Recently our school's occupational therapist, Colleen Kelly, shared a great idea with me. Many of us at some time or another have tried to work on our child's behavior through some sort of chart. We may have been working on them following directions the first time, saying please, getting along with siblings, or other behaviors we would like to see more often. What if we turned the tables and worked on ourselves? She shared this chart with me, and I thought it was such a new way of looking at things. When we make changes in our own actions and responses it can have a huge positive impact on our children. We can model those things that we would like them to do, AND we can model that we have things we need to work on as well. Try it out and if you meet your goal eat that bowl of ice cream!
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Parents, It is up to us to model and teach tolerance to our children. Here are some tips from Teaching Tolerance that can help you start the conversation about racism with your child.
Parents,
The end of the year is here! Thank you so much for all of your support for your child, teachers, and our entire Ocee community this year. Even though we have been physically apart the last few months, in some ways this experience has brought us closer together, and I am thankful for that. As summer approaches I am wondering if your home is looking a little like mine. My boys were adjusting to learning from home. We were in a groove. And, now we have to start all over and adjust to a summer that looks different than what we were expecting. You may be excited that there is no more school work to worry about and meetings to attend. But, now what are the kids going to do all day? Every family will find their own answers. Here are just a few ideas:
Our mindful tip for this week is to take a Mindful Walk. Next time you take a walk pay attention to your feet! How does the ground feel under you? Is it bumpy, smooth, prickly…? If possible, this would be fun to do barefoot! On another walk you could just focus on sounds. Have your child name all the sounds they hear as they walk…horns honking, birds singing, people talking, lawnmowers mowing. When we pay attention to what is happening in the moment it helps us feel calmer and less anxious. Anxiety is common in adults and children right now. If your child is showing signs that they are feeling overwhelmed or worrying a lot try making a list of what they can control and what is out of their control. We can try to let go of the things out of our control. And, focus on the things within our control. This can be a comforting feeling. There is actually a lot that we can control! Our thoughts, our actions, how we respond to situations, how we treat other people. Adults can try this, too. There are a lot of things out of our control right now. But when we focus on what we can control it give us positive things to focus on and helps us move forward and take action in the areas where we can.
Parents, you made it to May! Thank you for all that you are doing to support your child and family. Parenting is always a challenge, and it is definitely intensified in many ways right now. Remember to care for yourself during this time. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Many people are experiencing stress and anxiety right now. That is completely normal. Try these to help.
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If you are really struggling right now and feel like you need some extra support, please let us know. The Ocee CPSW Team is comprised of Ocee’s counselor, Renee Corley, our social worker, Ken McGee, and our psychologist, Maureen Innes. We have been working to meet student and families’ needs during this time. If we can assist you, please complete this form. Connecting with others looks a lot different these days. So many of us are missing face-to-face connections with friends, family members, neighbors, and even people we don’t know! Children feel this as well. I love seeing the creative ways people are helping children connect, like sending cards to friends, doing a drive-by birthday parade for a friend, zoom calls and more. If your child would like to have a chance to connect with some friends from school I want to help! Please click on the link to sign up for a Virtual Lunch Bunch. I will set up a Teams meeting where your child and some of their friends can meet up and connect, talk, and just laugh. I hope you are finding ways to connect with your loved ones as well!
Right now it is easy for us to focus on all the things that are causing us stress. They are front and center everyday. One idea to help right now that is free and does not take a lot of time is finding time to focus on what you are thankful for. Studies show that regular gratitude practice has positive effects on your emotional and physical health. Here are some ideas to try:
Dear Parents,
This week we learned that we will not be back together “physically” at Ocee again this year. This brought mixed feelings for me as I want to do the right thing for all the people in our community and world. I also know I will miss seeing all of those sweet faces at school! I hope sometime over the next couple of weeks your child can take some time to watch my video of The Invisible String and you can talk together about how we are all connected even when we are not in the same place. I hope your families stay safe and healthy. Please reach out to me if you need anything during this time. Be well- Renee Corley Read below for some ideas to try with your child during remote learning. Click on the links for additional resources for families and children.
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