The Doty Digest
Greetings Doty Families!
This morning we had our first student-led all school morning meeting and it was awesome! Sixth graders ran the meeting, leading us through the greeting, sharing news, and then played a game of Jump In with all of us. A big shout out to them for doing such a great job!
Our morning meetings always have a greeting in them. From the outside, doing an organized greeting every day might seem a bit odd and when I first started doing them as a teacher, they felt a bit strange too. I quickly realized how important they are. It is a moment where the group sees and acknowledges everyone in the group. It’s a moment of connection that helps build relationships and our community.
Thinking of community, I’d like to extend a ten gallon thank you to our neighbor, Mark Powell, who brought in about ten gallons of apples for our PreK students to make applesauce out of. (We have specially designed safety knives for our littlest littles to use!) Mark’s generosity is a wonderful example of the kind of community spirit that makes Worcester such a special place. Thank you Mark!
Wrapping up, I thought I’d share a conversation a teacher and I had with a student yesterday. This student was just not feeling it yesterday, felt all sorts of off, and everything was hard. We talked about how everyone has off days, that no one is expected to be spot on all the time. We also problem solved about what we can do when we are having one of those days. We came to the conclusion that the most important thing to do is to let someone know. Hard days can be made easier, if others know they can help figure out what you need, whether that is some space, extra time to do things, a time to vent, or whatever will work. I truly believe that one of the most important things we can do at school is to help kids learn how to navigate the world on all sorts of days, not just the good ones.
Have a wonderful weekend and it looks like we will get a final blast of summer next week!
As always, thank you for sharing your students with us!
Gillian
Notes from the Health Office
Hello Doty Families. I don’t have a specific topic to cover this week, but several different housekeeping items.
Fall is officially here, the leaves have some color, and the temperature is shifty and changing. We may have a morning in the 40’s, followed by an afternoon in the 70’s. I see a forecast for 80 degrees next week. Please dress your students in layers to accommodate those crazy temperature variations.
The onset of cold weather is a time when we forget to hydrate. The dry winter weather and indoor heating may dry us out as much as the heat of summer. (I find the following fact interesting: viruses spread more easily in dry air than in humid summer air). Anyway, please continue to send water bottles with your student. I frequently have an extra bottle to lend as well.
We are continuing to see typical school viruses, including colds and stomach aches. I am reminding students to wash hands multiple times a day. If they blow their nose, use the restroom, and before eating, they are reminded to wash hands. Washing hands prevents the spread of illness and helps avoid getting sick. The CDC states that handwashing can stop 20% of colds and other viruses and 30% of diarrhea-related illness.
Take Care - Nurse Lydia
