# data[].attributes.body
April 21 at 6pm Join Us!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The 5-4-3-2-1 Method: A Grounding Exercise to Manage Anxiety

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Terrible Thing Happened Read Aloud | Social Emotional Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Even when you know how beneficial meditation can be for you, and that you should begin meditating right away, it can be a little overwhelming to get started.

To help you with that, I put together this quick and easy guide on how to get started with meditation, how to grow a meditation habit, and why it matters.

It only takes a few minutes to read, and is the perfect thing to read before starting one of the meditations above!
Learn about: How to meditate for beginners
Here's how to start:

Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit, with your back upright.

Put on headphones (this will help block outside distractions).

Select the meditation length that's ideal for you.

Press play and close your eyes.

Focus your attention on your breath, breathing in and out.

Tips for getting started How to meditate for beginners
Tips for getting started
Benefits of meditation
How to approach meditation Benefits of meditation

Decreased stress and anxiety

Increased mindfulness (the ability to be aware of what's occurring at any given moment, but being able to choose how to act, as opposed to just reacting)

How to approach meditation Building a meditation habit
Schedule for starting
Building a meditation habit Meditation for kids
Why I built QuietKit
QuietKit presents a very simple, direct type of guided meditation for beginners, perfect for anyone getting started: focusing your attention on your breath, and nothing else, as you sit quietly.

When you first start meditating, as you try to focus on your breathing, your mind is going to overload, and you'll start thinking about things other than your breathing.

That's okay.
Schedule for starting
A big part of meditating is, when that happens, letting those other thoughts flow out of you, and then trying to bring your focus back to your breath.

Week 1 - 2 minute meditation session each day

Week 2 - 4 minute meditation session each day

Week 3 - 6 minute meditation session each day

Week 4 - 8 minute meditation session each day

Week 5 - 10 minute meditation session each day

The real benefits of meditation (listed below) come from that practice: focusing on just your breath, and if you lose that focus, letting those new thoughts go, and returning to your breath.

Keep doing a 10 minute meditation session at the beginning of each day, and also do a meditation session at the end of the day (of any length).

Even people who have practiced for years lose their focus when meditating.

But they just accept that it happens from time to time, they don't worry about it when it does happen, and then they return to focusing on their breathing.

Using the guided meditation for beginners options from QuietKit is a great way to help you regain focus when you lose it, which is why we made them for you :)
Meditation for Kids Note: want to bring meditation into your school? Use our free Meditation in Schools resource!
The guided meditations from QuietKit offers three main benefits to anyone who uses them:

It can work for a child of almost any age. As long as they have the ability to sit still, listen, focus on their breath, and understand what is being said in the meditation, then they can learn to meditate. And there isn't a "too old" phase when they can't benefit from meditation.

Explain to them why meditation can be so helpful. Telling them to do it "because I said so" or "because it's good for you" won't convince anyone, regardless of age. Read through this page with them, and explain how meditating can help them deal with stress, learn how to focus (which helps with school and sports), and can help them from having their emotions overwhelm them.

Help them make it a daily habit. Just like teaching them to brush their teeth, having them meditate daily can do wonders. Don't even worry about advancing beyond the 2 minute meditation if they aren't interested, but just focus on having them meditate each and every day.

Meditate with them. Just like spending quality time with them, make meditation something you do with them. Find a time and context, such as before school or at night before they goto bed, when you can make meditation something you do with them.

Meditation is also great for schools. Not only can it help students decrease stress and increase focus, but it can also help hardworking teachers working hard in those schools. Use our Meditation in Schools resource to get started!

There's a simple way to approach meditation:
Why I built QuietKit
Treat it as a daily habit.

A lot of times meditation is talked about by how long you can do it in one sitting.
In searching for some way to deal with stress (other than the unhelpful advice of "be less stressed"), I came across meditation.
But there's a lot more to be gained from short meditation sessions done each day.
Once I was sold on the very real benefits of meditation, I found that figuring out how to get started on meditation was surprisingly difficult.
Start small: instead of trying to jump right into 10 minutes, start with 2.

Build slowly: there's no rush, so take your time (we'll give you a simple schedule below).

Build consistency: try to meditate every day, in the same place, at the same time. Meditate at home, before you start your day. That might mean before going to work, school, running errands, or even before you start a day of relaxation.
It was incredibly discouraging, and out of frustration I ended up building the guided meditation for beginners tool I wish I had when I first heard about meditation.
But maybe beginning of the day doesn't work for you, and that's completely okay. What you should look for are natural break points in your day. Maybe that means taking time right before lunch, or right after getting home from work, or before dinner, or before bed.

Play around and experiment to see what context and situation works best for you.

Every day in small amounts beats large amounts infrequently: think of it like exercise. Would you benefit more from working out really hard only one day a year, or from doing a little bit every day?

Here's a schedule you can start with (do a guided meditation for beginners from QuietKit at the start of your day):
Something this powerful should be available for free to everyone in the world. So I built it out and released it as QuietKit.
After week 5:
- John Turner, creator of QuietKit
Adding a second meditation session to your day is a great way to provide another "reset" time to your day.

