Thursday Thoughts April 28
We had so much fun at kickball today! It was tough to put aside everything and come out to play on a Thursday; however once we were out there, it became therapeutic. The amount of stress we are under (especially at this of the year) is tremendous. Trying to close out this year, prepare for the renovations and plan for next year is insane. In order to make it through, we have to find snippets of time where we leave campus, let it all go, laugh, have a good time and remember what is most important. If you weren't able to make it this year, I challenge you to try and come next year. If nothing else, it will provide comedic relief. Thank you to all who planned the event! We needed it.
We had so much fun at kickball today! It was tough to put aside everything and come out to play on a Thursday; however once we were out there, it became therapeutic. The amount of stress we are under (especially at this of the year) is tremendous. Trying to close out this year, prepare for the renovations and plan for next year is insane. In order to make it through, we have to find snippets of time where we leave campus, let it all go, laugh, have a good time and remember what is most important. If you weren't able to make it this year, I challenge you to try and come next year. If nothing else, it will provide comedic relief. Thank you to all who planned the event! We needed it.
Staff Spotlight
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Trisha Brown. Trisha is the epitome of a team player. Any task that is asked of her is done without complaint. She will often come to the front desk and assist when she has a break or extra time in her schedule. No job is too mundane. She cares about the students and wants to please. When Trisha has to be absent, she types detailed plans for her sub and sends them to Karen prior to her absence. She participates in after school staff events and is truly a part of the Mustang Family. Being a paraprofessional is definitely not a walk in the park. Especially when you don't have a specific homeroom affiliation. Trisha makes the best of the floater position does what is best for the school. Thank you Trisha for your dedication to Medlock Bridge.
Personalized Learning
Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)
Staff Spotlight
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Trisha Brown. Trisha is the epitome of a team player. Any task that is asked of her is done without complaint. She will often come to the front desk and assist when she has a break or extra time in her schedule. No job is too mundane. She cares about the students and wants to please. When Trisha has to be absent, she types detailed plans for her sub and sends them to Karen prior to her absence. She participates in after school staff events and is truly a part of the Mustang Family. Being a paraprofessional is definitely not a walk in the park. Especially when you don't have a specific homeroom affiliation. Trisha makes the best of the floater position does what is best for the school. Thank you Trisha for your dedication to Medlock Bridge.
Personalized Learning
Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)
Mindset Moments: Showcasing Student Growth
Take time to reflect on student learning and create “Mindset Moments.” To learn more about mindsets in the classroom, and especially the difference between fixed and growth mindsets, please check out my earlier post on this subject, "New Year, New Mindset."
Once a week I highlight a picture book that deals with perseverance and a growth mindset connection. After the read-aloud, we discuss the character in the story, the challenges they faced, and how they used a growth mindset to persevere and grow. Below is a small collection of stories we've read this year for this purpose.
This week I wanted to take the focus off of the characters that we read about, and move it to my students and how these lessons apply to them in their daily lives.
I asked students to think about the growth mindset and all that we have learned about it so far. I asked them to share what they know with the class. I got responses that included:
- “Growth mindset is when you keep trying even when something is hard.”
- “It’s when you want to keep learning even when you know a lot already.”
After my students told me what they know about growth mindset, I asked them to turn and talk to a partner about the following questions: “Can you think of a time where you used growth mindset? How did your changed mindset help you grow?”
After the partners worked with each other for a short while, I called upon students who had an example in mind to share their stories with the class. I posted a sentence starter on the board for those who needed more prompting.
I asked students why it is important to share and learn from each other’s mindset moments. We discussed how we can go to each other for help. I also talked about how important it is to celebrate the success of others and learn from their experiences.
I wanted to keep the mindset moment energy flowing through our room. To do this, I created a poster using chart paper. I then asked students to take a moment and write down their moments on a sticky note. They could then post growth mindset moments whenever they experienced one and we could share and celebrate as a class.
Students took a few moments for some quiet think time, and then grabbed sticky notes and went for it. Not every student had something to share. Those students were encouraged to take a sticky note and write about what they are going to learn and do better.
After a few minutes of reflection time, students shared their moments with the class and then stuck them on our poster. It was empowering for them to voice their growth and exciting for us to see a peer face a challenge and succeed.
Once a week I highlight a picture book that deals with perseverance and a growth mindset connection. After the read-aloud, we discuss the character in the story, the challenges they faced, and how they used a growth mindset to persevere and grow. Below is a small collection of stories we've read this year for this purpose.
I asked students to think about the growth mindset and all that we have learned about it so far. I asked them to share what they know with the class. I got responses that included:
- “Growth mindset is when you keep trying even when something is hard.”
- “It’s when you want to keep learning even when you know a lot already.”
I asked students why it is important to share and learn from each other’s mindset moments. We discussed how we can go to each other for help. I also talked about how important it is to celebrate the success of others and learn from their experiences.
I wanted to keep the mindset moment energy flowing through our room. To do this, I created a poster using chart paper. I then asked students to take a moment and write down their moments on a sticky note. They could then post growth mindset moments whenever they experienced one and we could share and celebrate as a class.Students took a few moments for some quiet think time, and then grabbed sticky notes and went for it. Not every student had something to share. Those students were encouraged to take a sticky note and write about what they are going to learn and do better.
After a few minutes of reflection time, students shared their moments with the class and then stuck them on our poster. It was empowering for them to voice their growth and exciting for us to see a peer face a challenge and succeed.
Plans for the Future
The mindset poster will be hanging in our room indefinitely. I plan to expand the poster when our first one runs out of room. There is so much power behind seeing other students' accomplishments in a strong visual representation. In our first attempts to share, it started as only a few voices willing to speak. By the end of our time, however, students were leaving to go home with a pack of sticky notes thinking about their growth mindset moments that they wanted to share!
It would be great to have students type up their mindset moments and create a book that documents how much they have grown throughout the year.
What might you do with your students growth mindset moments? I’d love to hear more ideas!
Thank you for reading!
Smiles,
Kriscia
The mindset poster will be hanging in our room indefinitely. I plan to expand the poster when our first one runs out of room. There is so much power behind seeing other students' accomplishments in a strong visual representation. In our first attempts to share, it started as only a few voices willing to speak. By the end of our time, however, students were leaving to go home with a pack of sticky notes thinking about their growth mindset moments that they wanted to share!
It would be great to have students type up their mindset moments and create a book that documents how much they have grown throughout the year.
What might you do with your students growth mindset moments? I’d love to hear more ideas!
Thank you for reading!
Smiles,
Kriscia
It would be great to have students type up their mindset moments and create a book that documents how much they have grown throughout the year.
What might you do with your students growth mindset moments? I’d love to hear more ideas!
Thank you for reading!
Smiles,
Kriscia
Looking Ahead
We have A LOT of events coming up in May:
5/3 2nd grade field trip
5/4- Parent Coffee for Rising 6th grade parents @ 9:00am
5/5- Arts Night 5:00pm-6:30pm
5/6- VIPS Breakfast & STEAM DAY (4th grade field trip)
5/10 CORE Meeting
5/12- Kindergarten Performance @ 6:00pm
5/17- 3rd-4th grade End of Year parties and Faculty Meeting
5/18- Pre K -2nd grade End of Year parties
5/19- 3rd- 5th Field Day
5/20- Pre K-2nd Field Day
5/23-5/26- Fifth grade week activities
I am certain that I forgot something....bear with us!
