Blog

This spring, Aaron School students have been starting a positive ripple effect by spreading kind, benevolent acts all throughout our school community! We can’t believe the time has come already, but as the school year comes to a close, we have moved on to our final character quality of the year: CALMNESS. In 3rd through 7th grade Social Skills and Peer Group classes, students will learn about stress-management and why it is important to practice skills and techniques to help us feel calmer, especially as we begin the transition into new routines like summer vacation, summer camps, family trips and more. Students will also begin to understand why practicing calmness is important for both our physical and mental well-being. While focusing on the benefits of a mindfulness practice, students will identify specific calming techniques that can help their mind and bodies in moments of stress, frustration, and/or significant change.

Students are also continuing to learn the importance of Self-Care and how taking care of ourselves first can help us be more available to help others more effectively. See below for examples of self-care for students, parents and educators alike:

• Using mindfulness apps like Calm, Smiling Mind, Insight Timer, etc.
• Making it a priority to do something you enjoy each day (reading, drinking tea, listening to music or podcasts)
• Spending time in nature and noticing the sounds, colors, smells, etc. in the environment
• Listening to calming music like classical or jazz or maybe nature sounds like the ocean, jungle or thunderstorms
• Using meditations or guided visualizations to practice deep breathing
• Practice gratitude! Think of 3-5 things you are grateful for each day
• Being creative like engaging in a craft or coloring in mandalas/coloring books
• Practicing yoga or other exercise routines that make you feel good!

Also, don’t forget to check out our bulletin board in the front hallway for CALMNESS quotes that you can take with you! If there is a quote, phrase, saying or note you’d like to drop in the envelope, please feel free to do so! Through this curriculum, our intention is for every Aaron School student to build positive character traits to help them become calm, confident and successful citizens of their communities, both in school and out!