Try doing this second session either when you get home from work, school, errands, or before you are about to go to bed.

The benefits from meditation come from doing it consistently over time, so keep going!

A few of the users of QuietKit have said they use it to help their kids meditate. Here are some quick tips for helping your children develop a meditation habit:

If you have any tips that we should add to this section, send me an email :)

There seem to be new tools and services to help us with every little thing in life, but there's one thing that isn't being dealt with that we all have a lot of: stress.

That was the problem I found myself facing. Even when things were going well there was still a lot of stress, and it started getting to me.

Certainly not a new idea, but what's happened recently is there have been a number of scientific studies uncovering just how helpful meditation is in decreasing stress, increasing focus, and increasing mindfulness (even in as little as 100 cumulative minutes of meditating).

Most resources were dense, overly long books that seemed to hide any good advice, or training programs that demanded huge "all or nothing" commitments before you even knew if they were helpful, or apps and websites that required signing up and payment before you knew if it would help you understand meditation.

Even if you could find a free option, they all seemed to be free only so they could immediately sell you something else, and wouldn't be that helpful on their own.

None of the tools, services and resources felt like they catered to the real challenges a beginner faced with meditation.

And it worked!

Not only did the tool I built work perfectly for a beginner trying to get into meditation, and help me deal with stress better, but it quickly improved every part of my life.

I couldn't believe, after just a few weeks, how great I felt and how much my meditation tool improved all aspects of my life.

It made me wish I had this tool when I was 20. Or 15. Or 5.

Now I'm on a mission to help everyone on the planet gain the same benefits from meditation that I gained.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
QuietKit: Guided Meditation for Beginners (for free)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn to decrease stress and increase focus with our simple guided meditation for beginners (for free).

# data[].attributes.body
I just want to say that I know times may be hard and you may feel like giving up but just remember that a lot of people depend on you even if it doesn't seem like it, do the best that you can do.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kernersville Virtual Choir Project: “We Rise” by Adam Mitchell #kernersvillevirtualchoirproject

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Magnolia 20-21 Promotion Ceremonies - Small

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

# data[].attributes.body
Thanks Ms. Cook and Brielle

# data[].attributes.body
Healthy Eating

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free online sand tray for child and adolescent therapists to use for gestalt play therapy, Violet Oaklander, Jungian and other therapeutic methods

# data[].attributes.headline
5th-6th grade report afterhours any bullying, suicidal thoughts, self harm behavior.  During school hours, please contact your teacher, Ms. Gina, Ms. Cletis.

# data[].attributes.subject
5th-6th grade report afterhours any bullying, suicidal thoughts, self harm behavior.  During school hours, please contact your teacher, Ms. Gina, Ms. Cletis.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Say Something Anonymous Reporting System

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
SEE IT. REPORT IT.

Say Something Anonymous Reporting System allows you to submit secure & anonymous safety concerns to help identify and intervene upon at-risk individuals BEFORE they hurt themselves or others.

Say Something Anonymous Reporting System allows you to submit secure & anonymous safety concerns to help identify and intervene upon at-risk individuals BEFORE they hurt themselves or others. You can do this by reporting observed threats, behaviors, actions and harassment. Here is an example of some of the most common behaviors and incidents to report:

" Assault

" Abuse (physical, verbal)

" Bullying or regular intimidation

" Bragging about an upcoming planned attack

" Depression, anxiety or loss of self-control

" Fighting

" Gun Violence / Violence

" Harassment

" Hopelessness, excessive guilt or worthlessness

" Reckless behavior

" Social isolation or withdrawal

" Substance abuse

" Suicide threats, cutting or other self-harm

" Theft

" Threats

" Weapons (use of and/or discussion about)

Sometimes it's not always easy to spot the warning signs. Watch the 'Evan' video, an example of a school gun violence threat that could have been stopped, to help you see the signs and help.

Say Something is a youth violence prevention program from Sandy Hook Promise - a national violence prevention organization. Say Something Anonymous Reporting System allows youth and adults to submit secure & anonymous safety concerns to help identify and intervene upon at-risk individuals BEFORE they hurt themselves or others. The system enables school administrators and law enforcement to create effective interventions and to help prevent violence, suicide, bullying, self-harm and other forms of threatening behavior.

With our Anonymous Reporting System, it's easy and completely confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.

How Does It Work

" Submit an anonymous tip 24/7 through the website ,app or by phone

" Receive a Report ID and Password if you would like to follow-up on your report

" Crisis center reviews, assesses and processes all submissions

" Crisis center sends all submissions to law enforcement and/or school administration for intervention

" If needed, crisis center may contact you anonymously through the app or by case number follow-up

" Crisis center posts status of submission with case number as case progresses and closes

Say Something is a youth violence prevention program from Sandy Hook Promise (SHP). SHP is a national, nonprofit organization led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook School on December 14, 2012. SHP is focused on preventing gun violence (and other forms of violence and victimization) BEFORE it happens by attracting, educating and mobilizing youth and adults to identify, intervene and get help for individuals who may be at-risk of hurting themselves or others - we achieve this through delivery of our four Know the Signs prevention programs.

