Are you Flexible or Inflexible?

This month we've been talking all about the terms "flexible" and "inflexible."  The kids are amazed to learn that so many ordinary everyday items are flexible (think erasers, rubber bands, lego figures) and that things that are inflexible can often break easily (pencils, crayons, sticks). We have been applying these concepts to our bodies, which are all flexible to a certain degree, but even more importantly to our minds. If our minds are flexible, then we are really strong. We read The Zax by Dr. Seuss, and talked about the characters' inflexible thinking and the trouble it leads to. We will continue applying this concept to everyday situations the students encounter in peer interactions where flexibility is needed: who will go first in a game? Which color game piece will I be? How will I react if I lose? Who is first in line? And so on. So the next time your child acts a little "Rock-Brainish" remind him or her of the term flexible and how it makes us a stronger person.

-Jillian

Goats, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Sheep and Honeybees Oh My!!

We raised over $700 this year to donate to the Heifer International project! Thanks to our GENEROUS students, parents, and staff we will be able to buy a variety of animals to donate to families in need. We are so grateful for all of you, and thankful that we work in such a wonderful school that cares about others who are not as fortunate. Have a great winter break, happy holidays, and see you all in January!

Peace,
Jillian and Linda

December Peace Heroes

December Peace Heroes get their medals

Pre-K:

Kate F.

First:

Ailaini C.

Caleb M.

Maya K.

Sarah Frances J.

Second:

Astrid G.

Zara H.

Graham G.

Olivia S.

Alexis D.

Josephine K.

Third:

Ava Z.

Rohan M.

Michael C.

Jack C.

Leah P.

Rollin A. 

Alexis B.

Talia Z.

Charlie M.

Margot R.

Nicholas D.

Izara S.

Noah G.

Cody H. 

Teun vB.

MacKenzie G.

Fourth:

Esther N.

Elena H.

Jesse K.

We're Buying A Goat!!!

In Peace Class we’ve been reading stories and watching videos about Beatrice’s Goat, the inspiring story of a girl in Uganda whose life is changed by a goat.  The goat came from the Heifer Project, an international organization that aims to help people lift themselves out of poverty by giving them livestock. 

The children are very moved by the story of a group of elementary school students just like them who, through the Heifer Project, gave Beatrice the chance to get an education and lift her family out of poverty.  We decided that if we all pitched in just a little we could give the gift of a life-changing goat to another needy family. 

We’ve been discussing ways they can earn one dollar to donate to the Peace Program’s Heifer Project, so we can also buy one or more goats for children like Beatrice. If you would like to contribute, please help your child earn a dollar at home and send it to school by December 20th. 

Thank you!!!!

Linda Ryden & Jillian Diesner

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” Helen Keller

November Peace Hero Celebration

On Monday we celebrated our students who received Peace Hero nominations throughout the month. These are students who were caught being especially kind, helpful, and/or  peaceful in some way. Usually classroom teachers are the ones who nominate students to receive the award, but anyone can nominate anyone else in the building, and lately we've had a few students nominate other students for peaceful actions they've noticed. This is a wonderful way to encourage mindfulness among the students, as they become more aware of not only their own, but others' actions as well. This month's Peace Heroes are:

Erin Rosebar 2K
Wyatt Corn 1B
Natalie Gordon 2N
Brandon Gore 4CD
Dylan Kennedy Red base
Sarah Bocian 1H
Charlie Madland 1H
Jack Reeves 1H
Brandon Catherine 1P
Harper Orange base
Lillie Orange Base
Eden Diamond 1H
Elena Le 1H
Owen McManus 1B
Harrison Ertz 2K
Eian Katz 4CD
Madeline Nusbaum 1B
Noah Person 1H

Congratulations to these students, and happy Thanksgiving to all!

-Jillian

 

The 1-5 Scale for Managing Strong Feelings

This is a concept we've been working on in Peace Classes recently, adapted from the book When My Worries Get Too Big by Kari Dunn Buron. We talk about how our feelings can be described using the 1-5 scale. Each student names something that makes them feel like a 1, and also a time they felt like a 5. We practice strategies for bringing our strong, intense "Level 5" feelings down to a more manageable number like 1 or 2. These strategies include:

• Calm breathing ("flowers and candles")
• Counting to ten
•  Squeezing our hands together
• Closing our eyes and rubbing our legs in a calming way
• Thinking about our happy thoughts
• Talking to an adult
• Telling someone how we are feeling
• Writing or drawing 
• Taking a nap or break from the activity 
• Going to a safe place like the Oasis to calm down    

