Keep smiling, even under your mask!
The support of our students' academic, social, and emotional development through Distance Learning may be new, but the importance and our intentional efforts aren't. Our counselors, school social workers, teachers, nurses, paraprofessionals, support staff, and administrators are here for you. We are learning, listening to your feedback, modifying, adjusting, and continuing to refine processes. Thank you for your continued efforts, communication, and support.
The following piece on happiness is taken from a resource I have recently been reading. It really hit home for me and I hope you find it beneficial as well.
Sincerely,
Gina Kleive, principal
Happiness
What is it?
Before the pandemic, most parents, when asked what they want for their children, said, “I want my child to be happy.” But what does happiness really mean? It can't mean free from painful experiences or conflict with others because those things constantly happen. It can't be free from failure because that happens as well, and it often presents important lessons. Not only can happiness include struggle and uncertainty but can also provide emotional resilience to be content even though through hardship. Here's some good news. What makes humans happy tends to come down to the same things no matter their race, age, political viewpoint, ethnicity, religion, or class. It's one of those things that connects us to each other. So let's define it in a different way. Consider the following five conditions as a central ingredients of happiness.
A sense of purpose and meaning beyond oneself
Hope of success
Meaningful social connection
Fulfilling work (especially if you were working with others on a common goal)
A place to process and find peace
By the way, one of the reasons why young people love playing video games so much during COVID-19 is because the games provide these conditions. They are working hard, usually with a group of people to hopefully succeed or advance to the next level towards a common goal like unlocking new powers. Then after the game, you can talk to your friends about it. That's happiness. (for some)
Why is it important?
When we focus on these conditions, it's also easier to see why the process of developing social and emotional skills is so connected to happiness, even when it feels hard. This definition of happiness grounds us and reminds us of what we need to be OK, to have the capacity to meet the daunting situation we are facing, and how important the lessons we are maybe being forced to learn now will positively come with us in the future.
*Take action-
Ask your child to go through the conditions of happiness and identify something in their life that fulfilled each condition
Go through the same process for yourself
If you feel comfortable, show each other your responses
Wiseman, Rosalind, et al. The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents. Thousand Oaks, Corwin - A SAGE Company, 2020.
Next week is a short week...
We are approaching our first long weekend of the year. There will not be new content released in Canvas on Thursday, October 15. There is no school Thursday or Friday. If you're all caught up, take the time to relax and do other things. If you've fallen behind for any reason, this would be a great time to get caught up. If you'll be working on older modules, drop your teacher an email and let them teacher know. The school will be closed on those days and teachers will be unavailable to answer questions until Monday, October 19.
The next new module will open on Monday, October 19, and will close on Wednesday, October 28. There will be time built in for review, connecting with teachers and classmates, etc. (See the next section detailing "Canvas Module Open Dates" for more information.)
We are working to adjust our weekly workload for students based on your feedback. It is important that you complete any exit ticket or opportunity for reflection that teachers offer. This will help guide future modules and give us a better understanding of how long it really takes for students to complete each module.
Reach out if you need help! Your teachers always welcome contact from you. We are here to help you in any way we can.
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You spread smiles to our teachers with every connection | Lots of "Real World Problem Solving" going on! | Star Wars bobble head keeps teacher company |
You spread smiles to our teachers with every connection
Lots of "Real World Problem Solving" going on!
Star Wars bobble head keeps teacher company
Tech Tips & Tricks
- Make sure you're using a compatible browser, and keep it updated. If you use a Chromebook, you'll be in Chrome, which is great! Google Chrome also works best with Google Apps.
- Try the CARD VIEW. Many students find this less overwhelming.
- SET YOUR PREFERENCES! Are you overwhelmed with notifications? You can fix that! You can choose how often you want to be notified (daily, weekly, or not at all). Go to global navigation, click on Account, then Notifications.
- Review assignment feedback. Look for feedback or speech options next to assignments in the gradebook.
- There's an app for that! Some students find they like the app on their smartphone, but remember that it can't do everything you can do on a computer. DO NOT TAKE QUIZZES on the app.
- It may be a good idea to type your responses in a Google doc and then cut and paste into Canvas. This ensures you never accidentally lose a response if something goes wrong in the submission process.
Note:
Ordean East Middle School
Attendance: Dawn Warner
Principal: Gina Kleive
Assistant Principals: Rachel Jackson & Michael Emerson
School Counselors: Ashley Kedrowski, Sarah Seglem, & Lisa Wentworth
School Social Worker: Tracy Litman