This week’s classes brought about creative labs, different forms of writing,  collaboration, and more practice in mindfulness.

The purpose of mindfulness is to be able to focus on the present. Tied in with inner resiliency, which is one’s ability to recognize and handle your emotions in productive ways, and emotional intelligence, these practices can help reduce anxiety and stress while improving focus both in and out of school. One huge benefit of mindfulness is to help students focus on the positive experiences they encounter each day.

Throughout the year, the middle school has spent 2-3 advisory periods a week working on mindfulness and inner resiliency. They have done exercises in focus and emotional intelligence. Also, they have learned the importance of using their breath as an anchor to keep them focused and different techniques of breathing that allow the most oxygen to enter their lungs. Through a variety of meditations, students are learning what does and does not work to help relax them. Some forms of meditation can actually create stress, so with students beginning to meditate, it is important to do different types for short periods of time.

Why meditation as a mindfulness practice? Students are instructed through the guided meditations to focus on the breath. If any thought, emotion, or physical tension is noticed during this time, they are to recognize it and then go back to the breath. Some may even visualize it being blown away or floating off. The more this is practiced, the quicker students can become focused on their breathing, thus improving overall focus. Like it has been explained to the middle school, it isn’t a sprint; you can’t expect to be able to feel completely relaxed and able to clear your mind after only a few tries. It is a practice. 

Whether you are a believer in these practices or not, you are urged to look into it. Who doesn’t want to focus on the positive experiences and be able to navigate the negative ones a bit easier? Maybe it’s just a conversation with your child about some of the exercises we have done (ask them about Body Scan and Mood Meter) or look into some research. You may even be interested in a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course (MBSR). You could even talk about how you use mindfulness in every day life; perhaps you are someone who needs to go for a run, listen to music, or write when you are feeling stressed. Those are mindful, resilient practices you may use to get focused and relieve stress. We are excited to see the benefits as the year continues!

“Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” -Jon Kabat Zinn

 

 

Another exciting week has come and gone in Middle School! In Math, 6th years are loving their work on ratios and proportions, 7th years are continuing with their algebraic foundations, and 8th years are exploring linear equations.

In Science class, 6th years worked on creating topographic maps. Students represented elevation change using Plexiglass, stones, colored water, and markers. 7th years experimented how mass affects an object’s momentum by completing a lab titled, Swing Time. 8th years tested the conservation of mass using baking soda in an open and closed system. They are also discussing the ecological effects of global warming on the coral reef.

Humanities classes were productive this week with 6th years working on figurative language and descriptive writing, discussing discrimination faced by those with special needs, and continuing their reading of Out of My Mind; 7th years working on outlining as a prewriting tool, beginning their community project, and continuing to read The Giver; and, 8th years working on writing strong introductions and thesis statements as well as completing the short stories, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Jackson’s shocking short story elicited discussion about continuing traditions for the sake of keeping them versus changing with the times.

The days have been flying by, and we can’t believe it is already October! More to come next week!

 

The Middle School electives period is an exciting addition to FWM’s new schedule. This 55-minutes is dedicated to enriching students in different areas outside of what is normally offered. To get a better idea of what types of electives the 6th through 8th years would be interested in, we had a brainstorming session where students gave ideas, and the teachers responded with their personal strengths and interests as well. There was an entire board of ideas!

Based on popularity and types of interest, the following electives were offered to students for the first trimester: a nature elective focusing on dendrology, ichthyology, and ornithology; a fantasy football elective where managing teams, analyzing statistics, and comparing data are the focus; and, a cooking class that teaches techniques and recipes with a little competition mixed in.

It was a fun first day! I think all would agree that 55 minutes went by too quickly. Both teachers and students will certainly look forward to this day in the rotation when we can indulge in our personal interests that are not usually seen in school.

 

Another fabulous week has commenced for Middle School!

In Science, the 6th and 7th year students completed their chapter projects. The 6th years made model representations of the science room, and the 7th years constructed cardboard chairs supporting a weight in excess of 100 pounds. Every student worked hard to fulfill the requirements each project presented. Additionally, 8th years continued studying ecosystems and the food web.

In Math, students were hands-on, learning concepts in unconventional ways. 8th years were introduced to equations this week. They put their knowledge to the test with the game, Equate, a Scrabble-like board game. 6th years worked on Geometric Nets, 2-dimensional shapes that fold to form a 3-dimensional shape. 7th years continue to work on their algebraic foundation.

Humanities classes had some stand-out classes this week. They had their first day of current events presentations that brought about a spectrum of topics including the hurricanes battering the Caribbean and US, the new facial identification technology for the Apple iPhone 8, and the political influence on public school lunches. Classes even had discussions surrounding the recent NFL controversy involving the National Anthem. Students read both the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner” and words to the Pledge of Allegiance, discussing why people may not feel comfortable saying either of them and others vehemently supporting the language, giving some context to the recent protests. Students respectfully spoke on both sides, giving each other varying viewpoints to consider.

All in all, an enriching week for students. More to come next week!

Reminder:
On Thursday, October 19th (from 1pm to 9pm) and Friday, October 20th (from 7:30am-11:30am), FWM will be holding Parent & Teacher Conferences.

This is an important time to meet with your child’s teacher about how your child is progressing at the school. Scheduling for Parent & Teacher Conferences will be done on MyFWM.org in the Parent Module. The sign up will be open Tuesday October 3rd.

Please note, the first ten minutes of this conference is student led. You and your child will meet with your child’s adviser. Conferences are typically 20 minutes long; however, each slot is 30 minutes in order for teachers to take notes and prepare for the next parent conference.

Thank you in advance for being punctual to your Parent & Teacher Conference and for adhering to the 20 minute limit.

 

We had another great week in Middle School!

Science, Math, and Humanities classes continued with hands-on activities, new material, captivating literature, and profound discussion. Advisory brought inspiration and relaxation this week with a motivational speech and techniques in breathing to calm the mind.

While engrossing classes spanned the days, the highlight of our week had to be the start of Community Service. This is a period built into the Middle School schedule once every six days. It allows 6th through 8th years to go into the younger classrooms for just under an hour and assist students in their normal classroom activities. Whether it was Ring Around the Rosie with toddlers, creating with paper, working on counting, or tending to class pets, the Middle School students were game for anything! This is just another example of how FWM promotes community, companionship, and empathy.

Middle School students traveled to Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill, NY for a day of team building and challenging themselves on low and high ropes courses. Impressed by the effective collaboration and amount of adventurous students in the group, one Sharpe Reservation staff member said, “I love days like this!” I think most of the Middle School would agree!