HTSD Student and Staff Services
Believe We Can...Together
Practicing the Nurtured Heart Approach
Many thanks to Andrew for sharing these quotes and Nurturing Our Hearts!
"It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion for others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others"
"One of the most important things you can do on this Earth is let others know they are not alone"
You are not alone. 4 words. 5 seconds to speak them. However...what a message it conveys. You are not alone. Without saying it, those words provide support and empathy. They let another know that they are seen, that they are important, that they are cared about. Without saying a 5th word, you are telling another human that you care. You are telling another human that they matter. 4 words. 5 seconds. It's one of the shortest sentences, but carries with it an abundance of compassion. It shows that you are present in the moment and that the person is important. 4 words. 5 seconds. And endless possibilities.
Social Emotional Learning
Self-regulation skills are one of the biggest keys for success for students in the classroom. These are some of the skills that help students focus during lessons, wait their turn to share in group activities, transition to a new task when time is up, and start tasks right away. Self-regulation skills are extraordinarily important in the classroom, especially as we continue to place more and more demands on children and teens.
https://www.thepathway2success.com/15-classroom-practices-to-build-self-regulation-skills/
Over the next several weeks we will review one strategy at a time.
Love and Logic
Does teasing end when kids graduate from elementary school? Does it stop when they move on from middle to high school? Will it magically disappear when they become adults? Or is it sadly true that most of us will encounter bullies throughout our lifetimes?
Because we can’t ensure that the world will always be sweet and kind to our kids, common sense tells us that we ought to equip them with skills that allow them to cope with this sometimes less-than-considerate world.
Listed below are some basic principles that can help kids when they encounter teasing or bullying:
- Teach them that bullies get their power from our negative emotions. The more upset we get when picked on, the more powerful mean kids feel.
- Show your child how to trick bullies by pretending to be calm. If our children can learn to act calm when bullies hassle them, they become far less attractive targets.
- Teach your child to confuse or bewilder bullies by responding to verbal taunts with replies like, “Thanks for noticing” or “I appreciate the feedback.”
- Help your child develop great social skills so that they are liked, accepted, and protected by positive peers. Kids who don’t know how to relate in healthy ways often find themselves gravitating toward peers who treat them poorly.
Using these principles, parents can empower their kids to handle, and overcome, teasing and bullying. Instead of rescuing them, you can walk beside your kids as they move from the role of victim to victor.
Get ready for a new contest!
The New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education (NJCIE) invites all United States public, charter, and vocational school students in grades 1 to 12 to enter its 15th annual ALL IN Poster Contest!
Formerly known as “Inclusion Works”, the contest launches during National Inclusive Schools Week on December 8, 2023, and will end on May 3, 2024.
At the end of the contest, a grand prize winner is selected, and all winning submissions will be displayed in a poster exhibit on our website.
The contest has taught countless students the importance of inclusion for more than 10 years. When all students are included, everyone shines!
Awards
Participants, based on their grade level, will choose to enter their submissions into one of the following categories:
Elementary I – artwork completed by students in grades 1-2.
Elementary II – artwork completed by students in grades 3-5.
Intermediate – artwork completed by students in grades 6-8.
- Secondary – artwork completed by students in grades 9-12.
The Grand Prize winner will receive a $250 award. Printed copies of their poster will be distributed to schools throughout the country. The winner’s poster will also be announced and exhibited at NJCIE’s Summer Inclusion Leadership Conference in June.
Each category will have one winner and honorable mentions. Category winners will receive a $50 award. We will display all winning submissions and honorable mentions on a virtual exhibit on our website.
For more information- https://www.njcie.org/poster-contest
Dunkin' Cruiser
Many thanks to the PTA for arranging for the Dunkin' Cruiser to come to Hamilton Township!
Membership
Don't forget to join the PTA! For just $5 for the year, you can support our wonderful PTA! Click on this link - https://hamiltontownshippta.memberhub.com/store#.
Grants
Here is a link to the PTA Grant form:
