Look for the Helpers

Happy Halloween Eve Everyone! As I mentioned yesterday, it's certainly important to observe Halloween in safe and healthy ways tomorrow - keep your distance and wear your masks!  I figure though, if you are doing to do some trick-or-treating, it's probably one of the easiest years to figure out a costume... I saw some other creative COVID-inspired costumes this morning on a news broadcast...   Zoom Meeting Hand Sanitizer With Halloween and the holiday season upon us, I wanted to acknowledge that we are all likely to experience disappointment.   It important to recognize this and acknowledge that it is hard and frustrating,  AND I will continue to encourage you all to be the creative, amazing, and resilient individuals I know you to be by finding new and exciting ways to connect with family and friends and put COVID in its place! Instead of going door to door tomorrow, try... Bobbing for apples with family or  Try the donut on a string activity ... supp...

Happy Thursday People! Who will you be?  It's a pretty deep question...except when you are just trying to come up with a cool Halloween costume!   I thought that this was a clever way to figure out who you might be if you are struggling to come up with an idea for this Saturday's costume extravaganza!  (Although I implore you to keep your extravaganza's safe and small to keep us all healthy in the coming weeks).  Take a look... Now that I've mentioned it though, if you really are pondering who you will be, good for you!  It's always good to think about the kind of people we want to be.  But it's important not to let it become a stress point too.  You all have a lot of living to do, and there will be so many twists and turns to navigate, choices to be made, decisions to ponder, and fun times to experience.  It's okay to not know, especially given that you are still young, where the path will end.   When I think about the question, "...

Happy Wednesday All!   Halloween theme week continues... If you find yourself needing to unwind, feeling frustrated, flying off the handle, or just a little bit lonely, maybe you need some mindfulness to find your center and get in touch with how you are feeling.  I found this individual yesterday, and he does an amazing job leading a mindful moment.  Please find 8 minutes in your day today to check him out here  (you may have to click the redirect notice) and bring a bit of peace to your day.   Peace, Mrs. Hempey

 Happy Tuesday, In keeping with this week's Halloween theme, I thought I'd share this funny with you... Bur really, what is a growth mindset, you might ask?  A growth mindset is the ability to thrive on challenge and look at failure as a springboard for success rather than a confirmation that our challenges have to define us or limit us.   Having a growth mindset can sometimes revolve around one simple word - YET! Having a growth mindset is something you need to practice.  Believe it or not, I have this graphic as the wallpaper on my home computer to remind both the kids and adults in my house, that challenges don't have to be roadblocks.  It's similar to what Amy Purdy said in the TED talk I featured last week .  Our boundaries don't have to stop us.  They can be used to push off from instead.   So when you start getting down on yourself or start thinking that you are not good enough or smart enough or strong enough, use the power of Y...

Good Morning Everyone!   Happy Halloween Week...here's a sweet story for you... It's a good reminder of the value of a good friend!   In a 2014 article,  Shirley Vandersteen, Ph. D., R. Psych. wrote , " Good friends are vitally important to your mental health and to the quality of your life. To live and to love are inseparable from each other. Friendship is an opportunity to love, to learn about yourself, to mature as a human being, and to open up to the full experience of life. To seek true friendship, you must have the courage to risk all that you are. You must have the courage to let another person know who you really are on the inside. On a very practical level, you must be willing to invest the necessary time and effort to develop, nourish, and maintain the bonds of a strong relationship.   A big key to making friends is to be a friend.  Psychology Today says that there are 13 Essential Friendship Traits that you can work to cultivate in yourself:...

Happy Friday! I am turning my job over to Kermit this morning!     If you ever think that you are not enough, remember we've all had those feelings before, so you can reach out and talk to someone about them.  Don't feel like you have to go it alone.  Your friends, teachers, counselors, and parents are here for you!   I've talked to a lot of kids over my career, and a common thing I hear from kids is, "my [insert adult label here] just wouldn't understand.  You are right...we won't if you don't explain it to us.  But give us the opportunity to try to understand.  You may just find that in articulating your worry, concern, frustration, or dilemma, you discover clarity or acknowledgment, and maybe even understanding from someone you assumed couldn't possibly know how you are feeling.  So, please..let this guy remind you to REACH OUT!    "I'll be there to catch you!!" Have a fantastic weekend, and be well everyone! Mrs. Hempe...

Happy Thursday Everyone! Cultivating gratitude.  Simple.  Important.  Necessary but not always easy to do.  The practice of cultivating gratitude is key to supporting positive mental health.  It is a powerful way to prevent negativity and anxiety.  Focusing on the things that make you happy can lift your mood and remind you of all the ways you are lucky - even when the chips are down.  So please try this activity today:   Think of 5 things you are grateful for right now.  (Write them down if it helps).    List 3 Big Gs and 2 Little Gs! Big Gs are the bigger things in your life you are grateful for--health, family, pets, school, etc. Little Gs are--coffee, warm sweater, or a smile from a friend. Any time you are feeling down, you can perform this little exercise to help "right the ship" so to speak.  You could even keep a small journal or notebook and write down your big and little G's every day.  Imagine having t...

