Returning to 'normal' after COVID-19 - Coming Back to School

It’s normal to be both excited to get back to normal and to feel stressed or anxious about it.

Helping your child transition back to school

Being away from school and returning to an environment that has changed can be anxiety-provoking. Here are some ways you can support your child:

Get back into routine. Routines are safe and familiar which can help reduce anxiety.
Focus on what you can control. It’s hard getting caught up in the unknown and ‘what-if’s'? Helping your child identify what they can control and practical things they can do can help them be more in the present moment and reduce anxiety. Practical strategies can include getting organised, making plans for the weekend, preparing their school bag, etc.
Revisit social distancing rules and good hygiene practices. Reviewing these can help your child feel more at ease about their safety when in public spaces.
Provide reassurance. Sometimes we can’t solve all our children’s problems, but they don’t always need solutions – just to feel understood and supported.
Explore the positives. Even if they are worried about returning to school, there may be some things they are looking forward to. It can be helpful to chat through these together if they seem open to this.

Supporting a worried child

It’s very normal for children and young people to experience re-entry anxiety following a pandemic. Here are some things that can help:

Be curious. Ask open questions and actively listen to understand more about your child’s thoughts and feelings.
Normalise and validate their feelings. This means letting them know that what they are feeling is normal, other people feel the same way and that there is nothing wrong with their feelings. For example, “It must be hard to have so many worries, but it’s normal to worry about getting sick when you go back to school.”
Help them limit exposure to media. If they are younger, this might include reducing their exposure to the news. If they are older, it might be helping them to critically think about media messages they are exposed to or ensuring they are accessing reputable sources.
Create a plan around transitioning. Planning can help alleviate some anxiety, especially fear of the unknown. Having a plan for the first day of school can help.
Take small steps to re-integrate into society. Some fears can be alleviated with small, controlled exposures. For instance, a great first step might be a quick trip to the supermarket, or organising for your child to meet and hangout with one friend in a park.
Problem-solve any concerns together. A lot of young people have let Kids Helpline know that their main fears revolve around bullying, conflict with friends, or school/study-related stress and this is contributing to their anxiety around going back to ‘normal’. Talking through strategies together (you can use Kids Helpline as a resource if needed for different topics) can help your child improve their problem-solving skills and feel more empowered.

What’s the difference between normal behaviour and concerning behaviour?

Some changes in behaviours are normal. Here’s how to know when to get help:

Normal impacts

Research into psychological impacts of health anxiety, quarantine and isolation have found a range of short-term emotional changes are normal, including confusion, anger, anxiety and depression.

Some short-term behaviour change is also normal. This includes insomnia, exhaustion, irritability, or avoidance, e.g. avoiding crowded places.

Some long-term behaviour changes can also be normal, e.g. changes in hygiene practices.

Concerning impacts

While most children will bounce back and recover in their own time, a pandemic can trigger Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in some people.

Trauma is a response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms your ability cope. A trauma typically involves intense feelings of fear, helplessness or horror. A trauma can include the threat of serious harm, or death to themselves, or another person, e.g. fear for an immune-compromised sibling or witnessing the suffering of others on the news.

Reference: Kids Helpline

https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/returning-normal-after-covid-19

PICKING UP YOUR FOUNDATION TO YEAR 2 CHILD FROM SCHOOL

It was so good to see our Foundation to Year 2 students return to school this week.

The students were excited to see their friends and teacher and settled in quickly. Thank you to all the parents for your co-operation with our request not to enter the school grounds. This made the transition so much safer for everyone.

Just a reminder about pick-up times and locations.

Staggered drop off and pick up times

Surname starting with	Drop Off Time	Pick up time
A-K	8:30-8:45am	3:00pm
L-Z	8:45-9:00am	3:30pm

Gates

Teachers will walk Foundation students to the basketball courts. They will be dismissed from there when their parent arrives. If a Foundation student has a brother or sister in Year 1 or 2, they will be directed to also go to the basketball court.

All other Year 1 and 2 students will be dismissed from their classroom and meet their parent at the gate that parents arranged with their child.

There will be a number of staff supervising at each exit point.

Year 3 to 6 students return on Tuesday 9 June. Further details about drop off and pick up for their return will be forwarded out next week.

Regards

Angelika Ireland

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