Cultivating Gratitude

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution?  Approximately 40% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions but only 8% achieve them.  Why?  Usually our New Year’s Resolutions are too long and not specific enough.  By focusing on one or two goals and making them specific, we are more likely to achieve our goals.  Research shows that tracking and sharing goals increases the possibility of achieving our goals even more.  Sound familiar?  Data Notebooks, Wildly Important Goals (WIGS), Data Charts, and Accountability Partners!

Sarah’s Goals for this year are to

-Cultivate gratitude.

-Exercise at least four days a week.

Now I realize that only the second goal is specific enough.  I have a 14 week training schedule on my fridge to prepare me for running the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon in April and I have two accountability partners, my husband and best friend.  (I’ve also just shared this goal with all of you.)  I need to work on the other two but I am planning on making my own vision board for home.  http://www.thewellnesswarrior.com.au/2012/01/how-to-create-a-vision-board/ 

As for my goal for Cultivating Gratitude, my inspiration came from the following video.  Louie Swartzberg, a time lapse photographer, did a TED talk on his new project, Happiness Revealed.  In this video, a young girl and an older man discuss how each day is not just another day but truly a gift and the only appropriate response is gratefulness.  The elderly gentleman encourages us to open our eyes, be surprised, look at faces and be reminded that each of us has an important story to tell.  He states that we should marvel at unique weather because it may never come again.  Polar Vortex???  What if we were to do this with our own children and our students everyday?  What if we cultivated their sense of joy and wonder and stopped to reflect on our own?  Remember that we are raising human beings even if it sometimes seems we are raising test takers.  Cultivate wonder.  Appreciate unique talents.  Nurture potential.  Smile.  We’re busy changing lives!

Big Rocks:

A big thank you to our clean up crew.  Jeff, Paul, Kenny, and Linda worked long hours to clean up the mess from the water pipes.  Also, thank you to Michelle Stackpoole, Mary Ann Bubar, Pat Abele, and Colleen Sweeney for being so flexible with their schedules Friday when they were displaced from their rooms.

 Schedule for the Week of January 13th:

Monday:  8:00 Career Day Meeting LMC

Tuesday: 8:15-3:45 CCSS Meeting at CO (Sarah and Wendy)

               9:30-11:00 LIM Principals' Meeting (Terry)

Wednesday: 11:00-12:00 Literacy Leader Principal Meeting at CO (Sarah)

                     Sports Club 3:35

Thursday: 7:30 Advisory meeting (Terry)

                 8:30-3:30 School Improvement Meeting at Johnson (Sarah and Robin)

                 3:45-4:45 Extended Staff Meeting

Friday: 10:00-12:00 DAC meeting (Terry)

             5:00 Staff Gathering at Doc's