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Have a listen to Amy Purdy's Story  today.  Follow the link to her TED talk, I guarantee you won't be disappointed!   And now..figure out what your dreams are, and start writing your story.   And...   Keep in mind that those things that make life difficult can often be our biggest motivators.  Remember what Amy said, "borders are where the actual ends, but also where the imagination and the story begins!  So...instead of looking at our challenges and limitations as something negative or bad, we can begin looking at them as blessings - magnificent gifts that can be used to ignite our imaginations and help us go further than we ever knew we could go....it's about pushing off borders and seeing what amazing places they might bring us!" Have a great day everyone! Mrs. Hempey

Welcome to Tuesday, Everyone, Sometimes when we are in a funk, it's hard to figure out why.  We tend to default to sad and mad, but sometimes it's more than that, or just different than that.  Sometimes it's just hard to identify the feeling that we are feeling.   Have a listen to Grover and Dave... I want you all to remember that all of your feelings and emotions are valid and important and normal.  It's how you manage them that's the trick.   If you are mad, you can't just lash out at others, you have to use tools to calm your body, (breath, count, or move).  Then figure out why you are mad, and then, if needed, address it directly with the person involved and in a calm and respectful way.   If you are sad, having a good cry and/or a good conversation is helpful.  So is acknowledging that your sadness is an important component of love.  Sometimes something or someone we love has hurt us, however unintentionally.  Sometim...

 Happy Monday Everyone, In many arenas, there is an emphasis on inclusion in our culture and in our communities, but too often we get push back from people trying to divide us with negativity and hate.  We can choose which side of this issue we will land on.  Will we choose to tear others down because they don't fit some imaginary standard of what is right or wrong, or will we choose acceptance and love.   Please take a few minutes to watch this today... And now T.H.I.N.K... Is what you do and say online (super important because lots of people hide behind screens and say and do hurtful things) and in-person... T  rue H  elpful I  nspiring  N  ecessary K  ind If not, STOP and consider the kind of person you want to be.  Choose not to tear someone down.  Be an encourager and a cheerleader.  Respect other's differences and know that we all deserve equal opportunities.  Just because someone else gets something positi...

 Happy Friday Everyone, I have shared this video over the years with the students in my AG, and what better place to share it again.   I hope you paid close attention to what Scooter Bob says towards the end about how being Happy Friday Guy is self-fulfilling.  He mentions that being Happy Friday guy makes him a very happy Friday Guy.  I have discussed this idea a lot lately.  It's the idea that when you fill someone else's bucket, you make yourself feel better too!  Spreading kindness, joy and happiness has benefits for both the giver and the receiver.   Scotter Bob is changing the world one Friday at a time.  How can you change the world and make it a kinder place?  How about starting with any of these 20 things you could say more often. Have yourself a happy Friday everyone, and have a great weekend!   Be well,  Mrs. Hempey   

Happy Thursday Everyone! Because some may not know, October is LGBTQ History Month here in the US, and also in places like Canada, and Australia.  The letters LGBT&Q represent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.  The Q can represent "questioning" or "queer" or both (CNN Health Pride and Progress).  It is a time where, as a nation, we spotlight the history of the LGBT community and the achievements of its icons and historical leaders.  The observation of an LGBTQ History Month began in 1994 and was placed to coincide with National Coming Out Day on October 11th.   It is important that we work together as a community to become more inclusive in our learning.  In the past, and still today, there are groups of people who are historically underrepresented in what you learn about our history, (and other areas too, like what you read, how you experience art, and in the leaders that represent you in the government).  All individuals who h...

Happy Wednesday Everyone, Yesterday, teachers received an email from the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education which was to serve as encouragement for the work we've been doing so far this year and for the work we will continue to do through this pandemic.  The woman who sent the email created a "mixtape" for us with some encouraging and uplifting songs.  This was such a fun idea that brought me way back to my high school days when my friends and I regularly created mixtapes for ourselves and our friends.   What, you ask, is a mixtape?  Well, it was basically a compilation of your favorite songs put together onto one cassette tape so that you could listen to all the best stuff without having to wade through all the boring songs on an album.  Mixtapes could also be a compilation of specific songs that might have a particular goal like helping one feel better after a break-up or pumping you up before the big game, or just reminding you of fun times as be...

