Northside
Backpack
NOV. 2015
Connection
GALM STUDENTS TAKE ACTION JUSTSERVE.ORG Become a volunteer
Pumpkin Contest Benefits District Seniors
TEACHING GRATITUDE Connecting Our Families, Our Schools and Our Local Businesses In the Northside School District Backpack Connection
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Backpack Connection
Distributed into the Backpacks of 48,000 Plus NISD Elementary Students
NOVEMBER
Contributiong Writers Educate and Empower Kids E Art Direction Susie Fluckiger Sales Audra Miller Megan Wilson Publisher BP PUBLISHING LLC
Service Sets an Example
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Westwood Terrace Elementary Pumpkin Contest Benefits Seniors
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Highlighted Schools
7, 9
In the Spotlight
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Three Fun Thanksgiving Traditions to Start with Your Family
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How Gratitude Empowers Kids
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Put Family Time on Your Calendar
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Content for the Elementary School pages contributed by each school. Backpack Connection magazines are published every six weeks during the school year by BP Publishing LLC. The advertisements in this magazine are paid for by the advertisers, which allows this magazine to be distributed free to the families of the HOHPHQWDU\ VWXGHQWV 8QOHVV VSHFLÂżFDOO\ QRWHG QR DGYHUWLVHUV products or services are endorsed by the publisher, BISD, or NISD, or any districts employees. Publishers (BP PUBLISHING LLC) are not responsible for omissions, errors or misinformation within this publication. All real estate advertised within this publication are subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act,which make it illegally to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings adverting are available on an equal opportunity basis. Reproductions of this magazine in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.
ADVERTISING AND GENERAL INFORMATION Encouraging, Supporting and Loving the Children We Share...
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Service Sets an Example Actions Speak Louder Than Words We can’t just be a “Do As I Say, Not As I Do” parent and expect our kids to follow our words. We have to practice what we preach! Want the kids to speak kindly to one another? Let them hear you speaking kindly to your spouse. Do you want them to have a good attitude about work? Then, we need to not complain when we have a task at hand. Want kids who are service minded? Then, we must be intentional about modeling that before them. It’s true, we can’t just be a “Do As I Say, Not As I Do” parent and expect
our kids to follow our words. We have to practice what we preach!
Make Service a Habit The thing about being an example to our children, it is not just a one time deal. We can’t just do it around the holidays or participate in a school or work service project once a year and expect them to get it. You probably already model service to your kids and you just don’t realize it. Holding the door for others? Service. Taking a meal to a friend in need? Service. Setting the neighbor’s newspaper by the front door? Service. Service does not always have to be planned or put on the calendar. It can be a state of mind and something always close to our heart.
How Kids Can Serve There are lots of opportunities for parents
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and kids to serve. Kids as young as 2 and 3 can walk around their neighborhood or a local park and help pick up litter. They can stand with their parents and ring the bell outside stores during the holidays for The Salvation Army. Also, once kids get to elementary age, their schools often offer service opportunities. Do they love animals? How about giving time to the local shelter. Do they love making crafts? How about taking supplies to the hospital and leading a workshop with sick children? Do they love to read? How about having them read to the elderly? Service to other’s promotes gratitude in your child. A study conducted by Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, reveals that cultivating gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25 percent. It can also cause individuals to live happier, more satisfied lives and enjoy increased levels of self-esteem, hope, empathy and optimism. Other studies have shown that kids who practice grateful thinking have more positive attitudes toward school and family.
My boys recently came home from a service project, beaming head to toe. To my amazement, they had all volunteered to help sort toys for our local Sheriff Department for their Blue Santa Program. They sorted, tagged, bagged and stored toys with several other area young men. Teenagers are often self absorbed, so it was refreshing to see them taking the time to help someone else. They were so excited about the project they volunteered to go back and help more at a later date. It was evident that my boys had been changed that day by doing service for others, and he had learned of the happiness that service brings to the one who serves.
ter typing in your zip code, service opportunities are literally at your fingertips. The page fills with contacts in your area, and offers something for everyone.
What is JustServe? JustServe matches faith, nonprofit, community and governmental organizations that need volunteers with volunteers willing to help. JustServe. org links you to service opportunities in your community so you can make a difference wherever you are and however you want to serve. Once the needs are known, the site tell you about them on JustServe then you can go and help get the job done. JustServe make it easy to signup and show-up, on your time and in your way.
How did we find out about this service opportunity? Just Serve!
Why should I volunteer?
