Ms. Munsey's Counseling Corner
Hello!
Good morning RE students and families. Ms. Munsey here. Each week I will be including an additional activity you may choose to complete along with the weekly activity located on my social/emotional learning choice board. I will also include a short video message from me.
Optional Activity!
This week's optional counseling activity is simple - take a deep breath and SMILE! Taking deep breaths and smiling help us feel GOOD and they help the people around us feel good!
This week I will also include a mindfulness short video that you can view each day for 21 days. Each day will have a short video and exercise you can complete.
Student Updates
Here are a few things you may be wondering about:
1. Community Service Hours: As you know, community service hours were supposed to be due this week. PLEASE hang on to the documentation of those hours so they can be turned into me when we are able to return to school. We haven't heard from the Presidential Service Award program yet, so we aren't sure when we will be able to turn them in. April 1 started our new community service calendar year, so any volunteering you do now will count toward the hours for next school year. Make sure you document those on a new paper.
2. Kindest Kansas Citian: Our reception was scheduled for the end of April, but we obviously will not be able to do that this year. I will return all the copies of essays written when we return to school and I hope you will take that opportunity to share your words and pictures with the kind people you wrote about!
Parent Resources
I know you are overwhelmed with working from home, teaching, being parents, and all the many hats you are wearing. Please know you are not alone.
These resources can help:
For Parents
> Parent Guide to Helping Families Cope with COVID-19
from National Child Traumatic Stress Network
For Children
> Talking to Kids About Coronavirus
From Child Mind Institute
> Hand washing resources for children
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
More info:
We want to empower students that they can help stay healthy by practicing good hygiene.
What you (student) can do:
- Practice good hand washing
- Cough/sneeze away from others and into your elbow
- Tell a parent and/or teacher if you don’t feel well
What others are doing:
- Doctors are working hard to find ways to help (like the flu shot)
- Custodians are cleaning our schools
- Teachers and parents are helping us learn good hygiene habits
Adults should remain calm; model good hygiene and assure students that this is temporary. Tell students that good hygiene should always be practiced, especially during the cold/flu season.
https://www.parentshelpingparents.org/copy-of-parental-stress-line
The Child Mind Institute distributes a daily “Tips for Parents” - sign up via email, Facebook or Instagram.
https://childmind.org/article/supporting-teenagers-and-young-adults-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/
They also have “live” video chat with psychologists each day via facebook).