May 7th - 21st

My apologies for the missed week, everyone! Life has been an absolute whirlwind with the end of the year and an amazing opportunity to co-host a two-day presentation at the Colorado Mentoring Summit.

Over the last two weeks, we took quite a bit of time to close out our mentoring partnerships. Students identified the three things they enjoyed about their mentor/mentee, as well as their hopes and dreams for their partners. In addition to these conversations, students received their Time Capsules from the beginning of the year. The kids always love opening these and reminiscing about their lives from eight months ago.

This week, we're continuing to bid one another a fond farewell. Speaking of that, many of you already know I've been promoted to Director of Operations here at YESS, which  means I'll have the chance to support all the Program Managers in various schools in the area. I'm extremely excited for this next step in my career, although I'm saddened to leave the classroom. Working with the staff and students at Scott has been the highlight of my career and I'm so grateful for my time here. The YESS program will continue to operate next year and we are currently in the process of recruiting and hiring an outstanding teacher to facilitate the class.

Warmly,
Sara Sankovich

April 23rd - 27th

This was a big week for YESS, as we hosted our annual fundraising breakfast on Wednesday. Two SCMS scholars shared their stories and did a lovely job speaking in front of a large crowd. I was extremely proud of their work!

In the classroom, we practiced the steps to peaceful conflict resolution and worked on plans to work through a conflict outside YESS class. The kids are nearly always resistant to this lesson because it's hard to talk to someone about conflict, take accountability, and then accept consequences. Fortunately, most students were able to identify a way to apply this concept to their lives. The task this week will be getting them to follow through with resolving a conflict! Stay tuned!

In other news, we're nearly done with the recruitment process for our next batch of mentors! Also, we'll be hosting our annual End of Year Celebration at Ranum MS on Monday, May 7th. Families are welcome to attend this event and, of course, the kids are excited to be able to join forces with the other middle schools to celebrate their accomplishments!

April 16th - 20th

Gimme a "TEST"... Gimme an "ING"... What's that spell? One tough week for our kids. I was extremely proud of the percentage of students who said they tried their best and worked harder than they ever had before, but I could tell they were zapped by Friday. What's so amazing about YESS, however, is that we can provide opportunities for kids to process how they're feeling and work on some "art therapy." The kids reveled in the fact that they were able to come to room 101 and create something beautiful while also hitting a teamwork target for Empower.

On Friday, we continued the teamwork theme by playing team building games. The first was Sentence Makers, in which the team works together to create grammatically correct sentences that have a designated number of words. It was cool to see how creative they were with adjectives! Second, students played another team builder called Let's Make Squares. This is a game where each team member receives three strips of paper and they have to work with their team to create squares. Finally, we went to the small gym to play The Great Wind Blows. This is one of my favorite class builders (and the kids love it, too!).

April 2nd - 13th

Greetings! I'm sorry for the missed entry last week. There has been A LOT going on over here!

As always, we've been participating in Mentor/Mentee Mondays, as well as Tutoring Tuesdays. During our YESS lesson days, we've been studying accountability. My favorite visual for teaching this concept is the Accountability Ladder and it's always enjoyable to share stories of times students were on various levels of this metaphorical ladder.

Because of testing, we've been incorporating loads of Kagan structures and we've definitely reached the time of the year when scholars are dragging their feet. In one class, we hosted a restorative circle to amend our Shared Agreements and refocus our energies on learning as much as possible.

On the plus side, I have two students who will be speaking at our annual YESS Road to Success Breakfast, which will take place on April 25th. They're thrilled to be able to share their story of empowerment with the attendees and I couldn't be more proud of their progress!

March 19th - 23rd

We left for Spring Break with an uplifting project called 13 Reasons Why Not. The students created posters that highlighted thirteen people, places, and things they love. They really enjoyed being artistic and talking about all the reasons they enjoy being on Earth! Once they completed their posters, they were asked to write a PEAL paragraph about the most important item/person in their lives. This proved to be a difficult task for many scholars! It was intriguing to talk with them about the emotions that were coming up (mainly guilt) and ask, "Why do I feel this way? What am I afraid of?"

March 12th - 16th

What a week! We began in our typical manner, with Mentor/Mentee Monday and Tutoring Tuesday.

Our topic on Wednesday, Thursday, and part of Friday was bullying. The kids were skeptical when I initially presented the topic because they feel like they are bombarded with anti-bullying messages. However, we took the time to dissect the reasons for bullying and the ramifications of this type of behavior. The most impactful exercise was called "Crumpled Hearts." There are 3 steps to completing this activity:

First, we drew a heart and wrote words we'd use to describe an innocent, sleeping baby.
Next, the scholars found partners who would write things that we had heard said about ourselves (these tended to be rather negative) and crumple the heart.
Finally, students identified "shields" that adolescents might use to protect their sensitive hearts.

