Mindful Monday - Monday, April 13, 2020

Hello everyone!

It's Monday, so that means it's mindfulness time!

Today we are going to practice a new mindfulness strategy, called visualization. When we are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it can help to hit the pause button, close our eyes, and visualize a place that makes you feel happy and calm.

What is that place for you? Sitting on the beach? Skiing down the mountain? Your bedroom? The library?

I challenge you to identify that one place that makes you feel the most joy. Check out the exercise below. We invite you to complete this exercise for yourself, so that when you are feeling overwhelmed, you have a place in your mind to go to.

We hope you have a mindful, relaxed Monday!

Sincerely,

Ms. Galluzzo and Ms. McGinty

Greetings from Nina! - Friday, April 10, 2020

Greetings from Nina! - Friday, April 10, 2020

This week Nina made a new friend!  See if you can guess where this picture was taken.  Hint...it is somewhere in Bedford.


We also walked past a #chalkyourwalk design. 


We hope you are all doing well and taking care of yourselves and your families.  Check back next Friday for more Nina adventures!

~Ms. McGinty and Nina

Managing Technology and Social Media - Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Hi McKelvie Community,

When we are spending our days at home without other places to go, it can be easy to try to entertain ourselves with technology. Whether that technology is our TV, cell phone, video games, computer, or tablet, it is often our go-to to fill our time.

Using technology to fill our days can be a slippery slop for a few big reasons:

• It can be easy to get caught up in all of the news that we see on TV or on social media. Especially at your age, you do not need to be exposing yourself to news stories constantly. Doing so is going to make you feel more nervous and scared.
• Too much exposure to technology can change the way that your brain works. It can also make you more irritable.

For these reasons and more, put the screens away!! Below are 25 different non-screen related activities you can try at home. Email your counselor and let us know if you tried one!

Sincerely,

Ms. Galluzzo

2020 Covid19 Time Capsule - Tuesday, April 7, 2020

2020 Covid19 Time Capsule - Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Hi everyone,

In December of 1989, my family created a time capsule with an extensive list of questions for each of us that my father came up with.  Ten years later, in 1999, together we opened the time capsule and read out loud all of our predictions, dreams, and favorites from ten year earlier.  It was so hilarious and interesting to see how we had all changed over a decade.

Right now, you are all in a unique position to create a time capsule of your own to document how you are feeling during this period in history, and to take a snapshot in time to open later, when all of this is over, and to see how much you've grown!

Click HERE for a time capsule you can print and use with your family.  Have fun with it!  Then, put it in a safe place, with a reminder to open in April, 2030!

Mindful Monday - Monday, April 6, 2020

Dear Mindful McK Students,

Welcome to Day 2 of Mindful Mondays!

Today's Mindfulness activity involves yoga. Yoga has so many benefits! Not only does it get our body moving and stretch our muscles, it also gives us an opportunity to sloooowwww down, focus on our breath, and be present in the moment.

This week, we challenge you to try out some of THESE yoga poses.

As you complete these poses, remember to really focus on your breath and how the pose feels. When you sense your mind starting to wander (perhaps to thoughts of math homework, writing assignments, or illness), take a deep breath and focus yourself back on the present moment.

The more we practice being mindful, the easier it will become.

Let's make it a great week!

Sincerely,

Ms. Galluzzo and Ms. McGinty

Greetings from Nina! - Friday, April 3, 2020

Greetings from Nina! - Friday, April 3, 2020

Nina has been going on a lot of walks this week!  We are walking around Bedford looking for #chalkyourwalk messages.  If we walk by your chalk art, I'll take a photo of Nina and post it here on our Blog!  Each week I will also post a photo of Nina at a location in Bedford, and you can try to guess where it is.

This week we walked around the Saint Anselm College campus and we found this cool sculpture! It is called "Stone Face" and it was originally mounted on the facade of the State Theater in Manchester before being donated to St. Anselm by Arnold Green in 1984.



Have a wonderful weekend!
~Ms. McGinty and Nina

#ChalkYourWalk Challenge - Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Hi everyone,

During these stressful times of social distancing, we all need to find ways to brighten our days. Going for walks is something that we are encouraged to do, so why not make those walks a little bit brighter for yourself and everyone in your neighborhood?

We are challenging you to #ChalkYourWalk with positive messages, funny jokes, beautiful drawings, or anything else that may brighten someone's day.

The goal is to write happy messages, have fun doing it, and spread some joy to others! We want to spread as much optimism, inspiration, and kindness as we can!

Please remember to be respectful in your chalking. Only chalk your own driveway and make sure your messages are appropriate for all to see.

After you are done, take a picture and send it to your school counselors! (galluzzok@sau25.net and mcgintyp@sau25.net) We cannot wait to see your positive messages of inspiration!


  
Sincerely,

Ms. Galluzzo and Ms. McGinty