Many of our schools have been using mindfulness as a tool for helping students and staff with their emotional and mental well being. Our schools have also been providing mindfulness training for staff. Several schools have created a space in the school for mindfulness to occur. For example, CH Bird, calls their space a Mindful Room and at Creekside it is called the Zen Den. This is a place students and staff can go to get some peace, quiet, and practice mindful breathing.
CH Bird recently wrote a grant to get hip hop artist/mindfulness instructor, JusTme (from the Bay Area in California) to come for an Artist in Residence program for two weeks. In December, the Sun Prairie Education Foundation awarded the school with a large grant to make this happen. Judy Thompson, the Soclal Worker at Bird School says, "The students and staff really gravitated towards him and his message of self-love, kindness, and mindfulness in ways we never could have anticipated. JusTme has been working with grade-level classes during Guidance time. He has also met with our staff and provided us with meaningful practices we can use throughout the day for ourselves, and with students. His music and words have inspired us, and we wanted to share his work with others."
JusTme was at Westside Elementary last fall and will be at Creekside Elementary soon. Other elementary schools will be working with JusTme soon.