January 30th - February 3rd

This week, we had our typical Mentor/Mentee Monday and Tutoring Tuesday. The highlight of the week was when we utilized the wonderful sock puppets created by our scholars to write skits that demonstrated our EmoTrolls! The students were required to make sure every team member spoke at least six lines of text and there had to be a moral to their story. As always, I was impressed with their creativity and positive messages. Here are some of the lessons our scholars found valuable: Think before you act, listen to your parents because they want what's best for you, and fighting is never the answer. Several teams performed their skits on Friday, but I'm having some trouble loading them at the moment. Stay tuned for more!

January 23rd - 27th

This week, scholars met the nine EmoTrolls: Cool and Groovy, Smiley, Stuffy, Sulky, Blamey, Gossipy, Vengy, Bully, and Bomby. As in past years, the kids really enjoyed this topic because they identify with the behaviors enacted by each character. Students were able to use relevant vocabulary and pinpoint times when they acted like an EmoTrolls. On No-Fun-Friday, we utilized a Kagan structure to make sock puppets that represent each EmoTroll. The students' creativity was, as always, astounding and I was really proud of how well they did. Take a look at some of their works of art below!

Soon, we'll be writing scripts and putting on puppet shows to demonstrate how EmoTrolls harm our relationships and devise more productive ways of handling our emotions. I can't wait to see where the scholars go from here!

January 17th - 20th

Was this week only four days? I couldn't tell because we got so much accomplished! Tutoring Tuesday was spent helping kids study for Science and Social Studies tests, as well as completing various homework assignments. Wednesdsay, Thursday, and Friday were all dedicated to Hot Buttons. I was really proud of how well the scholars identified with this concept. To make the topic more interactive, I designed an in-class project where students made artistic representations of their Hot Buttons and Cool Buttons. Take a look at some of their work!

The other exciting news from this week involved our t-shirts! The kids were thrilled to receive their shirts and many put them on immediately. We've even had teachers ask if we have extras!

January 9th - 13th

Our first full week after break was a great one! The mentors began discussing their experiences as positive leaders. They will be writing essays on their "Personal Best" and sharing them with one another over the coming weeks. I'm looking forward to hearing their tales! On Tuesday, many students were able to practice Literacy in Achieve 3000 during tutoring time. Wednesday and Thursday, we discussed biases and how they shade our view of the world. We also talked about the core emotions and the ways in which our emotions affect our ability to reason and think logically. The kids were all able to come up with some solid examples of instances when their brains were "hijacked" by their emotions and they lost control. Friday, we participated in fun team builders like Kick the Can and Cat Tails.

January 4th - 6th

Our first week of 2017 was a short, cold one! The students were placed in new Kagan Cooperative Learning teams on Wednesday, so we devoted the class to creating a new team identity. As I type this, I'm reflecting on how difficult it was for the students to reach consensus at the beginning of the year and how quickly they complete this task now. I'm incredibly proud of their growth, as it relates to relationship-building! On Friday, the scholars participated in a cherished language game called Rattled. Students are given eight random letters and they are challenged to come up with as many words as possible during a set time frame. The kids love this activity because it's fun and they get to work with their team, but I love it because we get to talk about new, interesting words!

December 12th - 16th

It truly is the most wonderful time of year at Scott Carpenter. This week, we cruised through Monday and Tuesday with our usual routine. Then, we continued exploring financial literacy by playing Bank Balance Bonanza. In this game, students practiced writing checks and balancing a checkbook. By the end of the lesson, they were able to fill out a check and find their bank balance with ease. The best part was they had fun while learning!

On Thursday, the students got into the holiday spirit by watching Elf. Today, we had a party, complete with a hot chocolate bar! Mr. Streno generously funded this and David, our representative from Westminster Schools catering department, made sure the scholars were able to enjoy the beverages all day long. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Thank you!

December 5th - 9th

Our first full week of December was rather exciting! Monday was fairly typical, except that some of the mentors are relying on their peers for personal problems, as opposed to only YESS issues. I'm extremely proud of how the scholars offer support and advice to one another in a non-judgmental way.

Tuesday, students worked on their classwork and I got to witness two special things: 1. One mentor tracked her mentee's work by contacting each teacher to rate how well the mentee was doing and 2. A mentor who was struggling to complete his assignments in a class made some real progress! The vast majority of students utilize this time effectively and I'm so proud of their efforts.

Wednesday, we watched part of a film all about finances. Students learned how to make their money work for them by distinguishing between wants and needs, setting savings goals, and using banks to manage their funds. Quite a few students said that nobody really teaches them about money, so I'm hopeful that they will remember some of this vital information.

We had a guest speaker on Thursday! Lila Rodriguez, Operations Manager at Young Americans Bank, came to talk with all the students regarding banking terminology. Young Americans Bank is the only bank in the world designed specifically for kids. It was started in 1987 by Bill Daniels, known as the "father of cable television," because Mr. Daniels read about a group of students who were unsuccessfully attempting to get a bank loan for school. Since he had earned so much money in his career and he wanted to help, he decided to start an educational bank that offered real banking opportunities. Young Americans is a special place for many reasons, but mostly because their goal is to teach kids how to manage their money, not make a profit. You can find more information about the bank here!

On Friday, we practiced demonstrating gratitude by making thank you cards for Lila and then participated in team building activities.