Monday, November 18, 2019

Gratitude

Gratitude
According to Mike Erwin, co-founder of the Positivity Project, the benefits of this character strength are nearly endless. People who regularly practice gratitude, by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they're thankful for, experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems! Gratitude, which means being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen in our lives, shouldn't just be reserved for big occasions as there are hundreds of opportunities daily to express our thanks. It does take some training for most of us to allow this character strength to flourish, however. Sometimes being grateful means realizing how fortunate we are, but it also means expressing that appreciation through our words and actions. Thanksgiving is a perfect time of year to focus on gratitude. I certainly don't express it enough, but I am very grateful to be able to work in a place with such a caring staff, amazing students, and supportive families. For more information on gratitude, click here.



Open Forum with the Board of Education
The WGCSD Board of Education invites parents, staff, community members, and students to a community forum this Wednesday at 6:00 prior to the 7:00 board meeting. This is an opportunity to meet the Board and learn about their role.


Thanksgiving Meals!
Are you in need of a Thanksgiving meal for your family? Our student council, along with our PTA, are teaming up to provide several meals for East Hill families. The meals come with a turkey, rolls, pie, stuffing, canned vegetables, cranberries, etc. Please call me (487-4648), email me (lcraig@westgenesee.org), or stop in the office. If you aren't quite sure how to cook a turkey, here are the instructions (written by Ava, a kindergartner in Mrs. Ciciarelli's class):
How to Cook a Turkey
My daddy usually hunts the turkey. He goes to the farm with one of his friends that know how to hunt. I usually go to a friend's house so that I don't have to see the turkey. I don't like to see the turkey. We should buy the turkey at Wegman's instead of hunting it because Wegman's has a lot of stuff. My mommy helps daddy cook the turkey. They push the buttons on the oven for 10 minutes. When the oven beeps they take it out and put it on a tray in the middle of the table. We also put flowers on the table to decorate for dinner. They always put carrots on the table and sauce for the turkey to dunk in. My Grandma, Nona, Pap, and my Gigi all come to eat. For dessert we have ice cream and some cookies. Daddy does all the dishes because my brother and I tell him to.

Upcoming Dates
11/20     Open Forum with the BOE (6:00, WGHS)
11/25     Parent Conferences, Half-Day, 11:30 Dismissal
11/26     Parent Conferences, Half-Day, 11:30 Dismissal
11/27     Thanksgiving Recess Begins
12/2       School Resumes

Have a great rest of the week!

- Lisa