Mindfulness Newsletter
December 2018--#mindfulAISD
Mindfulness Resources Featured in This Newsletter...
- Mindfulness for Staff -- Yoga w/ Adriene YouTube Channel
- Professional Learning -- Spring HCP Update
- For Families -- 25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children & Teens
- Equity -- In A Racially Unjust World, What Good Is Mindfulness?
- Books of the Month -- 3 New Books
- Technology -- Apple Screen Time Controls
- Athletics -- Calm Masterclass w/ former NBA Star Jason Kidd
- SEL Newsletter & Blog -- Serving Others
- Mindful Happenings in AISD -- Highlights
Please feel free to email me suggestions for what to include in future newsletters.
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.
Mindfulness For Staff -- "Yoga w/ Adriene" YouTube
Mindfulness in schools starts with the adults. Here's some goodness for y'all. :)
I invite you to check out Austin's own YouTube superstar yoga teacher, Yoga w/ Adriene. She has a bunch of great videos that focus on specific topics, including my favorite "yoga for teachers." This could be a solid way to get through the end of the semester, and to 'treat yo'self' over the break.
Also, remember this for now AND over the break: Meditation Bar is now offering 50% off all classes for AISD staff as an ongoing discount!
Mindfulness Professional Learning through HCP
UPDATE: All of our Fall courses have been completed! Thanks to all who attended. We'll have similar courses in the Spring, with a few modifications. Spring semester courses will be finalized and shared soon. They will start in February and be mostly on Thursdays, possibly a couple on Tuesdays.
Mindfulness for Families -- 25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children & Teens
This article compiles 25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for children and teens. Feel free to share this article and/or the whole newsletter with your students' families.
As a reminder, you can always find family resources on bit.ly/mindfulfams.
Mindfulness & Equity -- In A Racially Unjust World, What Good Is Mindfulness?
Last year, I had the honor of participating in the Cultural Proficiency & Inclusiveness Cohort 3 led by Angela Ward, and it provided tremendous opportunities for learning and growth. My end of year project was based on the question posed by Dr. Angela Davis: "In a racially unjust world, what good is mindfulness?" I created an ongoing site where I'll share my learnings and experiences. Feel free to check it out: Cultural Proficiency & Inclusiveness Action Research Project
Mindfulness Books of the Month
I Am Peace
"When the world feels chaotic, find peace within through an accessible mindfulness practice from the bestselling picture-book dream team that brought us I Am Yoga. Express emotions through direct speech. Find empathy through imagination. Connect with the earth. Wonder at the beauty of the natural world. Breathe, taste, smell, touch, and be present."
Sitting Still Like a Frog
"This little book is a very appealing introduction to mindfulness meditation for children and their parents. In a simple and accessible way, it describes what mindfulness is and how mindfulness-based practices can help children calm down, become more focused, fall asleep more easily, alleviate worry, manage anger, and generally become more patient and aware."
Mindfulness For Student Athletes
"Stay in the moment, stay in the game! With this fun and engaging workbook for young athletes, you’ll find practical ways to cope with stress and improve your performance, no matter what sport you play."
Mindful Technology -- Apple Screen Time Controls
Mindfulness & Athletics -- Calm Masterclass w/ former NBA Star Jason Kidd
SEL Newsletter & Blog -- Serving Others
Mindful Happenings in Austin ISD
Mindful Bulletin Board
Satellite Campuses Mindfulness PD
Multilingual Team Meeting
Literacy First--Mindfulness Champions
Trainer of Trainers w/ Students
Mindful Counselors
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Mindful Classrooms: The Educator Guide
Those of you who are using Mindful Classrooms: The Educator Guide, I recommend Weeks 15-17 for December. As a friendly reminder, the book will be published by Free Spirit Publishing soon and I won't be able to give away free copies anymore starting in 2019. AISD staff, sign up for a free electronic copy of the book while you can in the support form at the bottom of this newsletter.
#mindfulAISD archives
Mindfulness Newsletter Archives (One link to access all newsletters from 16-17 & 17-18)
Inner Explorer
So much gratitude to LG for the $20,000 grant to provide Inner Explorer community licenses to 20 AISD campuses through the 2018-2019 school year!! Inner Explorer is a web-based mindfulness program that's very easy to use for all ages. Elementary content is in Spanish as well. They even have a community component where families can have an account along with the school. For more info and sample practices, click here.
Stop Breathe Think--Free Lifetime Subscription
Calm--Free Lifetime Subscription
FREE Calm.com Lifetime Subscription for Teachers (PreK-12). Fill out the form at the link above for a FREE subscription to their site & app.
#mindfulAISD YouTube Playlist
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.
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."
Videos Explaining Mindfulness
Sign Up for Mindfulness Support
Contact
SEL Mindfulness Specialist
2014 Austin ISD Teacher of the Year
Twitter: @mrbutler629