Dr. Shefali Tsabary has written several books about mindful parenting and living.  Enjoy her TEDx talk Conscious Parenting.

Updates from Guidance

Kindergarten & First Grade

In guidance lessons this month we have worked on naming and recognizing emotions in ourselves and others.  Learning to identify emotions is critical to children's development.  Once they can recognize their feelings, children are better able to calm themselves.  We have also begun to introduce the Zones of Regulation, a common language we use at Hudson to categorize feelings and responses.

Second & Third Grade

After reviewing what they might already know about the Zones of Regulation, we have delved deeper into this curriculum that supports students' development of emotional regulation skills.  "The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones.  The Zones framework provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, manage their sensory needs, and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts." 

Fourth & Fifth Grade Book Clubs

This year fourth and fifth grade students are participating in book clubs during guidance.

Students at this age are developing the skills they need to navigate more complex relationships and friendships.  They begin to reflect on their own identity, values they hold important, and the way that they want to be in the world.  Our books were chosen to prompt discussion and thought around these themes.

Hixson is hosting a Speaker Series on September 26th from 5:30-8:30 pm.  All parents are welcome to attend; talks will be geared toward families of 5th through 12th graders.

Topics will include:

• Anxiety & Depression
• Social Media
• The Adolescent Brain
• Trauma
• Vaping & Drugs
• Eating Disorders

Click here for more details!

Annie's Hope

This year we have the opportunity to partner with Annie’s Hope, a bereavement center that supports children grieving the death of a loved one.  An Annie’s Hope counselor and I will facilitate a six-week group for students this year.  Our group must have a minimum of six students with a maximum of ten.  Whether the group takes place this fall or next spring depends upon the response and need of our school community.  If, for any reason, we are not able to support the group, I will contact families directly with information about the programs Annie’s Hope offers at their center on Lockwood and Berry.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out.  If you are interested in having your child participate, please contact me by September 10, 2019.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to the 2019-20 school year!  We are so excited to see your students.  We have had a wonderful day! As a parent, I have two very different kids...one will tell me everything down to the last detail of her day.  My son will tell me everything was "good."  Here are some ideas for striking up conversation about school from Motherly:

• What did you eat for lunch?
• Did you catch anyone doing something funny?
• What games did you play at recess?
• What was the funniest thing that happened today?
• Did anyone do anything super nice for you?
• What was the nicest thing you did for someone else?
• Who made you smile today?
• Which one of your teachers would survive a zombie apocalypse? Why?
• What new fact did you learn today?
• Who brought the best food in their lunch today? What was it?
• What challenged you today?
• If school were a ride at the fair, which ride would it be? Why?
• What would you rate your day on a scale of 1 to 10? Why?
• If one of your classmates could be the teacher for the day who would you want it to be? Why?
• If you had the chance to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you teach the class?
• Did anyone push your buttons today?
• Who do you want to make friends with but haven't yet? Why not?
• What is your teacher's most important rule?
• What is the most popular thing to do at recess?
• Does your teacher remind you of anyone else you know? How?
• Tell me something you learned about a friend today.
• What was your favorite subject to study today? Why?
• What is one thing you did today that was helpful?
• When did you feel most proud of yourself today?
• What rule was the hardest to follow today?
• What is one thing you hope to learn before the school year is over?
• Which person in your class is your exact opposite?
• Which area of your school is the most fun?
• Which playground skill do you plan to master this year?
• What made you smile (or laugh) today?Tell me about the best part of your day.
• What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
• Did any of your classmates do anything funny?
• Tell me about what you read in class.
• Who did you play with today? What did you play?
• What's the biggest difference between this year and last year?
• What rules are different at school than our rules at home? Do you think they're fair?
• Who did you sit with at lunch?
• Can you show me something you learned (or did) today?

Hudson Comprehensive Guidance Program 2018-19 Report

Summer days are fast-approaching!  Here are a few recommendations for summer reading.  Check out the websites of these authors as well.

