Our One QUEST

Friday, September 28, 2018

90's Trivia

The 5th caller to Hannah gets a prize from the prize drawer!

The prize has been claimed, thanks for playing!!!! HW

Movement in School

We are made to move. Over and over again, research has demonstrated that learning is enhanced when movement is an intentional part of a classroom. These new "flexible" classrooms are designed to enhance movement and to provide options, but more and more you are witnessing classrooms where movement breaks, coupled with a recess, are part of the formula that produces student success.

As a teacher, I did an experiment my last few years. I started planning short, 5 minute movement breaks right before my reading workshop and math workshop. I'd then give a 15 minute recess where I required my students to do activities that increased their heart-rate (that's right, no computer time or just standing in a circle chatting...move!). For some students, this was just what they needed to have increased focus and concentration. My goal was to prime their brains for learning, but to then help them to be reflective and balanced so that they saw the connection and could use it as a tool of their own. Around QUEST, I have witnessed similar movement breaks occurring, and I feel grateful that students are being taught at a young age that movement can enhance their learning.

What are some of the benefits of movement?

Here are some specific benefits that movement breaks can provide (taken from full article):

Efficiency in Learning

The hippocampus needs time to process information because it is partially responsible for short-term memory and navigation
As students return to the content, the brain is able to refocus
Movement helps to develop social skills, which are important for connecting to comprehension and critical thinking skills
Realigning the body/brain connection helps re-energize learning

Stress Relief, Mood Elevation and Social Perks

If students are uncomfortable or stressed the brain will not retain new information easily, especially when critical thinking skills are being relied upon or the student is needing to connect new information to their personal experiences, prior knowledge or abstract thought
Student-to-student and student-to-teacher relationships are a key component in successful learning — Research has shown that fun, safe environments where students are kind and supportive of one another equate to more academic success
There is much less physical movement in modern day life, especially for children when P.E. and recesses are being reduced to focus more on academic achievement
Our best ideas often come when we are having a break
You may reduce feelings of being overwhelmed by the content

Class Cohesion

Heightens the student’s attendance and participation in class
Builds relationships and overall concern for the well-being of others
Develops self-esteem and a sense of belonging
Boosts listening skills and communication
Promotes laughter and fun while learning
Improves self-discipline and motivation

The Role of Oxygen in Learning

Approximately 90% of the oxygen in our body and brain is stale until we take a deep breath, yawn, get up or move our bodies
Lack of oxygen results in confusion, lack of focus and memory problems

Some creative ways to squeeze movement in:

Some poles have added it to their hallway meetings
Add a few minutes of high-intensity movement during transitions
When using station teaching, have the station start with a quick movement activity (1 min.), and then they immediately start the center
Allow spots in your room where students can go to stand if the need be

IB Connection

Our job is to help our students to be balanced, ultimately teaching them the importance of personal well-being. We also should be helping our students to become agents of their own learning--knowing the way in which movement helps their brain to learn plays a part in that.

Thank you to our health committee for helping our school to build off of the good practices that are already taking place.

WE are QUEST!

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Fun Run

Jill and Amanda, our PTSO parents helping organize the Fun Run, pointed out that for the Fun Run, we have a heavy number of classes in the a.m. slot. Here is the breakdown:

So far there are:

8 from 9:15- 9:45

5 from 10-10:30

2 from 1:15-1:45

3 fro 2- 2:30

Students will be exercising around a "track" and it may be a bit crowded during that first session. If you are fine with that and signed up for it, keep it as is, but just wanted to put it out there.

Reminders

Some need-to-knows:

If a student comes in late and they do have a pass from the Health Office, please send them back to get one. This ensures that a student is not marked absent or a parent receiving a call despite them dropping their child off.
We have had a couple times where students are out on the bus loop before an adult is outside supervising them. If your student has a job, or a reason that they need to leave at first dismissal, please remind them to wait by the door in the main hall until they see an adult out for bus duty! Thanks for your help with this!
Katie is leading a book study that, if you can make it, you may not want to miss. Great conversations will certainly be had! In addition, video coaching 100 has not started yet for those interested in signing up. Sign-ups are on MLP.
I will be starting walk-through observations next week. I look forward to being part of your classroom environment. Like last year, I observe, you get five days to write your reflection, I then get five to finalize. Looking forward to it!

IB PYP and Mindfulness

Recently I was considering the ways in which mindfulness, which is one of our aspirational values, and IB PYP were woven together. My initial connection was the way in which mindful practices can support the learner profiles, or the Approaches to Learning, but I quickly realized the strength in mindful practices. Check out this article which helps to make that connection.

IB and Mindfulness Article

Next Week CIA and Super. Day

Next week at our CIA, Andrea will be giving an overview of the enhancements to IB PYP. We will start at 8, not 745! The BOE room is not available, so we will meet in the library.

Also, next week we have our Super. Day and will be learning from a speaker regarding RtI. As part of that, we will have the opportunity to chat and debrief as a school regarding where we are with RtI, what we learned from the speaker, and what that new learning might mean for QUEST.

Looking forward to learning alongside you.

-Derek