home school connection · Habit #3 – Put First Things First Habit #3 – Put First Things First...
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home / school connection November, 2017 Dear Families, We enjoyed a great late start day full of lots of leadership and learning! Today’s focus was Habit #3 – Put First Things First. On each late start day this year we will be focusing on a different habit. Your child will also spend time learning about the 7 Habits during daily learning in his/her classroom. Our format for late start days this year will involve classroom learning, Buddy Class activities, and an all-school assembly. The Buddy Class activity will be completed in a large group. Two classes of students (primary and intermediate grades paired together) will meet to get to know one another and complete activities on each late start day. These Buddy Classes will also be paired together at the end of the year for Field Day. Below and on the reverse you will find specific information about Habit #3 – Put First Things First. You will also find learning extensions that you can complete as a family to further your understanding of this habit. Thank you so much for your support from home and for fostering the leader in your child! Fondly, The Bellerive Staff Habit #3 – Put First Things First Habit #3 – Put First Things First is the habit of self-management, and taking care of important things first. In the third story from the book, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, students learned about Pokey the Porcupine, who LOVES to procrastinate. In the story “Pokey and the Spelling Test,” Pokey is introduced to six spelling words on Monday. His teacher tells him to study all week long for the spelling test on Friday. Pokey has good intentions to study, but he decides to do other things instead, and puts off studying until the last minute. He crammed for the spelling test on Thursday night, failed the test on Friday, and learned that he needed to put first things first. He learned to study first before he went out to play. He also learned that it feels far better to be prepared than to wait until the last minute and fail. Today all students created a project illustrating the things that they put first - their personal “big rocks and small rocks.” The big rocks represent the important things that must be put first before anything else – they are urgent and cannot wait (brushing your teeth, completing homework, making your bed, etc.). The small rocks represent the things that are important, but are not urgent and can wait (watching TV, playing a game, coloring a picture, etc.). Home / School Connection Extension For tonight’s Home / School Connection extension please talk as a family and determine some additional “big rocks and small rocks” that are important to your family. Feel free to add these to the project your child created at school today. Please keep this project at home and refer to it as you notice your child putting first things first. On the reverse is a Habit Playbook with additional Habit #3 – Put First Things First activities for you to use at home. As you are working together (Habit #6 – Synergize) be proactive (Habit #1 – Be Proactive), have a plan (Habit #2 – Begin with the End in Mind), and listen to one another (Habit #5 – Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood), and have fun with your wonderful child (Habit #7 – Sharpen the Saw).
Transcript of home school connection · Habit #3 – Put First Things First Habit #3 – Put First Things First...
home / school connection
November, 2017 Dear Families,
We enjoyed a great late start day full of lots of leadership and learning! Today’s focus was Habit #3 – Put First Things
First. On each late start day this year we will be focusing on a different habit. Your child will also spend time learning about
the 7 Habits during daily learning in his/her classroom. Our format for late start days this year will involve classroom learning,
Buddy Class activities, and an all-school assembly. The Buddy Class activity will be completed in a large group. Two classes of
students (primary and intermediate grades paired together) will meet to get to know one another and complete activities on
each late start day. These Buddy Classes will also be paired together at the end of the year for Field Day.
Below and on the reverse you will find specific information about Habit #3 – Put First Things First. You will also find
learning extensions that you can complete as a family to further your understanding of this habit.
Thank you so much for your support from home and for fostering the leader in your child!
Fondly,
The Bellerive Staff
Habit #3 – Put First Things First
Habit #3 – Put First Things First is the habit of self-management, and taking care of important things first. In the
third story from the book, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, students learned about Pokey the Porcupine, who LOVES to
procrastinate. In the story “Pokey and the Spelling Test,” Pokey is introduced to six spelling words on Monday. His teacher tells
him to study all week long for the spelling test on Friday. Pokey has good intentions to study, but he decides to do other things
instead, and puts off studying until the last minute. He crammed for the spelling test on Thursday night, failed the test on
Friday, and learned that he needed to put first things first. He learned to study first before he went out to play. He also
learned that it feels far better to be prepared than to wait until the last minute and fail.
Today all students created a project illustrating the things that they put first - their personal “big rocks and small
rocks.” The big rocks represent the important things that must be put first before anything else – they are urgent and
cannot wait (brushing your teeth, completing homework, making your bed, etc.). The small rocks represent the things that are
important, but are not urgent and can wait (watching TV, playing a game, coloring a picture, etc.).
Home / School Connection Extension
For tonight’s Home / School Connection extension please talk as a family and determine some additional “big rocks and
small rocks” that are important to your family. Feel free to add these to the project your child created at school today.
Please keep this project at home and refer to it as you notice your child putting first things first. On the reverse is a Habit
Playbook with additional Habit #3 – Put First Things First activities for you to use at home. As you are working together (Habit
#6 – Synergize) be proactive (Habit #1 – Be Proactive), have a plan (Habit #2 – Begin with the End in Mind), and listen to one
another (Habit #5 – Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood), and have fun with your wonderful child (Habit #7 –
Sharpen the Saw).
Click to view the videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-mk6ijass4 (start at 12:30)
Habit 3 - Put First Things First means to decide what is most important and to take care of that first. Thinking about what needs to be done tomorrow or by the end of the week can be overwhelming, especially for children. Learning to think of which things are the most important and taking care of them first allows children (and adults) to be less stressed. If your child uses a planner at school, then he or she has a great organizational tool to Put First Things First in writing. By writing down his or her responsibilities and planning ahead, last-minute trips to the store, missed events, or missed homework are avoided. If your child does not use a planner, having a weekly log would also be helpful. This could simply be a piece of paper that is used each week. Modeling this behavior is one of the best ways to teach children.
Bolt’s Habit Playbook
Reflection Questions:-How does the baby bird put first things first?-What is the question the baby bird wants to know?-How do you put first things first at home?-What is one thing you could do to improve putting first things first at home?-How do you put first things first at school?-What is one thing you could do to improve putting first things first at school?
Reflection Questions:-How is Jamaica not putting first things first at the beginning of the story?-What changes her mind to put first things first and return the stuffed dog?-What happens after she returns the stuffed dog?-Have you ever found anything and if so what did you do after you found it? Did you put first things first?-What could you do to put first things first in your life this week?
Put First Things First
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