Thorson Elementary Wellness Corner- December : Emotional Wellness

Thorson Wellness Corner

December: Emotional Wellness

In today’s fast-paced society, students are faced with an enormous range of stressors to navigate in their young lives. It is important for students to develop strong resiliency skills throughout their childhood to help them learn to cope with change, hardships, and challenges that will help foster a strong level of emotional wellness they can tap into throughout their lives.

Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., MS Ed, FAAP, a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP),  and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) authored A Parent’s Guide to Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Your Child Roots and Wings. Their book provides a great resource to help parents and caregivers build resilience in children, teens, and young adults. Dr. Ginsburg has identified seven “C”s of resilience: competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping, and control.

One of the C’s that lends itself well to many community, home, and school activities this month is Contribution. Whether it is through the Thorson Elementary School/Kapco Toy Drive, helping a neighbor shovel their sidewalk, or through spending quality time with loved ones, students can gain a sense of emotional well-being from contributing their time and/or resources to helping others, through random acts of kindness or otherwise. “Children need to realize that the world is a better place because they are in it. Understanding the importance of personal contribution can serve as a source of purpose and motivation.” Children learn how to contribute by:

· Understanding that many people in the world do not have what they need

· Learning to serve others by observing others modeling generosity

· Having opportunities to contribute in some specific way

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/emotional-wellness/Pages/Building-Resilience-in-Children.aspx

Winter Physical Activity Tips for Thorson Students and Families

Thorson Elementary School 
Physical Education

Building a Strong, Healthy, and Fit 
School Community

Making Family Time an Active Time

Tips for Getting Kids More Physically Active

Children and teens should be moderately active for at least 60 minutes on most, if not all, days, and vigorously active at least 30 minutes 3-4 days a week. One of the best ways to to encourage physical activity is through active family time!

When the whole family is involved in physical activities together, children learn that being active is fun, healthy, makes them feel good, and helps improves their academic learning.

Thorson students have been busy learning about the benefits of physical activity throughout the school year.  

Physical activity:

· Increases fitness levels and keeps the heart and lungs strong and healthy.

· Builds and maintains healthy bones and stronger muscles.

· Increases overall strength and endurance.

· Helps control weight to decrease the risk of many diseases.

· Stimulates the brain and contributes to academic success.

· Boosts energy and promotes sound sleep.

· Helps you feel good about yourself and promotes positive emotional well-being.

· Relieves stress and provides a way to connect to family and friends.

Thorson's 10th Annual JRFH/HFH Event = Huge Success!

2013 Thorson Elementary JRFH/HFH Wrap-up

Thorson students did an OUTSTANDING job participating in this year's Jump Rope and Hoops for Heart event! 

It was so much fun! Glow in the Dark shooting, hula hooping, and jump roping continues to be a big hit with Thorson students, along with all the other great basketball and jump rope activities! 

A very special thank you goes out to Melissa Stowers, Michelle Pries, Stacy Mose, Kristen Hurt, and John Winter, as well as the CHS Varsity Basketball teams and ALL the fabulous parent and student volunteers who came to help out! Thank you so much for helping to make this a great event for our students! 

During this year's JRFH/HFH event, Thorson recognized and honored six students and younger siblings who have already had to deal with heart health issues/surgeries and stroke issues in their short lives. These families and all the other loved ones that we jumped in honor and in memory of are a big part of why it is so important to share JRFH/HFH at our school. Students learn some fun facts about their heart, how it functions, and why it is so important to be active, get enough sleep, and eat healthy. Upper elementary students learn about risk factors for heart disease and what can be done to prevent the factors they can control. They also use pedometers and heart rate monitors to help understand the connections between physical activity and heart health, and to learn more about resting and target heart rates.

This year Thorson students and families raised $12,457.50 for American Heart Association! Truly awesome and beyond words! Jack Z., Kale K., and Maddie M. were the top three fundraiser for Thorson this year, and will have the opportunity to attend the Milwaukee Bucks game on March 24th as well as participate in the pre-game festivities. Congratulations, Jack, Kale, and Maddie! Mrs. Gibson, Thorson Elementary Principal, and I will soon be dressing up like the AHA Super Hero Duck to congratulate the students for their efforts!

After ten years of participating in Jump Rope and Hoops for Heart, Thorson Elementary School has raised over $115,000 for American Heart Association!