Pawsome News
Mill Creek Elementary School-January 2022
Acceptance/Tolerance
"Acceptance is the currency of love." Teal Swan
Vision Statement for Mill Creek Elementary School
Our students at Mill Creek will acquire literacies in multiple areas including English Language Arts, math, science, and digital media. They will become creators, problem solvers, and critical consumers of information. They will develop confidence, resilience, persistence, empathy, and compassion. Students will develop a love of learning through fun, challenging, and relevant learning activities. Their academic, physical, and social emotional growth will enable them to lead happy, productive, meaningful lives as contributing members of our democratic society.
Message from the Principal
January is always a time to think about new beginnings and positive change. I stopped doing New Years' Resolutions long ago because I just never kept them. I do, however, think about my intentions for the year. What goals do I have for the year? What do I need to learn to accomplish those goals?
One of the most important lessons we can teach out kids is their unlimited ability to learn something new. This is a life long process that involves having a growth mindset. A growth mindset is believing in the power of yourself and your brain to continue to learn. We know that with practice we can improve our skills. When we try difficult things and don't give up, we can get better at something.
It is important for us to model a growth mindset for our children. If you struggled in math and say "I have never been good at math" that can become a crutch for kids if they are also struggling. That is modeling a fixed mindset. Mathematical ability is not genetic!
You can help your children develop a growth mindset by using the following phrases.
- When a child says they can’t do something or don’t know something, reply, “You can’t do it yet.” or “You don’t know it yet.”
- “Hard work leads to success.”
- “Build your brain’s muscles by working hard!”
- “You learn from your mistakes.”
- “Thinking is like giving your brain a workout.”
- “The harder your try, the smarter you become.”
- “Never give up!”
- “Everyone makes mistakes.”
- “Failure = learning”
- “Mistakes make your brain bigger.”
- “I love how hard you’re working!”
- “Great effort!”
- “I can tell you tried your best on this.”
- “When the work gets hard, you start learning.”
- “When the work gets hard, your brain gets smarter.”
- “Failure makes your smarter.”
- “Effort is exercise for your brain.”
- “If it’s not hard, it’s not helping you learn.”
- “You did such a good job on this (project/worksheet/test/quiz/etc) because you worked so hard on it.”
- “I love how you didn’t give up, even when the work was difficult.”
- “Great job being persistent!”
- “Don’t let your brain be lazy!”
- “If it’s too easy, you’re not learning.”
- “People aren’t smart or not smart; people work hard or don’t work hard.”
- “The more you use your brain, the smarter it gets.”
- “I’m so proud of how you worked through that challenge!”
- “Work hard, be successful.”
- “You can learn anything as long as you put in the effort.”
- “You can do anything when you work hard.”
- “You are so hard-working!” (Say this instead of, “You are so smart!”)
Model your growth mindset when you are struggling to learn something new. Remember the power of YET!.
Dr. Vitella
*The Inspired Educator" January 12 2019
News From the Office
January 17-Martin Luther King Day-Schools closed
January 31-End of 2nd marking period
News from the Nurse
Counselors' Corner-Ms. Keenan
Welcome to 2022! Happy New Year to all the members of our Mill Creek community. We are starting the year off with January’s theme of tolerance and acceptance. This month we will focus on the importance of accepting others for who they are and showing kindness to all.
“Hate, bias and passivity toward harm to others all thrive on a lack of knowledge. We stand up for one another when we get more informed about fellow human beings and the world.”
- Mica Pollock
The article “Teaching Your Child Tolerance” from Rady Children's Hospital shares ways parents can help teach their children tolerance and accept others who may be different than themselves.
“Tolerance refers to an attitude of openness and respect for the differences that exist among people. Although originally used to refer to ethnic and religious differences, the concepts of diversity and tolerance can also be applied to gender, people with physical and intellectual disabilities, and other differences, too.
Tolerance means respecting and learning from others, valuing differences, bridging cultural gaps, rejecting unfair stereotypes, discovering common ground, and creating new bonds. Tolerance, in many ways, is the opposite of prejudice.
Things parents can do to help kids learn tolerance include:
Notice your own attitudes. Parents who want to help their kids value diversity can be sensitive to cultural stereotypes they may have learned and make an effort to correct them. Demonstrate an attitude of respect for others.
Remember that kids are always listening. Be aware of the way you talk about people who are different from yourself. Do not make jokes that perpetuate stereotypes. Although some of these might seem like harmless fun, they can undo attitudes of tolerance and respect.
Select books, toys, music, art, and videos carefully. Keep in mind the powerful effect the media and pop culture have on shaping attitudes.
Point out and talk about unfair stereotypes that may be portrayed in media.
Answer kids’ questions about differences honestly and respectfully. This teaches that it is acceptable to notice and discuss differences as long as it is done with respect.
Acknowledge and respect differences within your own family. Demonstrate acceptance of your children’s differing abilities, interests, and styles. Value the uniqueness of each member of your family.
Remember that tolerance does not mean tolerating unacceptable behavior. It means that everyone deserves to be treated with respect — and should treat others with respect as well.
Help your children feel good about themselves. Kids who feel badly about themselves often treat others badly. Kids with strong self-esteem value and respect themselves and are more likely to treat others with respect, too. Help your child to feel accepted, respected, and valued.”
News from Grade 3
SWPBIS News
The SWPBIS team hopes everyone enjoyed the holidays with their families and found some time to relax and unwind. With the start of this new year, the team will be focusing on reteaching lessons throughout the building, especially during the first weeks back. These are the same lessons that were taught at the beginning of the school year. We believe it is beneficial to the entire school community that we refresh our minds and review expectations for being respectful, responsible, safe, and prepared in all areas.