What has grown in your life over the last six months? What are you "harvesting" and carrying forward that nourishes you through the challenging times in life? We wish for you to be healthy and happy in this season of gratitude.

Be well & breathe,

Liane Benedict & Kate Ginney

As we get into our groove of this school year, we often have a little extra chaos with the changing season in addition to what's happening in the world. Let's be sure to get outside and enjoy the wonderment of fall! Enjoy the vibrant fall foliage, kick up some dried leaves on your walk, or just enjoy the smells and sounds nature has to offer during this time of transition. Share your experiences with students in a welcoming ritual!

Click on the link for the New York State's Fall Foliage Map

Many people express challenges with sleep, especially when times are stressful. Tara Brach has cultivated ideas and resources from the community of their ways of working with this issue. She received hundreds of suggestions that ranged from calming breath practices, lavender oils and buckwheat pillows to acceptance and self-compassion. Check them out below!

These virtual relaxation rooms use music and nature to calm the senses. Introduce these rooms as a calming strategy for students who need to take a few minutes to connect with their mind and body before rejoining or moving into the next activity.

https://sites.google.com/view/virtualrelaxationroom/home

Join me for office hours! Kate will be available for check-in's or planning sessions via Zoom! Looking for some key ideas to build in SEL throughout your structured time with students? Let me help you navigate what resources and strategies will suit you and your student's needs. Need help with a specific student or SEL activity? Need to reflect on a lesson or brainstorm ideas to pull SEL into the mix? Then let's chat! We're all in this together!

Join me on Thursdays from 7:30-8:30 for an open Think Tank session! Put a reminder in your calendar with the Zoom link below. If you prefer a one-on-one appointment just send me an email and we will work around your schedule!

Use the link below, no appointment necessary, join when and however long you need to connect.

https://zoom.us/j/286549711

"When we are mindful of our struggles, and respond to ourselves with compassion, kindness and support in times of difficulty, things start to change" say the authors, Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer. We can learn to embrace our lives despite imperfections inside and out and we can cultivate the strength to thrive. Much research points to the importance of self-compassion to well-being. It seems we need it now more than ever! This 6 month self exploration will use The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer as the focus of this book study. It will be structured using Zoom and a Facebook Social Learning Group. Each week a new chapter/focus will be explored. There will be an opening Zoom meeting and then a monthly meeting throughout the book study. **Please note: participants will need to purchase the book on their own for this book study.**

Register in MLP