STAFF MEMBERS

Bulldog Bulletin

* Skyler Brill V O L U ME

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* Tristen Jarmon

2nd Grade’s Adventuresome Learning

*Kiara

2nd Grade is always an adventure! With 10 boys and two girls, we strive to keep things very active. During math instruction, we have spent a lot of time understanding numbers at a much deeper level. This will help to prepare us for multi-digit addition and subtraction problems as the year continues. We have also learned more advanced money, time, shape, and other concepts that build on their learning from last year. At reading time, we’ve put a focus on phonics and applying that to, not only our reading, but our writing, as well. We learn new grammar, sight words, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies towards the beginning of the week and practice the new, and old, concepts for the rest of the week. In the afternoons, we apply our new learning to science and social study concepts, which leads us to our field trips. Our first field trip of the year was to the old fish hatchery on the Upper Dolores River, where we observed the annual Kokanee Salmon Spawn. There we were able to watch the fish make their journey up the Dolores River from McPhee Reservoir, in order to be spawned by humans. We learned that Kokanee Salmon are a non-native species, and that our river is too cold for them spawn naturally. Because of this, the fish biologists, as well as the rest of the team, collect the eggs that are then fertilized with the male’s milt and taken to the Durango Fish Hatchery to hatch and grow. In the spring, the eggs will have become small fish and are released back into the same area where they were spawned. This is done so that when their time to spawn comes, the salmon will recognize the scent needed to follow the river upstream to where they were originally collected as eggs. Some fish, however, will be taken to other rivers and lakes, if the numbers are lower in those locations, to keep the population up. We observed the components of their habitat and what it takes to keep this species alive. The students especially admired the fishes’ perseverance as they witnessed the treacherous journey that is required to keep the life cycle going. They also enjoyed getting to not only see but also feel the fishes’ internal organs and eggs.

Ligenfelter

*Nolan Hankins

*Branson Smith

Counseling Corner: Helping Kids Self-Regulate Children can see and experience many of the same things we as adults do. The difference is, adults have more life experience to know how to deal with difficult emotions. When our children feel fear, anxiety, or anger, they need our help to learn how to cope. Here are some tips: 1. Name the feeling (s). Help your child figure out which feeling they are experiencing. Putting a name to it can help validate to them that it is okay to feel that way. You may have to ask questions to help them identify the exact feeling they are/were having. 2. Normalize the feeling (s). It can be confusing for a child whose feelings take over and lead to behaviors they may not usually have. Explain that all people have these feelings sometimes, and we all have to learn how to manage them. Avoid TELLING your child how they are feeling or using such language like; “oh it’s not THAT bad”. 3. Talk about the brain. Our brains and our bodies are connected, and our brains are programmed to send out signals when we experience certain “big feelings.” Explain that we have a part of our brain that’s in charge of making decisions, thinking things through, and managing our emotions, and another part of our brain that is in charge of important things like breathing, digesting food, and holds onto big feelings like anger or anxiety. This part of our brain also reacts to any threats, and can make us feel like we need to run (flight), fight back, or freeze. Sometimes this part of our brain overreacts, and we need to try strategies to calm it down. (For a full script of the brain conversation, visit https:// imperfectfamilies.com/what-anxious-and-angry-kids-need-to-know-about-their-brain/). 4. Practice self-regulation skills. When children are calm, the thinking part of the brain is on, and this is the best time to come up with a plan for when the emotional part of the brain tries to take over. Encourage taking a break (not a timeout), deep breathing, releasing angry energy by exercising, and relaxation strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation, coloring, calm down jars, music, etc. Practice these repeatedly when they are calm. Helping your child begin to recognize their body’s early signs of a big feeling (heart racing, clenched jaw, etc.) can help them learn when to employ their self-regulation skills. Here at Seventh Street, we call these self-regulating techniques “Re-focus Strategies”. Encouraging your children to use these strategies at home will greatly influence their ability to master these techniques at school. Thank you in advance for encouraging these self-regulating techniques both at school and at home.

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