The CPES BobChat
February 6, 2022
How Do We Develop Kids Who Never Give Up?
Last week, we discussed why it is important for our children to persevere. But, how do we as teachers and parents foster that? How can we help grow the persistence muscle in our kids? 1. Know their "zone of proximal development." Psychologist Lev Vygotsky believed that the zone of proximal development is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner. This is the place between what they do independently and the next step they can do with support. Do we really know what he can do all by himself? Do we do things for her that she needs to do without our assistance? What is his point of challenge where he needs a little coaching compared to her point of frustration where no growth happens? Kids gain perseverance when they know what they can do alone and when they can see the next step. 2. Let them "fail forward." When our little ones are learning to walk, we would never watch them fall down and say "That's too bad, you'll never learn to walk." No, we tell them to get back up and try again and again and again. We don't want our children to experience the pain of failure, but it is such a great teacher. We can ask them questions like "What do you think you could do better next time?" and "Where did things fall apart?" and "What did you learn from that?" When we do that, it helps build their confidence that they can get better rather than the adults coming to rescue them. We want them to know that mistakes and failures are temporary steps and not final destinations. 3. Show them models of persistence. My kids know that I'm able to run long distances only because I've been building up to that over the past two years with the help of a running buddy. When we saw our kids' frustrations with their sports or music activities, we tried to quickly point out how far they had come since they started them. Our children often need our perspective to see their success due to perseverance in one part of their life in comparison to the temporary setback in another part of of their lives. We can also discuss the challenges others in history have overcome. There is always a great Olympic athlete who knew the "agony of defeat" in order to achieve the "thrill of victory." It is easier for our children to see that they can do it when they see others who did it. 4. Help them know that you are with them and you are for them. That is very different than fixing it for them. We want to be present with our children when things are tough. It is never good for anyone to suffer alone. We want to encourage them when they are down. In so many cases, what a child believes that adults believe about him is more important than what he believes about himself. We can all use a little hope to help us make it through the hard parts of life. We want our children to be overcomers. We want them to become independent. In order to do that, they will need every bit of grit, determination, perseverance and persistence they have. One of the greatest ways we can love our kids is to commit to helping them develop those character muscles.
Strength and Blessings,
Mr. Maness
P.S. The month of February as Black History Month is a great time to highlight heroes who persevered to provide equal rights for others. Here is a link to the SC African American History Calendar sponsored by the SC Department of Education: https://scafricanamerican.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AAHC_2022_05_web.pdf
Parents, please be on the lookout for information this week on how you can complete your survey for the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence evaluation process.
Notes and Reminders
SIC and PTO Meetings--Will be tomorrow on Monday. Here is the link if you would like to attend: https://rockhillschools.zoom.us/j/6332364998?pwd=UTlkSkpPKzBUVG9Gd0hwbVRrVWFTQT09
School Choice Update--Please help let other families know we have a few spots open for French in first grade for first time students. Families interested simply need to apply through the normal School of Choice process below. Please pass on this information to any families you know about signups in kindergarten for French and Spanish as well.
Valentine's Day Parties--This week, your child's teachers will be sending you information about plans for our Valentine's Day parties on Monday, February 14. Please follow their lead on what and how to send in items. They know best what will be enough and what will be too much. Any food items sent need to have labels with ingredients so we can determine what is appropriate for students to have if they have a food allergy. We would also encourage any food items to be wrapped for health and safety reasons as well. Teachers will let you know if they will be making Valentines at school or if your child needs to make them at home and bring them in. We will serve pizza in the cafeteria on that day. Thanks for your support of this fun day for our kids.
Newsletter Article Suggestions--Do you have suggestions for topics and questions that you'd like Mr. Maness to discuss in the newsletter? Always feel free to email him your ideas here: mailto:pmaness@rhmail.org
COVID Reminder--We are seeing an increase in the Covid-19 cases throughout the district. Please continue to monitor your children for symptoms of COVID. These symptoms include a new or worsening cough, fever, loss of taste or smell, congestion, sore throat, body aches, etc. Please do not send your child to school sick. If your student has COVID symptoms, which unfortunately are very similar to the common cold, they will be sent to the school nurse and the nurse will call for you to pick your child up. Please refer to the Covid-19 information on the RHSD website and contact the COVID call center with questions, 803-980-2016. You can also click on the COVID Call Center button below for more information. Please be patient as we make the needed changes in attendance due to COVID.
Sixth Grade Immersion Program at Sullivan Middle School
Fifth Grade Parent Information Meeting--You are invited to a Fifth Grade Parent Information Meeting about the immersion program at Sullivan Middle School on Tuesday, February 8 at 6:30 PM via Zoom. In order to attend, you can simply click on this link: Zoom Meeting for Fifth Grade Parents Meeting ID: 741 043 4809 and Passcode: Lions1
During this meeting, the Sullivan staff will explain how the immersion program looks in middle school and provide additional information about the transition to sixth grade.
Letter of Intent--In order for your child to continue the immersion program at Sullivan Middle School, all you have to do is complete the following Letter of Intent: https://forms.gle/SRF1tJHnk2poAgcj8 (This is a new link. I know some of you had a problem opening the previous link.)
We hope you will attend the meeting and complete the Letter of Intent so your child can continue in the immersion program.
High School Program--Please remember that we now have the high school immersion program in place at Rock Hill High where students can earn college credits from Winthrop by taking Dual Credit classes. Our middle school program helps effectively prepare our students for the high school program.
Applying for School of Choice
SOC Application (Families Who Already Have a Sibling in the Program)--Rising kindergarten students who are siblings of current immersion students (in kindergarten through ninth grade) receive priority for acceptance but parents must still fill out the Choice application by February 28.
Parent Orientation Sessions--We will have Virtual Parent Information Sessions at the dates and times below. Please click on the link beside the session to sign up to attend.
Wednesday, February 9 at 6:30 PM--https://rockhillschools.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtf-CrqzsjGd0mN3ZWMT-Rc8xBQHh3936i
Need Tech Support? Call 803-324-TECH
School Calendar
February 1-28--Parent Surveys for Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence will go out
February 7--5:30 SIC Meeting; 6:30 PM PTO Meeting (Zoom Link: https://rockhillschools.zoom.us/j/6332364998?pwd=UTlkSkpPKzBUVG9Gd0hwbVRrVWFTQT09)
February 8--6:30 Rising Sixth Grade Immersion Parent Meeting (See link above)
February 9--6:30 Parent Information Meeting for Rising Kindergarten and Prospective Parents (See link above)
February 14--Valentine's Day (Your child's teacher will send you guidance for how we will celebrate the day.)
February 18--Half-Day for Professional Development (Students dismissed at 11:00)
February 21--President's Day Holiday
March 8-9--Blue Ribbon Site Visit