Hózhó Academy Newsletter

Dear Hózhó Families,

Save the Date - Our 11th graders are planning a murder mystery dinner fundraiser for March 1! More information to follow soon!

Father Daughter Dance - February 22nd. ALL father figures welcome! Tickets can be purchased at the front office of any school building. See flyer below.

If you have questions, please contact our front office at (505) 722-8922.

• February 17th - No School (President's Day)

• February 22nd - Father Daughter Dance (6-9PM)

School Breakfast/Lunch Menu

School Website

Hózhó Athletics/Schedule

Click Here for K-8 Weekly Lesson Summary

Kindergarten: Empathy and Kindness

Your child is learning about the power of kindness to help people feel good. Kindergartners learn examples of kind acts and talk about why being kind to others is important. Toward the end of the unit, they practice two kind acts: offering to share and offering a hug.

Why is it important? Research shows that children who learn the skills in this unit are more likely to:

• Display greater empathy

• Engage in positive behaviors

• Avoid aggressive behaviors

Practice at Home

What to Look For: Notice and praise your child when they show kindness or do kind acts for others. For example, when they help someone, share a toy, or offer a hug. You can say, “I noticed you were kind and shared your toys. That’s a great way to help your sister feel good!”

Discuss: A few times a week, ask your child, “What was a kind act you did today?” or “What were some kind acts that others did for you?”

Practice: After your child has practiced offering to share at school, help them practice offering to share when playing with siblings or friends. Remind them that asking “Would you like to share?” is a kind act that helps everyone have fun together.

After your child has practiced offering a hug at school, practice at home during pretend play. Choose a stuffed animal or a doll and pretend it’s feeling sad. Encourage your child to ask, “Would you like a hug?” to help the toy feel better.

Arete Wellness Program continued; Physical Education

One of the main components of Hozho Academy's Arete Wellness program is the emphasis on physical education. You may recall that Classical Education seeks to form the entire student body, mind and soul. In teaching physical discipline and encouraging an active lifestyle, Arete instills in students virtuous habits that also benefit their mind and spirit. Afterall, a nurtured body nurtures the soul as the mission of the Arete program reminds us:

The Physical Education curriculum can provide a means of fulfilling the needs that our challenging society has created. The curriculum offers students a variety of opportunities to gain knowledge and proficiency in the foundational skills and activities needed for wellness which encompasses, physical, social, environmental, emotional, spiritual and intellectual components.

The program achieves this through intentional physical activities and routines geared towards the following physical goal:

The goal of the Physical Education K-6 program is to prepare the students to be ready for junior high PE, sports and be on the road to be fit for life. Students will be equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence to develop and increase skills necessary to participate in a variety of physical activities

Some of these activities and routines include, though are not limited to the following:

• An exercise warmup routine learned in all grades K-12

• Motivation through individual physical goals. As students develop discipline and gain physical strength, they earn stars on their ID lanyards. Students are then provided the opportunity for tests, and the points go towards the next level colored lanyard (or gym trunk in the case of upper school).

• Multiple opportunities for exercise throughout the school day, including an extra, structured recess in lower school as well as opportunities to walk the trails around the school, and opportunities to utilize the walking trails and playground (which was designed to train specific athletic skills).

For more information on the Arete Wellness program, trunk and lanyard promotions, and for a video of the exercise routine visit the following links below;

Arete Wellness Program - Hózhó Academy

Hozho_PEprogram_Manual_PARENTS.docx

What is one, new physical habit you can do or encourage your child to do? Start will something small that is attainable, and once that routine is established, consider adding another. See below for a list of some ideas!

• Go outside before picking up a phone or other screen first thing in the morning
• Incorporate a simple stretch/exercise routine before going to bed or right when waking up
• Pick one day a week to go on a walk or hike
• Learn a new physical skill such as jumping or hula hooping or a backyard game like badminton
• Find little ways to get extra steps in throughout the day (take a break from your desk to walk around, put on some music and dance around your house!)
• If weather is not in your favor, go to a museum or mall to walk around
• Practice heavy lifting (do this carefully and with a spotter!) with items around your home
• Find yourself an accountability buddy! Someone to motivate you and hold you accountable.

Just remember, it is important to create habits that we can build and improve upon. Start small and structured (dedicate a day/time) and when you have an established routine, add to it!

Remember, we can do hard things!

Hózhó Academy Charter School

Principal: Juliane Hillock principal@hozhoacademy.org

Email: office@hozhoacademy.org
Website: https://hozhoacademy.org/
Location: 515 Park Ave, Gallup, NM, USA
Phone: (505) 722-8922
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hozhoacademy
Twitter: @HozhoA