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Oak Ridge Elementary School

Melissa Mann

Mrs. Mann is the Counselor at Oak Ridge.  She has been an educator for 15 years.  She graduated with her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education from Lubbock Christian University, and her Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling from Angelo State University.  Mrs. Mann loves spending time with her family, hiking, reading, and baking.  She and her husband have been married for 25 years.  They have 3 daughters and several fur babies.
  
"I believe that educators are given the great task of preparing children and young adults for life.  Education is not an imitation of life but a preparation for life.  The essence of education is to acquire knowledge to become successful students and productive citizens." ~Mrs. Mann
 

Posts

A Challenge to Students to Persevere

Mrs. Mann's recent topic with 4th and 5th graders is perseverance and grit.  We read a book called Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty.  In this book, young Iggy is passionate about building and creating, only to have his passion squashed.  An unfortunate event calls for him to get creative and build a bridge to save the same teacher that squashed his passion.  The story ends with Iggy speaking to young students about architecture and becoming a master builder.  We also watched the TED talk called The Mindset of a Champion.  Fifth grade speaker Carson Byblow challenges students to persevere and work through even the most difficult trials.  We discussed the importance of working hard to become better at something.  Giving up is never an option!

Educational blogger, Mindy Thierolf describes the power of the word ‘yet’ perfectly. 

"In a world depleted of hope; in a world of wanting what we want, when we want; it expresses our required patience and belief in one’s self or another person’s abilities to realize that some things are worth waiting for and those things take work, time and don’t always come in the form of anything that could be remotely easy. It’s not counting someone’s socioeconomic status as an excuse for success or failure; it’s a “You can do it!” attitude. It’s a type of “hope” that we have, and it’s not easy, but if you really think about it, it is exactly the process that allows for success; the power of YET" (Thierolf, para.1).

Watch The Mindset of a Champion here.

Resources:

Byblow, Carson. The Mindset of a Champion | Carson Byblow | TEDxYouth@AASSofia. The Mindset of a Champion , TEDx Talks, www.youtube.com/watch?v=px9CzSZsa0Y&t=38s.

Thierolf, Mindy, and . “Growth Mindset: The Power of ‘Yet.’” The Educators Room, 21 June 2017, theeducatorsroom.com/growth-mindset/.

 

 

 

 

 

Back to School Time!

Hello Oak Ridge Family!
 
We are so happy to be back in the building learning together!
Some have opted for virtual learning, and we are so glad to see all of you as well!
As the school counselor, I have made it my goal to help meet the social-emotional needs of all of our learners.  In doing so, guidance lessons will be taught in the classroom every six weeks and I will continue to meet with students during their lunch times. 
As a parent, you can also help your child's social emotional development.  District counselors have worked hard to gather resources for parents to use at home to help their children during this pandemic.  Sometimes it is hard to find the words, and we want to help you.  
If you have a concern and would like for me to visit with your child please fill out the support form.  Once I receive the form, I will be in contact with you to obtain a signed consent for virtual support if your child is a virtual learner.  Feel free to fill out this form if your child is on campus as well.   
 
I can also be reached at 806-794-5200.  
 
Thank you for sharing your children with us!  It is going to be a great year! 
As always, "It's a great day to be a Tiger!" 
 
Sincerely,
Mrs. Mann  
 
 

Time Capsule

Greetings!
This time capsule is a neat keepsake that your child can complete during their time at home.  I hope the school work is coming along and that your family is creating fun memories together.  Please let me know if I can assist you in any way by completing the Counselor Referral Form on my page.  I will be in touch with you as soon as possible upon receiving the form.
 

Announcement From Mrs. Mann

Hello Oak Ridge Family!

I already miss your kiddo's sweet smiles and daily greetings.

I wanted to provide students and parents with a few tips for the upcoming weeks! These are difficult times, but we will all get through it together!

Here are 5 activities to do each day to help with your mental and emotional health.

  1. Show Kindness- you can show kindness to people in your home by helping or by emailing a kind message to friends or teachers. All the staff emails are available on the Oak Ridge website.
  2. Reflect- take time for yourself to reflect on life each day. Writing your feelings in a journal or through a drawing can be very calming.
  3. Spend time outside- go for a walk, ride your bike or throw the ball with your family. Sunshine and fresh air are VERY good for our mental health. 
  4. Practice- in order to keep our brains active and in “school mode” we need to: Read or listen to a book online, work on your math facts, work on building vocabulary or write in your journals.
  5. Laughter- find JOY and have a GROWTH MINDSET in something every day! It is important in difficult times to find joy in your daily life. Sometimes it is easy to get down on life in hard times, so seek out times of joy and talk to your families about the JOY you find each day. Continue to have a growth mindset.

Email or TEXT me pictures of you and your family doing these activities listed! I would love to continue seeing our students exhibiting kindness, joy and growth mindsets!

I am here to support you and your family in whatever way you may need.

Please email me with any questions or concerns.  I will be checking my emails frequently throughout the day and will respond in a timely manner.  My email is mmann@frenship.us

Look for the Emotional Learning Activities to do at home in a post on my page.  If you want to email or text me a picture of you completing the activities, I would love to see them and share with our Oak Ridge staff!                                 

                                                                ♥ Mrs. Mann