Posts

The Kindness Challenge

  One of our goals at Shell Lake Elementary school is to teach the whole child and to focus on not only core content subjects but to train students how to treat one another as well.  Our current challenge for staff and students this week and next week is to find as many ways to spread kindness around as we possibly can!  We've given students some ideas, which might inspire us as adults as well.  Everyone could use a little more kindness in their days so how about if we all try to implement a few of these practices such as returning someone else's grocery cart at the store or holding the door open for them.  We could leave kind notes for our mail carriers or garbage collectors and even random notes left somewhere like the library for someone to find and brighten their day.  We might show kindness with gifts like cookies for a neighbor or flowers for someone in the nursing home but even the gift of a smile brings warmth to a gloomy day.  When we all look for ways to show others t

Responsibility

 Getting your kids (whether they are kindergarteners or teenagers) out of the door in the morning and on their way to school can sometimes be the hardest time of day!  Tired kids can't find anything to wear, get grumpy with everyone, and seem to lose their lunchbox or backpack every day.  Those maddening mornings can be a great opportunity to teach responsibility if you back up just a little bit.   If children know it is their responsibility to do certain tasks every night and every morning, they can rise to the challenge of being more organized and taking more ownership for their behavior.  A simple evening routine chart can really help them get prepared for the next day.  You can include everything they need to do such as: brushing their teeth, washing their face or taking a bath, laying out clothes for tomorrow (this eliminates stressful decisions), putting their bag on a hook with their homework and lunchbox, and getting to bed at a reasonable time.  At school we are training s

Stay Safe!

 Hello Shell Lake parents and families, We have kicked off our year here at school with reminders and reteaching about our Laker Way expectations:  Be safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, and Be a problem solver.  This week the focus is on safety.  School should be a place where all students feel safe from harm both physically and emotionally.  Safety at school means clear boundaries around what is allowed on the playground so no one gets hurt, kids keeping their hands to themselves and giving others their personal space, and following directions from the teacher.  Everything from waking in the hall to sitting properly in a desk comes from a mindset of safety.  Parents, you probably have your own safety rules at home too:  don't leave the house without asking, don't ride your bike outside this perimeter, don't jump on the trampoline without a net, etc.   Recent research shows that mental health is another safety issue as more families are concerned about anxiety and depress

Summer!

 At our family engagement activity, kids were able to create a bucket list of things to do over the summer.  There are only two more weeks until summer, so it's a good idea to think about how your kids will spend this time productively.  They need to rest, relax and enjoy summer but there are some things you can do to make it go smoothly.  Many children find too much open ended time to cause anxiety and will turn to excessive use of technology to handle the extra space in their day.   Plan activities to get out of the house and explore a bit each week.  It could be a regular play group, or friend time, a library visit or a day at the beach.  Sleep schedules can get a bit off during the summer too with extra daylight and warm evenings that are conducive to outside play.  It's a good idea to still have some reasonable parameters around bedtime and morning routines even in the summer.  Here are some fun things you could add to your to do list this summer: Make S'mores, go fish

Tradition

 As we look toward a nice long weekend break, I am thinking of our family traditions that happen every year around this time.  Every family has their own unique traditions and many of them don't have anything to do with a special holiday.  But, some of us might be looking forward to egg hunts or dying and decorating hard boiled eggs, a special dessert you make only this time of year or family gatherings that everyone anticipates yearly.  These traditions become woven into the tapestry of your family identity.   Other traditions such as Friday family movie night, summer beach days or cheering for your favorite sports team also define your family culture and build solidarity within the family.  Kids love traditions and love looking forward to upcoming events that recur on a regular basis.  It also creates a sense of security and consistency for them when they know that no matter what, these traditions will occur every year.   My favorite family traditions are definitely family dinner

Routines

 One of the things about school that you can rely on is that we operate around schedules and routines.  Students learn how to enter the building in the morning, how their class begins (with a slow start of reading usually), how to transition to other classes like music or gym, and what their daily schedule looks like.   At home sometimes things are less structured which is normal, however, there are a few routines that can provide comfort and stability to children.   I recommend that you consider what are your bedtime procedures?  Young children especially need reminders of all the responsibilities they have before bedtime.  Does it start with a calming activity with parents, such as story time, peaceful music, or a bath?  Getting cleaned up personally or even in their bedroom also helps to transition to a calm sleep routine.  Some families like to prepare for the morning the night before by packing lunches and setting out clothes for tomorrow.  Start at least 30 minutes before bedtime