I recently learned about the JustServe website in a Sunday School meeting. Just Serve.org is a service for everyone in every community to connect to service opportunities. Af-
We may not solve world hunger at JustServe, but I’m convinced that by serving with each other in our local communities, we’re paving the way for much broader changes. Our indi-
JustServe general guidelines: The best service opportunities are collaborative—working side-by-side with others in the community. Humanitarian service opportunities should assist the poor and those in need of a helping hand. Community service opportunities should enhance the quality of life in the community. JustServe projects should not directly involve volunteers in fundraising, have a political focus, or be for-profit oriented. Go to Justserve.org or find it in the app store under Just Serve
vidual efforts don’t need to be huge— a little bit of change here, a few hours there—but even small efforts quickly add up to make a real difference. As we work side-by-side and learn from each other, mutual understanding increases, misconceptions can be corrected, and new friendships are built.
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Westwood Terrace Elementary Pumpkin Contest Benefits NISD Seniors Westwood Terrace Elementary School students have found a fun way to promote literacy and help out their Northside high school counterparts. Every October, they hold a class pumpkin decorating contest, where students and staff get to vote on the best pumpkin. Each vote costs 25¢, and the proceeds are donated to the Jack C. Jordan Scholarship Program, which helps NISD graduating seniors on their way to college. The pumpkin with the most votes wins, and that class gets
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to enjoy a popsicle party. Each class carves, paints, or dresses up its pumpkin to represent a children’s book. The results are imaginative, eyecatching, and loads of fun. The pumpkins are put on display on the cafeteria stage, and voting takes place during breakfast for an entire week. What a wonderful, whimsical way to
anticipate the playfulness of Halloween, celebrate a love of literature, and learn about serving fellow students in the Northside community!
This edition’s highlighted school
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in the
Spotlight
Myers Students Take on Book Project Fourth grade students in Rachel Olivarri’s class at Myers ES selected a biography book and created a project based on their selected book. Students learned about a variety of “famous” people including Harry Houdini, Anne Frank, Michael Jackson, Sacagawea, Roberto Clemente, Henry Cisneros, Selena Gomez, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Edison, Tim Duncan, Christopher Columbus, Zendaya, Rosa Parks, Justin Bieber, Kurt Angle, Michael Jordan, Abra-
ham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin. Pictured are (from l-r, front row) Julian Torres, Nathaniel Dominguez, Eric Flores, and John Sorola; (second row) David Vasquez, Andrew Vasques, Calen Johnson, Carlie Martinez, Brianna Chavez, Abcde Castillo, Liza Rodriguez, Nathan Diaz, and Rhiannon Davis; and (back row) Julian Vera, Nina Cadena, Alyssa Ramos, Isabella Sanchez, Juleus Jones, Natalia Rodriguez, and Yhaliz Blasini Garza.
FFA Students Shine During the fair, FFA students showed off the animals that they are raising, which include goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens.
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Ag Day Did you know that pigs like marshmallows? It is one of the many fun facts that NISD fourth graders learn during “Ag in Action” held annually at O’Connor HS. The three-day event provides elementary school students with an opportunity to learn about agriculture first-hand through sight, sound, touch, and “smell.”
This edition’s highlighted school
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Fun Thanksgiving Traditions 3 Your Family Can Start This Year! BY MEGAN WILSON Megan is the daughter of Backpack Connection Publisher Audra Miller OUR MOM ALWAYS MADE holiday celebrations special in the Miller household. We had fun traditions to look forward to for every holiday! After getting married and moving away from home, these precious traditions have stuck with me. Our first child is due on New Year’s Eve (like I said, we love our holidays). I greatly look forward to carrying out cherished traditions with my own family. The wonderful thing about traditions is that it’s never too late to start new ones! We have some great ideas for things you can do to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family this year.
Pie Night One of my favorite new traditions actually came from my husband’s side of the family. The night before Thanksgiving, his extended family gathers for a true Thanksgiving feast…of pie! Everyone brings a pie to share, and plenty of whipped topping and milk! In the past I would find myself so full after the traditional Thanksgiving
meal, I didn’t get to enjoy my favorite pies, so I have loved this tradition since the first year I participated. This tradition allows us to spend more time with family celebrating the holiday. This would also make for a fun evening with neighbors or friends. Your children will love this new tradition, especially if you teach them how to make their favorite pie to share on Pie Night! a child’s bedroom can make any time of year feel special and exciting! This year, spend time making fun Thanksgiving crafts with your children; they will love decorating with their special keepsakes year after year. These can also be so fun for your child to give to their grandparents. Below are a couple of fun ideas that your kids will love! Photo from kidspacestuff.com
Thanksgiving Scrapbook Sharing what we are thankful for with our family is a tradition many already enjoy. It is a special time to hear from children and older members of our family. We had the idea to start our “Thanksgiving Scrapbook” this year. Everyone writes down what they are thankful for each year will bring time to reminisce! If you’re feeling particularly crafty, you can add fun pictures from each year.
