Wellbeing News
How lovely it is to see children at school. The teachers seem to be walking taller, their laughter is louder and the chatter around the school is brighter. I hope you too, have a sense of joy, relief and pride. I don’t doubt that amongst all these positive feelings there are also feelings of worry, nervousness and uncertainty.
Last week a webinar from The Royal Children’s Hospital was sent home via Operoo. I strongly encourage parents to watch to this. The focus of the discussion was around returning to school. It was acknowledged that there may be some anxiety around returning to school. This is quite normal. When we are anxious we want to try to avoid the problem. It was strongly recommended that children do return to school and to work through any feelings of anxiety by acknowledging children’s feelings and even your own and then offering strategies to work through such as deep breathing.
“I notice you are needing a lot of cuddles at the moment. Do you have a lot on your mind at the moment? Are you thinking about returning to school? Let’s talk about it.”
The flip side is by moving past the anxiety it allows us to be brave. Help your children to be brave.
Preparation is the key for a successful return. Do a practise run, try on uniforms, pack lunches in lunch boxes and practise wearing masks. Resources have been sent home with a video and story via Operoo . Teachers will also be talking with students from Year 3 -6 about wearing masks at school.
When students are at school a focus will be on wellbeing. Activities will be focussed around reconnecting, checking in with emotions, revisiting values and routines, as well as play.
Mental Health Awareness Week
This week at St Anne’s we are acknowledging Mental Health Awareness Week. Teachers will be sharing daily slides with simple activities for children to choose from that are aimed at developing a positive wellbeing. Students from year 3 - 6 will participate in an online Wellbeing workshop entitled “Thrive.” The workshop will be held on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
WEDNESDAY 21st OCTOBER 9:30 YEAR 5
WEDNESDAY 20th OCTOBER 11:30 YEAR 6
THURSDAY 21st OCTOBER 9: 30 YEAR 4
THURSDAY 21st OCTOBER 11:30 YEAR 3
I encourage you to discuss with your child what they learnt from the workshop.
Family Challenge
Attached is a family challenge for this week - 100 Acts of kindness. I encourage everyone in the family to choose a different act of kindness each day. Of an evening you can discuss your act of kindness - What was your act of kindness? How did it make the other person feel? How did it make you feel?
If you feel you need support please take advantage of support groups such as:
Please contact the Wellbeing Team if you have any concerns.
Sue Sexton, Monique McIntyreand Kristie Browning
St Anne’s Wellbeing Team