#stickyourneckout !!! Spencer and his giraffe

Spencer T. in 6th grade obviously appreciated being recognized for being a “giraffe”.
One of his friends reported how Spencer noticed unsafe things happening on the slide. He then stood at the bottom waiting to see that everyone was OKAY.
You rock, Spencer! Keep being a giraffe.  If we were all giraffes, just imagine how excellent our days could be together at ESM.  We are noticing more and more each day- listen to the loud speaker for more giraffe announcements this spring.

Giraffes #stickyourneckout Community Meeting

Hello!
A wave of positivity rushed through the ESM Middle School community during a much needed recognition of student and staff Giraffes.  Huh? Giraffes? http://www.giraffe.org is a place to read about and recognize everyday people who care beyond themselves by sticking their neck out and doing the right thing for others.  This is not as easy as it seems! Sticking your neck out means being courageous, brave, resilient and motivated to give big and small.  Our community meeting was full of musical performances, inspirational quotes about actions speaking louder than words, a Student Rep original skit about bystanders and a presentation of blow-up giraffes (a “gir-affle”!).
Are you a giraffe?
Why is it hard to stick your neck out for others?
What are easy ways to be a giraffe?
Pics below courtesy of Mr. David Cappaert.

A WHOLE SCHOOL round of rock, paper, scissors. “The biggest Fan” is played when everyone pairs off and plays rock, paper, scissors.  The winner then goes on to find a new opponent while the loser of that round becomes their opponent’s BIGGEST FAN! Cheers and screams of glee were heard as the gym erupted in spirited middle schoolers. 

Jirmani (8th grader) tells us about how she sticks her neck out in class.  She vocally supports LGBT and black rights and expressed the importance of making your voice heard. 

Advisory survey results!

To continue growing our advisory program and refining what we already do well, students participated in a survey on Friday.
The results showed us we are doing most of the things we intend to accomplish Friday mornings, students feel safe in their small groups, and they even wish they had it more often!  Community meetings need a little more focus, and advisors can continue working on their routines to ensure all advisees are actively becoming part of their group.
See some of the highlights below! (click on them to enlarge.)

Kindness Bombs and antibullying

Greetings,
5 advisory groups were officially.... Kindness Bombed last Friday!
Groups spent the morning putting together bags full of compliments, tasty goodies, school supplies, stickers, feathers, and more.  Kindness bombs are a fun expression of love and kindness dropped off at someone’s door anonymously.  Students who delivered their kindness bags had smiles just as big as those who received the gift of thoughtfulness.  The idea is that by the end of the year, all groups will have paid it forward and enjoyed a personal service project of brightening someone’s day. Try one where you live or work today!

Day of Play and a Police Officer visit!

Hello ESM advisory community!

DAY OF PLAY 2017 was a total hit! With over 35 student participants and 9 faculty advisors, it is clear how much ESM values play.  We know evidence shows it reduces stress, helps us build relationships and cope with difficult times.
Middle schoolers played bus stop, football (outside! in February!), matrix and ended with a mini-basketball tournament.  The art room was reserved for a nail salon, craft and hang out room.  Space Jam was playing in the cafeteria where we enjoyed snacks and one another’s company.  A special thanks to all the student reps who helped organize, plan and execute this AWESOME annual event.  AMAZING! Thanks also to staff who took time after school to provide a safe and playful environment for our students.
See also pictures below from the visiting police officer talk from this morning.  The local officer highlighted the place of bullying in the law, and made sure students were crystal clear about the differences between “normal" teenage behavior and persistent mistreatment of another person.
Ask staff, family or advisors if you have any questions.

  

Day of Play... new date coming soon!

There is a new date pending for the Middle School’s 1st annual DAY OF PLAY!
Activities will be held in the gym, art room and cafeteria including sports, a salon and a movie.

Sign up with student reps during lunch or in the morning.
See you there!!!

Peace Rally community meeting! :-)

Student reps led a workshop Friday surrounding peace, community, social courage and Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy.  Students shared shout outs from the heart (To MLK and to Obama!), Darien, Ali, Keegan and Khamani shared a musical tribute, and Bridgette and Natalie performed a song with interpretive dance dedicated to our message.  Rhys bravely stood up and said what we were all thinking: we would not be here at ESM sharing each day with one another if it were not for people before us believing in equal rights and a concern for ALL people.  Mr. Cappaert shared a personal anecdote about his father’s role in the civil rights movement, and Ms. Wilson led us through a mindfulness exercise in finding inner peace.  Miss. O’Connor helped everyone to engage in what it means to (literally) “throw” our words and thoughts out into the world.  We responded to prompts then had a peaceful snowball throw to see what to respond to next! Wow! Overall, Friday was one of the most moving events ESM has participated in and we are so glad to have shared it with the community.  While MLK day is officially a national day of service, ESM students know that every day is a good day to think beyond yourself and to ask if you are doing the right thing, and speaking up about things that really matter.

Mindfulness meditating!

graffiti Peace walls! 

Festive Advisory! In the spirit of the holiday and new year cheer.

The day before winter break can be dramatic, hyper, long, loud and... full of emotion.  Advisory groups took advantage of the :90 minute period this morning and enjoyed the company of friends and advisors.
Ms. O’Connor’s group played a (soon to be very popular I imagine) pie-in-the-face game this morning.  It looked like their friends enjoyed watching!
Ms. Devlin’s group decorated ugly sweater cookies. Don’t 8th grade boys always look enthusiastic?
Happy holidays, and the best wished for a lovely new year.

Academy of the Performing Arts skits about kindness, tolerance and integrity

Greetings and seasons greetings!
5th-8th graders got a taste of the theater this morning as a teen acting troupe from The Hartford Academy of the Performing Arts demonstrated social skits.  The actors showed themes ranging from bullying to tolerance, relationship rights and wrongs, and digital safety.  They were awesome!
After the skits, ESM students were able to ask the characters questions about how and why they acted a certain way, and if done again in the future how it could be different without hurt feelings.
Keep talking about the skits at home with advisees and with teachers during school as many of our students have found themselves in similar (and uncomfortable) situations.  The nature of middle school and teenage years is not always the smoothest, but with some knowledge about how to react in certain situations, a script and some confidence, students can build a healthy repertoire of social skills. !!

Happy New Year!

Career Fair and Silly Sweaters!

Friday’s advisory was busy busy!

6th grade teachers worked hard to host a career speaker fair for students to learn about possibilities within their community.  Speakers talked about inspiration, motivation and the tricks of the trade.  What skills are you honing today that will help you get and secure a job you enjoy?!  Keep talking about it with your advisor.  The entire 5th-8th grade upped their spirit factor by participating in Silly Sweater winter dress down Friday.  The pics below say it all.. check out Principal Thompson in her light up top! :-) 

Speakers / parents / community members who spoke at the career fair are below:

Pharmacist- Robert George, West Hartford

MDC Water Pollution Manager-Tom Tyler, Hartford

CT Humane Society-Beth, Newington

 

Mrs. Berggren's room:

Electrician-Matt Berggren, Middletown

Mason/Builder-Penny, Middletown 

Bike Patrol WHPD- Officer Rich Gesualdi, West Hartford

Ms. Couch's room:

Red Cross Director-Bonnie, Farmington

Firefighter NBFD- Brian Reeves, New Britain

Chef Firebox Restaurant- Mr. Garcia, Hartford