Circle Topics and Activities
Activities and Fun
April/May
Connecting with the Community: Grocery Bags
For the third year, students will have the opportunity to decorate a Fisher's grocery bag with positive messages. This year the theme is sending a positive message to our community "Let's spread some kindness." The grocery bags will be returned to Fishers in May to be used to bag groceries. The students love to share their messages with the community! The community looks forward to receiving them!
March/April
Problem Solving and Coping with Stress
During March and April we are working on our problem solving skills and then applying them to coping with stress. Students will be working with their Circle to explore different types of conflict resolution, problem solving, stress management strategies. During this time, students also have the chance to visit the "Pfeiffer Escape Room" where the Circle Groups must work together to escape before time runs out!
January/February
Mindfulness
What makes you "flip your lid?" What happens to your body physically and emotionally right before you "flip your lid?" What are appropriate ways to deal with your emotions in that moment? How do you get yourself back to center? During January and February, our students are exploring the answers to all of these questions. With a focus on mindfulness, we want students to be aware of what triggers them, what physical and emotional responses accompany the trigger, and how they can appropriately handle the stress. Students are learning how the brain works in normal situations vs stressful situations. Most importantly, teachers and students together will practice different techniques to help them cope with stressful situations.
December
Let Your Light Shine
December's theme, "Let Your Light Shine," was a focus on the each individual student's gifts that they can use to have a positive impact on their peers, school, and community. We had several discussions about their light and challenged students to find ways to "Let Your Light Shine."
Our community connection project was to decorate coffee cup sleeves that were donated with cups (in a partnership with Pfeiffer's CARE team) to Refuge of Hope where the students' act of kindness would brighten the day of those receiving a meal and cup of coffee.
November
Having an Attitude of Gratitude
With Thanksgiving in November, we explored what it means to have an "attitude of gratitude" and focused on the things in life we are truly grateful for. In our Circles, we discussed gratitude and recognizing all that is positive in our lives. Circles created a class display of all that students are grateful for. Each student made "Thank You!" Postcards to give to someone who makes a difference in their life.
October
Start with Hello
The theme for October was Connecting. Throughout October, students took part in activities from the “Start with Hello” curriculum. Our focus was on recognizing and understanding social isolation and then on reaching out to students who feel socially isolated. Students created scenarios in which someone could be socially isolated, and then worked on a way to reach out and fix the problem. This focus culminated in our first mentor group circle of the year. Each 5th grade homeroom combined with a 6th grade homeroom creating several mentor groups around the school building. The students got to know each other by participating together in some icebreakers and get to know you activities. All of this in an effort to combat feelings of social isolation as much as we can together.
Upstander Spirit Week
At Pfeiffer, we believe that everyone should be an upstander against bullying and social isolation. During Upstander Spirit Week, we invited students to take part in the theme for each day. We had a blast week celebrating the importance of being an upstander!
Monday--Pajama Day: Be comfortable in who you are!
Tuesday--Multi-Color Day: Color our world with kindness!
Wednesday--Multiples Day: Connect with others!
Thursday--Favorite Holiday Day: Everyday is a gift!
Friday--Future Occupation Day: Look to the future!
Dynamic Duo Day
On Halloween, we had a fun circle time activity where teachers teamed up and dressed up as “dynamic duos” or groups. The students had the opportunity to tour the building during our meeting and make the connections among teachers. It led to some fun, interesting conversations about feeling connected.
August/September
Kindness
For the months of August and September, our building focus was on starting off kind. Each Circle discussion was centered around kindness, and the students even took part in a building-wide kindness poster contest. The winners are now posted in the cafeteria and lobby areas.
Manners
As an exercise in kindness, we made an effort to remember that manners matter! We discussed the importance of manners and how they look and sound. We also spent an entire week focusing on "Thank You!" Each day students were challenged to thank a certain group of people in the building (teachers, office staff, custodians, kitchen staff, bus drivers) who work hard to make their day special.