COMMUNITY WELLNESS IN THE WORKS
Wellness Information for ALL Community Members
Volume 6: Live to Give
COMMUNITY WELLNESS IN THE WORKS is authored by Ms. Cailyn Gilvary, District SELect Leader, and Ms. Tiffany Steiner, Director of Intervention Services and Student Wellness.
LIVE TO GIVE teaches that life’s abundance moves in cycles. In order to receive love, respect, kindness, etc. one must be willing to give those things to those around them. This Mindset shows that living to give requires one to stretch themselves, make a difference and receive gracefully, and by doing so, a legacy will be created for others to follow.
4 Key Components in this Mindset include:
- Stretch Yourself
- Make a Difference
- Receive Gracefully
- Create a Legacy
LIVE TO GIVE GARDENS
Spring is upon us and with the change in weather we find a behavior change in our children....It is called SPRING FEVER! How can we channel the energy and "need to explore attitude" of SPRING FEVER into a positive time of growth, pride, and providing to others? A LIVE TO GIVE GARDEN.
There is a plethora of research and studies that support the benefits of gardening (see below link). Of those studies, we found the therapeutic benefits of gardening worthy of highlighting to our Wall Community. It demonstrates how the physical impact of the activity develops neurological body systems that provide a calming effect.
"Gardening with kids provides them with the needed sensory input for calm, happy bodies and minds. Every nervous system needs different sensory input. Young children especially need certain sensory information for their sensory systems and brains to develop appropriately. For example, they must activate large muscle groups and develop gross motor skills within specific time frames for their brain to wire correctly. When kids get the right amount of sensory input, their bodies feel calmer and more organized, allowing a mental state open to joy and wonder."
Research: A study of male youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) showed that garden program participants with ASD made significant improvements in independence, adaptive behavior, and interaction skills.
Gardening to physically, emotionally and behaviorally grow which providing nourishment to others. Now that is the essence of the LIVE TO GIVE mindset. Below we will give some gardening tips to get you started.
DISTRICT NEWS and CELEBRATIONS
LIVE TO GIVE and SAVE A Life: 5th Grade CPR Training
Across the district, 5th graders are learning how to perform CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. A special thanks to LifeForce USA, the American Heart Association, and Wall Community First Aid for their generous donation of CPR kits, inflatable lungs and the time to train our students. What a way to stretch oneself and feel confident in skills that can make a huge difference in saving lives!
April 2024 School Appreciation Days!
All month: Occupational Therapist Month
All month: School Library Month
4/1-5: National Assistant Principal Week
4/3: Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
4/4: School Librarian Appreciation Day
4/22-26: National Administrative and After-School Professionals Appreciation Week
4/23: School Bus Drivers’ Day
4/21-27: Administrative Professionals Week
4/24: Administrative Professionals Day
PERSONAL CARE & DEVELOPMENT
How to Leave a Legacy by Tony Robbins
What does it mean to leave a legacy?
Benjamin Franklin put it this way: “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Leaving a legacy through your work, family, or community means doing something worth writing about – and changing the world.
When you think about your life in terms of leaving a legacy and not merely what you are doing in the present, it takes on a far deeper meaning. When you are pouring your time, energy, and passion into your work, family, or community, you want to have a lasting impact. You begin thinking, “What does legacy mean? How can I build one?” Your legacy is an inheritance – it’s your gift of service to others. The ability to help one who is in need is also a gift you give yourself. Providing, helping, mentoring, and sharing paves the way for finding genuine fulfillment in life. When you are genuinely fulfilled your legacy will transcend and inspire the next generation.
"Why Receiving Gracefully is Just as Important as Giving"
There’s nothing quite like the joy of receiving an AWESOME gift. Yet when someone is kind and generous, it can sometimes stir up uncomfortable emotions. Giving, on the other hand, seems more straightforward. It makes us feel good and improves our well-being. But giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin — you can’t have one without the other says psychotherapist Pauline Sanderson, M.A., M.F.T. Here are four tips to receive gracefully:
Just say “thank you”
“When someone brings your family a pie, pays for dinner, or jump-starts your car, ‘thank you’ is all you need to say,” Sanderson says. “You can add a non-verbal ‘thank you’ with a hand over your heart, a light touch on their arm, and of course, your warmest smile,” she adds. Also, take a moment to go inward and appreciate how good it feels to know that someone else cares for you.
Enjoy the gift mindfully
“Instead of wondering whether your friend could really afford the gift, or feeling guilty because you haven’t given them anything, focus on the thoughts behind the gift,” Sanderson suggests. “Be grateful for the deeper gift — that the person cares for you,” and for the evidence that you’re not alone.
