Reflecting On A Wonderful International Day At MBE!

Be A Meadow Brook Hero!

“In Diversity There is Beauty And There Is Strength!” – Maya Angelou

Greetings, Meadow Brook Partners!

Thank you very much to our incredible PTA and the wonderful volunteers who put their time and energy into making sure that our staff, our parents, and our students had a meaningful, engaging, and fun diversity and inclusion experience on Friday!

Please see below for some reflective sharing on the 2019 MBE International Day Event!

Also, join us on Twitter by following our @ThinkMBE handle for regular Meadow Brook Hero updates!

Thanks again for another great Meadow Brook Event!

Your Meadow Brook Hero Celebration Team

Autism Awareness: Friendships

Be A Meadow Brook Hero!

Safe. Respectful. Responsible.

Meadow Brook Elementary School is fortunate to serve lots of friends who are impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Here are some ways we can strengthen our bonds with friends who have ASD:

  1. Remember that friends with ASD value the friendships we share.  Just like our friends who don’t have autism, friends with ASD are each unique. Some friends with ASD are more social and some are less social.  We should make sure all our friends know we care about them.
  2. Remember to be patient when talking with and listening to friends with ASD.  Our friends with ASD tend to communicate in unique ways. If it takes a bit more time to share thinking with some friends than it does with others that’s ok.  You’ll find that taking the time to listen carefully and respond with kindness helps friendships grow.
  3. Speak clearly and show friends with ASD what you mean. Sometimes our friends with ASD need a little more time to understand what we’re talking about.  It’s important that we speak slowly and clearly when we’re talking with friends who have ASD.  We can also use hand gestures and even pictures to help communicate.  Our friends with ASD often like to see the things they’re hearing about.
  4. Include friends with ASD in your plans. Our friends with ASD like to play and have fun just like anyone else. Your parents can help you communicate with families so that you’re including friends with ASD in your plans in and outside of school. Playing together and sharing time can help build strong and lasting friendships.
  5. Think about and be respectful of differences. Our friends with ASD often experience something called “sensory challenges,” which means they might not like loud noises, bright lights, and/or the way some fabrics feel to the touch. As we get to know our friends with ASD we should keep this in mind, work hard to understand our friends likes and dislikes, and take those likes and dislikes into account when we’re talking and playing with them.
  6. Be real. The fact is, our friends with ASD are friends just like anyone else. We all have differences that make us unique. Always make sure that you treat friends with ASD like you would anyone else through the typical challenges and celebrations that come along with being friends.

For more information about ASD and friendships you can click the following link: How To Be A Fiend To Someone To Autism

Sharing our stories with open hearts and open minds,

Your MBE Diversity and Inclusion Team

 

Mouse PAW 3/24/19 “Together”

Be A Meadow Brook Hero!

Safe. Respectful. Responsible.

Greetings, Meadow Brook Partners!

This week we did some wonderful things…together.

We partnered up to develop our skills and engage in our passion for writing.

We were visited by Senator McMarrow and Dr. Shaner, and treated to some reading for March is Reading Month.

We had our annual Great Read Aloud Swap this week!

We sere visited by some of our incredible Rochester High School mentors for some French language studies.

We had a Math Pentathlon competition!

And we did it all together!

Here’s to another joyful Meadow Brook week!

Thank you for your patience and you partnership…in it together for the kids.

With gratitude,

 

Seth

 

Seth E. Berg

Principal

Meadow Brook Elementary

Call: (248) 726 -4101

Click: sberg@rochester.k12.mi.us

My Reflective Journey: Berg’s Eye View

Hero Headlines: Mindfullness Modeling and Practice

Be a Meadow Brook Hero! Safe. Respectful. Responsible.

Greetings, Meadow Brook Partners!

We live in a really busy world with lots of expectations, and so do our kids.

Sometimes it’s difficult to find balance.

Sometimes it’s difficult to find calm.

Sometimes is difficult to focus.

We know that wellbeing is among the critical foundations of happiness and achievement.  When we feel good about ourselves we’re better able to focus on learning, socializing, and having fun.

The same is true for our kids.

At Meadow Brook we use positive behavior supports at all tiers of instruction and intervention to help drive a culture of wellbeing among kids and adults.

We focus on concepts like gratitude, kindness, and compassion as we seek to continueously learn about and share tools and strategies that support our individual and collective wellbeing.

One great strategy is to include mindfulness practice in our daily routines.

In my quest to learn and grow I recently came across the following New York Times article with some connected resources that can help when thinking about mindfulness practice for kids: Mindfulness For Children

The article underscores some important potential outcomes of consistent mindfulness modeling and practice, such as:

  • decreased anxiety and increased happiness
  • enhanced ability to focus
  • greater connectedness to others and the environment
  • deepened problem solving skills
  • lowered aggression and stress
  • relief from social and academic pressures

If you have some time to explore the article I believe you will find it time well spent.

Please touch base any time with thoughts, ideas, or questions…your input is always welcome and very much appreciated!

Thank you for your patience and your partnership…in it tougher for the kids!

With gratitude,

 

Seth

 

Seth E. Berg

Principal

Meadow Brook Elementary

Call: (248) 726 -4101

Click: sberg@rochester.k12.mi.us

My Reflective Journey: Berg’s Eye View

Autism Awareness: Genuine Friendships

Be a Meadow Brook Hero! Safe. Respectful. Responsible.

The friendships we forge at Meadow Brook are so incredibly important.

When we think about being safe, respectful, and responsible, we often think about how we interact with one another and who we are as a community of thinkers, learners, and doers.

Among our many sources of great pride is our wonderful visually structured programing, through which we serve friends of all ages, from pre-school to fifth grade, who have unique communication needs.

Not all friends in our visually structured programs are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), however, I found the following article to be good guide to thinking about how we can form genuine friendships with one other, regardless of where we are in the development of our communication skills.

How To Be Friends With A Child Who Has Autism

The article give simple and practical strategies like:

  • including all friends in events like birthday parties
  • talking to our neurotypical kids about differences in communication and the importance of patience
  • thinking through unique needs and making accommodations when we learn and play together
  • looking for areas of interest
  • using and responding to humor
  • playing games that are predictable
  • engaging in activities that each friend is good at and enjoys
  • getting to know and seeking to understand all of our friends

Students, teachers, and parents in the Meadow Brook are compassionate and kind. I am extremely proud of the way we get along and care for one another.

I am also very proud of the fact that we are set on a foundation of growth and always working to make our school an even better place to learn and grow with each passing day!

Please touch base any time with thoughts, ideas or questions. Your input is always welcome and very much appreciated!

Thank you for your patience and your partnership…in it together for the kids!

With gratitude,

 

Seth

 

Seth E. Berg

Principal

Meadow Brook Elementary

Call: (248) 726 -4101

Click: sberg@rochester.k12.mi.us

My Reflective Journey: Berg’s Eye View

Why Use Restorative Practices To Resolve Conflict?

Safe. Respectful. Responsible.

Greeting, Meadow Brook Partners!

Conflict is a part of life.

Social challenges a play big role in our development from very early on.

Even the youngest among our students are faced with such challenges every day in and our of school.  It’s critical that the kids we serve learn how to problem solve in compassionate and kind ways.

As you may be aware, at Meadow Brook we use something called Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (or PBIS) to help students learn about and practice tools and skills that they’ll need to navigate the complex social and emotional aspects of life in childhood and beyond.

Some of the foundations of our PBIS efforts involve the “Zones of Regulation” and the growing social science of “Restorative Practices.”

The “Zones of Regulation” can help kids (and adults) learn to regulate and restore their emotions to calm energy and a place of focus when we find ourselves out of focus with sadness, silliness, worry, and even anger.  Learn more here: The Zones Of Regulation

“Restorative Practices” takes emotions and energy management to the next level by focusing on restoring individual energy during challenging times and helping us learn how to restore relationships that become damaged through conflict.

Along with discipline as outlined by our Code of Conduct we use “Restorative Practices” to support and guide students through conflict resolution in our safe school environment so that they can take ownership in maintaining a joyful culture of learning, and then carry the skills and tools they learn into other environments as well.

Here’s a short video to highlight the basics:

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher to learn more about his/her experience with PBIS, “The Zones of Regulation” and “Restorative Practices” at Meadow Brook.

Feel free to contact me with thoughts, ideas, or questions as well.  Your input is always welcome and very much appreciated!

Thank you for your partnership…in it together for the kids!

With gratitude,

Seth

 

Seth E. Berg

Principal

Meadow Brook Elementary

Call: (248) 726 -4101

Click: sberg@rochester.k12.mi.us

My Reflective Journey: Berg’s Eye View

Autism Awareness: Looking Inside & Love

Safe. Respectful. Responsible.

Greetings, Meadow Brook Partners!

One of the greatest sources of pride for all Meadow Brook Heroes that we are a diverse learning community, sharing our journey together with compassion, kindness, and love!

We live and learn with a growth mindset, which means with hard work, dedication, and open minds and hearts we know we can alway get better in any area of focus.

Here’s the thoughtful & creative John Spencer sharing his thinking on Carol Dweck’s work around Growth Mindset if you’re interested:

At Meadow Brook, one of things we are constantly seeking to grow is our understanding and apperception for one another.

This week I woful ask you to think about autism.

Did you know that some of our friends are not yet able to communicate in ways that most others their age are?  Not yet.

This communication challenge can lead to unique frustrations and even communication that can seem out of the ordinary and even confusing at times.

As we think about autism and communication this week, let’s work with one another and with our incredible students to strive for growth in our already compassionate school community.

Let’s remember that the best way to communication is on a foundation of love.  After all, our shared love, understanding, and a dedication to kindness makes this world a better place for all of us with each passing day.

How about these Meadow Brook Heroes who spend their weekend making a kindness poster for all to learn from and enjoy:

Finally, here’s David Flood – a “Youth Inspirational Speaker” talking about the incredible impact of looking inside & love:

Thank you to Mrs. Nazione for bringing this video to our attention.  It’s one that you will be glad you watched.

I’m certainly better off for it!

Thank you for your patience and your partnership…in it tougher for the kids!

 

Seth

 

Seth E. Berg

Principal

Meadow Brook Elementary

Call: (248) 726 -4101

Click: sberg@rochester.k12.mi.us

My Reflective Journey: Berg’s Eye View

Color Zones Help Kids Learn to Regulate and Restore for Focused Learning!

A Message From Ms. Reeves (2nd Grade Teacher & Meadow Brook Hero!)

Each morning students have the opportunity to participate in a “Color Zone” check in.

The students are able to enter the room and place their magnet in the “Color Zone” they feel they are entering the classroom in.

This allows them to take a moment to identify how they are feeling and better understand how they might react to activities or interactions that we may engage in.

Identifying how we feel is a wonderful way to take charge of our learning and our communication.

We have also brainstormed strategies that we can use in each of the “Color Zones.”  We all get sad, silly, and even angry sometimes, and we are all capable of restoring ourselves to a place of focus if we learn about how and practice what we learn.

Some of these include taking a break in the peace corner, taking deep breaths, getting a drink of water, talking to the teacher or a peer, etc.

The students have the same opportunity at the end of the day.

This allows them to reflect on their day and identify what “Color Zone” they’re leaving the classroom in.

Overall, this allows the students to self-regulate their emotions and recognize that all zones are acceptable, and that it’s the strategies that we use in those zones that are important.

With a Growth Mindset we always remember that we’re Heroes in Every Zone!

For more about the “Color Zones” click here: Color Zones of Regulation

Thanks to Ms. Reeves and her incredible students for sharing out about this part of their learning journey…sharing our stories builds our partnerships and strengthens our school community!

You can share your thinking by leaving a comment on this posts, sending a Tweet to @ThinkMBE, or reaching out by phone or e-mail at your convenience.

Thank you for your partnership…in it together for the kids!