By the end of this process, each student had a crumpled, ripped, damaged heart. The message, of course, is that we are capable of learning how to deal with hurtful things, but our hearts will never be as pure and unharmed as when we were babies. Additionally, we never know the condition of someone else's heart. We must use caution when interacting with other humans.

This led to some really neat discussions about personal identities and how to intervene when witnessing bullying behavior. Most YESS students have been told to simply call the bully out on their behavior, but that's really difficult! So, we watched a short video (click here) about other ways to assist a victim. We did some role-playing, during which I transformed into my evil twin, Sherri, and bullied volunteers while their classmates practiced intervening. Big fun!

Friday, we finished our bullying activities and performed team builders in the gym. I had as much fun bouncing balloons as the kids!

February 26th - March 9th

Due to a wildly busy week, I wasn't able to get to this task. So now we've got a BOGO offer going on. :-)

The week of February 26th was fairly typical, in that the mentors studied leadership while the mentees worked with Ms. Katrina. We postponed our tutoring day and took time on Tuesday and Wednesday to learn about EmoTrolls, which are the things we become when we mishandle our Hot Buttons. For instance, if we feel powerless in a situation and decide not to advocate for ourselves, we may become a Stuffy by refusing to acknowledge our emotions and pretending everything is all right. On the other hand, we may become Bomby and explode on someone. There are nine trolls, in all, and it was great fun to share stories of times we behaved like trolls.

I was out, visiting family, on Thursday and Friday so the students were able to participate in their tutoring day. Most scholars worked on finishing their Button Trinkets and did a magnificent job! I hope they remember to utilize these tools when their buttons get pushed. On Friday, they were asked to write a skit that demonstrated troll behavior so we could make puppets and perform with them.






We resumed our regularly-scheduled programming on Monday and Tuesday, the 5th and 6th. Puppets were created on Wednesday, then performances were given on Thursday. The kids had a fabulous time acting for their peers and I, especially, love puppets because my less-outgoing kids are able to find their voices through play. Good stuff!

February 20th - February 23rd

Despite only having four days, we got a lot accomplished! The focus this week was on Cool Buttons, which are the ways we are able to cool down when someone or something pushes our Hot Buttons.

Here's one class's thinking map on Ways to Stay Cool

The students did an outstanding job of brainstorming ways to calm themselves and I taught them a few more before starting a short project. Some of their favorite Cool Buttons are based on the idea of Mindfulness Walks. These can be done while walking, but they can also be done while in the car/bus or sitting still. During these times, one becomes more aware their surroundings by searching for specific things like letters or colors.

Gustavo is an awesome artist!

The project we began is something the kids are really enjoying because they can keep it in their binders to remind themselves to stay cool. Only a few scholars were able to finish, so they'll be finishing the assignment this week.

We celebrated our January and February birthdays on Friday with snacks and a movie. The kids always like being recognized in class and I enjoy observing them supporting one another in this way.

An example of a student's Hot Buttons

Here is how the student plans to cool down when his buttons are pushed

February 12th - 16th

This week absolutely flew! It felt like I blinked twice and it was Friday! Anyway, I was out on Monday, but the mentors and mentees continued with their regularly scheduled programming. On Tuesday, we tutored. Now that conferences are over, the students are re-energized and ready to work on their assignments.

We explored Hot Buttons (the things/situations that cause intense, uncomfortable emotions) on Wednesday and Thursday. When sharing stories of our Hot Buttons, students shared stories about siblings, classmates, and even teachers that pressed their buttons. Thursday, we talked a little about how to counteract those strong emotions by activating our Cool Buttons. Because this lesson was heavy with worksheets, we implemented many fun Kagan structures to break it up. This is a topic we'll continue this week by creating a tool for the scholars to use when their buttons get pushed.

Due to the incident in Florida last week, we spoke as a class about how everyone was feeling. Many students expressed fear about coming to school, so we discussed how fear is generally irrational. It feels real (and that's OK) but we have a safe school community so we need to think logically to combat our fears. It was refreshing to give the scholars space to open up about this issue and focus on the loving community we work so hard to maintain.

On Friday, our 6th grade scholars had the opportunity to participate in Junior Achievement, a financial literacy program. Because so many students were out (and we temporarily adopted some stray 7th and 8th graders) we took it easy and watched a movie.

February 5th - 9th

This week was lovely and long! I was out of the building on Monday, but the mentors continued working hard on their leadership projects with the substitute while our sweet mentees learning about social and emotional skills with Ms. Katrina.

The scholars presented their Belief Systems Mini-Projects on Tuesday and, for the most part, they did a fabulous job. I'm proud of how some of them have blossomed from shy students to young people who are confident enough to share their insecurities and accomplishments with their YESS buddies.

Because we had Parent/Teacher Conferences on Wednesday and Thursday, the kids were anxious to work on their missing work. I was happy to give them time to catch up a little. It's always interesting to see the level of focus rise as conferences draw near. :-) 

I enjoyed seeing so many parents during our conference times, as well. Our families are the best! They love these kids and really care about their success, which makes my job as a teacher much easier.

