"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things
brought together?
~ Vincent Van Gogh
Our Chief Example to Others this month is ‘”Grit? which involves promoting
strength, resilience and perseverance in children. Check out the following for more info.
How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
To have “grit” children need to be resilient. This means being able to handle challenges with ease instead of always viewing life as a struggle. Have you ever wondered why some youth get involved in dangerous activities and get trapped, but others continue to contribute to society in positive ways even when they have had to face many difficult situations?
The Search Institute has done some interesting research over the years and they have identified 40 concrete, positive experiences and qualities called Developmental Assets that have a tremendous impact on young peoples’ lives. These assets make it less likely that youth will get involved in problem behaviors and will engage in productive behaviors. This “power of the assets” can be seen across all cultural and socioeconomic groups of youth. You can find a great wealth of information and research for families, communities and schools at:
https://www.search-institute.org/
The assets are grouped into eight major categories for external and internal building blocks that help children and teen’s successful growth and development.
External Assets
- Support: Young people need to experience the presence, care, help and love of their families and many others.
- Empowerment: Youth need to be valued by their community and have opportunities to contribute to others.
- Boundaries and Expectations: Youth need to know what is expected of them and whether activities and behaviors are “in bounds” or “out of bonds.” Need help with this? Check the website for Parents Empowered.
- Constructive Use of Time: Young people need constructive, enriching opportunities for growth through creative activities, youth programs, sports and quality time at home. Sorry, but this does not really include playing Fortnite and some of the other video games.
Internal Assets
- Commitment to Learning: Youth need to develop a lifelong commitment to education and learning. Being able to read well helps make this happen.
- Positive Values: Young people need to develop strong values that guide their choices.
- Social Competencies: Young people need skills and competencies that equip them to make positive choices, build relationships and succeed in life.
- Positive Identity: Youth need a strong sense of their own power, purpose worth and promise
- When you help support what we are doing at school by reading with your children, playing a board game, talking positively about others, not idling outside, discussing their day, helping them to be involved in productive activities, going to the library or a museum, solving math problems, volunteering, engaging in creative activities such as baking, painting, etc, your are helping our children build developmental assets and resilience. Thank you for whatever way you can help.
Sincerely,
Principal Jones
Counselor Corner
What is the purpose of our counselors?
We are lucky to have school counselors in our school this year! Mrs. Ross works primarily with the Kindergarten through second grade and Ms. Lloyd works with the third through sixth grades. Ms. Henrie is our school psychologist and works with all students on an IEP or 504 plan and some additional students as needed.Counselors provide professional assistance and support to a student or small group of students during times of transition, heightened stress, critical change or other situations impeding student success. We also teach social skills to all students in the classrooms.
School counselor do not provide therapy or long-term counseling in schools.
However, school counselors are prepared to recognize and respond to student mental health needs and assist students and families seeking resources.
PTA News
We will be collecting nominations through Thursday, January 16, for our very
own Oakdale PTA Awards. Winners will be announced at the end of January. Nominations will be for:
– Outstanding Volunteer
– Outstanding Educator
– Outstanding Support Staff
– Roadrunner School Spirit
We’d love for people to become thinking about nominations for their favorite teacher/educator, etc! Official ballots will be sent home the first week back in January.
DATES TO REMEMBER
ALL Fridays are early out!!! – School dismisses at 1:40pm on Friday
January 6
January 9
January 10
January 15
January 16
January 17
January 20
January 22
January 27
January 30
School Resumes
School Community Council Meeting at 4 pm
Fire Drill- weather dependent
5thGrScienceFair
CEOoftheMonthAssembly@9:15
Teacher Work Day- No School For Students MLKHoliday-NoSchool
5th Gr Discovery Gateway in Kiva
Acadience Testing Gr. 3-5 below benchmark
Acadience Testing Gr. K-2
SNOWBALLS
Students may not throw snowballs on school grounds!! This can be very dangerous, and will result in a consequence of five recess detentions.
Please discuss this with your child. Many incidents of snow throwing are not intended to be nice and can be considered to be a form of bullying. Even if you think it is fun to do at home, snow-throwing can result in serious injury especially when we have 400 children.
Traffic and Outside Safety
With the cold weather continuing, the volume of cars picking up students will continue. We ask that you follow all parking lot safety rules such as using the correct crosswalk and avoiding the bus area. Please do not drive too closely to our safety patrol students during drop off and pickup. We are trying to keep everyone safe. It would also be really helpful if you would explain our parking lot rules to grandparents and other adults picking up students. If you are in a hurry, consider having students walk into the neighborhood and then you can pick them up on a side street.
