Our Skills for Learning Lesson this week was focused on feeling disappointed. We talked about different times when we have felt disappointed, and how our body may feel "uncomfortable" when we are disappointed. For example, we might have an unset tummy or our shoulders might be tense. We also discussed how our heart might beat faster when we are upset or angry. These are all times when a coping skill can be helpful. Some good coping skills to try are: deep breathing, taking a break, using calm words, keeping the problem small (by stopping) and talking to an adult. When we notice a child feeling upset because they didn't get their own way, or they were told "no", we often say to them that they might be having a strong feeling of disappointment and then prompt them to use a coping skill. It seems to help many children calm down when we can guide them in naming their feelings. Learning to tune in to internal physical clues also helps students recognize distressing emotions that might require emotion management (or coping skills!)

We did a really nice writing activity this week about our homes. The children all wrote about what they love about their home, made colorful houses and worked on making beaded snowflakes. You can see their work on our hall bulletin board.

Our next Parent Support Group Meeting is on Thursday, December 6 at 6:30. We'll meet in Ms. Momeni's classroom (room 114, right next to ours). I hope many of you will be able to join us - I love having this extra opportunity to talk and work together with you.

 

The words in the picture above are very important to our classroom - we read them every morning before we enter the classroom. It is a wonderful and powerful way for us to begin our day together - even when we have a rough day, we want your children to know how much they matter to us!

 

Our HOLIDAY BREAKFAST will be on Friday, December 21. This is our treat  to our students, so please send your child in a little hungry that morning! This will be our classroom holiday party.