Mindfulness in schools starts with the adults. Here's some goodness for y'all. :)
The Community Yoga Certification class I'm attending through Amala Foundation is full of eager students (myself included) who would like to come teach yoga to teachers in AISD. The class has a Culturally Responsive, Trauma Informed, Community Focused lens and it's full of amazingly inspiring people.
Please take a moment to fill out this brief form if you'd like a free yoga class for teachers on your campus in March or April. The class can be anywhere from 30-60 minutes and we'll provide mats if teachers need a mat. Priority will be given to the first 10 campuses who apply.
BIG NEWS: We received approval to put campus mindfulness sessions on HCP so attendees can receive professional learning credit for attending. Each 30 minutes is worth .5 credits. Say what?! CEUs for Self-Care?! You heard that right! This also could be used for Exchange Day Credit. :)
And here's our compilation of mindfulness related self-care resources.
Mark your calendars!!! Saturday, April 13th 9am-1pm AISD Staff Mindfulness Retreat at Zavala Elementary! Please join us for this awesome morning of self-care that will feature keynote and classes from Yoga N Da Hood & more. HCP Sign Up Coming Soon!
Also, Check out the Spring 2019 Mindfulness In Schools Sessions! The Mindfulness 101 & 201 Course class size has been expanded to 30. Click on the links to go directly to HCP to sign up.
Tuesday, March 26th Mindfulness 101 AND 201 8:30am-3:30pm @ Blanton Museum
Thursday, March 28th Culturally Responsive Mindfulness 8:30am-3:30pm @ Amala Foundation
Thursday, April 25th Mindfulness 301 8:30am-3:30pm @ Blanton Museum
Tuesday, April 30th Librarian Mindful Maker Spaces 1pm-4pm @ Blanton Museum
This ScreenAgers link has great resources for screen time management. There are app suggestions, article links and organizations. Share freely with families.
As a reminder, you can always find family resources on bit.ly/mindfulfams.
Check it out, y'all! AISD's own Angela Ward was just featured in Education Week's Leaders To Learn From! I've had the honor of working with Angela, AISD's Race & Equity Administrative Supervisor, quite a bit over the last few years. She has always been very supportive of mindfulness and how it lends itself to equity work in education. Go Angela!!!
King Calm
"Meet Marvin. He's a calm and mindful gorilla living in the Great Big City. He is peaceful and composed and enjoys every minute of his day unlike his thumping, roaring, and former Empire State-climbing Grandpa! Readers are introduced to the concept of living mindfully in a creative, practical, and easy-to-apply way. Includes a "Note to Parents and Caregivers" by the authors."
Zen Teen
"A warm and relatable teen guide to reducing anxiety, depression, and panic while developing resilience and confidence with 40 tips and tricks that guide, support, and inspire teens to keep calm and stay mindful."
Mindful Discipline
"Raising happy, compassionate, and responsible children requires both love and limits. In Mindful Discipline, internationally recognized mindfulness expert Shauna Shapiro and pediatrician Chris White weave together ancient wisdom and modern science to provide new perspectives on parenting and discipline."
Check out Undaunted Athlete, an app with helpful resources on their site as well. "Our mindfulness training is helping competitive athletes build their confidence, play their best, and become resilient in the face of adversity."
Shout to Lanier Boys Basketball Coach, Joe Pendell, for sharing this resource.
Mindful Classrooms: The Educator Guide
Thanks to everyone who requested a PDF of Mindful Classrooms: The Educator Guide. It's humbling and a huge honor to know that a book I wrote is being utilized in AISD and beyond. I'm happy to share that I was able to donate 844 copies of the book to AISD staff! The book will be published by Free Spirit Publishing in April. Thanks for all your support, y'all!
Inner Explorer
So much gratitude to LG for the $20,000 grant to provide Inner Explorer community licenses to 20 AISD campuses through the 2018-2019 school year!! Inner Explorer is a web-based mindfulness program that's very easy to use for all ages. Elementary content is in Spanish as well. They even have a community component where families can have an account along with the school. For more info and sample practices, click here.
Stop Breathe Think--Free Lifetime Subscription
Calm--Free Lifetime Subscription
FREE Calm.com Lifetime Subscription for Teachers (PreK-12). Fill out the form at the link above for a FREE subscription to their site & app.
#mindfulAISD YouTube Playlist
Letter to Families
Here's a letter about mindfulness you can share with families. It provides a brief description of mindfulness and a message from Dr. Cruz supporting mindfulness in schools.
The letter is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi/Dari & Burmese.
Multilingual Mindfulness
Want mindfulness activities in Spanish, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Burmese, Swahili & Kinyarwanda? We've got them for you!
Zen Den YouTube Playlist
The "Zen Den" YouTube playlist offers 18 videos, ranging from 4-8 minutes in length.
Mind Yeti: Connecting Mindfulness w/ Explicit SEL Lessons
Mindyeti.com is a great resource that connects mindfulness with Second Step lessons, and it's FREE!
GoNoodle
GoNoodle is for the body and the mind.
Here is a link to a document that lists all the GoNoodle Mindfulness videos sorted by channel and with the length of each video.
De-Escalation Strategies Poster
This poster can be an addition to your classroom, Peace Area, hallways, Mindfulness Room, etc.
Mindful Life Project
Guided Mindfulness Activities in English & Spanish--Great for Secondary.
They also have a free app titled "Mindful Life Project."
Videos Explaining Mindfulness
Contact
SEL Mindfulness Specialist
2014 Austin ISD Teacher of the Year
Twitter: @mrbutler629