Color of Our Worlds 12/2017
Educating ALL MCSD Students for success.
Title I Schools Win Character Counts! Grants from United Way of Martin County
The following United Way of Martin County’s CHARACTER COUNTS! mini-grant applications have been selected for funding and were awarded during a presentation at the November 14 School Board meeting! Congratulations on your success. Thank you for your continued support of United Way of Martin County’s CHARACTER COUNTS! program!
Vonetta Allen, Dr. David L. Anderson Middle
Ruth Casady, Hobe Sound Elementary
Ivana Ayala-Esslinger, Indiantown Middle
Meditating to Ease Kids
Many parents say meditation is a helpful tool for their kids. More research is needed to understand how meditation might specifically benefit kids with learning and attention issues. But it can be a good way to help all kids cope with stress and “quiet the mind.” Here are seven apps to introduce your child to meditation. You may also want to check out self-control apps for young kids and for teens and tweens.
(Retrieved from understood.org November 23, 2017. Price and availability may vary but were accurate at the time of original publication on Understood.org, on November 25, 2016. Understood.org or MCSD does not endorse or receive financial compensation for the sale of any of these products.)
Breathe, Think, Do With Sesame
This free Sesame Street app isn’t specifically for meditation, but it’s great for introducing very young kids to the concept of calming down through breathing. The app teaches kids the “Breathe, Think, Do” method. Kids help an animated monster facing a frustrating situation to calm down by taking long, deep breaths. Afterwards, they help the monster think of a solution and do it.
Price: Free
Available for: Android, iOS
Headspace
Founded in 2010, Headspace was one of the first meditation apps on the market. It has a sleek, cool look, and uses fun cartoon videos to teach how meditation works. The app has tons of guided meditations, read by a voice with a British accent. It also has meditations targeted at specific areas, like sports and health. Headspace offers reminders, which can help kids stay on track. It also offers a buddy system so different users can encourage each other. Headspace is for best for teens and older kids. However, it does offer several short meditations for younger children.
Price: Free to try ($12.95 per month subscription)
Available for; Android, iOS
Scape
Scape is an innovative app that allows kids to create their own calming, ambient sound. To do this, they combine shapes, colors and backgrounds to create a sound mix, called a “Scape.” Kids can meditate to the sound of the scape, or they can listen while focusing on other activities, like homework. For the best experience with this app, your child will need headphones or speakers.
Price: $5.99
Available for: iPad
Settle Your Glitter
This free app helps kids focus on breathing to manage feelings. Kids first name how they’re feeling—mad, sad, silly or worried. Then they press a button for how strong the feeling is. Lastly, they shake their device to release virtual glitter on their screen, which slowly settles. As the glitter settles, kids breathe as a cartoon character grows and shrinks. Kids of all ages can use this app, but younger ones will need help to understand what to do.
Price: Free
Available for: Android, iOS
Stop, Breathe & Think
Stop, Breathe & Think is a simple meditation app for kids in middle school and older. It has guided meditations and breathing exercises, as well as written instructions on how to meditate. There’s a function where kids can share how their mind and body are feeling, and the app suggests an appropriate meditation. The app also tracks total meditation time and how “settled” kids report they feel.
Price: Free (with in-app options to purchase additional meditations)
Available for: Android, iOS
Super Stretch Yoga HD
Super Stretch Yoga HD is for yoga, not meditation, but it can help kids learn the importance of relaxation and breathing. The app teaches kids how to do 12 different yoga poses. Each pose is introduced with a short animation, a live video with a child doing the pose, and an explanation. Kids can choose to do one of the poses, or do all of them in rotation. The app gives kids gentle encouragement while kids do the yoga poses, and reminds them to breathe. Super Stretch Yoga HD is best for kids in grade school and Pre-K.
Price: Free
Available for: iPad
Calm
The Calm app offers a new meditation every day, along with 7- to 21-day meditation programs like “7 Days of Calming Anxiety” or “7 Days of Focus.” Most of the meditations are guided, but there are options for unguided timed meditations, too. Guided meditations are read aloud by a pleasant, soothing voice. Kids can also listen to sounds like ocean waves or wind. It’s free to try the app’s first program and a few stand-alone guided meditations. There’s a fee to access more. Calm is best for older teens and young adults. Parents may want to try the app too. And if you have a younger child, Calm offers sleep stories to read to kids to help them relax and sleep better.
Price: Free to try ($9.99 per month membership)
Available for: Android, iOS
When the Relatives Came to Visit Hobe Sound Elementary School!
Pinewood Annual Thanksgiving Feast!
Indiantown Middle School hosted their 10th Annual Veterans Day Luncheon!
Warfield Kindergarteners are Readers!
We are Readers Celebration of learning at Warfield Elementary School. Kindergarten students celebrated their progress on completion of their reading unit - WE are Readers!
Reader Celebration at WES!
Kindergarteners are great readers at WES!
We Are Readers at WES!
