The Weekly Armadillo
Monday, December 9, 2019
"The Best School in Town"
Vision
To create an exceptional learning environment where all students are prepared to successfully compete in a global society.
Mission
To prepare all students to achieve the highest standard of intellectual, physical and social growth.
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How to Keep Your Elementary Students Focused
Edutopia: Student Engagement
November 15, 2019
5 research-backed tips to keep your elementary students on-task.
Click on the following link to access a short video: https://youtu.be/Y3LgOo3r-9Y
Once you've viewed the video, use the following class code to view my question and submit your response in google classroom: np4bje. Your response (all teachers and teacher assistants) is due by Friday, December 13.
How to access Google Classroom
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Emotion Regulation: Belly Breathing for Kids
On Friday, students in grades 1-5 begin their midyear ACPs. This can be a stressful time for students. Teach your students to identify big emotions such as stress and how regulate it with big belly breathing.
Vocabulary: Emotion Regulation - the ability to identify your own feelings and control them.
Pre-Discussion:
Begin by asking the group to think of a situation that made them feel a very strong emotion. Use the following questions to guide the discussion:
- “How does it feel to have a big emotion?”
- “What do you usually do in these situations?”
Tell the group that you have a trick about breathing that a lot of people don’t know: even though we use our lungs to breathe, we can use our bellies for a special kind of breathing to help us calm down. This technique is called Belly Breathing.
Belly Breathing Activity:
1. First, demonstrate the difference between regular breathing and Belly Breathing. Ask children to place one hand on their chest and one on their belly, and then breathe normally. Point out how the hand on the belly stays in place while the hand on the chest moves up and down.
2. With their hands still on their chest and belly, ask students to take a deep breath through their nose so that the hand on the chest does NOT move but the hand on the belly does. Explain that when our hands move like this, we know we are taking deep, relaxing Belly Breaths.
3. Once students get the hang of doing Belly Breathing, ask them to inhale through their nose slowly to a count of five and then exhale slowly through their mouth to a count of five. Ask them to take five breaths this way and notice how they feel.
Post-Discussion:
- “How does Belly Breathing make you feel while you are practicing it? How do you feel when you are done Belly Breathing?”
- “How can practicing Belly Breathing help you manage your feelings?”
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This week's target is the SPECIALS TEAM (Sowards, Crowder, Kleinberg, Rhoads). Help to make their week amazing by doing, giving or saying something kind to each of them. Email me pictures of the random acts of kindness to include in next week's newsletter.
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Thanks to everyone for appreciating our front office team with random acts of kindness throughout last week!
Spelling Bee Champs!
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12/10 Special Education Parent Training (hosted by District SpEd Department)
12/13 ACPs - 4th Writing and 5th Science
12/16 ACPs - Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Math
12/17 ACPs - Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Reading
12/17 PTSA/ Student of the Month/ All Student Holiday Program 6:00
12/18 Parent University in the auditorium with Dr. Morales 8:30
12/19 Polar Express Day (all grade levels)
12/19 Last Day for Students 1st Semester
12/19 Holiday Parties @ 1:45 (all grade levels)
12/20 Teacher Work Day (no students)
1/6 Staff Development Day (no students)
1/7 Students Return to School
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Created by Adrian Luna, Principal
Nathan Adams Elementary School
Dallas Independent School District
Email: aluna@dallasisd.org
Website: www.dallasisd.org/nathanadams
Location: 12600 Welch Road, Dallas, TX 75244
Phone: 972-794-2600