I hope that you were able to enjoy a restful spring break with your family. Whether traveling or relaxing at home for a staycation, Spring Break can be a powerful time for rejuvenation. I enjoyed staying in Lynchburg for the break. We had beautiful weather, and I loved watching the spring blooms getting started.
While the last few months of school can move quickly, spring brings new energy to the building. Some might call it "Spring Fever" as our younger students struggle to contain themselves and our older students navigate changing friendships. Our faculty focus their energies on channeling our students productively and positively. This is a great time to reinforce kindness and good character when it can be easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of spring.
For this reason, the character word of the month for April is Integrity. Betsy Rhodes, our media specialist and technology teacher, shared this important quote with our faculty to kick off the month:
One of the simplest ways to help kids learn new behaviors is to reinforce them as they happen–in context! So purposely catch your children acting morally and acknowledge their good behavior by describing what they did right and why you appreciate it. Kids don’t learn how to be good from reading about character in textbooks, but from witnessing or doing good deeds. Encourage your children to lend a hand to make a difference in their world. And help them recognize the positive effect their gesture had on the recipients. The real goal is for kids to become less and less dependent on adult guidance by incorporating moral principles into their daily lives and making them their own. -Michele Borba
I hope you find plenty of opportunities to catch your children doing good!
Let’s Fly!
Jenn
Side note: In my last Head’s Monthly Recap, I shared an article about the importance of delaying smartphone usage to protect childhood. That article’s author, Jon Haidt, published another article this week on HOW to delay the age at which children get smartphones.