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Tips from our Primary Division Counsellors.

28/3/2020

Supporting a student’s Socio-Emotional wellbeing

According to a study from the Journal of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatrics, anxiety is a major public health concern for children and experiences filled with uncertainty can increase their vulnerability to feelings of stress. With the recent announcements of different precautionary measures in the view of the coronavirus pandemic, parents and caregivers have an added responsibility of providing reassurance to the young ones in these uncertain times.

Becoming aware of one's feelings. In these times of socio- emotional upheaval children experience a myriad of emotions. Being aware of these feelings is a first positive step in maintaining a healthy socio- emotional well-being.
Different ways to express the feelings. Once aware, children can find positive ways to express feelings such as worry, fear and sadness. Every child has their own experiences and their way to express emotions. Sometimes engaging in a creative activity, such as playing, music, dramatics and drawing can facilitate this process. Children feel relieved if they can express and communicate their feelings in a safe and supportive environment.
Keep up with your usual routines as much as you can. Maintain familiar routines in daily life as much as possible, or create new routines, especially while you must stay at home.
Know what is within your control. Recognising that in these times of uncertainty it is beneficial to be aware of what is within our control, that is to maintain hygiene, practise social distancing, etc.
‘Stock up’ on your coping skills. Once you have completed your learning for the day you can engage in activities that interest you. Some ideas could include maintaining a journal, practising compassion and gratitude, exercising, Re- decorating your space, engaging in hobbies, etc.
Limit Media. Follow credible sources like the World Health Organisation, Centre for Disease control and prevention, National centre for disease control ,etc.
Social Distancing not Socially Distant. Explore ways you can stay in touch with friends and extended family. Building common interest groups(games, exercise, art), video calls to near and dear ones, learning together via virtual medium, etc.

A few tips for parents

Stay informed. Families are encouraged to stay up to date about this situation as we learn more about how to prevent this virus from spreading in homes and in communities.
Providing factual information. Discuss the 2019-nCoV with your children using an honest and age-appropriate way. Understand what they know, have heard around and then talk together and correct any misinformation or rumours you may hear. If your children have concerns, addressing those together may ease their anxiety.
Simple reassurance. Remind children that researchers and doctors are learning as much as they can, as quickly as they can, about the virus and are taking steps to keep everyone safe. A simple statement like ‘we are all in this together’ can provide a sense of not being alone.
Providing a safe environment, Keep children close to their parents and family. During times of uncertainty and crisis, it is common for children to seek more attachment and be more demanding on parents. Avoid separating children and their caregivers as much as possible, If a child needs to be separated from their primary caregiver, ensure that appropriate alternative care is provided and the reasons explained. Further, ensure that during periods of separation, regular contact with parents and caregivers is maintained, such as twice-daily scheduled phone or video calls or other age-appropriate communication (e.g., social media depending on the age of the child).
Share your feelings with each other. Talk about how this experience is building our resilience. Respect their feelings, apprehensions, need for a mental break when they do not want to talk about the pandemic.
Be a good role model. 2019-nCoV doesn't discriminate and neither should we, it doesn't mean that having ancestry or making someone more susceptible to the virus or more contagious. When you show empathy and support to those who are ill, your children will too. Children will observe adults’ behaviours and emotions for cues on how to manage their own emotions during difficult times.
Give them control. It's also a great time to remind your children of what they can do to help – washing their hands often, coughing into a tissue or their sleeves, and getting enough sleep.
Monitor what they see, hear and wonder. Keep young children away from frightening images they may see on TV, social media, internet, etc.
Keep an eye on media time. Whenever possible, play video games or go online with your child to keep that time structured and limited. If kids are missing their school friends or other family, try to arrange for video chats or group games to stay in touch.

Read books with your child. It's not only fun, but reading together strengthens your bond with your child and helps their development.
Make time for active play. Bring out the blocks, balls, jump ropes and buckets and let the creativity go. Play games that kids of all ages can play, like tag or duck duck goose. Let your kids make up new games. Encourage older kids to make up a workout or dance to keep them moving.
Watch for signs of anxiety. Children may not have the words to express their worry, but you may see signs of it. They may get cranky, be more clingy, have trouble sleeping, or seem distracted. Keep the reassurance going and positively reinforce them to stick to the normal routines.
Take time for yourself. Self-care remains essential during this emergency — practice the healthy behaviour you’re teaching your kids.

Other Resources:

References:
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2020, March 22). Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Retrieved March 24, 2020, from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.aspx
Mhonde, R. D. (2020, March 16). Talking to children about COVID-19: Reducing hysteria during a global emergency. Retrieved March 24, 2020, from https://psychcentral.com/blog/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-reducing-hysteria-during-a-global-emergency/
Unicef. (n.d.). Covid-19 parenting tips. Retrieved March 24, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/media/66146/file/COVID-19%20parenting%20tips.pdf
Weinstein, E. (2020, March 14). We're all in this together: Facing the coronavirus crisis. Retrieved March 24, 2020, from https://psychcentral.com/blog/were-all-in-this-together-facing-the-coronavirus-crisis/
World Health Organization. (2020, March 12). Mental health and psychosocial considerations during COVID-19 outbreak. Retrieved March 24, 2020, from https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf

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Message #2 From the Head of Primary - OGC Campus

26/3/2020

1 Comment

Dear Parents,

If you and your children are all doing work from your home, it’s likely that this is the first time that has ever happened. One of the biggest issues in this new way of learning for parents seems to be, and you might also feel the same, is ‘how do I fit in the home learning and everything else I have to do during the day?’