I hope these strategies may help the kids in the classroom, on the playground, and at even at home when they are having a strong feeling. You can help by reminding them about the 1-5 scale, using the numbers to help your child talk about how intense their feeling is, and by reminding them of some strategies that could help them come back down to a one. 
-Jillian

Peace Assemblies

Today we held three Peace Assemblies for the different grade levels. At the assemblies we talked about the Pathways to Peace concepts we've been learning, such as being mindful of how we treat others and managing strong feelings. We played a game, "What Would A Peace Hero Do?" where the kids answered questions to various real-life problems we've encountered here at school. We finished the assemblies by singing "With My Own Two Hands, " accompanied by Ms. Ryden, Ms. Betz, and other 5th grade students on the guitar. It was awesome, and we thank all the kids for participating and for helping to make Lafayette the best, most peaceful school it can be! We'd love to have more parents attend our school assemblies, so will be sure to get the word out for our next big event!
-Jillian

Peace Program News & Updates

Halloween Candy Drive

Our third annual Lafayette Halloween Candy Drive is off to a great start!  We already have a mountain of candy after only one day.  Thanks so much to all of the generous families who shared their extra candy.  We will be delivering the candy to the Bethesda Cares shelter.  People who come to the shelter for meals will be so thrilled to get a special treat.  A piece of candy may not seem like much to many of us but to people who are in crisis a sweet treat is a big deal.  Last year we were able to collect so much candy it lasted the whole year at the shelter.  They are anxiously awaiting the new shipment.  Thanks so much to the Lafayette family for making this happen every year!


Mindfulness visit

As you may have heard Lafayette's Teaching Peace program was in the news again recently.  This time our Mindfulness program was featured in the Washington Post.  As a result of that article we were visited by a representative of an organization working to bring mindfulness programs into public schools.  After sitting in on one of our Peace classes he asked me to model our method to other area schools.  Jillian and I teach mindfulness in all of our Peace classes and now some of the classroom teachers have even gotten on board and are practicing mindful breathing with their classes for a few minutes every day.  There is so much research showing the powerful benefits of mindfulness, especially for children whose brains are still developing.  We are hoping to give our students the skills they need to lead happy, healthy and peaceful lives.

Peace assembly

Next Friday November 8th we will be holding an assembly to celebrate our peaceful school.  We are asking all of the children to wear something representing peace - a t-shirt with a peace sign, peace accessories, anything that represents peace.  We will sing a song together, do some mindful breathing in a big group, play a game called "What Would a Peace Hero Do?" and do a big group activity.  There will be three assemblies: 4th and 5th at 1:30pm; 2nd and 3rd at 2pm; and PK, K and 1 will be at 2:30pm.  We would love for parents to join us!

Thoughts and Feelings

These are just two of the fun concepts we've been learning about in Peace Classes for the lower grades these past few weeks! We have continued practicing our mindful breathing at the start of each class, this time using the idea of a thought bubble to help us focus our minds on listening to the bell and our breathing. Each child drew his or her own "Happy Thoughts" in a thought bubble, and I encouraged the kids to try focusing on those thoughts the next time they are feeling sad or angry. This week we also watched a video starring Elmo using deep belly breathing to get his "mad monster" out and feel like himself again. The kids practiced breathing along with Elmo to help ourselves feel calm. We also learned many of the names we have for different feelings, and how being able to name our feelings can actually help us feel better! This is not just touchy-feely stuff, there are research studies that have supported the idea that when we can name our strong emotion, it no longer has the same power over us. So parents, encourage your kids to tell you how they're feeling, use the deep breathing when needed, and to try focusing their thoughts on happy things. Have a great weekend!
-Jillian

Lafayette's Mindfulness Program in the news

Valerie Strauss devoted her blog last week to mindfulness in schools.  You may have heard that Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda is about to launch a school-wide mindfulness program.  In an article in the Post about the Whitman program they mentioned that Whitman is the first school in the region to have such a program.  But they didn't know about Lafayette!  We wrote to the paper and right away Valerie Strauss blogged about the Whitman program and then highlighted our program.  She even quotes from our own website!  Mindfulness training is really taking off all over the country and Lafayette is on the cutting edge.  Read all about it here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/10/students-at-overachieving-school-getting-anti-stress-lessons/

If you have any questions about our school-wide mindfulness program feel free to contact Linda Ryden (linda.ryden@dc.gov) or Jillian Diesner (jillian.diesner@dc.gov)

Thanks!


Linda Ryden
Teaching Peace
Lafayette Elementary School