Man this can be tough to accomplish, am I right? I know that I tend to stink at striking a decent work-life balance. This is due, in part, to the fact that I really enjoy my work but also because there is always so much work to be done! We just do not have enough hours in the day. Frankly, keeping unrealistic work hours is both mentally and physically exhausting. We are already mentally taxed with conscious or subconscious stress regarding the pandemic and what we will be faced with as we enter the new school year. Our work is generally stressful and this year is adding an additional layer to that. Because of all of this weight, now is just not the time to run ourselves ragged and work ourselves to exhaustion.

One of my personal goals this year is to really protect my personal time. I do not expect that to be easy to accomplish, nor will the path to achieving that goal be perfect, but I am committed to working on it! If you are feeling like you need to focus on creating a better work-life balance for yourself, the article below will provide you with some useful tips! Let's make this the year that we really commit to setting boundaries and caring for ourselves! I am on this journey with you, so do not hesitate to reach out if you want a thought partner to help you reach your work-life balance goals!

"Your mind is a powerful thing. When you filter it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change." -Buddha

Sometimes it can be hard to carve out the time to add movement to your day. One small change that you can make is to take the stairs. According to stepjockey.com, stair climbing:

• Burns more calories per minute than jogging
• Reduces cardio risk by more than 30%
• Helps control weight and build muscle tone
• Is easy to build into your life and make a habit

To learn more about the health benefits of taking the stairs, click the link below.

These gluten free zucchini fritters with a side of sweet potato hash are definitely on my meal prep list this week. Yum!

Throughout the year, we hope to be able to offer you non-work related opportunities to stay connected with and support each other. We hope you will take advantage of some of these offerings as a way to unwind, shut your mind off from work, connect with friends and colleagues, and ultimately practice self-care. See below for a list of offerings.

Due to the current restrictions, creating physical calm down corners for our students is not possible this year. The button below will take you to a Virtual Calming Room corner that will offer a wide variety of videos and activities that your students (or you) can use to decompress when needed throughout the day. Again, this room is a work in progress. I will continue to add to it throughout the year. I hope you will find it helpful. And, please, if you have any awesome tools or resources that would be good additions to this room, send them along and I will be happy to add them!

The EPSD Support Center is designed to provide you with a wide variety of resources to support your health and wellness and that of your students and their familes as we navigate the re-opening of our school community during this challenging time. Click on the bar below to access the Support Center.

The SEL Bookshelves have been created to support SEL instruction in your classroom and the specific social and emotional needs of your students. On these shelves, you will find picture books, chapter books, video recorded read-alouds and accompanying lesson activities (where available) that are aligned to the 5 CASEL SEL Comptencies. The shelves are updated regularly so continue to check back for the latest additions. Click on the bar below to access the bookshelves.