Dear Meerkats, Since my last newsletter, we have received the update that we will not be together at all for the month of April. As of now, we hope to return to school mid-May. I imagine that this news is exciting for some and disheartening for others. I am in the second group. I miss the students, staff, and families that I've grown accustomed to seeing everyday. I will try to keep my website current with the most up-to-date information provided by the state and the district. We are in a state of transition and things seem to change daily. This month, my goal is to provide online tools and ideas for use with your students. Many of these are activities that I have used and found great benefit in, or recommendations I have received from colleagues. It is overwhelming how many resources there are, so please don't feel that you have to use all of them. Find resources that seem most beneficial for you and your student(s). Please reach out to me with any specific needs. If I don't know the answer, then I can find someone who does. I am available by email: [email protected] or via phone: (919) 886-6799 My office hours are 8 - 9 AM Monday through Friday, but I will continue to respond to voicemails, text messages, and emails throughout the workday. I am missing you all. Thank you, Ms. Jeannine Harrell PerseveranceDurham Public Schools has a way of picking the perfect character trait for each month. This month's character trait is perseverance. At this point in a typical school year, we would all be persevering our very best, trying to make it through to spring break. This year is unique, because we have already persevered through a great deal of transition and challenges, and we will likely have more before we are reunited. DPS uses the definition: "Pursuing objectives with great determination and patience". Merriam Webster also defines perseverance as "continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition". Right now, our objective is to finish out the school year. It is my hope that this time can be meaningful, full of learning, moments of joy, and new meanings of connectedness. As a school counselor, I want to support families and students in their efforts to persevere through the end of the school year. Even from afar, I want students to know that I care about them and I think about them daily. This experience is unlike anything most educators have ever experienced, and I am amazed that it is all happening within my first year at Morehead. Although this year has been quite odd, I hope that we will have many more years together, persevering through our everyday challenges. My recommendations this month are tools and activities that will help us to enjoy this unusual time. In the Home: Activities and Online ResourcesAs I mentioned in my last newsletter, I am also stressed, scared and overwhelmed by this situation. I have found that in order to persevere through this time, it has been important for me to work Creativity, Activity, and Rest into each day. These activities help me feel grounded, inspired, and connected. Some of the ways I do that include: Creativity- Cooking, creating earrings or bracelets, making and writing cards to send to family and friends whom I am missing Activity- Going for a walk, doing an at-home workout or yoga, and playing family games Rest- Reading (usually books related to work), meditation, yoga, and journaling Here are more activity recommendations for your students. Remember that it is also important to take care of yourself during this time. Maybe try to find ways to include these in your day as well. While many of these activities overlap multiple categories, I have tried to separate them into my three recommendations: Rest, Activity, and Creativity. Please share any other ideas you have, so I can add them to my list. Rest (Taking a break for mindfulness or yoga) -
Activity (Actively engaging in something non-academic that gets your body moving) -
Creativity (Allowing a time to think out of the box and try something new) -
Books and Movie RecommendationsBooks:
If there are any books from previous newsletters which you have not yet read, please feel free to read them this month. Many of the books and movies I've recommended in the past have paired resilience and perseverance with other character traits, especially some of the career and courage books. I highly recommend these three new (to my newsletters) titles - click on the titles for a YouTube read-aloud version of each story. After the Fall, by Dan Santat: I love this story! This book takes place after the traditional Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme. Spoiler alert: a fall like that is pretty traumatic. It surprised me that a book based on a popular nursery rhyme could feel so relatable. Maybe Tomorrow, by Charlotte Agell: I've found this book to be applicable to a large number of experiences and mental health concerns. During traumatic experiences, like the COVID-19 crisis, we might have feelings of anxiety, depression, grief, and loss. This book is relevant for all of these, and it emphasizes how important our community and close connections are. Salt in His Shoes, by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn Jordan: Our young basketball fans will love this book. This is a story about young Michael Jordan. He thinks that he is not good at basketball due to his height, but he learns that height isn't the only thing that matters. Even older students can benefit from these three picture books. They have a lot more depth than many stories you might traditionally use in a read-aloud. However, if your student is looking for novels to read during this time, then I would recommend just about any action/adventure series. I've found that these genres have characters pushing through a great deal of obstacles and challenges, before they reach their main objective, otherwise, they wouldn't have quite as many books. Movies: Most action and adventure movies highlight some character(s) exhibiting perseverance. You know your students best, and some of these movies may not be appropriate for them. For most students, I recommend:
