Student Wellbeing
Mental Health in Schools

Ginette D'Souza & Elizabeth Hopper

Are your children exhausted?

There are roughly 5 and ½ weeks of Term 4 to go and we have noticed students are beginning to feel a little tired and exhausted. They work very hard through their school day and an emotional check in with them at school in the morning and at the end of the day has proven to be extremely beneficial. I encourage you to lean into a check in when your child is at home.

Conducting an emotional check in then supports in making decisions around whether they need a night off from training, a relaxed evening at home, flexibility around homework or even an early night for sleep. With this in mind, I have included the information regarding Zones of Regulation that was previously shared in Term 1.

WHAT IS THE ZONES OF REGULATION? Leah Kuypers in 2011

The Zones of Regulation teaches students how to identify and regulate their feelings, energy and sensory needs and draw on a variety of strategies to meet the demands of the situations around them and be socially successful.

The curriculum based framework uses four colors—blue, green, yellow, and red—to help students identify their feelings and levels of alertness.

Students develop the skills to identify which zone they are in by identifying their body signals, detecting triggers, reading social contexts, and considering how their behaviors impact those around them, leading towards improved emotional control, sensory regulation, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills.

The Zones is a versatile and handy visual chart used to guide Teacher/Student conversations. We have found many parents valuing our use of this model and have requested copies of their child’s classroom zones chart, to use at home.

Instructions to create a Zones Check-In for Your Home