Twin Oaks Families:

My youngest daughter, Madelyn, is getting married this summer, and we celebrated this weekend with a Garden Party Bridal Shower in Portland. This will be the last of the Miller girl nuptials - we're talking wedding number 5. To say that my husband and I are excited about the period at the end of that sentence would be an understatement. It's been quite a journey, watching each of our 5 daughters take that leap of faith into marriage, just as Pat and I did over 40 years ago. Joni Mitchell's iconic song about the inevitable march of time describes the feeling:

And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return, we can only look
Behind, from where we came
And go round and round and round, in the circle game

I count my blessings every day that my children have managed to make it to adulthood, and that each of them has found a path to happiness. The headlines from our last couple of weeks underscore just how lucky I am. Young lives lost under heart-breaking and tragic circumstances bring into focus just how precious our time together is. For the parents who will never see their daughters and sons walk down the aisle, I offer nothing of substance, because comfort will never come. All I can do is cling to every joyful moment that comes my way, and thank my lucky stars that I have been given the gift of one more beautiful day with my children.

What's happening in School this week: I've decided we could all use a little laughter and levity in our classrooms. Games, movement and laughter are healthy ways to distract ourselves from our worries and fears. To that end, I've decided to play fun movement and thinking games with all students grades K-5 this week. I found a wonderful, free resource online (during the pandemic), and it's my "go to" for fun games. If you haven't checked it out, you should. It's called Baamboozle!

COUNSELING ROOM MASK POLICY: My room has two excellent air purifiers, and I try to keep the area very safe for all who enter. For students who wear masks, I will continue to wear a mask when meeting individually with them in the Counseling Office.

Featured in this newsletter issue: Weekly Message, School Counseling Lesson Overview, Problem-solving/Time Machine examples, Classroom Counseling Lesson Schedule, Parenting and Community Resources.

REMEMBER, I'm available via email and office phone Monday-Friday. Don't hesitate to reach out to me with individual needs. I'm here to support you! My email is: miller_de@4j.lane.edu. My direct office phone is: 541-790-3442. If you need to reach me outside of business hours, feel free to text or call my Google Voice number at: 541-972-3347.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Miller