Mill Valley Weekly

As we move through these final days before winter break, it has been wonderful to see our students show kindness, teamwork, and sometimes even having to learn from mistakes. Together, as a school family, we continue to create a community where every child learns the importance of giving back, spreading joy and our school focus of integrity. Thank you for being such an important part of what makes our school a caring and connected place for all.

In Partnership,

Allyce Harris

MV Principal

For my last newsletter of the year, I decided to address ANTS. Not our friendly visitors in the summer, but those Automatic Negative Thoughts that pop into our heads all day long. It is estimated that humans have roughly 70,000 thoughts throughout the day. Of course, we can’t pay attention on purpose to all of them, our brains would be on overload! We have pleasant thoughts, like “she smiled at me” or “yay, they are serving hamburgers for lunch”. We have neutral thoughts like “I never noticed the walls are painted blue” or “I’ll park my car here”. But often, the thoughts we pay the most attention to are the automatic thoughts that are negative and cause us worry, sadness or fear.

The human brain is actually wired to worry. It is our way of preparing for the future and trying to solve problems in advance. It is an amazing capability we have; but can go into overdrive and prevent us from staying focused on what is actually happening in the present moment, causing distress or anxiety. I’ve noticed that students in our schools worry about many things like doing well on tests, whether their friends will be kind at school, and even what they will do on the weekends.

There are a myriad of strategies that help with worrying thoughts or ANTS; so I thought I would share one technique that is often a helpful strategy for children. Question and challenge the ANTS! When your child articulates a particular worry, start asking them a few of the following questions:

• Is there another way of looking at this?

• Is this thought helpful?

• What evidence is there to support your worry?

• How would someone else see this?

• What advice would I give someone else?

• Is this a fact or an opinion?

And then, see if you and your child can come up with a more realistic and optimistic thought to replace the old ANT.

If you notice that your child struggles with a lot of worries, or a pattern of ANTS that are interfering with school, please feel free to reach out to me. I wish you and your children a most peaceful and loving holiday season.

Dr. S

CLICK HERE to discover their favorite things!

Join the Muskego Elementary Ski Club and enjoy discounted winter fun with family and friends! We have seven dates for discounts this winter season and four of those are on no school days.

Sign up today by filling out the ski club form, linked HERE for your elementary student!

We have already witnessed firsthand how wonderful Wisconsin winter storms can be. Please familiarize yourself with the district’s protocol for closing school due to inclement weather HERE.

This is a friendly reminder to make sure your child is coming to school with all the appropriate gear to stay warm at recess. Students will go outside for fresh air 2 times a day unless the windchill is below zero.

• Both coat and snow pants need to be worn to play in the snow
• Always wear hat and gloves
• Boots should be worn to play in the snow AND on the blacktop

• Keep an extra pair of socks in your locker

And don't forget...LABEL ALL ITEMS

To view current support staff job vacancies, click HERE

Email: allyce.harris@muskegonorway.org
Website: muskegonorway.org
Location: W191 S6445 Hillendale Dr, Muskego Wi, 53150
Phone: 262-971-1830
Facebook: facebook.com/millvalleyelementary