Bowman High School
Staff Update- March 2020 (QUARANTINE FUN)
Principal's Update
This has been a transition for us all. Our classified staff have been supportive and continue to reach out with anything they can do to help. Students and parents have had to step up their game as well. Our students who have come to Bowman thinking homework is a privilege and not a necessary component of Bowman, are learning that homework is their only option for distant learning.
Our biggest challenge is getting students motivated enough to get online, reach out, do the work, and meet expectations. Our students who rely on daily relationships, are now feeling distant and limited to what felt like a second home (our school). I know many of you have been reaching out to students through email, and parents through phone connections. I applaud each of you, for this has changed the dynamics of who we are and what we do, yet we are still making time for those valuable connections.
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for putting your best foot forward through this process. Our google drive is filled with many strategies, ideas and new platforms we didn't know existed. Whether it is the counselors meeting students and parents in a public parking lot to deliver chrome books, or Mike C. recording his lessons while driving, or Ami setting up a google lunch bunch, or special ed. running a virtual IEP, or Jamie just hanging out with a student virtually just because they needed to chat. You all are making the hugest difference for the districts most at-risk population. You are amazing and I respect and value your genuine efforts.
I beat the odds! I can no longer say you can't be at two places at once!
Our staff hard at work, or enjoying some leisure.
Katrina enjoying her students popping online.
Your Centre Pointe Parkway safety committee!
Claire and her husband taking pictures of hail.
Pam creating a work space!
Jamie's cats grading papers!
Nina's kids on a bike ride.
Faculty Meetings!
THINGS TO DO WHILE YOU ARE STYLING THE QUARANTINE..............
Explore your backyard
Sure, you’re in a de facto state of staycationing already, but make it special. Weather permitting, treat a pool day like a beach day, if it’s warm enough. Set up a tent and camp in the backyard. Have the space for a garden? Create one, or at least an area for potted plants. Buy some outdoor games, such as ladderball, cornhole or KanJam.
Redecorate
Does your kid want a fun, colorful room that reflects his or her interests? Is your young teen ready to grow out of those bright pink or baby blue walls? Make it happen. Redo some walls, swap out some furniture or shop for a rug or lighting. Plus, can you come up with a more fun excuse to have them completely clean their rooms? It could even be time to reorganize the playroom and set up a system for containing all those toys.
Binge watch
This isn’t a novel suggestion, but there’s simply too much content out there to have possibly watched everything you and your kids want to see. Take a day or two to turn into such a couch potato that your brain gets mashed. Maybe use this as a good excuse to try Disney+ if you haven’t already, or any of the numerous streaming services available.
Write Letters
Yes, old school, but so valuable. Write a family member or an old friend a letter. Let them know why they mean so much to you, and why you chose them to write to. They will appreciate it greatly, and you will make their day!
Create a craft
Head to a Michaels, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's or a big-box store and go nuts buying art supplies. It could be time to make those bird boxes you were thinking about, or try some painting. There are thousands of crafts you could create from just a few affordable supplies, using your imagination (and maybe Pinterest).
Break out the board games
You can get a lot of mileage out of a few smart board games, even if your family members claim they’re not competitive. Break out the classics, such as Life or Monopoly, or buy some new ones — it’s hard to go wrong. Or you can see if your kids want to design their own games. If your family wants something on the more calming side, there are always puzzles.
Reintroduce reading
If your kid complains about how boring reading is, clearly you need to introduce them to some good literature. If you aren’t planning to visit a public library or bookstore, don’t forget about the digital books available on most tablet apps.
Act out
Do you have some budding thespians in your home? If so, put their acting skills and imagination to use by breaking out some old Halloween costumes. Your kids can write their own scripts and act out their parts while in costume.
Keep school skills fresh
Help younger kids keep their learning skills fresh with grade-appropriate activities. Look for fun math problem books, science experiment kits and writing prompts for kids, available online.
This is what Online Learning has done to your principal!
More meetings!
Mindfulness- So Important- 5 easy mindfulness tips to help stay sane while in self-quarantine
1. Meditation and mindfulness apps
There are so many new mindfulness apps that it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. There's Calm, Ten Percent Happier, Breathe, Headspace, and Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, just to name a few. Some of these are paid, others are free, others are pay-to-upgrade, so it's worth doing a little research to suit your financial situation.
2. Super zen calming YouTube videos
There are so many free talks, meditations and discussions about mindfulness on YouTube that you could literally spend your entire self-quarantine period letting them auto-play one after the next. But one part of being mindful is being deliberate in our actions, so instead I'll point you to a few keepers. This talk from meditation guru Tara Brach on learning how to 'respond, not react' is a personal fave. This talk from Eckhart Tolle about the essence of spirituality is another good one, although I can't tell if I find his words helpful or am simply hypnotized by his cute old-German-man voice. If ASMR is more your thing, this clip titled 'cozy night time whispering' comes highly recommended from yours truly, not least because the guy doing the cozy night time whispering is a straight-up hunk.
3. Mindfulness activities you can do anywhere
Mindfulness isn't something you have to pay for - and it's not something you have to leave the house for. That's why it's so popular with prisoners. One of my favorite easy-to-do mindfulness exercises simply involves listening to your favorite music, but resisting the judgments and thoughts that might normally come along with this music. Other exercises include finding a natural object nearby and focusing on it for several minutes, or doing a check-in with your different body parts (it's called a body scan!) while sitting comfortably.
If all else fails, you can always order an adult coloring-in book, or download these free colouring-in print-outs.
4. Do something creative
You'd be surprised how calming arts and crafts can be. Not oil paints, necessarily, as they get onto your hands and then onto the tap and then onto the kitchen bench and before you know it you're having a mental breakdown. But things like drawing, colouring in, cross-stitching, embroidering, or building something out of clay with your hands will force you to be in the moment, which is, at the end of the day, the core goal of mindfulness (but we don't call it a goal, because mindfulness and meditation shouldn't be goal-oriented!).
5. Animals
This might seem like an obvious one, but there is plenty of research to suggest that being in the presence of animals helps us minimize stress and stay mindful. So, if you have a pet, keep them real close. Give them a brush! Take photos and send them to your friends! But don't worry if you don't have a pet, because the internet has your back. YouTube is awash with brilliant pet compilation videos that should have you forgetting the word 'pandemic' in no time.
We all need some fun with this......................
Don't say you weren't warned!
Oh, where to travel to this weekend?
Where does the day go?
This has become a chore
Seems reasonable!
You get what they are promoting here!
IMPORTANT NEWS!
- Michael Daniels got word from National that he can keep going on with his course work to complete his credential but will still need to take the CSETS later on.
- Mike Mansfield had a Birthday on March 26th!
- We had 5 GRADUATES on week 2 of online learning.
- Currently we are due back May 5th.
- YOU MATTER whether you are at home or school! Remember that!
- Edilia has rescinded her resignation, and is still part of the Bulldog family.
This is how I feel by 9:00 am!
FUNNY LAUNCH.......................
There is a new Sheriff In Town- Our Newest Bulldog
Josh and Kimmi
Teddi Jo (5), Tatum Rae (1), Zeke (3)
Filler photo
Josh loves being a dad
Website: www.bowmanhighschool.org
Location: 21508 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita
Phone: 661 253-4400