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.