Hoyle School starts morning meditation; district resumes elementary CPR training

Hoyle School teachers described a midyear pilot of morning meditation and related calming techniques that staff say has reduced anxiety and improved punctuality for some students, and district nursing and health staff reported expanded elementary CPR training across the district.

Why it matters: Staff said early social-emotional supports and basic lifesaving training are part of a broader push to build student resilience and preparedness. Committee members and parents praised the programs and asked staff to consider modest expansions where feasible.

Meditation pilot at Hoyle

Hoyle staff said they began a morning meditation practice after noticing several students who repeatedly arrived late with stomachaches or high anxiety. Presenter Leslie Stoltz said the team started with six identified first-graders and now runs a program about 20 minutes most mornings; techniques include breathing exercises, short guided meditations, occasional yoga poses, “calming buckets” (sensory items) and dimmed lighting in the office to create a soothing space. Stoltz said two second-graders were added because they asked to join. “We started with six children in first grade that we identified... they are learning to focus,” Stoltz said.

Staff reported classroom teachers have observed improved focus and noted at least one previously chronically late student has been on time nearly every day since the practice began.

Elementary CPR and district training

Nursing staff described a multi-site elementary CPR program that resumed after pandemic interruptions. The district ran three-session, roughly 2.5-hour after‑school CPR classes for selected elementary students; the presenter said staffing and a state guideline (ratio limits) constrain class size. District counts given in the meeting: 12 students at Hoyle, 12 at Gardner, 24 combined at Luther (grades 3–5), 24 at Brown, and 13 high‑school CPR cards issued this year. Presenters emphasized that early CPR instruction builds confidence and bystander preparedness even when students only learn how to call 911 or locate an AED.

Committee reaction and next steps

Committee members praised both initiatives and urged continuation and modest expansion where staffing permits. Members encouraged annual refreshers for CPR and recommended surveying families to measure demand for expanded surround-care or summer programming tied to these supports. Administrators said they will continue the meditation pilot and maintain CPR offerings within capacity limits, and will report back on any planned expansions.

Ending: The district framed the meditation and CPR programs as complementary: one addresses students’ emotional regulation and readiness to learn; the other teaches basic emergency response skills that staff and families called valuable.