Student Wellbeing and Engagement
Coming back to school
Our children have had to deal with an enormous upheaval to their daily lives on a scale that we have not seen in our lifetimes.
You and your child may have feelings of anxiety around returning to school. I have included some ideas from Beyond Blue to help families manage back to school anxiety.
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
- Get back into the school-day routine at least a week early – waking up, eating and going to bed at regular times.
- Get your child involved in planning out their lunches and snacks for the first week back.
- For anxious kids, plenty of detail can be calming. Talk through the steps of getting to their classroom.
- Stick to familiar routines as much as possible. Try to have a calm evening and allow more time to settle before bedtime if your child is feeling excited or nervous about school.
- Help your child pack their bag the night before. A visual checklist can help them remember what they need to take. Lay out their clothes so everything’s ready for the morning.
- Allow some extra time to get ready on day one so you’re not rushing.
- Invent a fun routine to make saying goodbye to your child a bit easier – try a high-five, bear hug or secret handshake.
- Talk positively about the day ahead on the way to school and remind your child where you’ll be at pick-up time.
- Drawn-out goodbyes can be upsetting, especially if other kids are getting emotional. Give them some final positive reassurance and beat a hasty retreat.
- Schedule a family celebration or a Skype call from grandparents on the weekend to mark the milestone – after all, coming back to school is a pretty big deal!
Classroom Resources
The school has purchased some new picture storybooks for use in our classrooms during the return to school period.
These books will be used to explore the following. Explaining anxiety, how to deal with worries, separation and coping with change.
The titles are:
Family Support
There are a number of resources families can access if they are needing extra support during these uncertain times.
They include:
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you and your family need support in any way. Sonya OBrien