Welcome Students and Staff, I hope you all had a great long weekend!  I know I enjoyed the sunshine and the warm-ish temperatures.  I took some time to watch my son play baseball this weekend, spent a lot of time in the park throwing the football and playing baseball with my kids and their friends, and enjoyed a fire in our fire pit on that cold Sunday evening.  It was pretty relaxing!   Generally, a relaxing weekend for me also includes watching CBS Sunday Morning.  For those that haven't watched it, you should tune in.  I suppose it's technically a news program, but it's less current events and more human interest.  It is much more social in nature than your typical news broadcast full of seriousness.  There are lots of stories about artists & musicians, writers & actors, and everyone in between.  It also regularly features everyday people who have notable stories to tell.  If you are a people watcher like me, it's a ...

10/8/20 "Five Hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes, five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear, five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes, how do you measure...measure a year?" Every year of our lives we are given these five hundred and twenty-five thousand six hundred moments to use.  How will you use them?  Who will you become?  As you move from one year to the next, what legacy are you leaving, how are you thought of by those you encounter?  I hope that in your moments, you choose to be a peacemaker, a supporter, a lover, a caregiver, a bucket filler, a cheerleader, a free-spirit, an independent thinker, a believer in your own unique abilities, someone with passion and compassion, a good friend, a listener, and someone that others are lucky to know.   Don't waste your moments on hate, division, self-absorption, fear, and doubt.  Don't look back on your moments with regret but instead, fill them with love....

Happy Wednesday Everyone, I am currently working my way through the Stranger Things Series, which because of its suspenseful nature is not something I probably would have watched normally, but I decided to give it a try.  I am sure many of you have watched it, but it is not for everyone, so choose wisely, and check in with your parents if you are younger and considering watching.   Anyway, the reason that I bring it up here is that underneath the suspense and the shadowy monster themes there are strong themes of friendship, loyalty, determination, and grit that weave through the entire series.  If you ask me, it's probably what has made it so extremely popular.   Well, maybe that and the killer '80s soundtrack!  I mean these are songs I grew up with...so yeah, the music is a good reason to watch!  :) So why do themes of friendship and determination make people so invested?  Well, friendship and love are some of those basic needs that we all w...

Good Morning Everyone!   Today I wanted to talk about finding happiness, but first, read this... They brought balloons to a school. One was given to every student, who had to inflate it, write their name on it and throw it in the hallway. The professors then mixed all the balloons. The students were given 5 minutes to find their own balloon. Despite a hectic search, no one found their balloon. At that point, the professors told the students to take the first balloon that they found and hand it to the person whose name was written on it. Within 5 minutes everyone had their own balloon. The professors said to the students: ′′These balloons are like happiness. We will never find it if everyone is looking for their own. But if we care about other people's happiness... we'll find ours too. When we move about the hallways of life, if we remind ourselves to take care of others, we'll find our own joy too.  This kind of reminds me of a favorite movie of mine from the '80s....

"I try to treasure all the small moments that most people don’t really see or take for granted. The small things are magnified for me. We have this endless well within us, and it’s just about continuing to dig in that well for the strength to face adversity — so that we can also see all the beauty."  --Shannon Doherty-- Good Monday to you All, For various reasons this week, I've been thinking about having gratitude and giving grace.  Generally, most people understand what it means to have gratitude, but here is a reminder anyway.      When we practice gratitude for the things we possess, both material and immaterial, we have an opportunity to step outside of ourselves and recognize that it's more than just us and our needs at play in the world.  It keeps us humble and thankful and generally helps us to be more appreciative individuals.  In my house, I sometimes say, "less attitude, more gratitude," just to remind each of us, myself included, of all the...

 We've made it to the end of another week!  Way to go cougars!   I hope you all have something fun and rejuvenating planned for your weekends.  Don't forget to get up off those couches and get yourself moving this weekend.  The leaves are beautiful and we may have some dry fall weather on Sunday at least.   Take care of your emotional and mental health by doing something you love, eating something yummy, and experiencing the fresh air and sunshine!   To bring us into the weekend, I wanted to share these little gems... So grab your sweater and your, "yip-tick" and get out there cougars!  Have a fantastic weekend!   You're awesome, so be awesome! Mrs. Hempey

 Hello Everyone, Happy Thursday! Sometimes it blows my mind how everything can be so connected and how you can find life lessons no matter where you look.   I opened this video clip the other day which I thought was just going to talk about the simple creative experience around making a cute flipbook.  I am not sure what compelled me to watch it but it was probably the look on the little balloon's face.  I figured there might have been some lesson about the balloon's struggle that I could pass along.  Overall, it is a pretty basic how-to and for-fun artistic experience, but alongside the artistic experience, Andymation says some profoundly important things. First, watch the video... (Sorry for the commercial in the middle of it, but even that provides a valuable nugget).   The artist reminds us that in art, just like in life, there are so many possibilities...you can go in any direction you choose.  It's nice to have some ideas about what you...