Our Weekly Word: ATTEND
Each week at Reinertsen, we focus on a word of the week that relates to our theme for the month. Our theme for September is “Starting Strong.” To Start Strong, we need to first show up or ATTEND, right?
Each week students will be talking about our word of the week and how it relates to learning. Our hope is that you will become familiar with what is happening in school so you can connect, model and reinforce school learning with lifelong learning at home and beyond!
Just like we are learning about math, reading and writing in school, we’re also learning about ourselves and the world around us. We’re learning what to do to control those big feelings. We’re learning about the power of having a growth mindset.
Our first weekly word begins with the basics of getting our bodies to school so we can learn! Attend School Regularly! Attendance is important! We miss you when you’re not in school and you miss important learning!
Once we’re in school, we’ll be practicing ways to attend so we can learn to our full potential. Attend also means…..
Turning our bodies to the speaker/teacher (stop what we’re doing)
Watching carefully to take in visual cues with our eyes (look)
Sitting quietly and listening not only to the words being said, but what the words mean (listen)
Thinking carefully about what’s going on, not what’s for lunch or who we’re going to play with at recess (think)
Growing our ignoring muscles (ignore distractions)
Please help us reinforce the theme of Starting Strong. Starting Strong starts with being physically at school and ready to learn. Ask your child to share with you HOW they are learning to attend in school. Ask that they show YOU this form of respect (stop-look-listen-think) when attending to something YOU are wanting them to think about or do at home. Model how you stop, look, listen and think about what they are telling you. How does it feel when someone stops what they’re doing and attends to them? How does it feel when they don’t?
Attending is a powerful tool we all need to practice as life gets busier and busier. We also know whatever we focus our attention on will surely grow.
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” -Lao Tzu