Hey SMOS Community – Have you ever heard of a Conflict Escalator or Amy the Amygdala or Squeeze and Release Breathing?  I love our St. Margaret of Scotland Mindfulness classes!

SMOS defines mindfulness as the practice of paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, what is happening around us, and putting some space between our reactions and our responses.

We are blessed to have Mrs. Melanie Donovan practicing mindfulness with our students from PreK – 8th grade.  Topics she covers in her classes include gratitude, kindness, empathy, relationship building, apologizing, resolving conflicts peacefully, brain science, goal-setting, and responsible decision-making.

I was lucky last week to observe a 2nd-grade class learning how to diffuse a group conflict: How does one class decide on the name of a new class pet? How can the group keep the conflict from escalating?  With mindfulness, it CAN be accomplished!  Isn’t this a skill we can all practice?!

Is there a conflict resonating within you?  Get your Meddy Teddy bodies present, find your Kindness pal, and sit face to face – share and listen without judgment.  If you find yourself escalating, remember to Squeeze and Release.  You can do it!  Ask our Dragon 2nd graders to model for you!

Each week, we will be highlighting the amazing and wonderful things that are happening in our classrooms and grade levels at St. Margaret of Scotland School. We are very proud of the work our teachers do with our students and are amazed by what happens at SMOS. Our goal is to share more about the hidden gem that is St. Margaret’s.