of you today handing out meals!
Positivity Project
Character strengths aren't about ignoring the negative. Instead, they help us overcome life's inevitable adversities. For example, you can't be brave without first feeling fear; you can't show perseverance without first wanting to quit; you can't show self-control without first being tempted to do something you know you shouldn't.