The Wolf Tales
Tallwood Elementary School Staff Newsletter
Week of February 27
Monday, February 27
Staff Meeting in Learning Commons 3:20- 3D printing
Tuesday, February 28
Tallwood HS Mardi Gras with 5th grade
Wednesday, March 1
Thursday, March 2
Friday, March 3
Planning Day for Anchor Leadership Team
Young Audiences Assemblies - K,1,2 9:15; K3-5 1:30
Fruitwater Friday!
Tallwood Spirit Day
Thanks for all you do!
Kudos to Brenda for her help finding coverage for my class on Friday! I know it was a hectic day! MMBrown
Thank you Erica Cleghorn for pushing me to be a better teacher. You have amazing ideas! A big thank you to Sandy Reimers for being able to translate my half thoughts into complete action. I can't survive without you! Mary Malone-Brown, thank you for giving me new perspective and words when I need them. Thank you Jen Haws for working with me on some of my more challenging issues. You and Mr.French always make me feel so supported. EMerce
Thank you to Mr. French for forfeiting his parking spot for Relay for Life! I enjoyed being “Principal of the Parking Lot” this week. Heather Wren
Important Dates and Events for March
March 3- Digital Leadership Team Planning Day
March 3- Young Audiences Program for grades K-2 in Cafeteria 9:15 am
March 3- Young Audiences Program for K, 3-5 in Cafeteria 1:30
March 7- Progress Reports Issued
March 7- Spring Pictures during PE blocks
March 7- North Landing ES learning walks in our classrooms
March 8- Snow Make-Up Day
March 12- Daylight Savings Time begins- SPRING FORWARD!
March 16- Parent of the Month 9:00 AM
March 17- St. Patrick's DAY
March 17- Student of the Month
March 20- begin grade 4 IPT window
March 22- Anchor Schools meeting 8:00 am
March 22- Susan Knowles in the building
March 24- SCA Movie Night
March 24- Susan Knowles in the building
March 28- Grade 1 Gifted Testing
March Birthdays!
FEB. 28 Lauren Knoblauch
March
8-Leslie Brinson
15 Terrie Meyer
20 Laraine Larose
20 Vickie Storm
How To Be Happy: A Guide for Teachers
Teachers’ morale is never far from the headlines, with almost half stating they are thinking about quitting in the next five years. So what could you be doing to be happier?
Don’t worry about being happy - An interesting study found that the more people strived to be happy, the less happy they were. Instead of enjoying whatever they were doing, they were worrying whether they could be happier while doing it (and feeling disappointed when they didn’t reach a higher level). Teaching involves a lot of looking ahead, but try to embrace the present and not obsess about the future.
Connect with people - Spending time with others and forming meaningful relationships makes people happier. This seems to be especially true for young people; a study found that they felt happiest when they were interacting with their friends (and saddest while isolated). Be sure to nurture relationships and connect with the people around you – and encourage your students to do the same.
Value your time - Evidence suggests that people who value their time over their money are happier. Which is not to say that money makes no impact. A famous study by Princeton University found that once people are paid $75,000 a year (about £60,000), increases in pay didn’t bring increases in happiness. This is – obviously – considerably higher than the average teacher salary.
But the amount you need to earn to feel happy is probably not as clear cut as that study suggests. In his recent book on happiness, Derren Brown states: “That magic number seems to vary greatly according to what study you read and depends on the cost of living wherever the study was carried out … while it remains clear that having less than you need is a source of unhappiness, having more than you need does not make you happier.” This is because that increase in pay often comes with an increase in working hours, which can leave people unhappier than before.
Be kind to others - One study took a different approach to happiness. Instead of focusing on doing things that they thought would make them happier, participants were instructed to perform five kind acts per week for six weeks. These acts were found to increase happiness by providing novelty; reminding people that they were a force for good; eliciting positive feedback; and promoting positive relationships. Try it in the staffroom or your department and look at the positive returns.
Invest in experiences, not possessions - The problem with prioritising material items is that things change quickly. Yesterday’s desirable becomes today’s essential which becomes tomorrow’s antique. By prioritising experiences, you create memories that you can carry with you indefinitely. It’s a fascinating area of research. When you’re looking at what to splash out on, consider interesting trips and holidays rather than the latest gadgets.
Embrace your bad moods - Accepting your bad moods may help to minimise the impact they have on you. A recent article from the British Psychological Study reported that negative feelings can be used in a positive way, by “recognising that anger can sometimes be empowering and that sadness can be poignant and can bring us closer to one another.”
This doesn’t mean that stoking your work stress or wallowing in grumpiness is the answer, just that we shouldn’t expect to be happy all the time. Negative feelings happen, so we should try to learn from them.
Get outside - A report released earlier this year found that most UK children spend less time outside each day than prisoners. The value of nature can’t be underestimated. Those who spend more time outside and feel more connected to nature report experiencing more positive moods (such as joy, interest and alertness) and life satisfaction. It is easy to stay inside all day when you’ve got a lot of work to get through, but try and make a conscious effort to steal some time outside whenever possible. You will feel better for it.
From The Guardain
Thanks ROFO ES