Outdoor Day, Recycling Service Project, Jeff Veley Talk

Kindergarten Outdoor Day at the Middle School Campus

On Tuesday October 25 our kindergarten students spent the day outside at the middle school campus. They explored the woods and collected nature treasures. The students searched for water bugs in water samples from Lake St Jude. Our friend from the DEQ, Michelle Storey, brought an interactive water table to teach us about erosion. The kindergartners enjoyed recess with the middle school students and helped the 8th graders move 5 flats of plants from our garden inside for the winter. It was a lovely, sunny day of learning on 4 Mile!

At ASA we believe that we are one! We really enjoy these special events that bring classes from our two campuses together to learn and grow. The kindergarten classes will visit the middle school campus a few times during the school year to take advantage of our outdoor learning space and also build relationships with the "big kids."

Middle School Service Project connects Science, Social Studies and Religion

At ASA we believe that creativity and innovation promote success!

So, what happens when one teacher learns about a cool recycling service opportunity, another teacher is studying hurricanes, and the two teachers start talking? Creativity and innovation, of course!

The middle school students are embarking on a plastic mat making challenge to benefit our brothers and sisters impacted by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti. With used, but clean plastic grocery bags and a little craftiness students will be working to crochet mats that will serve many purposes for families that have nothing. A special thanks to our two volunteers, Judy and Mary, guiding us through this process!

Jeff Veley Presentation - Access the Materials

A handful of parents joined us for a great presentation Tuesday October 18th with Jeff Veley. He spoke with us about raising resilient children, and tactics like “the peace sign” for navigating challenging social situations. Below are a number of follow up resources we purchased and would like to make available to our entire ASA community. Please take some time to check out one,or two, or all of these great tools.

• Peace Cards w/ Digital Resources(Sample Student Link) Wallet-sized resource cards for students that include social skills to respond to mean behavior, coping skills for dealing with stress,  a 24/7 crisis hotline, and a downloadable video from Jeff sharing the key points of the program through one-on-one teaching.  A perfect way to reinforce Jeff's message and offer a resource for any student who finds themselves in need of help or wants to pass it on to help a friend.
• Classroom Discussion Guide Designed for classrooms and small groups, this guide reinforces the key points of Jeff's message and get students talking about what they learned.
• Golden Rule Online Game As seen in Jeff's presentation, this game is the ultimate tool for teaching students the social skills needed to respond to mean behavior and solve their social problems.  You will be supplied with an online game that guides you through each phase step-by-step.  Play the game whenever you'd like on any internet-enabled device (phone, computer, tablet).
• Online Video Training Educators, parents, and mental health professionals will learn how to help students grow in their resilience and peacefully respond to social aggression.  This video is easy to distribute to staff and parents through an email newsletter.  Those that sign up will receive additional resources and follow up materials from Jeff throughout the year.