![Read Across SMSD October 2024: Know Your Power. A picture of a student playing basketball. A group of individuals on a couch. A student doing yoga.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1728675127/smsdorg/hx9dpy1mgwhzcxhehsva/OCTReadAcross2024-112.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1728675127/smsdorg/hx9dpy1mgwhzcxhehsva/OCTReadAcross2024-112.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1728675127/smsdorg/hx9dpy1mgwhzcxhehsva/OCTReadAcross2024-112.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1728675127/smsdorg/hx9dpy1mgwhzcxhehsva/OCTReadAcross2024-112.jpg","width":834}])
The Shawnee Mission School District is proud to present a new season of Read Across SMSD!
Offered in partnership with NEA-Shawnee Mission and the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation, this program celebrates reading and our district Strategic Plan belief that our strength is derived from our diversity.
Each month, the Shawnee Mission School District highlights book selections from the National Education Association, related to a monthly theme.
This October, the theme is “Know Your Power.” Superintendent Dr. Michael Schumacher visited Christa McAuliffe Elementary School to talk to students and staff about the topic. Caren Howes, school social worker, was joined by Jasmine, Alex, and Zion who all shared the ways they know their power in moments when they face big emotions.
Jasmine Gyamfi, a fourth grader, shared that in moments of frustration she turns to a school Reframe Your Brain station. Located near the school social worker’s office, the station gives students a variety of resources they can use to self-guide their way through moments of stress. This station was provided to the school as part of a Shawnee Mission Education Foundation Excellence in Education (E2) grant.
“One activity that helps me a lot when I’m frustrated or angry and I’m trying to calm down is to practice yoga or other body stretches,” Jasmine explained.
When Zion Kelly, a sixth grader, plays basketball, he said he uses breathing strategies to help him focus and center himself.
“I use this when shooting free throws,” he shared. “The breathing helps me focus during the game but also centers me at other times when I’m feeling anxious or stressed out.”
Sometimes Alex Montes, a fourth grader, feels worried or stressed. He takes time to talk to a grownup he trusts.
“I also like to focus on my joy and my gratitude journal to help me feel better,” Montes shared.
During his visit to Christa McAuliffe, Dr. Schumacher also shared that sometimes he feels worried or scared, and he also uses strategies to help.
“One of the biggest things that helps me is to remember our community and how we all are here to support each other,” he added.
October reading and learning resources
Read Across SMSD is modeled after the national Read Across America program and is led in partnership with NEA-Shawnee Mission and the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation. Access to books for Shawnee Mission students is made possible through the Foundation.
Click here for the Read Across SMSD webpage, featuring resources from previous years, archive videos, and more information about the program.
Here are the Read Across America October titles from the NEA book list:
Elementary
Benita and the Night Creatures
By Mariana Llanos
Middle Grade
A Little Bit Super
By Leah Henderson and Gary Dr. Schmidt
Young Adult
A Drop of Venom
By Sajni Patel
The links above provide activity ideas, discussion ideas, reflective writing questions, and related resources for more titles to try in each age group.