From https://drshefali.com

All parents have aspirations for their children. But often these turn into crushing expectations that cause real harm and disillusionment at the most important time in a child’s development. Parenting should not be a competition with winners and losers. Parents need to recognize their children for who they actually are, and in her groundbreaking new book, Dr. Shefali Tsabary challenges the modern myths of parenting that define how a child is “supposed to be.” Instead of holding our children to society’s impossible ideals, Dr. Shefali teaches us how to control our expectations, embrace the present moment, and let go of the anxiety surrounding how best to parent our children. Written in the style of her New York Times bestseller, The Conscious Parent, The Awakened Family draws from Eastern philosophy as well as Western psychology to offer enlightened advice and a clear program for raising confident, conscious children who are true to themselves.

From https://www.quietrev.com

Susan Cain sparked a worldwide conversation when she published Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. With her inspiring book, she permanently changed the way we see introverts and the way introverts see themselves.

The original book focused on the workplace, and Susan realized that a version for and about kids was also badly needed. This book is all about kids' world—school, extracurriculars, family life, and friendship. You’ll read about actual kids who have tackled the challenges of not being extroverted and who have made a mark in their own quiet way. You’ll hear Susan Cain’s own story, and you’ll be able to make use of the tips at the end of each chapter. There’s even a guide at the end of the book for parents and teachers.

From http://www.jessicalahey.com

Modern parenting is defined by an unprecedented level of overprotectiveness: parents who rush to school at the whim of a phone call to deliver forgotten assignments, who challenge teachers on report card disappointments, mastermind children’s friendships, and interfere on the playing field. As teacher and writer Jessica Lahey explains, even though these parents see themselves as being highly responsive to their children’s well being, they aren’t giving them the chance to experience failure—or the opportunity to learn to solve their own problems. 

Overparenting has the potential to ruin a child’s confidence and undermine their education, Lahey reminds us. Teachers don’t just teach reading, writing, and arithmetic. They teach responsibility, organization, manners, restraint, and foresight—important life skills children carry with them long after they leave the classroom. 

Providing a path toward solutions, Lahey lays out a blueprint with targeted advice for handling homework, report cards, social dynamics, and sports. Most importantly, she sets forth a plan to help parents learn to step back and embrace their children’s failures. Hard-hitting yet warm and wise, The Gift of Failure is essential reading for parents, educators, and psychologists nationwide who want to help children succeed.

Spring MAP Testing Begins This Week!

Tomorrow we begin MAP testing in grades 3-5.  By working together,  we can make this a positive experience for your child!  Here are some suggestions to help your child succeed.

·        Be sure your child is well-rested.

·        Start the day with a protein-packed breakfast.

·        Remind your child to use the tools we have practiced in guidance lessons.  Throughout the year, we have worked on strategies to help us get into the “green zone” like deep breathing and positive self-talk. Check out https://www.stopbreathethink.com/ for guided meditations.

·        Give compliments for effort: “I’m proud of how hard you have worked this year.”  Even better…send them to school each day with a note of encouragement!

MAP test sessions will run Tuesday through Friday for the next two weeks.  3^rd and 4^th graders will begin at 8:30; 5^th graders will begin at 10:45.  Let me know if you have any questions. 

Have a great week!

An article from kidsToday from St. Louis Children's Hospital talks about fostering resilience in our kids.  They recommend the following:

• Create a sense of predictability and routine.  A strong foundation helps kids handle the unexpected.
• Help your children build a wide social network which allows them to turn to multiple sources for support and friendship.
• Encourage your children to solve their own problems.  When your child has a problem, ask how she wants to handle it and then talk about how that went.
• Model self-care.  Easier said than done!
• Give your children opportunities to grow outside of school by participating in clubs or activities they enjoy.
• Talk about adversity.  Life will not be easy.  Practicing problem solving and talking about tough situations as a child prepares them for adulthood.

The American Psychological Association offers helpful information on building resilience. 

