Week ending December 1, 2017

The Power of Gratitude

Just as mindfulness practices help people stay calm, gratitude practices create an opportunity to focus for what we have to be thankful. Taking time to appreciate others helps us feel more positive emotions, rather than negative feelings like stress, anxiety and depression. Research shows it helps develop neural pathways that make us happier and more optimistic. (North Kingstown Prevention Coalition December Newsletter)

Good News

Congratulations to Kristine Graham and Grace DeSourcy who were our Rotary faculty and student of the month honorees this past month. The award goes to the high school twice a year. This time, Kris and Grace were treated to lunch at Duffy’s and met the Rotary members. Grace was nominated for her positive attitude, imagination and creativity. She helped save the drama production last year and also for her sincerity, intelligence, inventiveness, and that she is an all around wonderful person. It was highlighted that Kris Graham is generous with her time and devoted to improving the lives of the students at NKHS. She sees the human in everyone, believing in the very best of each, even when they may lose their way.  She gently guides each student back on course with encouragement, compassion and positive feedback. Being a PE/Health teacher she is often on the front lines of those students with anxiety, or other issues they do not want to share. Kris personally makes sure each student gets the resources s/he needs. Thank you to both Kris and Grace for making NKHS a better place to be.

School Community in Action  

Jerry and JD problem-solving!

There is no shortage of collaboration in our building across all disciplines or occupations.  JD has been working hard to solve the need for chair slippers for students with hearing conditions.  Though we have rerouted many chair slippers and Michele McNally purchased even more, JD solved it another way.  

AD Dick Fossa had retired tennis balls from the fall tennis season.  JD took those and experimented cutting the needed X to make them fit onto the chairs.  He used Jerome's band saw.  A great solution!  Almost.  It did not work all that well, so Jerry built a jig to secure the tennis ball for safe cutting.

A team of  innovators working behind the scenes to help NKHS students; excellent work

Upcoming Events/Important Dates

December--Diversity

3 Division 2 Super Bowl 12 noon, Cranston--NK Takes it 34-16 over Moses Brown!
4-5 URI Pharmacy students working with 9th grade PE Health students in Media Center--Closed to outside classes.
7 Barnes and Noble Book Fair (more information coming soon)
8-9 Theater Performance--Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 7 pm
11-12 URI Pharmacy students working with 9th grade PE Health students in Media Center--Closed to outside classes.
12 School Committee Meeting, 7 pm, SEL Presentation
13 Skipper Block during the day--CTE Mentor Meeting/STEP-The documentary presentation (advisory and Block 6, Day 2)
13 Evening encore presentation of STEP-The documentary. (Students, grades 6-12, parents, community invited)
14 PTSO Meeting, 7 pm, Media Center
18 Faculty Meeting--2 pm. Off campus.
19 Chorus Winter Concert
20 Band Winter Concert

Teaching and Learning

From Melissa Rafferty--Science teacher

Just wanted to share some pictures of our pharmacology trip to URI pharmacy on Friday. We practiced CPR and drug administration on the patient simulators, learned about essential oils and made our own stress balls, and networked with many professors and students (including a former pharmacology student of mine!). Overall it was a great day and we may have some future pharmacists in the making!​

Social Emotional Learning

Dr. Kim Carson is presenting to the School Committee on December 12 at 7 pm at the Administration Building on the needs of the district for our student population. I will be there to assist in understanding the specific needs at the high school. As parents or teachers who live in NK, I invite you to attend to add to citizens comments at the beginning or to support the presentation.

Tech Tip

From Mark DeLucia

Collaborative Reading with Perusall

• Developed by a Harvard professor looking to encourage collaborative reading among his students, Perusall is a site that enables students to better interact with a text in a variety of ways.  Students can pose and answer questions with their peers, or send private messages and checks for understanding to their teacher.  They can also take their own private notes.  Log-in to Perusall and create a teacher account.  From there, it is very easy to create a course, upload a PDF of your text (if you can’t find something online, I’m happy to show you how to scan a physical text and turn it into a PDF) and assign it to the class.  Students join the course with an access code which is given once you’ve created the class.  I can personally attest to the user-friendliness and usefulness of this tool for all reading levels.  Here is an introduction to the product from the creator himself.  Give a try this week.  I would love to hear feedback!

Videos Worth Watching

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As we take the time this year to address social emotional learning, address our own biases and prepare for professional development in the new year, I thought this video was a great inspiration on spreading positivity. It is very sweet.

I must warn you that about 4 minutes in, one of the subjects does not know what to do so he quietly drops an f-bomb. It does not deter from the video and if you would not like to hear that please shut it off before the gentlemen takes his hair out of the clip to spin around.

Food for Thought  

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy

Until next time, Think, Create, Innovate...Denise