We spent the month of October learning the Empathy Tool, Personal Space Tool, and Using Our Words Tool. Please encourage your child(ren) to keep practicing the these tool. These 3 tools really improve relationships. When kids are having difficulties making or keeping friends, these tools are the foundation of getting along with others.

The month of November will focus is learning 3 new tools: the Garbage Can Tool, the Taking Time Tool, and the Please and Thank You Tool.

Let's face it, life can be hard sometimes. Our children are still learning how to navigate their world, especially when things don't go their way. These tools the students learn can be used anywhere! When children solve some of their own problems, they gain confidence, feel good about their accomplishments, and improve their self-esteem.

Our PBIS Behavior Expectations are SAFE, RESPONSIBLE and RESPECTFUL in your work and in your play. Those 3 words are packed with a lot of expectations on how to act or respond. The tools help the students learn how to be safe, responsible and respectful of themselves and around others. Who doesn't want that for their child?!

The level represents the Empathy Tool. The icon of a level helps us learn to balance other people's needs, emotions, and situations with our own. This gesture embodies the idea of "caring for others, caring for ourselves." Empathy reminds us to notice how another person is feeling and try to understand what they must be feeling. Empathy is the root of tolerance, kindness, and forgiveness.

By noticing how the "bubble" moves inside the level - like a see-saw, reminds us that we need to consider both caring for ourselves, being kind to ourselves with our thoughts and words, but also how important it is to balance how we treat others and consider what they might be going through. If we can do both simultaneously, then we are good at using our Empathy Tool.

We use a ball of yarn to represent the Personal Space Tool. Pretend to take a piece of yarn and make a circle around you. This represents the space you need when around others. The space changes depending on where you are and who is around. We need to respect each other's personal space, which not only is the space we need for feeling comfortable and safe with or bodies, but also includes the volume of our voice and not interrupting others.

We all have an indelible right to our personal space and the responsibility to give others the same right. Noticing the physical space around us helps us to see our own needs and those of others, which may differ. This tool encompasses intelligence through awareness of our body language, sensations, gestures, position, posture, voice tone, quality, and volume.

The Using Our Words Tool is represented by a pencil. That may sound silly but how we talk/text/chat about others with our words come with big responsibility. We own the words we choose to use. Careful use of words encourages understanding, connection and intimacy. Careless or offensive words harm relationships. The Using Our Words Tool can help us with conflict resolution. Using the 'right' words, in the 'right' way, at the 'right' time, for the 'right' reasons creates deep connection.

Our words are powerful and have the ability to be helpful or hurtful. Our words let others know what we need, want, and how we feel. But there is a 'right' way and wrong way to go about using our words with others. Using Our Words in the 'right' way requires practice, practice, practice, and more practice.