January 29th - February 2nd

Our never-ending quest to tie classroom content to real life

Last week was extremely productive, despite the fact that I left early on Tuesday due to illness, and I'm proud of the kids' work. On Monday, the mentors continued working on writing biographies about figures who have advanced some aspect of civil rights.Tuesday, during tutoring, scholars began preparing for their conferences, which will occur on the 7th and 8th.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were a continuation of the Belief Systems Unit. They really started understanding how the beliefs they hold about themselves either boost them up or hold them back and we began a project that demonstrates these beliefs. In the project, they were asked to look ahead 10 years and ask, "What do I see?" Some kids saw themselves attending college, while others imagined their lives as mechanics or doctors. The students created posters of their imaginings and will present them this week.

This mentor did an amazing job!

I absolutely love the positive vibes from this trio of young scholars!

January 22nd - 26th

How on earth have we just completed the last full week of January? This year...

On Monday, the mentors began working on a leadership project in which they select an individual that worked to promote the rights of people affected by our federal anti-discrimination laws. Most scholars are leaning toward a leader in Latino rights, but a small minority are focusing on women's rights and even LGBTQ rights! Their task is to write a short, engaging biography and draw a picture. We'll assemble all our pieces and create a mini-book in the style of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History.

Tuesday was Tutoring Tuesday. The scholars weren't behaving in a very scholarly fashion, however, so we took some time to reflect on what was going on and scheduled a Circle Talk for Thursday.

2nd Hour participating in their Circle Talk

We continued our unit on Belief Systems on Wednesday and part of Thursday. Specifically, we learned how Belief Systems can either help us achieve our goals or prevent us from experiencing success. We watched a brief video and took notes on the key concepts. The biggest lesson from these two days was that we have to envision ourselves succeeding in order to convince our own minds that we can achieve our goals. The kids' homework was to ignore their friends on the way to their least-favorite class and imagine themselves being the best version of themselves. They'll report on their experience this week.

I was happy with how well the Circle Talks went. Many students have noticed the negative actions of their peers and I was proud of how well the students held each other accountable.

Thanks for reading!

January 16th - 19th

This week was fantastic! Since we didn't have school on Monday, we began our week with Tutoring Tuesday. The scholars are continuing to use their time to stay on top of their studies, as well as prepare for our high-stakes testing season, which is right around the corner.

Wednesday, we reviewed the Apple Pie Concept and wrote skits that demonstrated various types of "pie eaters." They worked hard on these pieces and were excited to perform for their peers later in the week.











On Thursday, we switched gears a bit to begin a series of lessons on Belief Systems. These are the core beliefs we have about ourselves and something that can be difficult to explore. To start the conversation, we played a modified version of Musical Chairs. Like the normal version, the kids walked around a circle of chairs while music played. This was different, however, because they weren't trying to knock anyone out. Rather, they received a word each time they sat down. The hardest part was writing about their personal belief regarding the term. Some students really struggled with it, but succeeded after some thought. Then, we took those beliefs and mapped out who supported them. It was interesting and I'm looking forward to continuing this unit!















For No Fun Friday, the
students performed their skits for the class and were evaluated on their ability to present their work effectively. They also had a lovely time guessing if their peers were showing a Whole Pie, Balanced Pie, or Pie Crumb situation.

January 8th - 12th

What an amazing week! Our first day back from break happened to be a Mentor/Mentee Monday and it was awesome to ease back into things by talking about leadership. We focused on which leadership skills each mentor brings to the table and how to capitalize on their strengths. Then, we prepared ourselves for our upcoming lessons on specific leaders.

We conducted our typical Tutoring Tuesday, but with a twist: we all participated in a guided meditation. This meditation focuses on calm, slow breathing and it's extremely helpful in becoming grounded and focused. We'll continue to listen and breathe through this exercise frequently throughout the rest of the year.

A little bit of Kagan action during our Apple Pie lesson!

Apple Pie was the theme on Wednesday and Thursday. We discussed how our relationships were like pie, in that they can be dissected similarly. In a Controlling relationship, one person (the Whole Pie Eater) takes over. The inverse relationship, the Victim relationship, means one person only takes a little bit of the "pie" and we call this individual the Pie Crumb Eater. The ideal relationship is a Balanced one, in which both members of the relationship take ownership of their part and try to meet the other person's needs when appropriate. During this lesson, we talked about how we play different parts depending on the situation and the other person. Oh, and we ate pie. It was fun to be able to make a connection between real-life issues and food. As you may expect, the kids liked it too!

On Friday, we meditated again, then had No Fun Friday. The students were allowed to complete word searches, draw, or play board games with their mentor/mentee partners. A great time was had by all.

Tune in next week for more fun!