Thursday, January 12, 2023 by Averil Spence-Clarke | Uncategorized

Hi Everyone:

Happy New Year & hoping that is has been a positive and enjoyable start to the year for everyone!!

First, you will notice a "new look" to the portal.  The techs have been working for a while to ensure that the portal works well, is up to date and meets both the needs of teachers and students/parents.  Hope you like the new outlay and that it makes it easier to navigate.  If you experience any problems or have any suggestions. please do not hesitate to contact me.

Next, you will not see any "available timeslots" posted for this week and part of f next week.  I, happily, will have some family and friends visiting, so am hoping to keep as much time for them as possible.  Please know that if you need to schedule a different time for lessons during that period, do give me a call or send a text with a couple of preferred times and I will ensure that I meet your requests.

Lastly, I know that at the end of January, many schedules change as students change school and recreational activities.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need to change your regular lesson timeslot.  I will do my best to reschedule to a more sustainable time if necessary.

We often make many New Year's resolutions and then find that within a few weeks, they have fallen by the wayside.  We then castigate ourselves, make or renew the resolutions and repeat the process.  New Year's Resolutions have created the most frustrating experiences of my life and I daresay many of yours.  So, over the past few years, I have not created them.  Instead, I have been kind to myself and worked on a different formula.

Each month, I focus on one aspect of "mindfulness" and try to maintain it for the month. I know that I will not always meet the goal, but I remind myself that it is a day-by-day process and that seems to help me get back on track. 

This month, it is about "engagement and listening".  Oftentimes when busy, my mind slides to other areas of concern even in the midst of a conversation.  So, this month, I am practicing my "mindful listening" and am happy to say that so far, I have been reasonably successful.  I mention this because, if you have any concerns about lessons, your child's progress, or the teaching process, this would be a great month to contact me and dialogue.  I promise to listen mindfully and work together to find solutions to the challenge whatever it may be. Even if there are no problems and you would just like to play catch-up, please feel free to give me a call or arrange a face-to-face get together.

Looking forward to hearing from you or seeing you in the near future.

Sincerely, Mrs. A.