Dear Parents,

There is a wonderful beginning to your child’s school week on Monday and Tuesday, called Morning Meeting. It’s a great way to build community, set a positive tone, and improve academic and social skills.

Morning Meeting usually takes about 20 minutes. The students and I gather in a circle in the music room. We begin by greeting each other. We do it differently each week, although we respectfully and gently shake hands every time. For example, this week we used an adjective with our names while shaking hands. Your children get to hear his or her name spoken by a classmate in a friendly and cheerful manner.

Next, a few students share some interesting news followed by a conversation with the class. This helps students listen carefully, think about what they hear, formulate good questions, and learn about each other. When children share, they have a chance to feel that their ideas are valued and that the other children care. This is a wonderful time to bring up any issues that need to be worked on as well (diffucult subjects such as bullying).

After sharing, there is an activity for the whole class. We might play a game, or guess what we know about one another. I have a huge list of great ideas! The activity time helps the class feel united as a group, reinforces social skills, and helps the children learn how to cooperate and solve problems. The children also have an option to “pass” if they simply so not feel like participating for any reason. This rarely happens and I do keep track of participation each week.

Morning Meeting lets children know that school is a safe place where all childen’s feeling are important and ideas are important. We would love to have you visit a Morning Meeting. Just call or e-mail to let me know which day would work for you.