Theme of the Month

noun: courage

1. the ability to do something that frightens one.
   "she called on all her courage to face the ordeal"

   • strength in the face of pain or grief.
     "he fought his illness with great courage"

Courage Counts

When I think of courage, I immediately think of my Grandfather who battled cancer and my niece who did strive to live despite a defective heart. Putting on a brave face despite our fears, that takes courage. Courage is not the absence of fear but instead, the ability to move forward into what seems scary, strange, or may be unknown.

Right now the school year looks very different. COVID-19 has brought much change in many ways. And while this change may not always be welcome, we have the ability to rise above. New Highland staff is here to support all students and families. It will take courage to start a new school year coming out of 2.5 difficult years. When we gather together, let us pull on our 'armor' of strength, courage, and valor and strive as a group to learn and thrive in our "new normal."

Family Activities to Promote, Inspire and Support a Life of Courage

1) Play "Brave and Courageous" Charades game: Split into 2 teams and decide who will draw a card first. When a player draws a card, they have to act out the prompt on the card. They cannot speak but may hum. Their teammates try to guess the answer before the 3-minute timer beeps. Cards include statements about courage and bravery, courageous people, and brave characters. If the team guesses correctly they earn a point. The round ends at 3 minutes and the next team gets to play with a new card. Play until all cards are complete. No points if you don't guess the answer. Whichever team has the most points at the end of the game earns the title "Courage Champion" {cards to print are below}

2) Questions to Discuss During Dinner

1. What does brave mean to you?

2. How can you tell if someone shows courage? Bravery?

3. What are 3 ways I can show courage today?

4. Who are my role models? What makes them courageous and brave?

5. What can I do when I don't feel brave?

3) Try something new each day. This could be a food, positive talk, trying a difficult task such as learning to ride a bike, and more. As a family, keep a log of each person's name, the date, and what they tried? Try this for 1 week then gather together to read about everyone's courageous and brave accomplishments.

4)For young kids: Create "courage" badges. Use construction paper, markers, stickers, and other art supplies to create your own "I am Brave" and "I Have Courage" badges/hats/bracelets. For older kids/youth, they can write out a Courage Contract. They will commit to showing courage and being brave each day, especially when it is hard. They can add poetry, drawings or any other personal touches to make it their own.

5) Have each family member pick a person who shows bravery and courage in their daily job. (Younger kids can team up with a parent/guardian). Take a few minutes to research your person [ex. Scientist, soldier, famous individual from the past...] then present your findings to your family members. What made/makes him/her brave? Courageous? Where there times he/she was not brave? How did he/she persevere and overcome barriers?