First, I want to start out by acknowledging the loss of our beloved 7th grade student, Tyler Cole. Tyler was hit by a car and passed away on Friday, September 4th. We are heartbroken, and our deepest sympathy is with the family, and everyone affected. We have done a couple of things to honor Tyler since we received the news. One thing we did was to circulate a virtual card for the family that our Cooley community signed. The card was delivered to the Cole family via email on Sunday, September 13, and had over 60 pages of words for the family. Also, I created a Padlet, which is essentially a virtual space for students, staff, and families to record memories of Tyler, notes for him or the family, express condolences, or pretty much anything to honor his life. The information to access both of those was posted in our daily bulletin. I am also continuing to provide students with counseling. The link to schedule an appointment with me is available under the "Forms and Links" tab, but here is the link as well: https://calendly.com/missgrace.
Starting last month, and ending on Friday, September 18, I have made available a couple of surveys: one for students, and one for parents and families. The purpose of these surveys is to capture information about what is most important to YOU. That information then helps me to plan my program, and helps me to understand what you want me to focus on this year. I have received an overwhelming amount of responses and I am incredibly grateful. Also, I will be holding a raffle to thank those who completed the survey. One parent and one student will receive a prize for their participation!
Based on the information I have received thus far, I have already started crafting some supports for this month, and throughout the year. One of the main areas of concern for both students and parents/families was Stress and Anxiety. I plan on targeting this area of concern in a couple different ways. First, I am going to be starting a small group, called The Calm Group, which will focus on how to keep calm and manage stress! Students will participate in different activities and discussions, every week during independent work time, for a total of 6 weeks. I am also going to be hosting monthly drop-in workshops. The first workshop will take place after school on Tuesday, September 22nd, and it will be dedicated to helping students learn how to manage stress.
Another thing I am super excited about this month is all the things I have planned to increase student engagement. I am going to be starting 3 virtual clubs this month: GSA Club, Trivia Club, and No Place for Hate (Kindness) Club! GSA Club will take place every other Monday during lunch. No Place for Hate (Kindness) Club will take place every other Tuesday at lunch. Trivia Club will take place every Thursday at lunch. Links to sign-up for the virtual clubs are posted in the bulletin, and on this website under "Forms and Links".
Lastly, there are a few things I am highlighting this month. National Suicide Prevention Week is September 6-12. I will be posting information and resources on my social media accounts to raise awareness about this topic. Also, Start With Hello week is September 21-25. This campaign is aimed at breaking down barriers of social isolation and promoting inclusion. I have some activities students can participate in that I will post in the bulletin, and email out, and I also will be posting things on my social media. Finally, the month of September is Attendance Awareness Month, and throughout the month, I will be promoting the importance of attendance. Even though we aren't physically in school, it is so important, maybe now more than ever, for students to be engaged and participating.
That is all I have to share for this month. Stay tuned every month to see what I'm up to here at Cooley!!