RHES Husky News

In observance of Labor Day, there will be no school on Monday, September 7.

Learn fun and helpful ways to support your child at home with math. During Math Night, you will visit your child’s classroom to receive take-home math resources, activities, and tips to help your child succeed.

📅 September 22
⏰ 5:30–6:30 PM
📍 Randolph Howell Elementary

We hope to see you there for a fun and helpful night of Math-A-Palooza!

Join us from September 15–25, 2026, for our Husky Book Fair! Don't miss this opportunity to explore a wide selection of books for all ages while contributing to the enrichment of

our students' reading experiences. We look forward to sharing the joy of reading with you!

Hello, Families! The Randolph Howell Book Fair is coming September 15-25. Below is the schedule for when your child will visit the fair. Parents and grandparents are welcome to come shopping with your child during their scheduled time. Please send money in an envelope or bag labeled with their name, amount, and teacher’s name. Tax is charged on all items so please account for that when sending in money. You are welcome to shop online or set up an ewallet for your child by visiting https://www.scholastic.com/bf/randolphhowellelemschool. Thank you for shopping the book fair and supporting RHES as proceeds go to new books and materials for the library. - HAPPY READING! Mrs. Abreu

Click the link to join https://www.givebacks.com/causes/randolphhowell/shop/items/831a26fb10ff

Click the link for the survey https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdDV1tmOEGpksjQQ61OJF-4Nn7uVxjRAvFj3-yL8Wdr-6fcww/viewform

We kindly request that you send in a parent or doctor note whenever your child is absent. Each student is granted a total of five parent notes per semester to cover such occurrences. Your timely communication of these notes is greatly appreciated and helps in maintaining accurate attendance records. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

In an ideal world, there would be time to sit down and savor the rich flavors, scents, and the appearance of food. In reality, most people often eat while working, driving, or otherwise distracted. But experts say that mindful eating — the practice of being present, focused, and intentional while eating — can help people better tune into their body’s needs and bring more enjoyment to their meals. Mindful eating encourages a person to trust their decisions in how they eat rather than following an overly strict, rigid set of dieting rules. To be fair, much like people set aside time to meditate, mindful eating requires some time and effort. Here are some suggestions for eating with greater intention.

Start Slowly

Mindful eating is an extension of mindfulness meditation — the act of intentionally doing one thing at a time with awareness, without judgment. Eating mindfully can bring about a more open way of thinking about food. Experts suggest beginning with one meal or snack and adding additional meals over time, and as the practice becomes easier. For example, if eating an apple or popcorn, try to be intentional about eating the apple or popcorn while doing nothing else except engaging the senses. Observe the smells, textures, taste, sounds, and visuals. Engaging the senses helps to stay in the moment and remain present.

If craving ice cream, resist the urge to judge yourself before, during, or after eating it. Instead, focus on savoring each bite and fully experiencing the flavors and textures. Accept the choice as just one food option you chose for that day. Tomorrow, you may eat fruit rather than ice cream; either option is okay.

Practice Makes It Easier

Everyone is so busy in their day-to-day lives that most people often squeeze in eating whenever and wherever they can, and that often means pairing it with other activities or tasks. Becoming a mindful eater will require making time for your food and food choices. Mindful eating is about tuning into all senses while eating. In a world where multitasking is the norm, mindful eating challenges a person to slow down and focus on their meal.

Mindful eating can feel a little different at first, but the more a person can practice being present and intentional while eating, the easier it will become to tune out distractions and resist the urge to have a working lunch or hop on social media while eating dinner. When distracted or feeling an urge to reach for the phone, take a deep breath and refocus.

Let Go of Food Guilt

A lot of people are taught to feel guilty when eating certain foods or specific amounts of food. Experts stress the importance of releasing preconceived notions that may have been formed about eating that leads to guilt and shame. Mindful eating is about learning how to make healthy food choices and to improve a person’s relationship with food by being fully present when eating. Over time, this may also lead to gratitude for the experience itself, as well as a lessening of judgments you may have about yourself, your body, or your eating habits.

Mindful eating is not centered on weight loss, nor is weight loss the goal of this approach. In some instances, people may gain weight once they begin practicing mindful eating if they were not eating enough calories and mindful eating allows them to better tap into their body’s hunger and thirst cues. Some people won’t see weight gain or loss. However, in other cases, the practice of mindful eating may lead to weight loss. Research also shows that some people who lost weight by using a mindful eating approach did not gain it back.

There are multiple reasons for that. One is that being more attuned to the body’s needs can cut down on emotional eating. Other research shows that a more mindful way of approaching food can help with hunger awareness and reduce external eating, which is eating in response to the sight or smell of certain foods rather than eating because we’re hungry. Sometimes we get seconds or do not eat because of conditioned behaviors, but with mindful eating, a person can make a more intentional decision either way.

If you may need to lose weight for health reasons, consider combining mindful eating with nutrition counseling. Mindful eating by itself may be effective for weight loss, but if you’re not as knowledgeable about healthy nutrition, mindful eating alone will most likely not lead to weight loss.

Be Kind to Yourself

Mindful eating may come to some quickly or may be challenging. A person may also find practicing on certain days or with certain meals more difficult than others.

Good and bad days are to be expected, and both are entirely normal. The most important thing a person can do is to be kind and patient with themself and as present as possible while eating. Remind yourself that you're building a positive relationship with eating that you can even pass down to your children.

Plan Ahead

Because mindful eating requires time, experts suggest building a time to eat without distraction, at least for some meals. If mornings while your family is getting ready for work and school are too hectic, maybe you can set aside one lunch break over the course of the week where you can sit by yourself on a park bench and just be.

Try Not to Get Too Hungry

It’s hard to eat mindfully when you’re famished. When you’re well past hunger, you may rush through your meal without enjoying it, make food choices you wouldn’t otherwise make, or eat more than feels comfortable. Not only can hunger lead to feelings of deprivation, but it can also cause your blood sugar to drop and raise the cortisol in your body.

Mindful eating can be a wonderful way to help you be more in tune with your body, the tastes and scents of the food in front of you, and your feelings of hunger and fullness. It can also help reduce a rigid or too-harsh way of thinking about food. Taking a more intuitive approach to eating may even help support healthy digestion. One study found that connecting the mind and the body when eating can reduce stress and digestive issues.

Although the practice of mindful eating does take intention, it can be a part of your daily life, even with a full calendar. If you are finding that your relationship with food makes you feel guilt or shame, you may also want to speak with a mental health provider or registered dietitian with expertise in building a healthy relationship with food.