Flex Friday Day 5

Here are three new poses. Let me know which type of poses you like best and I will see if I can find more like that to share.

~Jeanna

Renew...

Did anyone else feel October slip away with goals unmet, jobs unfinished, things undone?  I sure did!  I was feeling bad about some of these things and decided it was time to buck up!  No regrets allowed.  We can RENEW effort and MOVE forward and on with those goals, jobs, and things.
Part of the renewal I needed was a positive reframe.  October brought some difficulties at work.  I found myself feeling grumpy and needing chocolate more frequently.  I discovered I was not the only one feeling this way.  So with that in mind it is time to introduce...

FRIENDSGIVING!!

For the next month we want to refocus our positive efforts with each other.  I think we all can use it!  You will find leaves cut out with markers in the faculty room.  Please take the time to fill one kind statement about another staff member once a week.  Let's spread some kindness!

We also want to introduce our Social Outing of the month.  We are doing it in house this month!!  On Tuesday, October 22 at 1:30 we will be having a FRIENDSGIVING potluck in the faculty room.  If you so desire, bring any kind of food item to share.  We will also have a quick little white elephant game.  The white elephant gift must be $2.00 or less.  We will have this siesta for about 1/2 hour to kick off our Thanksgiving Break!! 

I want you all to know how much I appreciate our staff.  We have a wonderful group of teachers and support staff.  I love working at Gourley and hope to see everyone at the potluck!

~ Amber

Flex Friday Day 4

~Jeanna

Meditation Monday

I'm sharing a guided meditation that focuses on helping you if you are struggling to sleep. It is 26 minutes long.

Sleep

Sweet Dreams
~Jeanna

Flex Friday

Here is round three of poses to give a try.

~Jeanna

Meditation Monday

Here are two more apps that you can look into for meditation. The first is Chakra Meditation. It has calming music that is free. There is also in app purchases. The second, is Sleep Pillow. It has calming sounds that you can play for free, but also has in app purchases.

If you would prefer a podcast link with a guided meditation sequence I've included it for you.

Relax Episode 2

Flex Friday

Here are a few more yoga poses to try.

~Jeanna

Healthy Party/Snack Recipes

It is party season!  Everywhere we turn there is a new party/event that we need to bring a treat to.  As yummy as everything is, it is nice to have a lighter and healthier version to take!  Here are some of my favorites:

Caprese Salad.  

It is one of my all time favorite things to eat and my first go to for parties!  It is so simple to make but is so easy to change up.  For dinner, I simply cut my tomato, salt and pepper it, add the mozzarella slice, throw on basil and top with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and either balsamic vinegar or balsamic vinegar glaze.

For parties, I like to spruce it up a bit.  Some fun ideas include putting mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, and basil leaves on a skewer.  Or, you can use a slice of artisan bread (today I used sourdough) and top with the tomato, cheese, chopped basil, EVOO, and balsamic vinegar glaze.
Another fun variation is using avocados!!    

"Banana Ice Cream."  

EASIEST thing to make in the world!  Mash a frozen banana (made easier with a wonderful blender!) with vanilla.  Eat.  The texture really is like ice cream.

Hummus.  

Can't go wrong here.  The nice thing about hummus is that you can make your own or buy it.  Every grocer has it these days.  Pairs nicely with any veggie as well as pita bread.  It also is a nice condiment for sandwiches!

Salsa. 

Here is my favorite salsa recipe:

Cranberry Avocado Salsa
courtesy of Martha Stewart

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 TBSP fresh lime juice, 2 TBSP honey, 1 minced jalapeño (seeds removed for less heat), and 1/4 cup chopped red onion.  Add 2 ripe avocados, cut into 1/4 inch pieces, 3/4 cup halved cranberries, drained well on paper towels, and 2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.  Toss gently to combine.

Snacks:

I just found a recipe for dipping grapes into melted white chocolate.  Haven't tried it but it sounds delish!!

I have just found this cookie recipe that I love!!  Beware: because it does not use flour, it is a very soft cookie.  Plan on eating these cookies within 24 hours for best taste!

Apple Spice Cookies
courtesy of Tone It Up

SERVINGS

12 cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2
  cup oats
• 1
  scoop vanilla Protein powder
• 1/4
  cup ground flax seed
• 1
  egg
• 2
  medium apples, diced and peeled
• 1/4
  cup coconut oil, melted
• 1
  banana, smashed
• 1
  tsp. vanilla
• 1
  tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4
  tsp. salt
  
  
  STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350° degrees. 

STEP 2: Mash banana in medium bowl. Add egg, coconut oil and vanilla and stir. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Combine wet mixture into dry and stir until fully incorporated. Peel & dice apples. Fold apples into batter. 

STEP 3: Place parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Use a spoon to place cookie batter onto baking sheet. Makes 12 cookies. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Note: I did not have flax seed on hand and used chia seeds instead.  Worked perfectly!!

Meditation Monday

Happy Monday,

I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend. Today for Meditation Monday I wanted to share some apps I use for meditation. Some are free and others have a small expense.

The first is an app called Headspace. There is a 10 day free section and then there is a monthly fee. I have only used the free section. I like this because there are some mindful videos that take between 1:00-1:30 minutes. Then 10 minutes of guided meditation.

Another app I like is Naturespace. It also has some free sections as well as purchases. It is just peaceful sounds like the ocean or a birdsong. You can set a timer for a specific amount of time.

~Jeanna

Flex Friday

Here are some yoga poses to try to stretch out those tight muscles that teachers so often have.

