The Wellness Newsletter
Barrington Middle School
A Message from your School Counselors
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We have made it through the first few days of remote learning. We’re sure there have been some struggles and difficulties figuring all of this out but overall we have heard some positive feedback so far. This is a huge change for all of us and we want you to know that we will continue to be available to help support you and your students as best we can. Be patient with yourselves and each other as we continue to move forward with this and know that we fully understand the difficulties many of you are currently facing. Take care of yourselves and ask for help when you need it. We’ve told your students the same thing. You’re all doing the best you can and that is all that anyone can ask. We are all in this together!
Wendy Doran & Tamrah Rouleau
Building Social Emotional Skills at Home
What can you let go of?
Progress, not perfection.
Nurses Corner
Things you can do to support yourself:
BY ADHD EDITORIAL BOARD, LIDIA ZYLOWSKA, M.D., ERINA WHITE, PHD, MPH, MSW
Coronavirus is scary for all of us. For children with comorbid anxiety disorder, school closures and health threats are downright paralyzing. Here are 11 expert tips for talking to your child about COVID-19, navigating the next few weeks at home together, and living with the constant hum of uncertainty in an ADHD household.
The last week has felt like one long news ticker — spiraling coverage of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), compounded by a steady stream of school closures and event cancellations, video of toilet-paper battles in Costco, and one Presidential address after the other. With so much new, bad information coming to light each hour and so many questions left unanswered, families are feeling on edge — and with good reason.For families living with ADHD, the impact of coronavirus may be more acute due to the common and serious comorbidity of anxiety disorder.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a quarter of children and teens with ADHD also suffer from an anxiety disorder. This comorbidity is a fact that’s inescapable to many families at this very moment.Whether or not your child’s school has closed, you are suddenly tasked with the challenge of explaining coronavirus in a way that is factual and serious, yet not overly dire. Your child may have questions about death rates, travel risks, and contagions. You must respect your child’s need for information and reassurance, while also weighing how the daily news may cause his or her anxiety to spike. And you’ll need to do all of this while managing your own mental health, working from home, and playing endless games of Monopoly.This is the Olympics of special-needs parenting. As such, we’ve called in some world-class experts to help us with their time-tested game plans for families living with ADHD and anxiety. Following is their advice for explaining coronavirus to your anxious child and navigating the days and weeks ahead with grace and deep breathing.“While we all prepare and take precautions like washing our hands,” says Lidia Zylowska, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist with expertise in mindfulness-based therapy for ADHD, “a critical part of the preparation is to not let anxiety and worry overtake our families.”
Read the full article here:
Virtual Field Trips
More Virtual Field Trips can be found here: https://www.weareteachers.com/best-virtual-field-trips/
Practice Mindful Meditation
Your School Counselors
Tamrah Rouleau (7th/8th Grade)
Your BMS School Nurse:
Kelly Faul
Website: http://bmsschlcnslng.weebly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Barrington-Middle-School-BMS-Barrington-NH-407593242631099/