Weekly Wellbeing

The Wellbeing Space now has fish called….?

After many votes and discussions, please see below the official names of the CHPS Wellbeing Space fish.

The top one is James Pond

The one below is Bubbles

Charlie and Eden from SNT introduce James Pond and Bubbles to their new home.

Our Positive Education leaders, Tom and Eden after the names were decided on.  Both leaders have put weeks of work into visiting all classes for ideas and monitoring the voting process.  At Tom’s suggestion, they will now have the ongoing responsibility of cleaning the tank.

Observation and Initiative

I was recently walking with Immy from JAW when she noticed that the pins holding this dragon to the wall had fallen out and the dragon was lopsided.  She not only noticed, but used her initiative, picked up the pins and reattached the dragon to the wall.  It is great to see these traits emerging in our students.

Supporting children in this time of uncertainty

I recently came across a helpful article from the Australian Psychological Society and thought that I would highlight suggestions when it comes to talking with children about the Coronavirus.

Firstly, they encourage adults to talk with children about it in an age appropriate manner. This involves;

• Speaking about the Coronavirus in a calm manner
• Asking children what they already know about the virus so that you can clarify any misunderstandings that they may have
• If they do experience levels of anxiety, letting them know that this is normal when stressful situations happen
• Giving them a sense of control by giving them concrete information about what they can do to stay safe such as washing their hands regularly, and staying away from people who are coughing or sneezing
• Not overwhelming them with unnecessary information such as speaking about death rates, or highlighting the amount of activities and events that are cancelled or postponed
• Reassuring them that the Coronavirus is less common in children
• Allowing regular phone/Facetime contact with people that they might be worried about (such as older family members or friends).

Throughout all of these processes, it is important to model calmness and try and limit a child’s exposure to media reports. It is also important to seek further support for yourself and/or  your children if you are experiencing high levels of anxiety. You can do this a number of ways including: Speaking with your GP, seeing a Psychologist/Counsellor, accessing 24-hour helplines etc. For full access to the contents of the article visit https://www.psychology.org.au/getmedia/5a4f6500-b5af-4482-9157-5392265d53ce/20APS-IS-COVID-19-Public-P2_1.pdf.

Please be assured that the Wellbeing team are available to support children and speak to parents/carers about any concerns that they may have.

Julie Reid  -  Student Wellbeing Officer