And here we are ….it's June!

The end of our unplanned virtual school year is coming quickly.

Summer is on the horizon…🌅

We feel it in the warmth of the sun☀️the gorgeous bloom of growth all around🌷and the lengthening of days and milder nights🌌 (aside from last few...Brrrr)

Summer does seem to have a sensory signature~ you can smell it, feel it and maybe even taste it🍦!

Maybe the end feels like it can't come soon enough because you are feeling tired🥱 since our school year evolved into an unimaginable challenge 🏋️ -being apart, teaching and learning in new ways💻 and dealing with many feelings of loss and disappointment.

As we get closer to wrapping up this academic year it is a good time to take note of things that were accomplished, the hurdles jumped and the growth made.📋 ✔️📈

We learned a lot about how to be flexible🤸🏻‍♀️, adapt, persevere and make the best out of a tough situation💪🏻. New ways of learning were experienced and experimented with. 💻🎧We witnessed that the WCS school community spirit does live outside the physical school building. 💫

We have much to be proud of and celebrate. 👏🏻🎉

The finish line is in sight.

🏃🏿‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏿‍♂️🏃🏼‍♂️

Stay Burgher Strong!💪🏻

💙💛

WCS Support Team

Meditation is a great way to train the mind by using the mind. Hmmm... what exactly does that mean!? Well, it means observing wandering and repetitive thoughts and the feelings attached without “getting involved” by changing, judging or exploring them.

The goal of meditation is to just be aware of mental “notes” as they arise and notice patterns. This with practice can ultimately lead to inner balance and more peace.

Still unsure? Envision your mind like a puppy. Puppies are constantly getting themselves into trouble and can be chaotic. One moment chewing on the couch, the next moment investigating a bug crawling and a moment later stuck behind the washing machine. Sound familiar? Our minds are like this too. They are constantly darting between distractions, imagining the future and replaying past experiences - getting lost in over thinking of all experiences. When we train a puppy we need to be aware of its movement and bring it back close and to safety. We work on teaching it to sit and be still. Similarly, in mediation we will need to let the thoughts and the feelings with them drift by and bring ourselves back to stillness and focus- maybe to the breath or a positive intention (ex: I am safe, I am ok just as I am)

Give it a try. If it doesn’t go well.. that’s ok. It’s called mediation practice for a reason. 🐶it takes time and patience to train puppies and brains.

If your day (whole life) is feeling wacky then take a moment to look over some of the coping strategies and ideas we put together for students and families.

These ideas are simple but can make a big difference in helping us to feel grounded, calm and able to manage the stress that we are all facing.

The breathing exercises may seem silly at first but they are truly effective in restoring calm for all age groups. Try one or two with your kids!

Expressive arts - drawing, writing and singing- can be very helpful at this time. We are limited in where we can go but recalling a ‘happy place’ and the memories (sighs, sounds, smells , feelings) associated with this ‘happy place’ can be very therapeutic.