Hixson is hosting a Speaker Series on March 26th from 6-8pm.  All parents are welcome to attend; talks will be geared toward families of 5th through 12th graders.

Topics will include:

• Anxiety & Depression
• Social Media
• The Adolescent Brain
• Trauma
• Vaping & Drugs
• Eating Disorders

Click here for more details!

February Guidance Lessons

This February our NCADA liaison Debra Townsend visited with students weekly. NCADA recognizes that fostering positive social skills in students supports children's resiliency as they grow older and are faced with the challenges of adolescence.  The curriculum builds upon itself as students move through grade levels at Hudson.

NCADA programs:

• Build resiliency skills in youth, kindergarten thru college;
• Create better learners and more cooperative students;
• Develop skills to refuse peer pressure, build healthy friendships, and make low-risk choices.

Kindergarten:  Winning FriendshipsThis four (or five)-lesson unit promotes language and behaviors that build friendships and provide skills to handle uncomfortable feelings such as anger and conflict. 

First Grade: Caring 4 Classmates
This four-lesson unit helps young children develop social competency skills: self-respect, sharing, and reaching out to friends.

Second Grade:  Friendship Rules 
This four-lesson unit introduces children to four friendship rules: 1) Friends laugh and play together, 2) Friends Include others, 3) Friends give others a chance, and 4) It’s okay for friends to be different. 

Third Grade:  Building You, Building Me 
This four-lesson unit explores social competency by focusing on language and behaviors that can either build or wreck friendships.

Fourth Grade: Taking Charge of Me
This four-lesson unit promotes important ways to be in charge of yourself: recognizing and respecting the uniqueness of self and others; setting goals for yourself; and taking responsibility for your actions. 

Fifth Grade:  Standing Up For Me 
This four-lesson unit develops skills in managing conflict and anger effectively and solving problems peacefully.

 

Girls on the Run is an after-school program designed for 3rd-5th grade girls. Despite the name, your daughter does not need to be a runner to participate! 

The program is designed to encourage girls to use running/physical activity as a means of empowerment and motivation. GOTR is so much more than a running program; it is a youth development program which helps empower girls. 

Practices include curriculum-based discussions on topics designed to boost self-esteem as well as games to encourage physical activity. We start from the absolute basics of walking/running and work our way up to a 5K run by the end of the season. The culminating event at the end of each season is the Girls on the Run St. Louis 5k in downtown St. Louis to celebrate the girls’ accomplishments. This season’s 5k is on May 12.

There is a program fee of $125 which includes 20 lessons conducted by trained Girls on the Run coaches, Girls on the Run program T-shirt, registration for the Girls on the Run St. Louis 5k, a water bottle, and a healthy snack at each practice. Payment plans, scholarships, and sibling discounts are available. 

Practices are held at Hudson from 3:00-4:30 on Tuesdays and  Thursdays. 

Contact Meagan Wade (meagsw@gmail.com) or Danielle Zuroweste (zuroweste.danielle@wgmail.org) for more information.

Go to Girls On The Run to register today!

Parent Information Night 2/26/2019

Webster University Diversity & Inclusion Conference

http://www.webster.edu/diversity-inclusion/2019-diversity-conference.html

January Guidance Lessons

In kindergarten, first, and second grade classes, we have finished our lessons on the Zones of Regulation.  Beyond recognizing our own feelings and how to deal with them, we have moved into discussions of empathy and how to respond to others.  This article from Educational Leadership shares research and thoughts on cultivating empathy in our children:  Nine Competencies for Teaching Empathy

In third, fourth, and fifth grade classes, we continue to discuss relational aggression. It can be tricky for kids to figure out how to handle these situations.  At school, we emphasize including others and being kind.  When they are then faced with relational aggression, kids can sometimes struggle with how to respond.  We have been practicing how to stand up for ourselves in a way that is both strong and respectful.   Last week students wrote about the experiences that they have had.  Reading through these reflections made me think about what we can do as parents.  This article from Very Well Family shares some thoughts on how to support our kids.