Sandy Hook Promise has educated millions of youth and adults with its Know The Signs Violence Prevention Programs resulting in the intervention and prevention of multiple school shootings, suicides, gun, and other violent threats. Additionally, SHP prevention programs have helped reduce bullying, and get hundreds of youths mental health and wellness assistance. For more information visit www.sandyhookpromise.org .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Say Something Anonymous Reporting System

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Say Something Anonymous Reporting System allows you to submit secure & anonymous safety concerns to help identify and intervene upon at-risk individuals BEFORE they hurt themselves or others. Say Something Anonymous Reporting System allows you to submit secure & anonymous safety concerns to help identify and intervene upon at-risk individuals BEFORE they hurt themselves or others.

# data[].attributes.body
Jan 25-29

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
QuaranTeens - Teenagers Reveal What Being in Quarantine During Covid-19 is Really Like

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sesame Street: Elmo's World News | #CaringForEachOther

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Love - TV Spot ("Love" by Imagine Dragons) | Pass It On

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stretch and learn how to release the warrior in you with this empowering video. GoNoodle is free for teachers, parents, and kids! Get moving with 300+ dance videos, mindfulness activities, and more engaging videos for kids!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Take a minute to slow down and get back on track.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kobe Bryant - The Power of Sleep & Meditation

# data[].attributes.body
Please complete if need someone to talk to.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google Forms - create and analyze surveys, for free.

# data[].attributes.headline
Check this out. Help when stressed out. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Check this out. Help when stressed out. 

# data[].attributes.body
Let us know what you like about the site.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you have time we would love to receive some feedback from you - the family member of our students. The PSRC SCORE Program is interested in hearing about your thoughts on Social Emotional Learning Needs.

# data[].attributes.body
Hope you enjoy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What the World Needs Now - for Virtual Orchestra

# data[].attributes.headline
11/6/20 Check out the virtual calming room. Let us know what you enjoyed. 

# data[].attributes.subject
11/6/20 Check out the virtual calming room. Let us know what you enjoyed. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you have time we would love to receive some feedback from you - the family member of our students. The PSRC SCORE Program is interested in hearing about your thoughts on Social Emotional Learning Needs.

# data[].attributes.headline
always wear masks even though you  cannot breathe

# data[].attributes.subject
always wear masks even though you  cannot breathe

# data[].attributes.headline
This is how Bethany Hamilton lives a drug free life. Watch. 

# data[].attributes.subject
This is how Bethany Hamilton lives a drug free life. Watch. 

# data[].attributes.body
We're all facing a large challenge with distance learning and COVID. Describe a small or large challenge you faced recently and how you dealt with it. What are you proud of in your response and what would you change?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bethany Hamilton - soul surfer and shark attack survivor interviews with Natural High

# data[].attributes.headline
This week is Red Ribbon Week,  how are you going to celebrate living a drug free life. Share with us. 

# data[].attributes.subject
This week is Red Ribbon Week,  how are you going to celebrate living a drug free life. Share with us. 

# data[].attributes.headline
I think it is still not safe to go back to school.My favorite thing to do when internet is not working is to read books.

# data[].attributes.subject
I think it is still not safe to go back to school.My favorite thing to do when internet is not working is to read books.

# data[].attributes.body
There's a lot of talk about coming back to school campus in person. Do you feel safe coming back to school in person? Let us know what you think?

# data[].attributes.body
What is your favorite thing to do when the internet isn't working?

# data[].attributes.headline
I mean, I guess I feel good about going t school virtually but its a little harder.

# data[].attributes.subject
I mean, I guess I feel good about going t school virtually but its a little harder.

# data[].attributes.headline
Going to the beach and meeting new people there.

# data[].attributes.subject
Going to the beach and meeting new people there.

# data[].attributes.body
I'm feeling great

# data[].attributes.headline
9/21/20 What has been the most fun thing you have done so far this school year?

# data[].attributes.subject
9/21/20 What has been the most fun thing you have done so far this school year?

# data[].attributes.body
Kinda like it

# data[].attributes.body
Knowing new ppl

# data[].attributes.body
Nothing So far

# data[].attributes.headline
Encouragement:Remember You're Not Alone In This. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Encouragement:Remember You're Not Alone In This. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Being a kid stuck at home during covid-19 | Voices from the Pandemic

# data[].attributes.body
talking with friend

# data[].attributes.body
Nothing

# data[].attributes.headline
i don't want to go back to school i can now go virtually and still be home and now get covid.  

# data[].attributes.subject
i don't want to go back to school i can now go virtually and still be home and now get covid.  

# data[].attributes.body
I wish I was in school

# data[].attributes.body
I feel great about this school year.

# data[].attributes.body
kinda good

# data[].attributes.headline
9/9/20 How Do You Feel About this New School Year?

# data[].attributes.subject
9/9/20 How Do You Feel About this New School Year?

# data[].attributes.body
find a picture, emoji, gif, that represents how they feel about starting a new school year and post it on the Padlet.

# data[].attributes.body
I feel great

# data[].attributes.body
ok

# data[].attributes.body
Kinda Good