“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
― Henry James

This month, we are shining the light on the character habit of kindness. Kindness comes up a lot at school in the way we treat each other as colleagues, the way we work with students and their families, and the way we encourage LISD students to treat each other.

What does kindness look like at school? Here are some of things our students do when they are being especially kind:

• They notice the feelings of others...like seeing someone who is lonely, upset, or stressed, and imagining ways to help.
• They take responsibility for the role they can play in making the world a little bit happier.
• They have courage to act on their empathy, even when it costs them some sacrifice, such as delaying play/social time, not sitting with the popular kids, or giving up that last piece of cake.
• They take joy in other people's joy.
  

Please help us lift up the character habit of kindness by seeking out opportunities to discuss it at home. Remember, we call these "habits" instead of "traits" because everyone is capable of developing a habit. Is there a better habit to work on than kindness? We think not!

Thanks to everyone who attended conferences this week. We so appreciate your partnership and we hope your conferences felt both informative and supportive. This first set of conferences is an excellent step toward a successful school year.

With Lobo Love,

Mary and Martha

With FDA and CDC approval of the Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11 now granted, San Juan County Health & Community Services has opened registration for a series of pediatric clinics starting on November 15 and lasting through the end of December.

Second dose clinics will be scheduled at least three weeks after the first dose, with some variability due to the holidays.

Registration links for these clinics are available now at: https://www.sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info

Island parents are strongly encouraged to register their children for an upcoming clinic. In addition to children ages 5 – 11 who are newly eligible, a limited number of Pfizer clinic appointments for children 12-17 who are not yet vaccinated are open now on Orcas Island and will be opening on other islands soon. We will be working with the community and our partners to gauge demand and provide additional appointments as necessary.

San Juan County has one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation for children 12–17, a fact that has contributed to helping keep island schools open, limiting spread, and protecting our community. A similar level of vaccination success with younger kids will provide another level of defense and will be a major step towards keeping our elementary schools open and operational. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a useful information page for parents about pediatric COVID vaccination.

A Message from ASB:

At this year's Veterans assembly, ASB would like to incorporate students with veterans in their families into our assembly. Please use this link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI61qWyhWuz7lC_UAO9uU3WJlFYHye228FF1If5va5pIIkdQ/viewform?usp=sf_link to answer a few questions. Thank you for your time.