Think of receiving and giving as a team sport
“We all share a common humanity; we’re on the same team,” Sanderson says, noting that we all have something to give and something to receive. “If it’s your turn to receive, it adds to the success of the team, moving everyone forward toward the shared goals of good will, health, and happiness.” And remember: Your time to give will come!
Pay it forward
If you feel anxious, unworthy, or compelled to “return the favor” when you receive a gift, remember that “receiving graciously becomes your gift to the giver,” Sanderson says. When someone lends a helping hand, they typically want you to accept it — and doing so allows them to feel the benefits of their altruism as well.
Plus, there are always opportunities to give to someone else after you receive some help. As Sanderson says, “Share your joy by ‘paying it forward’ and responding with a gift for someone else in need.”
TECHNOLOGY AND WELLNESS
STRETCH YOURSELF, MAKE A DIFFERENCE, RECEIVE GRACEFULLY, CREATE A LEGACY: The Story of Steve Jobs
There is a fairly good chance that you are reading this newsletter either on an Apple device or with one near you. Maybe you are doing it on a MacBook Air while glancing at the newest Apple Watch for alerts from your iPhone. Apple is a legacy and the man behind the legacy is Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs is the mindset, LIVE TO GIVE! Let's explore why.
Stretch Yourself: When Jobs was just 21, he and a friend started Apple Computer Inc. in the Jobs’ family garage. Jobs sold his Volkswagen bus to fund the entrepreneurial venture.
Make a Difference: Through Apple, Jobs is credited with revolutionizing the computer industry by making computers smaller, cheaper, intuitive, and accessible to everyday consumers.
Receive Gracefully: Although the co-founder, Jobs was fired by Apple in 1985. He took this setback as an opportunity to grow and purchased an animation company which later became Pixar Animation Studios. The studio revolutionized movie making and produced wildly popular movies such as Toy Story (1995), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004). Ironically in 1997, Jobs was asked to return to Apple. He received the offer gracefully and went on to make Apple 1 trillion dollars!
Create a Legacy: Under Jobs, Apple introduced revolutionary products such as the Macbook Air, iPod, and iPhone, all of which dictated the evolution of technology. Due to his hard work and creative mind, Jobs' legacy was one of innovation that the majority of the world enjoys today.
FAMILY RESOURCES and ACTIVITIES
Pay It Forward Day April 28th, 2024
Create a Ripple of Kindness
Pay It Forward Day is a worldwide celebration of kindness that takes place every year on April 28th. Pay It Forward Day exists to encourage people to stand for kindness out of the goodness of their hearts! The mission is to inspire acts of kindness on this day in hopes that the ripple of good will continue throughout the entire year.
The day is based on a book by Hyde that became a best-seller and was adapted into a film in 2000. In 2007, author and international speaker Blake Beattie created the day to spread kindness and inspire over 10 million acts of kindness worldwide. The day is celebrated in over 80 countries.
Although people often wear and exchange Pay It Forward bracelets on this day to symbolize their commitment to performing good deeds, there are many other ways to pay it forward:
- Let someone go in front of you in line
- Pay for a stranger's coffee or meal
- Share your green thumb
- Donate blankets, pajamas, socks, and toiletries to shelters
- Leave a big tip for a server or waiter
- Return another person's shopping cart
- Send an email of gratitude
For more ideas, please refer to the 30 Acts of Kindness Challenge below.
Starting a LIVE TO GIVE Garden
Getting started is the first step. The most important advice is to start small. Containers and larger planters are very manageable and you can grow almost anything. Containers allow you to create a nearly immediate impact, anywhere, at minimal cost. Need a creative container idea? Look below.
Another option is raised beds. Raised beds are excellent because they clearly delineate the growing areas, making it less likely that seedlings will be accidentally trampled. Fill the beds with nutrient-rich potting soil and compost. Beds shouldn’t be any wider than three feet across, so the children can easily reach the middle of the beds from the sides. Wood chippings are relatively clean and soft, and so are an excellent choice for the paths in between beds.
Kid-friendly options for your garden:
- Peas and beans. Children love sowing the fat seeds, setting up supports, and picking the pods.
- Potatoes are fun to sprout before planting into potato sacks or beds. Kids will love the hands-on growing process and unearthing the potatoes.
- Winter squash and pumpkins can be planted at the end of spring and will be nearing maturity in time for the Fall holidays.
- Salad crops such as lettuce leaves and radishes are quick growing. They’re also perfect for growing in pots.
- Kid-friendly fruits like strawberries in raised beds and planters are always a hit.
- Flowers help to attract bees, butterflies and other wildlife into the garden. Children will love the splash of color they give too. Annual flowers are quick growing – think calendula, nasturtiums, zinnias and more.
- Don’t forget herbs, many of which have beautiful, bee-friendly flowers.