Welcome to the #mindfulAISD newsletter for the week of February 20th. This will serve as a way to highlight the awesome mindfulness work being done across the district as well as offer resources. Have suggestions for material you'd like to see on here? Please email the SEL Mindfulness Specialist: james.butler@austinisd.org

Send James Butler an email with a brief story and/or photo (if you have photo releases for your students). Or if you're on Twitter, use the hashtag #mindfulAISD and I'll post a link to your tweet on the newsletter.

Click below to find a link to mindfulness activities in Arabic, Farsi & Burmese. I've also put a few mindfulness in Spanish documents in that Google Folder. Huge thank you to the amazing AISD Refugee Family Support Team for the translations.

Several different teachers (PK-5th) have mentioned their use of the the "Zen Den" YouTube playlist, so I wanted to share it with y'all. I've attached the link below. There are 18 videos on the list, ranging from 4-8 minutes in length. Remember, you can add YouTube videos to your GoNoodle account to make your champ stronger.

See below for info about a fun mindfulness family event at BookPeople with author Natalie Grigson. Share with colleagues and/or students' families...

This Saturday, February 25th at 2pm, we'll gather at BookPeople for something magical - an afternoon of readings, games, and mindfulness/meditation exercises for the whole family.

"Just Call Me Is" (released December 1) is an introduction to mindfulness for kids. The sequel is well underway and focuses on body image for kids, tweens, and teens. (Those who come to the event will get a sneak peak at book 2, as well!)

These might be Big Important Topics - but these books introduce them to kids in a fun, lighthearted, and earnest way. So bring your whole family - and let's have some fun!

Links to all the previous newsletters with a highlight or two from each edition.

Week of February 13 (Mindful Brain Poster & CE credit video w/ Jon Kabat-Zinn)

Week of February 6 (GoNoodle Mindfulness Document & Mindfulness Research Newsletter)

Week of January 30 (Rodriguez ES Mindfulness Studio & Mindful Coloring pages)

Week of January 23 (3 Simple Remedies for Stressed-Out Mind & Kindfulness article)

Week of January 17 (Science of mindfulness & Breathing Sticks activity)

Week of January 9 (SEL in Austin Family Magazine & Link to De-Escalation Strategies Poster)

Week of January 3 (List of mindfulness sites & mindfulness is good for teachers article)

Week of December 12 (List of mindfulness apps & Mindfulness Challenge recap)

Week of December 5 (Scientifically proven song for relaxation & Mindfulness Tour recap)

Week of November 28 (#mindfulAISD YouTube Playlist link)

Week of November 14 (GIFs for deep breathing & Breathing script for HS--Palm the Present Moment by Donald Altman from "The Mindfulness Toolbox")

Week of November 7 (AISD e-Wellness spotlight)

Week of October 31 (Mindfulness Challenge update)

Week of October 24 (Progressive Muscle Relaxation script)

Week of October 17 ("Just Breathe" mindfulness video)

Week of October 10 (Stop Breathe Think App/Site & Curious Not Furious article)

Week of October 3 (Pokemon poses & Mindfulness and the Brain article)

Week of September 26 (Replacing Detention w/ Meditation article & Guided Breathing tracks in Spanish & English)

Week of September 19 (Teacher Self-Care & Connecting Mindfulness w/ SEL: Mind Yeti)

Week of September 12 (KEYE News feature & Helping Teens Destress)

If you're using Mindful Classrooms: The Educator Guide, I recommend using Week 24 this week. It's a very loose recommendation though. Please do what's best for you and your students. If you'd like the free electronic copy of the book, please feel out the Google Form at the bottom of this page.

Photos/stories of Mindful Classrooms being used in class are always welcome and would be great for the newsletter! Email James Butler.

If you haven't filled out the #mindfulAISD Google Form (below) and want to highlight your work and/or receive mindfulness support, please check it out. It only takes about 1 minute to complete. Know someone in AISD interested in mindfulness? Send them this newsletter for them to fill out the Google Form.

James Butler

SEL Mindfulness Specialist

james.butler@austinisd.org