Leading with Heart
MISD Social and Emotional Learning - 5th 6 Weeks
Special Section for Week of February 22
Connect as a Community This Week
It's important to spend time these next few days reconnecting and building that relational capacity with our students!
Before stepping back in the classroom this week, take a moment to reflect on the extreme differences the children faced these last several days:
- Some children had a fun week off, playing in the snow and being warm in their homes.
- Others went through a traumatic week of below freezing temps, no heat, no water and no food.
- Some children will want to talk about it
- Some will want to process it
- Others will just want a safe place to be after a difficult week.
It's also a good time to go over classroom Social Contracts/Treatment Agreements and do some activities centered around them. Click here for Social Contract/Treatment Agreement Resources. Working these is KEY to Building Connectedness.
Our job is to provide that safe place for our students. Below is a link to some activities you can do with your students as they return from an "unexpected extended 4-day weekend"
Make sure you and the children in your classroom connect as a community before trying to worry about “academics.” Work can wait
Fun Days to Celebrate in the 5th 6 Weeks
- February 28th - Public Sleeping Day
- March 1 - World Compliment Day
- March 7 - National Cereal Day
- March 23 - National Chip & Dip Day
- March 26 - 2nd Annual International SEL Day (activities to come)
- March 31 - National Crayon Day
- April 9 - Name Yourself Day
MISD Social & Emotional Learning Resources
Happy Almost Spring! We are excited to bring the 5th 6 weeks SEL Newsletter with resources for you to use in your classroom. We hope you find our newsletter easy to navigate and available at your fingertips!
A reminder that our goal is to focus on ONE SEL Core Competency each 6 weeks and to provide lessons for all grade levels under that competency of focus. You will notice many competencies cross over which just means the emphasis on that skill is greater and should 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
We are here to assist any way possible. We are available for presentations, workshops (parent student and/or staff) and any individual needs that arise on your campus.
Please feel free to contact us anytime:
Mendy Gregory - mendygregory@misdmail.org
Karrye Aquino - karryeaquino@misdmail.org
Link to last 6 week's newsletter and Self-Management Lessons
To go directly to the Self-Management lessons, click on links below for the appropriate grade levels:
SEL Parent Nights
The MISD Social & Emotional Learning Department will have 3 Virtual Parent Nights this spring on the following topics. Click on the dates below to access the Information Flyer and to register via Zoom using the link on the flyer.:
March 3; 6:00 PM via Zoom - What is SEL? (rescheduled from February 17)
March 10; 6:00 PM via Zoom - What is Social Awareness?April 14; 6:00 PM via Zoom - Topic TBDParticipants must open the Parent Night Flyer and register using the link in the flyer to attend!
Spark the Heart
What is a spark? A spark is a small burst of energy that ignites something bigger. It can be a flame or an electrical charge...or a kind word or gesture. A tiny spark of kindness and love, lit by one person, can transform your campus culture.
Kindness inspires positivity, opens minds, causes a chain reaction of goodness, and has the power to transform your classroom. Spark the heart of your campus community through Affirmations, Good Things, and your Social Contract. Every time we do something that helps our school community grow more welcoming, affirming, and kind, we spark connection. Together we can make sure no one feels alone, unsupported, or unconnected.
ENGAGE
Focus on Kindness this 6 weeks
Click here for Social Contract/Treatment Agreement Resources
Working these is KEY to Success and Classroom Management and Connectedness!
Kindness: The World We Make
Sometimes the world feels crazy, lonely, fake. What would happen if we slowed down and started offering kindness to others?
Let's start a ripple effect in MISD!
Find out by watching this kindness video below.
Other resources are for Inspire Kindness at:
This is Why We Do "Good Things" and Circles
"The future depends on what you do today" - Mahatma Gandhi
See this inspirational video that Piney Woods Elementary students in Splendora ISD made to send an inspirational message to all educators. Our kids are our future and the future looks bright!
Explore
Kindness Challenge
- "Chalk your Walk with Kindness" - have students decorate with chalk the sidewalks and entrances to your school with kind words, phrases and pictures
- "I Can be Kind by...." - have students fill out a template or write on a paper how they can be kind and display them in your room, hallways, etc.
- " Be the I in Kind" - make a large bulletin board and have students pose as the "I" in the word KIND.
- "Kindness Chain of Affirmations" - encourage students to recognize other students by writing an affirmation to them on a link and adding it to the chain. *Virtual Option: Create a virtual affirmation space to affirm acts of kindness all month!
- "Spread Kindness During Good Things for a Week" - Spend one week during Good Things asking students to share a story of someone who is repetitively kind and what specific small things they do. This way the class can share new easy ideas on how to spread kindness.
February was Black History Month, but you can still celebrate diversity
- Periodic Table of Black History Activity (see picture below) - this could be done to showcase famous people anytime during the year.
- Virtual Journeys
- Legacy Project– Black History in the Making
- Good Trouble Minecraft– if you aren’t using Minecraft on your campus, I encourage you to. It is amazing what learners at all grades and ability levels can create!
