Dear Ruggles Family,
“I’m really sorry I hurt your feelings,” said one student to another. “It’s ok,” she responded as tears fell down her face. As I mediated this conversation between two students regarding mean name calling behavior, I was struck by the words “It’s ok.” This is the response I hear over and over again during these conversations. Perhaps it is because the apology came through tears that this was the response. Maybe this response came from a place of awkwardness and from not knowing what to say.
Regardless of the reason, the behavior that prompted the apology was not “ok.” Each of the students engaged in mean name calling. Both children cried as a result of the name calling. It is never “ok” to hurt someone else’s feelings. Name calling and mean behavior is never “ok.”
I found myself thinking back over other similar conversations with children – “It’s ok” is a go-to response. While responding to the apology is important, I am working with our children to help them understand that “It’s ok” should not be our automatic response. As I talked through this concept with these two children, I worked with them to find an appropriate substitute phrase such as “I accept your apology,” or “Thank you for your apology.” I will continue to use this language in my conflict resolution discussions and, because of this, I thought it useful to share with all of you.
There is a lot to share with you in this newsletter. See below for a listing of upcoming school events as well as more detailed information about our spirit wear sale and much more! Should you have any questions or concerns about anything in this newsletter, or any other aspect of your child’s RLS experience, please let me know. Do not hesitate to give us a call, to send an email or to stop by the office!
Regards,
Julie
December At-A-Glance
*Events are also posted to our Facebook page so that is a good resource to stay connected too! If you subscribe to the Facebook calendar you will get notifications which are helpful reminders!
- Wednesday, December 6: Walking Wednesday, 8:00, Common
- Wednesday, December 6: Early Release, Parent Conferences, 11:45 dismissal
- Friday, December 8: Report card distribution
- Saturday, December 9: Breakfast with Santa, 8:00-10:00, Santa arrives @ 8:30
- Wednesday, December 13: Walking Wednesday, 8:00, Common
- Wednesday, December 20: Walking Wednesday, 8:00, Common
- Saturday, December 23-Monday, January 1st: Vacation
Picture of the Week
A huge shout out to Senators Gobi and Brewer who visited Ruggles Lane this past week for the official opening of our playground! Now that our new sign has been added, the playground is complete. Thank you to Senator Brewer, Karen Lewis and all of the parents who supported the PTO’s fundraising efforts for this project. We are so lucky to have such an amazing playground on which to play each day!
Spirit Wear Sale Ends Today!
Click here for a link to our spirit wear online store. Today is the last day for orders in order to have them by the holidays.
Ruggles Lane School News 