Wilson Weekly
Week of November 27th, 2017
Welcome Back!
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving break. You earned it!
We've got a busy (but great) 3 weeks ahead of us before we wrap up 2017. Let's be sure to make the best of it and enjoy every minute with our kids.
We've got a few things planned to treat you with and help celebrate the season. To start with, please enjoy jeans through the coming Christmas break.
... and in case I don't tell you enough... I'm so thankful for you and to be a part of the Wilson family.
Don't Ever Doubt Your Impact
Don't ever doubt the impact you have on each of your kids and how much you are setting them up for a successful future. Check out the article below on learners' social/emotional skills and how early learning correlates to successful adulthood.
Suggestions for teaching social/emotional skills include:
- Label your child's feelings. Say things like "It looks like you're feeling sad today" or "I can tell you are mad right now." Eventually, your child will learn to verbalize his feelings on his own.
- Validate your child's feelings. Resist the urge to say things like "Calm down--it's not a big deal." Instead, say, "I know you're really upset right now." Regardless of whether you think his emotional response is out of proportion to the situation, teach your child that it's OK to have big feelings.
- Make empathy faces. Say, "Make a face that shows me how that boy felt when you hit him." When your child makes a sad or angry face, he'll actually experience that emotion for a moment. And he'll develop more empathy--which is a key ingredient in social success.
- Let your child experience uncomfortable emotions. It's healthy to feel bored, angry, scared, or lonely sometimes. Teach healthy coping strategies to deal with discomfort, and coach your kids as they practice. With your support, they can learn that uncomfortable emotions are tolerable.
- Correct the behavior, not the emotion. Make it clear that angry feelings are OK but aggressive behavior isn't. And teach your child that it's OK to feel sad but screaming at the top of her lungs in the grocery store isn't OK. Use discipline that teaches better ways to deal with emotions.
Action Items
- Data Conversations - Our remaining data conversations are this coming Friday!
- Rise & Shine - There are a few remaining dates available. If your class or club/group would like to sign up to host, consider signing up for January 5th or January 12th.
- GEMs - Want to recognize an amazing Wilson educator? Consider nominating them for a GEM (deadline = Monday the 27th). See the email from Jennifer Adams on Thursday the 16th for details.
- ESL Newsletter - Check out the updated newsletter by clicking the button below.
- Educator Writing Survey - See below for information regarding an educator Writing Survey to address our campus System Safeguards.
Educator Writing Survey
Please click on the button below and complete the survey regarding writing instruction. These questions are designed to input on "next steps" for our campus plan to 1) align writing practices across grade levels and 2) increase writing across content areas.
Please complete the survey by Friday, December 15th.
Thank you!
Hour of Code
The global Hour of Code is coming up next week (Dec 4th-8th)! Similar to Dot Day, we'd like to celebrate all week. Be on the "look-out" this week for opportunities for your kids to participate.
Want to get an early start? Check out https://hourofcode.com/us/learn for sample activities sorted by age/grade level.
Curriculum Courier
Check out the latest and greatest below...
PLN Launch Party
I hope you'll consider joining me this coming Thursday! See below for details, and don't forget to register in Eduphoria. Note - It is being held at the Biodiversity Center (just down the road from Wilson).
It's Party Time!
Week At A Glance
Monday
- Welcome Back!
- No Team Time
Tuesday
- 1st Grade Collaborative Team Time
Wednesday
- 1st Grade Field Trip
- Kinder Collaborative Team Time
- Vertical Teams - 3:30
Thursday
- 5th Grade Collaborative Team Time
- PLN Launch Party - 5:00 - Biodiversity Center
Friday
- Happy December!
- Rise & Shine
- Data Conversations