The Connection Corner

January, 2024 Edition *Power of SEL, Behavior, What is PBIS?*

February, 2024 Edition *Setting Limits, PBIS, FOMO*

March, 2024 Edition *Managing Peer Conflicts*

May, 2024 Edition *Teaching Empathy, Screen Time Recommendations*

August, 2024 Edition *Back to School*

October, 2024 Edition *Supporting or Enabling?, Managing Anxious Emotions*

December, 2024 Edition *Building Empathy, Managing Screen Time*

January, 2025 Edition *Managing Friendships, Teaching Respectful Communication*

February, 2025 Edition *Promoting Kindness, How to set Limits and Boundaries*

March, 2025 Edition *Social Media, Importance of Sleep, Managing Busy Schedules*

April, 2025 Edition *Digital Well-Being, Growth Mindset*

May, 2025 Edition *Fostering a Summer Friendship, Endings and New Beginnings*

September, 2025 Edition *Bouncing Back from a Setback, Building Resiliency*

October, 2025 Edition *Digital Citizenship, Think Before you Post, Erin's Law, Emotion Management*

November, 2025 Edition *Partnering with the School to Benefit Your Child*

January, 2026 Edition *Midyear Stress and Fatigue*

March, 2026 Edition *Bullying and Peer Conflict*

Understanding feelings is the first step in helping children manage them. When kids can recognize and name what they’re feeling, they are much more likely to handle those emotions in a healthy way and return to a calm, ready-to-learn state.

In our schools, we teach students to “name it to tame it.” This means helping children notice what they’re feeling and the physical clues in their bodies (like a tight chest, clenched fists, or low energy). Once they can identify the feeling, we teach them simple strategies to cope, such as like taking a break, using calming techniques, or problem-solving.

You can support this at home in small, everyday ways. Try noticing and naming what you see:

• “I see your fists are clenched. You might be feeling mad.”
• “You’ve been lying down a lot, you seem tired. Maybe some fresh air or a short walk could help.”

These moments build your child’s ability to understand themselves and take steps to feel better.

It’s also important to remember: all feelings are okay, even the uncomfortable ones. Feeling upset, frustrated, or disappointed is a normal part of life. It's how you respond that is important.

Rather than trying to prevent those feelings, we want to help children learn how to work through them. When we do this, we are preparing them with the skills they’ll need to navigate challenges now and in the future.

Does this sound familiar at home?
“But she hit me first!”
“He started it!”
“But I was mad!”
“It’s not fair!”

These are very normal responses for kids. They’re still learning how to handle big feelings in the moment.

One strategy you can try at home is to think about “the power of AND.” It’s the idea that two things can be true at the same time: feelings are always okay, and how we respond to those feelings still matters.

We practice this with students in simple, concrete ways to help them resolve conflicts at school:

• “I can feel mad and keep my hands to myself.”
• “I can feel like something isn’t fair and find a way to handle it.”
• “I can be frustrated with someone and still speak respectfully.”
• “I can be upset with a parent or teacher and still follow directions.”

At home, you can reinforce this by adding an “and” when your child is upset:

• “I hear that you’re really mad, and we still need to use a calm voice.”
• “It feels unfair, and let’s figure out what you can do about it.”
• "I know you are mad, and you need to keep your body safe when you are mad."

Over time, you’re helping your child build the skills to handle challenges, manage their emotions, and grow into a confident, resilient adult.

All of our schools use a framework called PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports). PBIS is a proactive framework that focuses on teaching and reinforcing positive behavior, much like we teach academic skills. It helps create a safe, respectful, and predictable environment where all students can learn and thrive.

Throughout the year, we hold three PBIS “Booster Days” to revisit and refresh these expectations. Think of these as opportunities to reset, practice, and strengthen the routines that help our school run smoothly.

At Elementary South, students rotated through different stations where they practiced important everyday behaviors—such as lining up when they hear the whistle at recess, taking care of shared spaces like restrooms, and walking quietly and respectfully in the hallways. At Aspen, students learned about a new Hallway Bingo Game to help them remember the hallway expectations. At Middle School South, students attended a short assembly with administration to review and reset the school rules.

Each spring, the Vernon Hills High School VIP group visits our 5th and 8th grade students to help prepare them for their upcoming transitions. Through engaging and relatable skits, high school students bring to life situations that many of our students may experience during this time of change.

The skits cover a variety of important topics, including how to handle peer conflict, what to do when you feel left out, how to respond to and report bullying, and how to make positive choices in different school situations .

Our students always look forward to this visit!

• Searchable Database: Offers a database of treatment options for easy access.
• Care Navigation: Provides services to support families in triage, appointment scheduling, and follow-up care.

• Inclusive Insurance Coverage: The service is compatible with all types of private and public insurance, including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and it caters to uninsured or underinsured families.
• No-Cost Access: Available free of charge for use by district students, staff, and families.
• Confidentiality Assured: Rest assured that all information entered into the ReferralGPS tool is kept completely confidential and securely stored.

Site: https://referralgps.com/find-help/hawthorn73

Our students benefit from access to school social work services. Our social workers provide ongoing support in several ways. They collaborate regularly with grade-level teams to promote a positive school climate for all students, and help support staff in using instructional practices that support social-emotional learning across all subjects. Our social workers may also lead class lessons or work in small groups with students to provide more targeted support.

District Social Workers:

Meghan Frazier - Lincoln School - frazierm@hawthorn73.org

Rhonda Malina - Hawthorn School for Young Learners - malinar@hawthorn73.org

Sydney Pacernick - Elementary North/Aspen - pacernicks@hawthorn73.org

Anna Bach - Aspen -bacha@hawthorn73.org

Ashley Zarinana - Dual Language - zarinanaa@hawthorn73.org

Kathleen Falotico - Townline - faloticok@hawthorn73.org

Grace Haggerty - Townline-Dual - haggertyg@hawthorn73.org

Paul Mazzetta - Elementary North - mazzettap@hawthorn73.org

Connie Travis - Elementary North - travisc@hawthorn73.org

Nesrin Unlu - Elementary South - unlun@hawthorn73.org

Brittany Langton - Elementary South - langtonb@hawthorn73.org

Lauren Brownstein - Middle School South - brownsteinl@hawthorn73.org

Amunn Jaffery - Middle School South - jafferya@hawthorn73.org

Jaime Medbery - Middle School South - medberyj@hawthorn73.org

Brian Van - Middle School North - vanb@hawthorn73.org

Kelli Cordes - Middle School North - cordesk@hawthorn73.org

Scarlett Davalos - Middle School North - davaloss@hawthorn73.org

Megan Goldman

Director of Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Learning

847-990-4269

goldmanm@hawthorn73.org

Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @D73SOARS

Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj-L3MVWzHT7xxgWytCWmYA