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Hello Hardy, Highlights from the past week: On Thursday we had International Night as we celebrated the rich diversity within the Hardy School community! Students learned about various countries and cultures through country booths, performances, and food. Kudos to parent organizer Sonia Kolenchary and other parent volunteers who helped make this event a success! |
On Friday we had an all school meeting featuring our first graders. Students did a great job teaching the community about relationship skills.
CASEL competency focus for March/April- Relationship Skills
During the months of March and April, we are focused on the CASEL competency of relationship skills. We are defining this as the ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships. The goal for students is that they will be able to state, “I can work cooperatively with others.” In classrooms, teachers will be sharing picture books and leading class-wide discussions to help support this focus area.
Relationship Skills parent tips
Parent Tips for Relationship Skills:
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Helping children resolve conflicts teaches them skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
Find time to read together. As you read a story that may have a conflict in it, ask your child the following questions:
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What is this story’s main conflict?
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What do the main characters want to happen?
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How can the characters work together to make everyone happy?
Then, turn the discussion to recent conflicts your child may have had in their life. Have your children share about times when, like the characters, they felt conflict with another person. Ask them how they worked with that person to make the situation better.
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Dedicate structured time to connection and not assume that it will happen organically because we are more “present” now than ever before. Be intentional about when you’re connecting with children and when you are working. Set daily times for playing together, reading books or singing songs.
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Do not assume that you know exactly what your child is feeling or is afraid of. Ask questions, listen actively and model eye contact, and then explain what you can in response to their questions. Validate that you see and acknowledge their feelings, fears and concerns.
Have a great week!
Respectfully yours,
Grant Smith
Principal