- Black History Month Videos to Show
COMMUNICATE
SEL Core Competencies
Building Relational Capacity is always at the forefront of everything that we do and will be revisited all year long.
5th 6 weeks Focus - Social Awareness Skills
Social Awareness is the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse cultures and backgrounds. The ability to understand social and ethical norms for behavior and to recognize family, school, and community resources and support. Effectively see other's perspectives, show empathy, appreciate emotions and respect others.
You will find links to lessons for grades PK-5 and 6-12 that relate to topics under Social Awareness. These are quick SEL lessons to incorporate into your classroom as you see fit.
Also included are some highlight activities that center around Kindness which is associated with the months of February and March (and really all year long)
Empower
Family & Community Connections
Working together, schools, families, and communities can prepare our children for a more promising future.
Kindness-a-thon: Random Acts of Kindness
- Have students think about their neighborhoods. Ask, "How can you infuse a little kindness while still social distancing?"
- Help students think of simple ideas (chalk messages, hearts on mailboxes, uplifting notes on doorsteps).
- Once classes have brainstormed a list of acts of kindness, host a school-wide "Kindness-a-thon." Ask students to report any act of kindness they complete in their neighborhood.
- Chart the progress of each class or homeroom all month and reward the class with the most acts of kindness.
Community Kindness Challenge: Pass it on
- Choose an act of kindness activity to complete as a school.
- Take pictures or video of your students and staff participating in the activity and post on your social media.
- Pass it on! Tag another group, business, organization, or school in your community. Invite them to take part in the challenge and complete their own random act of kindness within 24 hours. Ask them to post it on social media and tag another community group to keep this cadence of kindness going all month long
Share the Family Newsletter
Send home this Family Newsletter and empower students and their families with a focus on kindness. (Click on links below to access newsletters in both English and Spanish).
Family Newsletter Secondary (English)
Family Newsletter Secondary (Spanish)
"Pay a Compliment Day"
See example of something you can create and post all around the school, in your classroom, etc.
If You Really Knew Me Activity
LAUNCH
Launch Quote
True Kindness sometimes means putting others' needs before your own. But that doesn't mean it can't still make you happy.
Daily Launch Activity - 28 Days of Kindness Challenge
Launch Activity - Friday Feedback
For other Launch Quotes and Activities see link below:
SEL and Relationship Building for Staff
Play Human Scrabble with the Staff
Play Human Scrabble with the Staff! What a great moral building activity.
Here are the links to directions and letters:
Staff Acts of Kindness BINGO Board
Create an “Acts of Kindness” Board in a common area where all staff visits (where mailboxes are, lounge, copy room, etc.).
Encourage staff to get a BINGO with the Acts of Kindness. Each time they complete an act in the square, they write their name in that square. Those who get a BINGO with their acts can redeem for a prize (whatever you decide that is).
See picture below for example
Love Yourself Challenge for Educators
This can also be done as an activity with your students.
Love Yourself Bulletin Board
Affirmations
Affirmation Activity
Affirmations: Campus Kindness Tree
Celebrate and encourage kind and helpful acts with a Campus Kindness Tree.
- Identify a central location to build your school-wide kindness tree.
- When students receive or witness kindness in the classroom, they write an affirmation for the person who did it on a pre-cut leaf or heart and add it to your school Kindness tree. Watch your tree grow all month!
- Review or include these Affirmation Starters to help.
- Choose a few of these affirmations to read over the announcements or share on Social Media as part of your Good Things!
- Virtual Option: Use JamBoard or Padlet and challenge staff and students to fill it with Affirmations for others who are kind on campus.
Affirmation Challenge
Administrator Corner
Lead with Kindness
Random acts of kindness are important, but EXCEL leaders practice and model kindness continuously to cultivate a positive campus culture. This 6 weeks, lead kindness on campus with these activities (or any of your own):
Good Things: Share Acts of Kindness
- Start morning announcements, weekly emails (to staff, students, or families), or daily meetings with Good Things.
- This 6 weeks, choose to spotlight kind acts you have seen a staff member or student do for someone else.
- Share these on social media with #kindnessat(yourschoolname).
Treatment Agreement/Social Contract Focus Word: Launch with 28 Days of Kindness (see below for daily activities)
- Identify "Kindness" as your campus Treatment Agreement/Social Contract Focus Word for the month.
- Each day, launch staff and students with a different kindness challenge at the end of morning announcements, through videos, or over social media.
- Use the challenges listed on the page in Launch Activity above or create some of your own.
- Create a Kindness Bingo for students/staff to complete for a fun prize or shout out.
Make it Sticky!
Make it Sticky!
Greet staff and give each staff member a pad of post-it notes as they arrive on campus.Challenge them to empty the pad by the end of the week by writing positive affirmations to other staff members. After writing an affirmation on a post-it, they can deliver it by sticking it to the receiving staff member’s door or desk.
Virtual Option: Create a shared virtual affirmation space with FlipGrid, JamBoard, or another online tool. Challenge staff members to leave one Affirmation a day for another staff member for the month of February.