Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to this special wellbeing edition of the St Joseph's School Newsletter.

This week, I offer some resources for our families as you continue to manage staying at home, your own work, and your children's learning. This newsletter provides resources for you to support your child/ren's wellbeing.

Your wellbeing as parents is particularly important in maintaining a positive and hopeful environment for your child/ren and included below are some resources to assist you as a parent or carer.

Being aware of yourself and your child's emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing will assist you in attending to needs early, and if needed, to seek the right support in time.

In addition to the resources below, please seek support for your child from the school in the following ways:

Talk to your child's teacher
Talk to the Principal
Contact the school to request the services of the School's Pastoral Support Worker- Cecilia Welsh (CatholicCare)
Contact the school to request the services of the School Counsellor- Emily Lim (CatholicCare)

The wellbeing of your family is the most important thing you can attend to during the pandemic and remote learning. While learning is very important, your child's learning will not be as effective if they are under emotional stress.

I encourage all parents not to strive for perfection and just do what you can to support your child/ren's learning. Remember:

It is OK if work is not finished.

We don't expect you to be a skilled teacher.

Don't worry about getting it wrong- just do your best and ask your children to do their best.

Ask the school for help- we are here for you.

Activity promote in your home: resilience, a positive attitude, a hopeful outlook and a growth mindset toward learning.

St Joseph, pray for us.

Jen Charadia

Principal

WELLBEING RESOURCES FOR ST JOSEPH'S FAMILIES

STAYING MENTALLY HEALTHY

Work with your child to use the wellbeing resources provided by teachers in the weekly Remote Learning Schedules.
Schedule daily exercise with your child/ren
Plan and moderate time on electronic devices
Set up a sleep routine
Plan healthy meals and snacks for the week
Plan some quiet time to relax the mind- perhaps use mediation, or listen to calming music.
Try some breathing exercises
Check on your child's wellbeing and if concerned use the Beyond Blue Child Mental Health Check

Explaining COVID-19 to Children

What Can Parents Do To Stay Mentally Healthy?

While many of you will have been putting a great deal of thought into how to help your children cope during this pandemic and remote learning, it’s important that you also put some thought into how to maintain your own wellbeing.

Parents/carers may have a range of different emotional reactions, including feeling overwhelmed, apathetic, worried or irritable.

Although you might be tempted to go into overdrive to minimise the impact on your kids, you are not immune to the stress either. Remember that taking care of your own wellbeing is essential.

Below are four things you can do for your own wellbeing:

Be gentle with yourself: In the world of parenting, there is a drive to be the best you can be, and to be everything to everyone. Your kids don’t need you to be the perfect parent/carer. They need you to be good enough and to help them feel safe and supported. For this to happen, they need you to be OK. Try to create more realistic and achievable expectations to reduce the pressure.
Take breaks for self-care: Make sure you take some breaks to do the things that will help you feel less stressed. If you have someone to watch the kids, take a walk by yourself and enjoy the break. Try to find some time each day to take care of yourself, even if it’s just five minutes.
Stay connected: While it’s important to make time to have fun and connect as a family, make sure you create time for your own social connections. Vent. Laugh. Share ideas about coping and compromising. Be there to support each other.
Be mindful of how you are thinking about the situation – take it seriously but keep your response in perspective: Stay informed from reliable sources but remember that this will end. It might not feel like it some days, but it won’t be like this forever.

In the video below, Dr Carly Johnco from the Centre for Emotional Health and Department of Psychology at Macquarie University talks to parents and carers about how to look after their own mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How Parents can Keep Calm and Manage Stress

Way to reduce Stress- Beyond Blue

Tips for keeping calm and managing stress- download the PDF below

Ideas for Positively Managing your Children's Behaviour

Getting Children to listen

Positive Approaches to Guiding Children's Behaviour

How Can I Get Help if My Child is Not Coping?

Contact the school

Contact your GP

CatholicCare Wollongong Phone 4254 9395

LIFELINE : 13 11 14

KIDS HELPLINE: 1800 55 1800 kidshelpline.com.au

BEYOND BLUE

HEADSPACE

Download the PDF below

How Do I Know If My Child Is Not Coping?

Parent Guides to Anxiety and Depression

Principal Awards and Merit Awards

Principal's Awards and Merit Awards will resume at a date to be advised.

Acknowledgement to Country

St Joseph's Bulli acknowledges and pays respect to the Dharawal people past and present, the traditional custodians of the land on which our school is built.

Noticeboard

No notices this week.