Organising the routine of the day together as a family is a great opportunity to collaborate with your child and empower them as IB learners, IB learners of any age.

Many families, including my teachers who have children, will be experiencing similar issues that your family is and it will take some time to get into a new daily, family routine where a balance between the children's learning and the parents working from home is found. Every day we are confronted with new challenges aren't we, it seems that from one day to the next, there is a change which poses another obstacle for us to navigate. It is not the school's place to advise you on how best you manage your home routines, however I can offer a few points which may help you to build on and strengthen your learning routine.

1. Make a space for learning
Many adults have a specific area of the home in which they work, and it’s important that a similar space is created for your child. If you are all working in the same space, find a place in the space that is your child’s place to learn. If possible, this space should be a different set-up than where they normally play games or watch television.

2. Build a daily routine
Children like routine and believe it or not, boundaries.
These help to provide a sense of safety and security for them.
A schedule, for your work and your child’s work, is extremely important. It is also important to keep the normal daily patterns of getting up, changing for work/school (not staying in their pj’s for the day which is very tempting), snack and meal times, a time to play and have fun and keep to the normal sleeping patterns.

3. Remember to schedule time for fun
While this is most certainly not a holiday/vacation, it is important to have some fun with your children while they are at home. It’s rare that you have this much time with your children, it can also be the hardest thing to be all home together in close confines, so see this as an opportunity to bond. Some families have said they are organising a family tournament, family card games, board games, puzzles, charades, or chess. Some families are enjoying preparing the meals and cooking together, listening to music together and having a daily family yoga session.

And…

4. Keep in touch with other parents
Social distancing is important during this time, but staying in touch with others via virtual communication is very important. Each parent that has a child at home is going to be going through a similar experience. Check in with other parents to see what they’ve found effective, and ask if they need help as well. Keep your conversations positive, avoid comparing between children, their learning tasks or comparing between schools. It is easy to be negative and there is so much negativity around us in the media so let’s try our hardest to remain positive.

When it comes to home learning, the teachers and single subject teachers have planned a variety of developmentally appropriate learning engagements for the children to work on. These don't all have to be finished and should be self paced and self chosen. The teachers have given a balance between online and offline learning as well, just like in our classrooms.

It is not intended that the children's day will look just like a school day, they are not expected to work all day and other activities they involve themselves in should be regarded as learning such as doing a puzzle, taking a quiet time to read by themselves or sharing a book together as a family, colouring in, painting, playing with their toys/gadgets and other family activities.

Please be patient when waiting for feedback from the teacher to be posted. Teachers are aiming to give feedback to every child in a timely fashion however this will not be immediate as their day is not only spent reading work uploaded but they are also in daily meetings with the other members of their team.

It isn't easy, I know only too well, but the one thing which is important to me is that you preserve the relationship you have with your children. If things get tough and frustrating take a break, distract them, and then come back to it at another time. Remember it doesn’t all have to be done! To me it is important that you and your children don't lose the love of learning.

Lastly there is so much advice out there, on the tv; across the internet; from members of your family; and from other parents. Find a source that you trust, ones that are reliable and accurate and try not to panic – separate the rumours from the facts. Your children will want to talk about the virus, school closure and may ask questions you don’t have answers too. Please don’t make up responses, as this can give a false sense of security. If you don’t know something: say “I don’t know, let’s try and find out together.”

Stay well, stay safe and enjoy learning with your children.
Tony

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''OUR BELIEF IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL RESTS IN OUR STRONG SENSE OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY...''
-ANTHONY BATCHELOR

Tips from our Primary Division Counsellors.

Message #2 From the Head of Primary - OGC Campus

Mr Tony
Head of Primary

Pedagogical Leadership Team

Aaron DeLane
Deputy Head of Primary

Neha Minda
PYP Coordinator

Archives

''OUR BELIEF IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL RESTS IN OUR STRONG SENSE OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY...''-ANTHONY BATCHELOR​

Tips from our Primary Division Counsellors.

Message #2 From the Head of Primary - OGC Campus

Mr TonyHead of Primary

Pedagogical Leadership Team

Aaron DeLane Deputy Head of Primary

Neha Minda​PYP Coordinator

Archives

''OUR BELIEF IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL RESTS IN OUR STRONG SENSE OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY...''
-ANTHONY BATCHELOR

Mr Tony
Head of Primary

Aaron DeLane
Deputy Head of Primary

Neha Minda
PYP Coordinator