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Making the Umbrella Project Work in Trying Times

Making the Umbrella Project Work in Trying Times

by | Jan 10, 2020 | Mindfulness

While the school boards in Ontario continue to have conversations with the Ministry of Education, we are seeing some union groups take action by limiting what teachers will be participating in. We know it can be a stressful time for all. These are exactly the times that the umbrella skills help us to cope and should not be neglected.

With the pending job action and sanctions put on activity within schools, we want to stress once again how the Umbrella Project need not be an extra but can directly help with the delivery of curriculum expectations in Language Arts, Social Studies, History, Religion, and most recently in the Social-Emotional Learning expectations of the New Health and Physed Curriculum. 

This would be a good time for you, as the Umbrella Project lead, to touch base with your teachers/staff to remind them of the great work they are doing with the Umbrella Project and to continue teaching about these awesome skills that students will need to further strengthen their umbrellas. 

It’s also a great time to remind your staff that self-care and their own umbrella practices are most important during this time. Here are some mindfulness tips that can be shared with your staff.

Mindfulness Tip #1: Review your schedule daily with the lens of mindfulness 

For happier and more fulfilling days, review your daily schedule with a lens of mindfulness and focused attention. Take 5 minutes at the end of each day or the beginning of the week to review your upcoming schedule. Is there anything you can do or change to create space for undivided attention with the people you care about? For your job? Is there anything you can change about the set up of your home or work to protect your attention? How many tasks are you expecting yourself to get done in one small block of time?

Mindfulness Tip #2: Take 10 deep breaths between your jobs 

Most people wear many hats in a day and this strategy helps you to reset between all the tasks of the day. Instead of running from job to job, stop and take 5 or 10 deep breaths before each new task. 

Make sure you’re following us on Twitter to see exciting initiatives on how other schools in Ontario are implementing The Umbrella Project.

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Making Your Classroom Bulletin Boards Interactive

Making Your Classroom Bulletin Boards Interactive

by | Dec 9, 2019 | Classroom Tips

In an ideal classroom environment, students are engaged and excited about their learning. Using the walls and bulletin boards in the classroom is a powerful way to promote this learning in a non-threatening way. Interactive bulletin boards provide opportunities for students to engage and add content.  

With reference to students learning the Umbrella Project skills through listening to and reading stories, using your bulletin boards to promote the monthly skill is an excellent way to further the learning for your students. Consider providing quick and easy to read stories that incorporate examples of the monthly theme. Students can then read, relate, share opinions, and learn from these stories. 

Here are some examples of interactive bulletin boards using the Umbrella Project monthly themes:

St. Peter’s School in ALCDSB created a bulletin board where staff shared their Umbrella Project strengths and areas for growth.
St. Paul’s School in WCDSB created a display of stories of famous people showing a growth mindset.
St. Daniel in WCDSB displays this bulletin board in the front entrance of the school. On it are stories of staff on the monthly themes.
At Sir Edgar Bauer in WCDSB, this bulletin board displays stories from students of how they used a growth mindset.

In the Capacity Building Series document entitled “The Third Teacher” (Ministry of Education – Ontario), there are many examples of how to use the classroom environment to promote learning:

“A classroom that is functioning successfully as a third teacher will be responsive to the children’s interests, provide opportunities for children to make their thinking visible and then foster further learning and engagement.” (Capacity Building Series – The Third Teacher, 2012, p. 67)

Share your class interactive bulletin boards with us on Twitter @umbrellapjct!