A NOTE FROM YOUR PRINCIPALS...
OES Families,
Today our school celebrated our former secretary, Cindy Noll's birthday, honoring her memory by wearing yellow and sunflowers. Cindy lives on in so many ways at Opportunity.
Wednesday is FIELD DAY. Make sure that students are dressed appropriately for outdoors and that they have safe shoes in order to participate in all of the games that are available for the day.
For more information about our school, please visit our website at: https://oes.cvsd.org/ and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OpportunityElementaryCVSD/ and Instagram at @opp.es
Best regards,
Mrs. Spence & Mr. Howard
We would like to congratulate Mrs. Birkner on announcing her retirement at the end of the school year. Mrs. Birkner has worked in our school district for 43 years. She has been a paraeducator working with students in our Extended Resource Room classrooms. Her heart lives with every student that she has taught. She has made a true impact on every person that she has associated with. We wish Mrs. Birkner the best in her retirement.
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR FIELD DAY!!!
Field Day is happening on June 11th, and we need your help to make it a fun and successful event for our students!
There will be two sessions:
- Morning Session (9:10 AM – 11:40 AM) For Kindergarten, 1st, and 5th grades.
Volunteers are asked to arrive by 8:50 AM to receive their station assignments and game instructions. - Afternoon Session (12:30 PM – 3:00 PM) For 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades
Volunteers are asked to arrive by 12:15 PM for station assignments and directions.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please ensure you’ve completed the necessary volunteer forms and have been approved by the district.
https://www.cvsd.org/apps/pages/CommunityAccess
We appreciate your time and support—Field Day wouldn’t be possible without you!
AM Sign Up- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CAFAB2EA0F9C61-56716728-field
Pm Sign Up- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CAFAB2EA0F9C61-56723903-pmfield
How Empathy Helps Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma
It seems that more and more kids are suffering from the effects of trauma in their lives. Our hearts ache when we hear about children being hurt. A social worker, with over thirty years of experience working for her county’s Child Protective Services, put it well:
“After all these years, it still hits me in the gut. I mean the things these kids go through. I still find myself thinking, this sort of stuff just can’t happen—it can’t be real. No child should have to go through these things.”
Neglect, abuse, and other traumatic experiences can cause kids to live chronically in a fight or flight mode. This can make it very difficult for them to think reasonably when they face challenging situations, such as when a parent or teacher is trying to hold them accountable for their actions.
Over the years of teaching Love and Logic to parents and educators, we have learned that when an adult provides a strong message of sincere empathy before holding a child accountable, they are far more successful. With sincere empathy, the child can stay out of the fight or flight mode and learn from the consequences of their actions. This is especially important when working with a child who has experienced trauma, abuse, or neglect, and who is constantly in a fight or flight mode.
Because we care, we hate the pain kids with trauma have experienced and we yearn to help them heal. This motivation is wonderful. But we must also recognize that feeling sorry for kids isn’t the same thing as loving them and empowering them to heal. They need empathy, not sympathy. Here are some guidelines for helping to understand the difference between sympathy and empathy.
Sympathy
“Feeling sorry for” someone can lead us toward unintentionally sending the unstated message:
“This is so horrible that you’ll never be able to cope and find joy in your life.”
Empathy
“Loving” someone means purposefully sending a very different unstated message:
“I can’t imagine how much this must hurt.”
“I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m here for you. I believe in you.”
When trying to decide if you are acting with sympathy instead of empathy, keep the following questions in mind. Which style, sympathy or empathy, is the most likely to result in the adult eventually feeling burned out and even resentful toward a child? Which style is more likely to result in the child feeling manipulated? Which style is about the adult’s feelings? Which is about the child’s needs?
Working with kids who have been traumatized can be very challenging. Love and Logic can be used to help these kids learn to be responsible and learn from their mistakes. However, professional support counselors, therapists, or psychiatrists might be needed to address the underlying trauma.
My audio, Childhood Grief, Loss, & Trauma, can be helpful if you are working with a child who has experienced trauma. In this audio, I discuss practical strategies for helping kids cope, using an approach based on principles of empowerment.
Thanks for reading!
Free Summer Meals for all those 18 and under - join us for breakfast or lunch this summer!
See cvsd.org/SummerMeals for details.
June 23 - July 11 (except July 4)
Bowdish Middle School: Lunch: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Mica Peak High School: Breakfast: 9:00 am - 9:30 am and Lunch: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
OPPORTUNITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Email: lspence@cvsd.org
Website: oes.cvsd.org/
Location: 1109 South Wilbur Road, Spokane Valley, WA, USA
Phone: 509-558-3550
Facebook: facebook.com/OpportunityElementaryCVSD/