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Congratulations,
J-Hawks!
2018 Class 4A State
Baseball Champions!
#proudofU
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We thank our 2017-18 4th Grade Olmsted Elementary students for sharing their Encouraging Words as we kick-off a new school year:
- "Don’t let darkness in your path. Just follow what you believe in." D.C.
- "If you have a frowny face, turn it upside down and make yourself HAPPY not sad." Shelby B
- "People will encourage you. People will hurt you. But most of all people will love you for what you do and for who you are." Kalub S.
- "When I was down, I got help from my friend. She said, 'Are you ok? Let’s play. I’m here for you.' She is my best friend!" Marleigh A
- "You are good the way you are. Be yourself." Ryan C
- "When I had to practice for my States test and my Dad said to keep trying and come back to what you are on." Madeline B
- "You are on the ground and someone picks you up off the ground." Anonymous
- "Friends always help me when I struggle. They encourage me to stand up for myself. When I struggle with math, my friend who sits across from me always helps me. Friends are really encouraging." Kate S
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"You can’t do anything brave if you’re wearing the straightjacket of ‘what will people think'" is a powerful statement shared by Dr. Brené Brown as a result of her research on courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. With the start of the 2018-19 school year just a few weeks away (for all students except Rolling Green), it may feel like a good time to hit the pause button on the track that's playing in our head in order to check if our thoughts are working for or against us. If our focus is on doing the best we can in any given situation, task, or activity then our track is positive as it’s focused on healthy striving. However, if our track is getting stuck in a negative loop of "what will people think" then we're likely feeling the weight of perfectionism.
In this 3-minute clip, Dr. Brené Brown shares
how perfectionism goes like this: "If I look perfect, live perfect, work perfect, I can avoid or minimize criticism, blame, and ridicule. All perfectionism is, is a 20 ton shield we carry around hoping it’ll help keep us from being hurt. When in truth what it does, is it keeps us from being seen.”
Letting ourselves be seen, truly seen, is an act of courage. It requires releasing the weight of being cool and disengaged, in order to show up and participate in class, at work, in activities, and at home. It requires us to continually choose being supportive over being critical, being excited over being cynical, and being real over being like anyone else. Dr. Brené Brown shares that “vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage.” As we kick off our 2018-19 school year, let’s find a way to be a bit gentler with ourselves and each other by letting go of perfectionism (what will people think) in order to embrace our own healthy striving on our quest to be our best.
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An important section on the
Urbandale CSD's website
is the "We Appreciate" section on the homepage. Created several years ago during the launch of the redesigned site, its aim was simple: to create a space for students, staff, families and community members to share their appreciation—knowing appreciation is one of the many ways we let others know that they are making a difference in our lives and the lives of those we care about most.
So as we begin a new school year, if you experience something that you appreciate we encourage you to share it on the "We Appreciate" section of the UCSD homepage. Once you submit your statement, it will be reviewed and posted.The person or group of people referenced will also be notified. We've had recipients share that receiving your notes of appreciation truly made a difference in their day.
"Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated." H. Jackson Brown
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- Flyer Hub (flyers for community activities and events)
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Educational Equity Statement
It is the policy of the Urbandale Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, religion, marital status (for program), ethnic background, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age (for employment), or socio-economic background (for program) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact the District office at 11152 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, IA or call 515-457-5000. The District’s Equity Coordinators are Dr. Keri Schlueter, Coordinator of Student Services (schlueterk@urbandaleschools.com), Mark Lane, Director of Human Resources (lanem@urbandaleschools.com), and Crista Carlile, Director of Teaching and Learning (carlilec@urbandaleschools.com).
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