HTSD Student and Staff Services
Believe We Can...Together
Mindful Moment for the Week
Here are a few passages from a book called "Your True Home" by Thich Nhat Hanh. Many thanks to Andrew for sharing these passages and his thoughts. I hope they may speak to you this week.
"One Hundred Percent"
Be there truly. Be there with 100 percent of yourself. In every moment of your daily life. Each of us knows that we can do that, so let us train to live each moment of our daily life deeply. That's why I like to define mindfulness as the energy that helps us to be there 100 percent. It is the energy of your true presence.
I liked this one because...how many times have we rushed through a conversation or been preoccupied or thinking about what we need to do next when we are speaking with people? I know I do it more frequently than I care to admit. Kind of hit home.
"The Foundation of Love"
If we do not know how to take care of ourselves and to love ourselves, we cannot take care of the people we love. Loving oneself is the foundation for loving another person.
My favorite so far:
"Flowers and Garbage"
Flowers and garbage are both organic in nature. So looking deeply into the nature of a flower, you can see the presence of the compost and the garbage. The flower is also going to turn into garbage, but don't be afraid! You are a gardener, and you have in your hands the power to transform garbage into flowers, into fruit, into vegetables. You don't throw anything away, because you are not afraid of garbage. Your hands are capable of transforming it into flowers, or lettuce, or cucumbers.
The same thing is true of your happiness and your sorrow. Sorrow, fear, and depression are all a kind of garbage. These bits of garbage are part of real life, and we must look deeply into their nature. You can practice in order to turn these bits of garbage into flowers. It is not only your love that is organic; your hate is, too. So you should not throw anything out. All you have to do is learn how to transform your garbage into flowers.
![[Video] Self-Compassionate Body Scan with Kristin Neff, PhD](https://www.theawakenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/kristin-neff-crop.jpeg)
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
We live in a frenetic world, one that is constantly bombarding us with text messages, emails, news, and unsettling events beyond our control. The holiday season adds to this sensory deluge and the effects can be overwhelming. My most cherished holiday memories from childhood are of sweet times when we were quiet and still, and we had time to just enjoy being together as a family.
In addition to helping us relax and recharge our energy, recent neurological studies have shown that peace and quiet, and even silence, can help restore our nervous systems and enhance our ability to respond to the world around us. These studies suggest that quiet might even stimulate development of new nerves cells. However, quiet time is a precious commodity these days, even more so during the holiday season.
One way to ensure we have enough quiet time is by setting and maintaining appropriate limits. The greatest holiday gift we can give our kids is the gift of limits—mostly limits on ourselves and the other adults in our lives. The limits we set with ourselves mostly involve curbing the natural inclination to do the impossible—make the holidays a perfect experience for everyone. We all know what happens when we attempt to make everyone happy.
The limits we set with the other adults in our lives involve taking good care of ourselves and our kids. Caution! Some of these might cause severe shock:
- We can’t wait to see you guys. We’ll need to leave by six so we can spend some quiet time with the kids before bedtime.
- We love you and want to spend time with you. We are trying to help the kids be more relaxed and rested, so we’ll need to do this on another day.
- We want to spend a relaxing time with everyone, so we’ll be ordering pizza.
The true meaning of the holidays lies in the connections we make with our families and with others in our communities throughout the season. These relationships are an invaluable part of all our lives. Cherish your relationships and create truly joyful memories this holiday season.
In whatever holiday activities you have, connect with the people you love, and not just those under the same roof, and balance your activities with adequate rest and quiet times for you and your kids.
-Dr. Charles Fay
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
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: