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October 9, 2017

Good evening!

I hope you all had a fantastic Family Reconnect Weekend.  I had some quality time on the Cape with Anna after an exciting family outing to Friday's football game.  What a fun win that was!  As I try to figure out how to best share news and updates with you I will be sharing some of the thoughts I share in the Parent Newsletter.  I know some of you subscribe to that as well so bear with me.  

The first full week of October found us settling in to the new year.  I heard from several people, both students and faculty, that it feels like the beginning of the year growing pains are done and we are in a good place as a learning community.  I have been spending my Wednesday mornings at a desk in the main hallway. Please stop by to visit if it happens to be your prep between 8:30ish and 10ish (my time is flexible).   It's been nice to chat with students as they walk by and each week I have had a question posted on an easel to help spark conversation.  This week the question was "How Do You Define Learning?" and the answers were more than I could have hoped for.  Learning to me is taking a risk, trying something new, understanding a new concept or an old idea in the same way.  I wondered if students felt the same way and found that most did.  Their answers included statements such as "curiosity, effort, & engagement!", "taking chances", and "gaining new experience".  As I listened to them talk, there was very little discussion about tests, grades, homework, etc. and that was my hope.

I hope you and your families had a chance to "find something new about things and yourself" (another quote from a student about learning) this weekend.  Have a great week!  

We have a faculty meeting this week on Thursday morning (October 12) at 7:10am.  If you have an agenda item please let me know.  I will share the agenda tomorrow (Tuesday). 

The first Principal's Advisory Council of the year will meet in Monday, October 16 at noon in the main office conference room.  Any student interested in joining and having a voice in making AHS a great school community is encouraged to join by emailing Ms. St. Coeur.  Please encourage students to join!

Our first School Site Council Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 18 at 4pm in the main office conference room. We are in need of ONE more faculty representative.  Please consider joining this once monthly group. and help advise me on decisions at AHS!  

Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS production of Museum. The production runs Friday, November 3rd and Saturday, November 4th at 7PM, and Sunday, November 5th at 2PM. Patrons may buy tickets in advance online at ahsts.com. AHSTS offers discounted tickets purchased online. All seating is reserved. For more information or tickets, visit ahsts.com.

Please keep some important dates in mind as you plan:
October 16-20- Homecoming week! More details to follow
October 17- all school assembly to hear Jamele Adams!
October 18- picture retake day & early release for students at 12:35pm
October 24- Courageous Conversations- Love.Inclusion.Trust
October 26- National Honor Society induction

Author Julie Berry will be coming to the Ashland Public Library on Wednesday, October 11 from 6:30 - 7:30 after spending a day at Mindess doing presentations to all grades and creative writing workshops with all 5th graders. The idea for her newest book, “The Emperor’s Ostrich”, was hatched during one of these creative writing workshops at Mindess several years ago.  Those students are probably freshman or sophomores now.  Ms. Berry dedicated this book to the children of Mindess and she wants them to know that it is truly through the creative writing process she taught them that books are born.  Attached is a YouTube clip of “The Emperor’s Ostrich”.  

Have a fantastic week!!!

The Best Ways to Foster Kindness in Your Child

This week we saw amazing acts of kindness when strangers helped the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas. One of my first thoughts was, “I hope my children would act in a similar manner”. You certainly can’t control everything your child does or says, but you can help make kindness second nature by giving them chances to practice, both at home and in your community. Here’s how:

AT HOME

Pitch In

Include your children in regular housework such as cleaning and helping with dinner. They will learn to appreciate how tough it is to run a household and will feel good about contributing.

Respect

Don’t accept being tired or angry as an excuse to be disrespectful toward other family members. Explain why those emotions are okay to feel but why it’s not acceptable to lash out at someone. Calmly ask for an apology and brainstorm a healthier solution together.

Be Grateful

Start this tradition: Every day, at dinner or at bedtime, say something you’re grateful for. This practice promotes happiness, self-reflection, and appreciation. It will help make positive thinking a habit.

IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Support

Lend a hand when those around you need it, like when a friend or neighbor is hurt or sick. Include the children by having them make a card, help out with chores, or deliver home-baked cookies or dinner.

Open Up

Expose children to different cultures and backgrounds through books, festivals, traveling, movies and friends. Remind them that our world is full of all kinds of people with similarities and differences to discover and celebrate.

Serve


Volunteer as a family. When youth and teens serve others, they can see firsthand the importance of giving and receiving help and kindness.

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