Reach Out And Respond

This mural and statement are over the exit of our school's front door.  As we reflect on the end  of  our school year I can't think of a simpler way to express my hopes for our students.  Whether those students are our youngest or our oldest students, I am hopeful that each student chooses to, "Make a Difference" in their world--in our world.

Our school has worked with our community and parents to help teach our students that making a positive difference and being kind to each other helps create a rich learning environment for all students.  That rich learning environment can, of course, be contagious.

Recently our student Reach Out And Respond, ROAR, team (Remember, our district's  mascot is a wildcat.  Note the cat theme!) has shown us how to make a difference, and we hope it becomes very contagious.

You should first know that our ROAR team consists of students from each grade and classroom, and their responsibility is to Reach Out And Respond.  Under the direction of several staff members, the ROAR team has focused on spreading kindness in our school and community.  A couple of  the ROAR students painted kindness rocks, and then the rest of the ROAR team wanted to take the project to an even larger scale!  A local business donated 1000 rocks for our school, and our district's maintenance department (yes, more unsung heroes) delivered them to us.  After great leadership from our art teacher and work from every student in the school, we now have a collection of Kindness Rocks ready to go.

Sometimes, however, the story of a project is best told through the words of our students.  The  following script was shared by our ROAR team at a recent all-school assembly.

Hello, we are all members of the ROAR Team this year.  ROAR stands for:

• R is for Reach
• O stands for Out
• A stands for And
• R is for Respond

We RESPOND to what you’d like to do to help those around us.  It’s called giving service.  We are a group of students who represent YOU!  

As we thought about a project we could do as a school this spring, we wanted our Novi Woods kindness to be felt not just among us, but to our community and even beyond.  

Our Random Acts of Kindness Week -- RAK Week-- in February got us thinking about KINDNESS and ways we can spread kindness.  

It was this thinking that motivated us to organize a school-wide project of KINDNESS ROCKS. 

Right away, we knew we were going to need A LOT, I mean A LOT of rocks.  We got right to work.  
The HOME DEPOT generously donated 1,000 rocks, YES, 1,000.

We brainstormed over 100 motivational sayings.  

Then, with the help of Mrs. Allen’s artistic guidance, we painted and then wrote an inspiring message on every rock. 

Thanks, Mrs. Allen!

Each one of you made two rocks.  One rock will be placed around our school and you will take the other rock and place it in a spot in our community.  

Perhaps you choose the public library

Or your favorite restaurant

Or a business

Even a baseball field

Then someone can pick up that rock and place it in a new spot, reading the message and being inspired.  

On the back of each rock, we will place a hashtag:   #NoviWoodsROCKS.  As these rocks travel from Novi to other communities, other states, and we hope even other countries, we will be able to hear about it on Twitter.

To finish the assembly, the ROAR team shared this brief movie.

Our #NoviWoodsRocks paw print was placed today by students and staff.

Yes, I suppose we could see these rocks as just pretty rocks.  I choose, however, to see these rocks as symbols of all that our students will do in their lives and in our world to make a difference!

We are indebted to the kindess rocks project, and we are very excited to have your help to, "Make a Difference!"

Remember, #NoviWoodsROCKS

 

A Date for Lunch...and Recess

Schools and school districts have many, many unsung heroes.  Our noon aides are just one example of such heroes.

You might not know what a noon aide is.  "Back in the day" we used to call them, "lunch ladies," but I am happy to say that at our school we have some dads who help us.  Noon aides monitor our students each day at lunch recess and in the cafeteria when the students are eating.

Our school has five separate lunches; unique 40 minutes for each grade.  Each grade goes outside to play on our playground for the first 20 minutes, and then they come inside to eat for 20 minutes.  While the first group is eating in the cafeteria, the next group is outside playing on the playground.  Over the course of about 2.5 hours all students in our school get a 20 minute recess and time for lunch, and our noon aides manage, monitor, and help all students transition through it all.

Heroes, of course, do much, much more than manage, monitor, and help.  Our noon aides help, encourage, and love our students.  Of course, sometimes help looks like a firm reminder, but more  often than not I see our noon aides laughing with the kids or asking questions about what the students are learning.  I hear noon aides say things like, "Come on, let's be safe so everyone can play."

Our noon aides want to go outside on even the chilliest of days because they understand fresh air and active play helps our learners be more successful in the classroom.

Our noon aides are observant.  They can see if someone has not been themselves or if someone is feeling left out.  They pay attention to who is eating or not eating and which students might need extra care to feel comfortable and safe.

Our noon aides are problem-solvers.  I meet monthly with them, and they are always looking for ways to better help students who might struggle at lunch or recess.  In our most recent meeting, a noon aide told her colleagues, "While I know he has a difficult time following directions sometimes, I can always find something positive to notice, and this has helped my relationship with him.  It's  important to focus on the positives." 

This is a great reminder for everyone who works with children.

Our school would not be the same without our noon aides, and I am grateful for their support and commitment to our students.  These heroes make a difference each day.