~Jeanna

Thoughtful Thursday

You only have control over three things in your life- the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take.

-Jack Canfield

Happy Thursday

~Jeanna

Tone It Up Tuesday

For my workout this week that I will be sharing we will be doing a very simple yoga sequence. It's even called a couch potato yoga. I think everyone could do it. All you need is a couch or chair and access to YouTube. We will be meeting in the conference room at 3:40, if you would like to join us. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.

Here's the link if you would like to try it on your own:

Yoga with Adriene

Meditation Monday

One of the things that has really helped me over the past year with the stress and anxiety of teaching is meditation. I would like to share with you some of the resources I have tried. Sometimes just taking a quick moment to focus on your breathing can really change your mindset. If you have more time, there are guided meditations and then there are some that just play sounds or music in the background. You can see what you like best.

This week I'm sharing a guided meditation podcast that I use frequently. It only takes 10 minutes. Let me know if you try it.

Meditation episode 146


Jeanna

Thoughtful Thursday

Got to love alliteration, right?

I thought that on Friday Eve we could all use a positive thought to get us to the end of the day on Friday.
"Spending time with children allows us to experience our own sincere enjoyment of activities-going to the circus, decorating cookies, making balloon animals-that we wouldn't undertake on our own."

Have any of you tried positive affirmations? I really enjoy them. I use them when working out or when I'm trying to re-frame my mind. Sometimes I post them on my home screen of my phone or write them on a note card that I can see multiple times throughout the day.
Here are a few, maybe one will peak your interest.

May my heart be kind, my mind fierce, and my spirit brave.

Where I am right now is exactly where I need to be.

I surround myself by those who make me better.

Every day in every way, I'm getting better and better.

Jeanna

Walking Wednesday

Sorry we had a late start today to our walk. Thanks to those that joined us. It was lovely to get out even for 10 minutes in the sun and just breathe and chat. Hope to see you next week.

Jeanna

Tuesday Toning!

Let's Do This!

Are you ready for our first workout???  I am so excited!!

I'm sharing a workout from my favorite workout program, Tone It Up.  They are fun, short, but good workouts.  Today, we will be completing the Conference Room workout.  10 minutes, a guaranteed burn, and no workout clothes needed!  

Click HERE if you choose to do the workout on your own.

Come to the conference room Tuesday at 3:40 if you choose to join me!  I will be in business clothing...I have a meeting at 4. :)

AND...don't forget to join us in the gym at 3:40 for our Walking Wednesday.  We can go as far/short, as anyone wants.  It's totally flexible!!  Can't wait to see you there.

~ Amber

Carolyn's Delicious Healthy Recipe

There were several requests for a copy of the yummy quinoa salad Carolyn made, so here it is: 

 

Winner!!!

We have a new winner from our step competion last week! Congratulations to Coach Eddie for winning 1st place with a total of 111,569 steps for the workweek!! It was a close second for Wendy at 106,658 steps!! Congratulations and let's see who wins this week!! 

Don't forget you can now compete without a Fitbit by downloading a free app: 
 https://stridekick.com//challenges/43083/gourley-steppers

Faculty Social Outings

Greats times with great friends and co-workers!! We'd love to see everyone come out for next month's social activity!!

 

Oktoberfest

Pokémon Go Walk

 

 

 
 

 

Compete in the Step Competition without a Fitbit!!

We found an app that seems to work with  other devices besides Fitbits! If you are using your phone or another brand of step tracker download the free app and we can track steps together!! Use the link below to join: 

https://stridekick.com//challenges/43083/gourley-steppers

Healthy Food!

For those of you who don't know, Mary Ann has amazing baskets of produce available on Saturdays! Fresh fruits and veggies every week!! If you are interested talk with her!

Staff Social Activity

WINNER!!!!

Congratulations to Wendy for winning the first week of the step competition!!! I am seriously impressed by how much some of our teachers are waking every day!! We have some new competitors starting next week so we will have to see how our leader board changes! Great job to everyone!!! 

Food Pantry

Thank you to everyone who came out to help with the Food Pantry today!! It was a great turnout for the first time!!

Sonic Night

Looks like the Sonic Night was a lot of fun!! Check out our awesome teachers out there supporting our PTA!  If anyone has more pictures please send them in and we can get them posted!!

First Step Competition!

Hope everyone is having a great Holiday Weekend! Even though we are not at school today, our first Step Competition has officially begun! If you sent in your FitBit e-mail, you should have been added to the challenge! If you don't see it, please resend me your e-mail and I'll get you added right away! There is still time to join for the week!! If you are using another step counter, just send in your totals and I will include you in the running! We will announce the winner at the end of the day Friday!!

Let's get stepping!!! :)

*B*R*A*G**T*A*G*S*

Since there is some buzz around the school about Brag Tags and how completely awesome they are, we thought it could be nice to do a post about them! If you are using Brag Tags in your classroom, e-mail a picture or your ideas to Amanda. We would love to post them here so everyone can get ideas and inspiration on how to use them!  If you aren't using them ask one of the teachers who are if you want some ideas!

I love Brag Tags!! Even in 6th grade, my students get excited and cheer for each other when someone gets a new Tag. They love wearing them in the classroom and I can't wait to share them with parents at SEPs!

Ms. Sessions

Ms. Skeete

Ms. Matthews

Ms. Heslington

Hello Wonderful Teachers!!!

We are so excited about all of the amazing things happening in the building! We want this Blog to be a place to share celebrations and exciting information with each other! Please leave a comment with any celebrations for the month of August so we can celebrate together!

Let's get this party started!!!