I am absolutely thrilled to be working with your child this academic year. We have a great year ahead of us! It is my goal that this school year will be filled with opportunities for personal and academic growth. An exciting program has been planned with many enriching and enjoyable opportunities to learn and grow. The students will be introduced to many new ideas and concepts this year; three very important ones that are near and dear to my heart are Growth Mindset, Mindfulness, and Global Education.
Growth Mindset Mindset is an idea proposed by Carol Dweck after decades of research on achievement and success – it’s a simple idea that makes all the difference. In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work- brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and resilience that is essential for great accomplishments. Virtually all great people have had these qualities. Mindfulness I am very passionate about teaching children to be mindful participants in their learning. I will be incorporating Mindfulness practices into our classroom on a daily basis. As defined by Mindfulness Expert Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally. It’s about knowing what is on your mind.” There is a lot of recent research about the positive impact of mindfulness practices. According to Dr. Kirk Strosahl and Dr. Patricia Robinson, "research indicates that brain training involving mindfulness practices can strengthen areas of the brain responsible for attention, emotional control, and problem solving… ”. I believe that incorporating mindful practices into our classroom will help students deal with the everyday stresses of living in the 20th century as well as be present in our moment of learning. Global Education Throughout my life I have taken a personal interest in global issues and raising awareness of world poverty, social justice, and environmental sustainability to my friends, family, and the students I work with. Through global education students learn about personal strength, character, what it means to be a global citizen and that we are all responsible for our words and actions. In our classroom, I will be engaging the students in activities that make them think about the wider world and their role within it. Technology I am very eager to incorporate technology into our classroom in many different ways. Students will be using their Google Drives to complete assignments and classroom tasks. I will be using Google Classroom to assign tasks, keep track of student work, and communicate with each student. You will be able to receive weekly updates from our classroom that will inform you of the work that was assigned that week. If your child is unfamiliar with their Google Drive or Google Classroom, have no fear, I will be instructing all students on how to make the most of this amazing technology. Let's Stay Connected! I believe that a strong parent-teacher relationship is necessary for maximum school success! Which is why I will connect every parent to our google classroom and strongly encourage you to visit my website regularly, and follow us on twitter.
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January 2020
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