This blog post is written by one of our Umbrella Educators, Meaghan Crowe from St. Peter Catholic Elementary School. Read to know how they celebrate Grit!
At the beginning of each month, we hold a virtual assembly to introduce the new Umbrella Skill. We show a video to demonstrate what the skill looks like and end with an activity for students to complete in their classes. For Grit, students will be asked to make a goal they would like to achieve each week. They will then brainstorm the steps that are required to achieve their goal.
At St. Peter, we have a bulletin board featuring The Umbrella Project in the front foyer. On it are pictures of each of the staff members and the monthly skill. Beside each staff member’s picture is a small umbrella. Each month the staff writes something reflective of the skill that is personal to them. For Grit, each staff member will write one goal that they wish to achieve.
Each month teachers receive a Links and Resources document that compiles each of the video links in the monthly lesson plans provided by The Umbrella Project. As included are all of the suggested readings along with links to YouTube videos of read alouds on each book. Finally, there are relevant quotes included in the document for teachers to use as conversation starters with students.
We also provide daily tweets linked to the St. Peter Twitter account that provides families with information about Grit, links to videos and read alouds, tips for teaching Grit, and inspirational quotes.
From there, teachers take on the job of applying the skill to daily learning and reinforcing its use throughout the month!
If you want to share how your school is running The Umbrella Project in your school, contact me!
The world of social media is difficult to navigate as a parent or child. The current rain that we are experiencing has created an enhanced pressure to keep updated and informed.
We’ve collected some tips for you and your family for healthy social media boundaries and usage.
10 Social Media Tips
1.Set limits on how much time you’ll spend on social media.
To promote a healthy lifestyle, take a full day off and away from social media. Ensure you’ve taken 30 min off of social media before bed for better sleep. Our phones actually have ways of controlling limits, check out your settings for more details on how to set that up.
2. Be aware of misinformation on the internet.
There is a lot of content being thrown your way at very fast rates and it can be hard to verify what is real and what isn’t. Make sure to verify the information that you’ve read with reputable sources to keep a healthier relationship with the news.
3. Limit the number of people that you’re following. This will help you be less drawn to spend time on it.
Keeping a limit on those that you follow allows for you to be less drawn to spending time online. This reduces your worry of missing out on seeing something important, allowing your brain to truly take space away from social media.
4. Create zones in your home that are device-free spaces.
Keep certain areas of the house available for you to be without your device. This will be a very important space for you to stay healthy and detached.
5. Create a digital contract with your kids on phone usage and expectations to ensure healthy boundaries
This is a great parenting tip for those who have children with devices! This idea will help children with learning routines and schedules. Use growth mindset and cognitive flexibility to create an outline that works best for your family.
6. Follow/discover pages that interest you or are creative.
This idea promotes cognitive flexibility and could be an interesting activity with limits put in place. These pages may challenge you to think outside of the box for your own life.
7. Turn your privacy settings off so that people don’t know when you’re online.
It can be hard to feel expected to respond to others. This way you can take the time away from your phone without this pressure!
8. Send voice or video messages to friends/family when possible.
This is an easy way to speed up how much time you spend online, as it is much quicker than typing. It is also way more personable to reach out this way!
9. Unfollow accounts that feel overwhelming or discouraging.
Check-in regularly about which accounts may be bothering you. It is a healthy practice to do often!
10. Be kind and cautious with your own sharing.
Don’t overshare about your own life. Keep in mind that everything posted can permanently stay on the internet. Keep your account private and only let those you feel comfortable with follow you.
Let us know what ones worked for you by sharing & tagging us on our social media!
