Dear Meerkats,Congratulations! We've made it through the first two weeks of virtual school. I am so impressed by the dedication shown by our teachers, students, and families. While this situation isn't ideal, I have seen and heard some amazing things. We've had two wonderful Wellness Wednesdays, and our participation more than doubled in the second week. I am so excited to see how tomorrow goes. My day is fully booked with three individual student sessions and three grade level sessions, all before school counseling professional development. Thank you to all students and families that have signed up for family and individual check-in sessions! It has been wonderful getting to talk with students about this school year, the transitions and stresses they've been facing, and everything else on their mind. If you haven't had an opportunity to schedule, and you're interested, my link is https://Calendly.com/harrell_counselorchat. I look forward to meeting students and families that I haven't yet met! Thank you, Ms. Jeannine Harrell Wellness WednesdayI know that during Orientation Week, there were lots of questions about Wellness Wednesday and its purpose. I hope that now we're beginning to feel a little more comfortable with the flexible schedule. While every class is doing very different things, the purpose of Wellness Wednesday is to provide students and staff with time to participate in activities for their wellness. Wellness is a combination of social, emotional, and physical health. We know activities that are important for our physical health. Some of these include brushing our teeth, getting enough sleep, eating fruits and vegetables, drinking water, and exercising. We don't always remember to participate in activities for our social and emotional health. Some of these include:
The choice boards provide just some of the options. If your family wants to participate in other activities, please do those too. Please contact me ([email protected]) if you have any ideas and recommendations for Wellness Wednesday. All teachers have been provided links to the choice boards, and they should be sharing with their class each week. Here they are for reference: Primary, Lower El, and Upper El. Wellness Wednesday activities will vary depending on the week. September 2nd will be the first Wednesday with grade level sessions for every grade level. Please review the Choice Boards for the links to these meetings. Primary - 9 AM Morning Meeting Lower Elementary - 12:30 PM (Students can bring their lunch) Upper Elementary - 1:30 PM Each of these sessions are optional and relatively unstructured. Similar to individual sessions, these will provide students an opportunity to check-in with support staff and peers. Self DisciplineThe DPS character trait for the month of September is Self-Discipline. We define self-discipline as "Demonstrating hard work and commitment to purpose; regulating yourself for improvement and restraining from inappropriate behaviors."
I can't speak for everybody, but I know that working from home takes a lot of self-discipline for me. I have to continually remind myself that the food in the fridge and the cabinets are for meal times and set snack times, otherwise I will have a snack all day. My purpose right now is to support students, staff, and families with social, emotional, and academic well-being, and I can't do that if I am continually distracted and snacking. What is your purpose? What is your student's purpose? How can we work together to show self-discipline during a time feels so unlike our usual routine? Maria Montessori valued the knowledge and independence of the child, with very clear guidelines and expectations. Setting routines and structure can be so beneficial for your family. Unfortunately, there is a lot of privilege in the assumption that all households will be able to set structure for their student during the day, when many families will still have to leave for work. What routines and expectations can be in place that will allow students to show self-discipline, especially when remote learning independently? I know we're all a little overwhelmed and burnt out from screen time, so here are a few book recommendations that could be used to teach about self-discipline, and a bonus for adults. One thing to note is that all of these books feature male main characters. Why do we frequently associate struggles with self-control to boys? I've already mentioned that as an adult woman, I struggle with self-control regularly.
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Welcome Families,To the 2020-2021 School Year! We are so glad to have your family at Morehead Montessori Elementary School! I was so excited to begin my second year here, knowing almost all of the students and families, and impressing everyone with my skill in releasing the walkers to their families. Unfortunately, you won't get to see that talent for a little while, but I am thankful for all of your patience with me during the first weeks of last year! Similarly, at the beginning of this year, we will all need some patience and flexibility. Our teachers and staff have been working tirelessly to prepare for an amazing school year, and I am so excited to see what we can do virtually during these first nine weeks. I am still in the process of finalizing my Canvas page and our Wellness Wednesday plans, so this will be a brief newsletter with a little bit about me, my contact and scheduling information, and a brief overview of Wellness Wednesday. My full September newsletter will be posted in a couple of weeks. This website is the way I will communicate general messages to our Morehead Meerkat Families. I look forward to hearing from you, Ms. Jeannine Harrell About Me
Contact InformationPlease reach out to me at anytime with questions or concerns. My role, even during our remote learning, is to support students and families, supporting students' academic, social, and emotional growth, and encouraging students to reach their future college and career goals. In order to best serve our students and families, I am trying a new platform called Calendly for scheduling sessions, check-ins, and meetings with students and families. Through this link, you will be able to select the type of appointment you'd like to schedule, and then view my availability during the week. The website is linked to my calendars, and you can schedule an appointment up to three weeks in advance. If you have a concern about your student and would like me to meet with them as soon as possible, then please schedule at your earliest convenience. I am accepting appointments with as little as 12 hours notice, but if your student's need is more urgent, then please give me a call and we can arrange something. Students can also schedule their own appointments! While it isn't as simple as asking your teacher to walk down the hall to see me, it is still very user-friendly and convenient. Students can use the same web address: https://calendly.com/harrell_counselorchat My remote learning phone number is (919) 886-6799. Please feel free to call or text. If I don't answer your call, then please leave a voicemail or send me a text. I will respond to your message within one business day. DPS has moved away from email addresses with "." (period), if you are emailing staff, please make sure to use the "_" (underscore). My email is [email protected]. During the school year, I will do my very best to return emails within one business day. I apologize for any delays in email responses during the summer and these past couple of weeks. All of us have been swamped with emails and updates, and it has taken a while to wade through them all. Now that I am almost caught up, my response time will be much faster. Wellness WednesdayDuring this school year, whether virtually or in-person, I am so excited that students will be able to participate in Wellness Wednesdays and Flexible Fridays! There will be great opportunities for synchronous (live) and asynchronous (self-paced) engagement with support staff or peers, and for students to invest in their own personal wellness. Wellness Wednesday will be led by a Wellness Team made up of our support staff, leadership team, and instructional staff.
While I can't provide too many details just yet, I can say that there will be a variety of recommended activities for each grade level. Some of these activities will be held via Zoom, so students can connect with one another and staff, and some of these activities will be offline and give students a break from screen time. |
AuthorMs. Jeannine Harrell, School Counselor at Morehead Montessori in Durham, NC Archives
August 2020
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