Parenting with Heart
MISD Social and Emotional Learning - End of Year
MISD Social & Emotional Learning Resources
Happy Almost Summer! We are excited to bring the End of the Year SEL Newsletter with resources for your family. We hope you find our newsletter easy to navigate and available at your fingertips!
Our goal is to focus on ONE SEL Core Competency each 6 weeks and to provide activities for your family to use under that competency of focus. You will see below an explanation about the SEL Core Competencies. You will see that many competencies cross over which just means the emphasis on that skill is greater and will be revisited often!
Stay connected with us through social media:
- Twitter - @LEADw_HEART; Click here for SEL Twitter Page
- Facebook - @misdleadwheart; Click here for SEL Facebook Page
- MISD Website - SEL Tab in Departments; Click here for SEL Website Page
Please feel free to contact us if you have questions:
Mendy Gregory - mendygregory@misdmail.org
Karrye Aquino - karryeaquino@misdmail.org
Persevere and Finish Strong
As we wrap up probably the most challenging school year we have ever experienced (parents, students and teachers), May is always challenging when it comes to "staying the course" and finishing strong. The weather is getting warmer, the days are longer, your child's attention span is shorter, and let's be honest, we are all tired. How do you "beat the burnout" and encourage your child to finish strong?
There is likely no character trait more vital to success than perseverance. Your child has limitless potential; it is the level of perseverance that determines how much a person grows. Help your child recognize they have the power to choose how to finish this school year. Be the positive reminder that persevering to the end is a sign of commitment, integrity, and excellence.
Choose to finish this school year STRONG!
ENGAGE
Fun Days to Celebrate as a Family
- May 3-7 - Teacher Appreciation Week - See activities in newsletter on meaningful ways to celebrate your child's teachers
- May 4 - Star Wars Day - Wear your favorite Star Wars shirt, and/or watch your favorite Star Wars movie as a family https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/star-wars-day
- May 5 - Cinco de Mayo - Have a family discussion about the meaning of Cinco de Mayo and eat tacos all day if you want to! https://nationaltoday.com/cinco-de-mayo/
May 7- School Lunch Hero Day - Celebrate your school's food service workers by writing them an affirmation or a note of thanks.
May 8 - National Miniature Golf Day - Set up a miniature put-put course at home with a couple of putters and red solo cups (or go have fun at a put-put golf course in your area).
- May 10 -- Clean Up Your Room Day - Make it a family thing and everyone spends some time this day cleaning up their room.
- May 11 - Eat What You Want Day - Let the kids plan the menu for the day...and enjoy whatever they want to eat (guilt-free).
- May 12 - National School Nurse Day - You and your child write affirmations to the school nurse thanking them for the AMAZING job they do.
- May 15 - Chocolate Chip Day - Bake a YUMMY treat with your kids using chocolate chips!
- May 19 - National Devil's Food Cake Day - Make a Devil's Food Cake from scratch with your kids or go buy one at the store to eat and enjoy!
- May 21 - NASCAR Day - Bring out the hot wheels and encourage your children to "zoom towards the Finish Line."
- May 25 - Sing Out Day - Play your favorite song when you were your kids' age and have them share their current favorite song (dancing is optional).
- May 28 - Hamburger Day - Fire up the grill or go to your favorite hamburger place and have hamburgers for dinner.
- June 1 - Say Something Nice Day - Give every person in your family an affirmation when they wake up in the morning and before they go to bed that night.
Action for Happiness!
Commit to being more Meaningful in May!
May is here, so start today being more meaningful in your actions. Use the calendar below to choose the action for that day, and have everyone in the family participate. Show someone how much they mean to you and be that person back to them!
Happier, Kinder, Together!
Conversation Starters with your kids
Need some ways to get started on conversations with your kids?
Here are some ideas to engage them into the conversation:
- What is something you are good at doing that took a lot of hard work and practice?
- What is one way you think you “failed” today?
- What did you learn from the experience?
- What is something you are struggling to learn, do, or improve right now?
- How can we help you keep trying?
Do "Good Things" Every Day
See Step-by-Step below on how to do Good Things with your family. Some of your students do this at their schools with their teachers, so they are familiar with it.
Try it as a family and enjoy the discussions this activity SPARKS!
EXPLORE
Focus on Teaching and modeling Perseverance
By helping your children develop perseverance now, you can prepare them to learn from their future failures and work hard to achieve future successes.
This month, look for opportunities to teach and model the power of perseverance using the activities in this newsletter.
Teach the Power of "YET"
Here is an activity to do as a family to reframe their thinking when the going gets tough and/or when things seem impossible to finish:
- Ask each family member to write down a list of negative or limiting statements they sometimes think about themselves ("I can't______" or "I'm not good at _______").
- Choose a few phrases from each family member and repeat these phrases, adding the word "yet." ("I can't______", yet I can do ____________" or "I'm not good at _______, yet I am good at________ or yet I can get better by doing ________").
Frustration Busters
Try this activity to redirect the frustration so that the next time you are frustrated, you won't give up and you will preserve instead.
- As a family, identify times you experience frustration
- Together discuss the following:
- Is frustration a bad thing?
- How can frustration be good for you?
Freedom to Fail - A Lesson on Success and Perseverance
Click on link below to watch the "Freedom to Fail" video
After the video, as a family have a conversation around the following questions:
- What did these people have in common?
- What are some qualities that helped them overcome the adversity of rejection?
- What steps could you take to overcome rejection?
COMMUNICATE
SEL Core Competencies
Building Relational Capacity is always at the forefront of everything that we do in MISD and will be revisited all year long.
6th 6 weeks Focus - Self-Awareness Skills
Self Awareness is the ability to accurately recognize one's own emotions, thoughts and values and how they influence behavior. The ability to accurately assess one's strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism and a "growth mindset."
Your child's teachers will do lessons with their students that relate to topics under Self- Awareness.
Vision 2030
Pay close attention to the MISD Values that center around the SEL Core Competencies!
We are READY.....Are YOU?
Empower
Finish Strong with a Note of Courage
Have each family member pick his/her favorite Courage Quote to post somewhere in the house to remind them everyday that they have the COURAGE to PERSEVERE and To FINISH STRONG!
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3-7
Here are some ways you can appreciate your child's teachers through affirmations and thanks:
Create a "Pack of Encouragement Cards"
- Write down a list of your family's "go-to quotes" that inspires them, gets them through a challenging day, makes them happy, etc.
- Combine everyone's quotes into different cards and give each teacher a pack of everyone’s quote (see example picture below).
- You can create a postcard template or simply write them on cards by hand.
Kindness Ideas for Parents to Do for Teachers
- Pick something from the list below of Kindness Ideas to give to your child's teachers.
- Students and parents can write a letter to the principal or superintendent to give praise and admiration to their school’s teachers.
Pack of Encouragement Cards
Kindness Ideas
Thank you Note to a Teacher
Affirmations
Create an Affirmation Station
LAUNCH
What is a Launch?
A Launch can be an inspirational quote, a story, an affirmation, a family motto and/or a chant.
Be creative and have FUN with this! Encourage each family member to provide the launch for a week, or have a Launch Jar with launches to choose from every day!
Our Launch for you!
“Life is a grindstone - whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends on what you are made of.” - Jacob Braude