It's 2024...the year you graduate! 

Give your advisees an index card or a half sheet of paper and have them write down the following prompts & then respond to them in writing:

• Name one thing that has gone really well for you this school year. Consider sharing this with the group.

• Name one thing that you want to make sure happens before you graduate in June. Describe what you will do to make sure it happens.

• Name someone you'd like to reconnect with before the end of the school year. How will you make that happen?

• Name someone who has made a difference in your life this year. Make a plan to express your gratitude to that person.

• Name something you need to wrap up before the end of the first semester.

Have people share one of the ideas they wrote about. 

Encourage your advisees to put this in a place where they will see it every day. Encourage them to add to/adjust the list as the semester goes on.

JUST FOR FUN 

• Share a picture and/or a fun story from your vacation with the group. Model this with your group by being the first to share.

• Don't forget about our daily/weekly features linked below.

MLK Day a Week Early

Please watch this video.

• A quote from the video: "Love will overcome all the fear." Take some time to unpack this quote. 

• Here is an article on anti-racism that your group could read. It shows up as a link at the end of this article on the psychology of racism. 

• Have your group respond to the article using the Save the Last Word for ME protocol.

• While your group is reading one or both of the articles, consider playing MLK and In the Name of Love, both by U2, both about Dr. King

Winter Carnival is Coming

• Start off with Connections (linked above). Consider trying one (or both) of the other linked features as well. 

• Here is the list of Wolf Dens with locations. Your Wolf Den name is left over from last year. Have your group decide if they'd like to keep or change the name. If you decide to change the name, please add your new name as a comment on your cell name and we'll make the adjustment.

• Have your group start thinking about your sled design and theme. What worked last year? How can your group make it better.

• Here is the slide deck from our faculty meeting last week. Review the schedule with your group so they know what's coming. Given that you are seniors, your Wolf Den will be looking to you for leadership. What can you do to help get the 9th graders involved and feel an important part of the group?

• If time allows, try an energizer from our list.

Miscellaneous Items

2nd hit on Winter Carnival: Winter Carnival is happening on Friday February 16. Please explain to your group what Winter Carnival is if they don't know. There is going to be a survey for students to select off campus activities (the bigger ones that cost the school money and we need health information in advance for). Later they will be able to select on campus activities, but not yet. The off campus activities have limited space so students will want to fill out the survey ASAP. The form will be live at 8:30am on Wednesday January 24. The survey will be posted in so many places! If they miss it, they haven't been paying enough attention... Here are all the places it will be:

• email

• Instagram

• SBHS app/website

• Schoology

Check in: Would you Rather? This is a great way to generate fun discussion in your group. Don't just answer the question, have folks share their thinking regarding their choices.

• Would you rather play sports or watch them?

• Would you rather be part of the Incredibles family or the Weasley family?

• Would you rather live in a world of legos or a world of cartoons?

• Would you rather have a pet dinosaur or a pet dragon?

• Would you rather live in a house made of cheese or a house made of cookie dough?

• Would you rather be a mouse or an elephant?

• Would you rather be invisible or be able to fly?

• Would you rather live at Disney World or Sea World?

• Have the group come up with their own.

Weekly/Daily Features: Try the NYT News Quiz, Connections, or the Frequency podcast (linked below)

Mix and Match

Just for Fun:

• Throwback to an item from December: Have advisees pair up and learn/show card magic tricks and coin magic tricks from this website. You can also advisees check out Ash Marlow's account on Instagram.

• Revisit your group's favorite energizer (two popular energizers include Chalkboard Sentences & Couch)

Weekly/Daily Features: NYT News Quiz, Connections, & the Frequency podcast  (linked above).

Here is a short piece on procrastination from Character Lab. While the main audience is adults/parents, this article translates perfectly fine to seniors. Not a bad topic to consider as we enter the second semester of senior year and the potential of contracting senioritis looms.

Winter Carnival Brainstorm

• Please have any advisees who didn't fill out the yearbook dedication form complete the form today. Thank you.

• Start the day off with Connections and the Frequency. There have been some good episodes lately.

• Take some time to begin thinking about sled design and Wolf Den organization. One of the challenges of bringing full Wolf Dens together is how to engage everyone in a meaningful way. How can your group organize and facilitate your Wolf Den to help everyone feel welcome?

• If time allows, try completing some Sporcle quizzes or playing the energizer Contact.