Jen Bacchiochi Named Literacy Coach of the Year by the Florida Reading Assosciation!
Jen Bacchiochi, Literacy Coach at Warfield Elementary School, was recognized by the Florida Reading Association as Literacy Coach of the Year for the State of Florida!
Kickball is a PBIS Incentive at Warfield!
Awesome Authors Afterschool Club at Port Salerno Elementary School!
Donna Gephart
Awesome Authors After-School Club
Death by Toilet Paper by Donna Gephart
PSE is excited to have the opportunity for students to work with Donna Gephart, an award winning author! PSE hosted an after-school writing club with author Donna Gephart, where the students moved through the writing process to create a finished piece of work.
First Ever Girls Volleyball Championship Team at Anderson Middle School
National Junior Honor Society Inductee Ceremony at Anderson Middle School!
Save the Date! March 3, 2018 sees the return of Book Mania at JBHS!
MCLS is pleased to announce the return of
BookMania!
the most prestigious literary event on the Treasure Coast!
WHEN:
Saturday, March 3, 2018 9am-4:30pm
WHERE:
Jensen Beach High School Performing Arts Center
Authors will participate in one of multiple panel discussions featuring prominent and emerging writers. Specific panel themes include: Know Your Body, Know Your Food; A Dogs Tale; All in the Family: Writing Teams; The Spy Next Door: True Tales of Espionage and Intrigue; Relationships in History: Then and Now; and On the Edge of Your Seat.
BookMania! is free and open to the general public. As part of a collaborative effort with Barnes & Noble booksellers, the Martin County School District will be collecting books for their K-12 book drive in conjunction with this event. Additionally, a ticketed sponsors' event, A Literary Affair, will be held on the evening prior to the festival.
This popular program has achieved national recognition for its stellar authors, record attendance, and impressive book sales. Now in its 24th year, BookMania! remains a favorite destination for a wide and diverse audience. Bookmania! is sponsored by The Library Foundation of Martin County, Inc.
Library events are free and open to the public. See you there!
Look for picture and read-aloud books.
There are many kinds of children's books about historical people, places, and events at the library. You may wish to look for books related to:
- your own family history
- places you have visited (or are going to visit)
- events and people that your child is studying in school.
Don't forget the fiction
Sometimes a good story is the best way to spark interest in a new topic! Books that are written from a child's point of view or as a children's diary are often popular for young readers.
Ask the librarian for help
If your child develops an interest in a specific event or person, ask the school or public librarian for suggestions of related books.
Look for clues
As you read books about history together, ask your child to look for clues related to the time period. What does he notice about the location, clothes, transportation, and houses? How have those things changed over time?
Look for books about familiar places
When you find a historic painting or photo of a familiar place, ask your child about what things that have changed or stayed the same. Perhaps there is a building where there used to be a park, or perhaps you can find a photo of the old theater downtown when it first opened.
Keep a map and globe nearby
Show your child where the things you're reading about happened, whether it's in your neighborhood or on the other side of the world.
Help older children find chapter books about historical topics
Children who are reading on their own have a wide variety of chapter books to choose from. A number of series books focus on historic themes as well, such as The American Girls and Magic Tree House books.
Look for other kinds of reading material as well
Magazines, posters, kids' newspapers, flash cards, comic books, and graphic novels all can present historic information in a fun way.
Follow up with other activities
When your child develops an interest in a topic from history, look for places to visit related to that topic, such as living history museums or historic sites. You may also be able to find TV shows, movies, and websites with information for kids about history.
Look at those resources together so you can talk about what you see and how it compares with the books you've been reading.
Other resources include:
- Helping Your Child Learn History (U.S. Department of Education)
- Remember When... (Illinois Early Learning Project)
References
U.S. Department of Education: Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs. Helping Your Child Learn History. Washington, D.C., 20202
(Retrieved from ColorinColarado.org on November 30, 2017.)
Recommended Booklists
- Latinas Who Made a Difference
- Latinos Who Made a Difference
- The Legacy of Cesar Chavez
- Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo
- Famous Authors and Librarians: Hispanic Heritage
- Biographies: American Indian Heritage
- Native Women's History: American Indian Heritage
- Courageous Girls and Women: Asian Pacific American Heritage
- Heroes and Legends: Asian Pacific American Heritage
For more great booklists on historic topics, see our Books & Authors section and the Social Studies lists on Reading Rockets!
What is iReady?
iReady Login Link
Title I/Migrant/ELL Services Department
The Color of Our Worlds is an Electronic Newsletter for the school communities of:
AMS: Anderson Middle School
HSE: Hobe Sound Elementary School
IMS: Indiantown Middle School
JDP: J. D. Parker Elementary School
PWE: Pinewood Elementary School
PSE: Port Salerno Elementary School
SWE: SeaWind Elementary School
WES: Warfield Elementary School
Email: khanals@martin.k12.fl.us
Website: http://www.martinschools.org/pages/Martin_County_School_District/Title_I
Phone: 772-219-1200