Calm Down Stations

Students and teachers alike can get stressed, upset, angry, and sad. We all need to learn how to calm ourselves and have learn what to do with these intense feelings. With the older grades, students read Julia Cook's The Anti-Test Anxiety Society. Younger grades read How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?or Sometimes I'm Bombaloo. 

·       

To start the lesson, I ask the students if it is okay to get angry. The students move to one side of the room if they thing yes and the other side of the room if they say no. The students on the no side often say that it's not okay to get made because you _______ (hit someone, do something you don't mean to do). We then discuss that there's two parts to their statement: 1) getting mad  2) doing something (hitting, kicking, cursing). They are asked again if they get in trouble for 1) getting mad or 2) hitting/kicking/cursing. The students switch to the side that says it is okay to get mad or upset. All feelings are okay: feeling stressed, angry, sad, upset. It's important to know what to do when we feel these intense negative feelings. 

Various sized red circles are hanging from the ceiling and to represent the intensity of our feelings. I have different pictures of intense situations (taking a test and not understanding, losing a soccer game, getting tripped on purpose, feeling lonely, frustrated with reading). As I hold these up, the students move under the circle that shows how upset that would make them. In the example below I asked the students "How upset would you be if you lost your soccer game?" The students in the following picture would be really upset. Another student might not be that upset in that situation. I ask the student's, "Is it okay to be different?" They all answer "yes". (We have a lot of lessons on accepting our differences). We talk about how everyone has different feelings too. The idea of this lesson is a spin-off from a title I saw on www.kidlutions.com. 

I model each of the following stations and let them know it's important to practice how to calm down so when you do get upset it will be familiar to them. As they practice each station, I emphasize breathing in and breathing out slow. It's a joy to watch them learn a skill they can use for the rest of their life. Students are encouraged to use these strategies when they are angry, upset, nervous, or stressed. The students think of times when they could use their calm down strategies (a death in the family, in trouble at home/school, taking a test, someone makes them mad).

CALM DOWN STATIONS

Smell the Flower (breathe in) Blow Out the Candle

Color a Picture: Students colored patterns on various mandalas. 

Shake It and Relax: Students shake sensory bottles and watch the contents settle. 

Pinwheels: Take a slow deep breath

·Draw a Picture

Scribble: Sometimes you are just too angry to color or draw a picture. Let it out!

Calm Down

Squeeze It: squeeze for 3, let go for 3, switch hands

Count and Calm: Count the fuzzies slowly. Are you still upset? Count them as you put them back in the box.  

Five Deep Breaths: Breathe in... breathe out (remove a square). That's one.  

Career Day GES

Thank you to the following volunteers that helped make *Career Day a success!

Dorothy O'Connor Pet Adoption Center

Mid-Coast Family Services

Victoria County Fire Department

Victoria County Sheriff Office

Victoria ISD 

Victoria Public Library

Victoria Symphony

*Career Day at William Wood Elementary is scheduled for April 20th. 

You've been RAK'd!!

Students at Guadalupe Elementary and William Wood Elementary have been busy getting ready for Random Acts of Kindness Week. Students will be spreading kindness throughout their community. Kindness is one way that we can all help bring peace in our lives. What can you do to spread kindness?

-Growing Kindness Bulletin Board: Each student wrote RAKs (random acts of kindness) on each of the flower petals.
-Students wrote sweet notes to the teachers as a surprise RAK for the teacher's lounge.
-HEB pharmacy received "Get Well Soon" letters of kindness in medicine bags from students.
-Large US flags will be sent to Operation Gratitude and the Wounded Warrior Project to show that we love our military and we are always thinking of them.
-Bookmarks were made by students and given to the Victoria Public Library for distribution
-Students wrote uplifting words on hearts and made place mats Affectionate Arms Adult Day Health Care Center

Kelso's Choices

Problem solving and conflict resolution are key skills to successful friendships. We are learning to be problem solvers at GES & WWES using Kelso's Choices. Kelso's Choices teach young students how to be peacemakers in the classroom and at home. Students learned the difference between small problems and big problems that needs to be reported to an adult.

Examples of Big Problems: weapons, drugs, fighting, bullying

Examples of Small Problems: somebody repeating everything you say, somebody accidently making a pencil mark on your paper, two friends wanting to play two different games

Kelso's Choice Wheel teaches students that there are many different ways to solve a problem. Click on the following videos to learn more about problem solving and learning how you can use Kelso's Choices.

Kelso in Action

Putting Kelso Into Play

Problems and conflict happens everywhere. Check out Kelso's Parent Page and watch Beyond the Classroom to see how Kelso's Choices can help solve problems at home and in the neighborhood.

Let's work together to help our children work together and solve problems peacefully. 

Remember: It's Your Choice Baby!

Kelso's Choice Wheel

 

Mix It Up at Lunch

Students at Guadalupe Elementary and William Wood Elementary "mixed it up at lunch" to help foster unity and positive relationships throughout the school. Parents, students from Victoria East High School, and WWES/GES Student Council members helped facilitate conversations and showed the students how to introduce themselves and make friends with everyone. Following the event, students reflected on how using good character helped Mix It Up at Lunch be a huge success and how they can continue to use character to build friendships with their classmates. Mix It Up at Lunch is part of our No Place for Hate Campaign. Our goal is to promote a welcoming and caring environment for all students throughout the year.

MLK Day of Service Monday, January 18th

Volunteer on MLK Day of Service and honor Martin Luther King, Jr. He continues to encourage us  to reach out to others and serve our community. MLK Day of Service PSA

Volunteers (students grades 5th - 12th and adults) are needed to help the Victoria Area Homeless Coalition make care bags for those homeless or on the verge of being homeless.  The VAHC will be conducting a yearly count for our area on 1/21/16 and these bags will be given to those who are surveyed. The items will be packed into care bags from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church Entrance E, 4102 N Ben Jordan.

Parent Volunteers Needed for Mix It Up at Lunch

Volunteers are needed!

Students will "Mix It Up at Lunch" during all lunch times. Students will be assigned different tables at lunch and interact with peers from different classes. Building community and fostering a caring environment takes practice. This activity is part of our "No Place for Hate" campaign. Friendships will blossom as students go outside their comfort zones and build social skills that will last a lifetime.

Volunteers will sit with students at the tables and help guide conversations

January 20th William Wood Elementary 10:45 am - 12:15 pm

January 21st Guadalupe Elementary 10:45 am - 12:15 pm

E-mail Ann Castro for more information: ann.castro@visd.net