Thanksgiving Crafts
Photo from zocalpublicsquare.org
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I always loved helping my mom get out our holiday decorations. Decorating the house or
Fall Inspired Candle Holders Your kids will have so much fun finding leaves to use for this cute craft! Use Mod Podge® or a glue/water mixture to put colorful leaves onto the outside of a glass jar. Top it off with ribbon and a candle for a fun decoration you can use year after year!
Handprint/Fingerprint Turkeys Paint is all you need for this fun craft! Have your kids use handprints or fingerprints to create adorable turkey paintings. Frame them or use them as greeting cards for family and friends. Googly-eyes optional!
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How Gratitude Empowers Kids By Tawny Redford ne morning while driving the kids to school, (in my typical ‘out of body experience’ mode that I function in every day before 8:00am), I noticed I wasn’t the only one irritable and impatient; my kids were riding in my ‘negativity side car.’ I thought, “This is no way to start a day.” So I forced myself to offer up the only solution I felt would rip us out of our pitiful state; ‘the gratitude game’! This game challenges kids to name all of the things they are grateful for and it inspires them to delve deep and really search their lives for sources of gratitude. Needless to say by the time we got to school, the side car had dislodged and transformed into a ‘positivity mobile’ and our grouchy barriers crumbled. Was it a miracle or just a powerful mental shift? We often need a reminder like this that life is so much bigger than our own vanity. If we can step outside of ourselves to witness the potential for joy in all the little things around us then unbelievable things will happen! Here are some reminders about what gratitude can offer us when the inevitable negative “funk” takes over:
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The gift of being present I have found that to truly be present, (especially for a chronic, multitasking mother like myself), I have to be in a state of gratitude or the ‘distraction thief’ steals the moment. The constant challenge with my The blessing of having a gratechildren is to stay ful heart is that it is extremely in the moment with them while still behard to feel grateful and vain ing productive in the simultaneously. rest of the areas of my life. Immersing myself in gratitude allows me to concentrate on the immense blessing it is to be a mother and reminds me that I have the power, right then, “to be a participant rather than a spectator in my own life.” (Emmons, 2010) Being present with them helps their self-worth as well because it shows that I believe they are worth my full and undivided attention.
The power to fight off ‘it’s not enough’ When my kids share their gratitude for things like
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oxygen—besides making me laugh—it reminds me how much we take for granted. (Thank goodness we are able to breathe right?!) Think how rich we would all feel if we started there and worked our way outward? So how can we live in such a way where our children see that we feel we have enough? I make a conscious effort to be aware of the blessings all around me and verbalize it so my kids learn to notice the free pleasures right in front of us. How unfortunate would it be if we didn’t give them the benefit of that trained eye? Once they are accustomed to looking at life this way it will carry them through a very satisfied life, no matter what the circumstances are.
The power to see outside of ourselves The blessing of having a grateful heart is that it is extremely hard to feel grateful and vain simultaneously. How incredibly liberating it is to let go of the expectations and control we think we have on our own lives and appreciate all of the many sources of abundance that exist outside of ourselves. Until we let go of the need to take credit for the good that is given to us, we won’t be able to “widen our range of attribution.” (Emmons 2010) We will gain fulfillment from the power of giving while teaching our children what gratitude looks like and that it is worth more than a lifetime of relatively meaningless awards and achievements that much of the world places in high regard.
The power of resilience I have always been bothered by people who go through life feeling like victims. They can’t seem to get out of the “it’s all about me” phase that we were supposed to grow out of in our adolescence. When life throws them a curve ball they go into “why me?” mode and curl up in the fetal position. They are miles away from ‘gratitude-island’ because they are not seeing that there is always the gift of wisdom after every trial we go through. How can we grow if we don’t exceed our ‘comfort zones’? Seeing through those challenges is the life vest in the storm “We can give our children the tools to face adversity, learn from it, and emerge stronger on the other side.” (Salcedo 2014) The gratitude game is a staple activity in our family now and serves its purpose to get us back on the ‘gratitude wagon’ when needed. What kinds of kids do we want to raise; those that recognize life’s abundance and its beautiful depth, or those walking through life too blind to see it when it is staring at them in the face? Leave your kids with a legend based on gratitude, and your wisdom will carry on long after you are gone. Tawny Redford is a wife and mother of two children. She has a B.A. from Sacramento State University and is passionate about issues involving childhood development. She chooses to use her opinionative nature to empower others instead of drive her husband crazy.
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At six months old, Abby was in a serious car crash. Even though she was in her car seat and seemed fine, her dad decided to get her checked out at the closest hospital. That decision saved her life. The CT of Abby’s head showed massive bleeding in her brain. Doctors there immediately sent her to University Hospital, where the highest level Pediatric Trauma Team in South Texas took her to the operating room. Every day, around the clock, ready to save lives – just like Abby’s. That’s the University Difference.
Watch Abby’s story at UniversityDifference.com 16
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