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Dear Meerkats,I continue to make the mistake of saying that we're "starting to adjust to life back at Morehead". Since winter, we have been in a constant state of transition due to factors out of our control. The latest development is a frustrating experience for the staff, students, and families of Morehead. We greatly appreciate your patience and trust that things will work out. Thankfully, we are Morehead strong! Together, we will get through these scary times. Please bear with me, because this may be my longest newsletter yet. March was off to a wonderful start, but things are now a bit sideways. With the relocation, the return, the snow, and now COVID-19, my intended March career unit has not progressed as expected. DPS students and staff are working from home and adults across the US and the world have careers that are feeling tenuous. Thankfully, that has not stopped our students from dreaming about their futures and the jobs they would like to hold. March is also Women's History Month and Gender Equality Month, and the DPS character trait is courage. As with fairness in February, courage seems especially fitting for March, this March in particular. In order to pursue gender equality, it takes the courage and diligence of many brave individuals. I am a healthy, young adult, and I am scared. I know that our students, our elderly, and our family members with other health conditions are also feeling that fear. I ask that we try to be courageous in this difficult time, encouraging one another to "do the next right thing". We're not together right now, but know that I am thinking about all of you, and I am ready and available to help however I can. If you need resources or just more activity suggestions, please let me know. Thank you, Ms. Jeannine Harrell At School:While I did not have the opportunity to spend time in every classroom during March, I did teach one primary class, one lower elementary class, and one of our EC separate setting classes. Primary- I had the joy of spending most of Friday, March 13th in one of our Primary classes. During this time, I got to attend lunch, recess, and lead a lesson. After reading the colorful story When I Grow Up by Tina Louise, students were asked to draw a full-color picture about one job they might like to have when they grow up. I was so impressed by the students' beautiful artwork and their interest in careers. We have meerkats that want to be teachers, police officers, Olympic athletes, and politicians. Lower El- The Monday we returned to Morehead after the snow, I got the chance to read Sofia Valdez Future Prez with Ms. Benda's class and brainstorm with the students about jobs that interest them. This story also gave us the opportunity to discuss the main character, a 2nd grade girl, who was showing courage and making a difference in her community. As this was also the day before Super Tuesday, it was fitting that students were able to discuss and explore civic engagement and the difference they can make, even at their young age. With Ms. Davis' class, I read The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt. The students really enjoyed this silly story about crayons that didn't want to "do their jobs" any longer. We discussed that we don't always enjoy our jobs, but that all jobs are important. I shared with them that I currently have my dream job, and I encouraged them to think about what that might be for them. They shared some very admirable career aspirations and goals. We have more future police officers, teachers, and military members coming out of Ms. Davis' class. Upper El- Unfortunately, all three of my Upper El lessons had to be rescheduled due to meetings, school cancellation, or staff shortages. I had planned for students to take an online career inventory based on John Holland's Fit Theory and introduce the RIASEC model. Thankfully, if students have access to internet and technology, they can complete this lesson at home. Click this link to see the lesson overview; the last page includes a worksheet I would encourage them to complete. If not, I am happy to pull students in small groups when we get back and give them the opportunity to complete the career inventory then. At Home:While it is possible to print off packets with work for students, that doesn’t feel authentic to Social-Emotional Learning, Character Education, and my personal teaching style. If you’re unable to access the online resources, please use this time with your student(s) to read, practice self-care, and engage in coping/calming strategies. I am including my book recommendations with the knowledge that Durham Public Libraries are closed during this time, too. That limits many of our students' and families' access to new reading material. This means, that if you've got internet access, we’ve got to rely on online resources, including: audiobooks, ebooks and recorded read alouds. Both Wake County and Durham Public Libraries utilize OverDrive for ebooks and audiobooks. While that isn't much help for picture books, that can be a great resource if you or your student are looking for chapter books and longer novels. I have included links for YouTube videos for some of my book recommendations. If our school closure goes longer than 3 weeks, then I will record my own read alouds for some of my recommended titles that don't currently have any recorded readings. Please reach out to me if you have any specific requests. In my April newsletter, I will provide additional resources, in case our stay is extended any longer. I will also provide more information about calming and self-care strategies that can be used at home, as well as some interactive family games that I recommend. Book Recommendations If you want to continue your students' learning around Women's History, courage, and/or careers, please check out any of these titles. Some of them are repeated from last month and some will be repeated next month. Many of these books could be used to connect multiple topics.
Movie/TV RecommendationsWith the increased availability of children's movies online, because of access to services like Netflix, Disney +, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, I figured it would also be important to provide some movie recommendations. I have selected movies that feature strong women and/or girls who show courage.
Brave- The title says it all. Merida is an impressive character. She is courageous, fighting for her family and her independence. Frozen and Frozen 2- Disney+ has excited us all by releasing Frozen 2 early. I watched it the first day it was released! Both of these movies feature the strong bond between sisters, their leadership, and the courage they display time and time again. The Magic School Bus series- If your students are really missing school, their teacher, and field trips, then Ms. Frizzle is an excellent stand-in. She takes her class on incredible adventures and shows courage and creativity all while teaching them science. Moana- This is one of my personal favorites. Moana features as fantastic soundtrack and a plot that inspires all of us. Mulan- As problematic as it is, Mulan features an incredible young woman that protects her family and her country. I am looking forward to the release of the new live action version. Tangled- No list on courage would be complete without this title. Barefoot and armed with a frying pan, this is one princess who really wanted to achieve her dreams. Zootopia- I haven't seen this movie in a while, but I am motivated to re-watch it. Judy Hopps is a female bunny who is laughed at and doubted in her pursuit to become a police officer. She shows courage in the face of danger and discrimination. This is a movie that makes you laugh and think throughout. |
AuthorMs. Jeannine Harrell, School Counselor at Morehead Montessori in Durham, NC Archives
August 2020
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