Jumbunna 26th August 2021

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A Message from Ken and Lisa

 

Mental Health and Wellbeing

It can be challenging to process and manage changes to routines and the uncertainty that comes with COVID-19 and related restrictions – including moving to remote learning.

To support our school community during this time, resources and support are available for parents, carers and families.

These resources will help to support the mental health and wellbeing of our students and the young people in our care during this time.

I encourage everyone in our community to access these resources and take care of themselves during this time.

Services and support for students and their families

Quick Guide to Student Mental Health and Wellbeing resources is available for students, parents and carers looking to access expert guidance and resources to support wellbeing.

Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students remains our priority this year, especially during the continued COVID-19 pandemic and while students are learning from home during the current circuit breaker restrictions.

For students, the guide includes resources to support their own mental health and wellbeing.

The guide also includes resources and supports for parents and carers to help them build their child’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. This includes:

Wellbeing guidance for parents and carers is also available:

 

School Council Report

At the School Council meeting held last Thursday 19th August, the following policy was approved:

 

Face Masks – Primary School aged children

Based on advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer, it is now recommended primary school age children wear masks while indoors and outdoors, except when in the home or when an exception applies. However, it is not mandatory.

Building resilience during the COVID pandemic

by Michael Grose

The pandemic continues to bring worry and anxiety to children and young people. Resilience can help kids get through these difficult times, but it is not something they are born with. Resilience is built up over time as kids interact with the environment and each other. Emerging relatively unscathed from a setback or hardship can boost future resilience. On the other hand, if experiences are too overwhelming or stressful, kids can be traumatised, making it difficult to respond with future hardships with resilience.

The Harvard University Centre for the Developing Child depicts resilience as ‘a see-saw or balance scale, where negative experiences tip the scale toward bad outcomes, and positive experiences tip it toward good outcomes. The point where the scale balances is called the “fulcrum,” and if it is more to one side or the other, it can make it harder or easier to tip the resilience scale to the positive.’ Everyone’s fulcrum is in a different spot—which explains why hardships impact on people so differently.

Reduce the impact of COVID by reducing stress

During the pandemic there has been a constant build-up of stress and disappointment for many kids. Remote learning, postponement or cancellation of highly anticipated events such as graduations and formals, limited access to community activities and extra-curricular activities are just some of the negative outcomes that kids have experienced.

Most of these stressors are out of parents’ control however any efforts to lighten the load on kids and tip the balance to a more positive side will help build resilience. Reducing sources of stress on kids include:

  •  facilitating visits to recreation areas for play and contact with friends
  •  ensuring academic expectations are realistic and reflect the circumstances of each child
  •  back and forth parent-teacher communication responding to pandemic-induced problems
  •  alleviating unnecessary family conflict such as temporarily loosening digital limits

Build up positive outcomes through supportive relationships

The presence of healthy supportive adult relationships with children and teenagers is a recognised contributor to resilience. Harvard University state, “The one thing that most children who develop resilience have in common is a stable, committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult. Adults need those supportive relationships, too!”

Parents can build more positive outcomes for kids by strengthening the connections they have with friends, family and members of the community. Relationship-building activities can include:

  •  increasing family connections through shared mealtimes and enjoyable family activities
  •  positive one-on-one activities between parents and kids
  •  encouraging regular digital or face-to-face connection with friends
  •  maintaining contact with extended family

Strengthening core skills and coping capacities

Children and adults need a set of core skills to manage their daily lives. These skills include planning, ability to focus, self-control, self-awareness and adaptability. When children and young people are under extreme stress it’s difficult to apply these core skills so the ability to manage even simple tasks can be compromised.

Parents can strengthen these skills in children and young people by:

  • building daily organisational skills at age-appropriate levels including the use of schedules, timetables and other visual organisers
  • encouraging children to relax and enjoy regular downtime
  • developing anxiety-management tools such as deep breathing and mindfulness
  • embedding wellbeing strategies of relaxation, exercise and play into family life

Building resilience in children and young people during the current pandemic is a continuous task for families. Resilience is best promoted by relieving stressors on kids, ensuring they experience a variety of supporting relationships with adults and other children, and building core executive functioning skills so that they can successfully manage their daily lives during these times of change.

regards

Ken & Lisa



Week 8 Events



Theircare News

What has been happening at TheirCare Bonbeach.

It has  been a quiet few weeks without most of our friends and we are really missing all of your happy smiley faces and cannot wait to welcome you all back soon. Your friends who have been at school have been very busy. The basketball courts are now open, and we have had plenty of time to test them out.  Last week was science week we made fireworks in jars, saw how density works and made bath bombs. Miss you all, Louise and the team at Bonbeach.

  

Spring Holiday Program

The monsters are coming to Bonbeach these school holidays, we are expecting a very busy program so book now to avoid disappointment. We also have some great prizes up for grabs for those who book in early. In the case of lockdown still occurring booking will be cancelled at no charge. Finger crossed it will be full steam ahead.



Bookings and Cancellations

Parents, as our bookings are increasing, we are encouraging you all to book your children into our BSC & ASC sessions. Bookings made less than 48 hrs will charge a fee. This also goes for cancellations. Doing this ensures we have the required ratio of educators to provide a high-quality program for your children. Please make sure you cancel your bookings if your child is not attending even if its last minute.





Dates to remember

Click here to view the upcoming dates.