Student Services - Newsletter
Wellness Tips and Resources
Panther Nation!
Wellness Sessions for Parents and Families
Virtual Parent Summit
WCPSS Family Academy
Remote Learning Hacks
Alarms/Reminders - set alarms using your Chromebook/laptop, phone, Alexa, Google Home:
ex. Set reminders for specific times 8:10, 9:45, 12:40, ext - these are instruction times. Or activities - "time to exercise" , "time for school - make it a great day"
Immersive Reader! - you can have large portions of text read aloud to students this helps with with comprehension. You can use the Immersive Reader option in Microsoft 360. You just Copy (Ctrl A & Ctrl C) and then open 360 in your WakeId Portal -> Docs New -> Paste (Ctrl V) -> View -> Immersive reader.
DND - utilize your Do Not Disturb option at bedtime. Have your child plug all of their devices outside of their room as to not disturb their sleep.
Screentime - help track usage and breakdown of time spent on different media apps.
Google Classroom Organizer - see below video:
There's an App for that...
Top apps for self-care, focus, and emotional regulation:
Emotional Regulation:
Mood Meter - Clever, visually appealing tool promotes self-awareness
Calm - Appealing meditation and relaxation for all ages.
Headspace - Practical meditation for adults and kids
Smiling Mind (free) - to help with pressure, stress, and challenges of daily life.
Stop/Breathe/and Think Kids (free) - Kids name emotions and go on mindful missions
- Habitica - Better habits only a game away
- Sleepy Town (sleep habit tracker)
- Forest Focus (timer)
Cameras ON vs. Cameras OFF - what is your expectation?
Should students be required to have cameras on for distance learning? Wake County has mandated that students NOT be required to turn their cameras on; however, is this your expectation for your child? This is a complicated subject with many factors. This topic brings into questions of student engagement, as well as privacy and equity issues.
Many things can be true at the same time. For instance, it can be true that students may encounter Zoom/Google Meet fatigue, and or social anxiety, by looking at cameras all day. And this is a real problem that we are going to have to deal with if this remote learning continues for a lengthy amount of time. But it is also true that students who turn off their cameras are more likely to be distracted, disengaged, multi-tasking, and play video games or watching Netflix/youtube while in class.
The questions about privacy and about students who experience inequity in living situations should be considered. There could be instruction for students on how to prepare their environment to maximize privacy. Students might use physical screens, or orient their computer in such a way that the background feels acceptable.
Cameras on or cameras off, it is important that expectations and rules would be clearly stated by parents and shared with teachers so they can be routinely enforced. Students should be made aware that, as it is not required, it is preferred to have their cameras on. One teacher said it best, "I could pass my student at the supermarket and not recognize them at all given that I have never seen them and they look nothing like their dinosaur icon."
Allowing kids to turn off their cameras can result in mass disengagement. Having that face to face interaction, even virtually, is so important.
Please reach out to your children's teachers if you expect that they turn their camera on and if not, please consider asking your child to change their icon to a picture of themselves to at least, avoid an awkward supermarket interaction :)
HELPFUL WEBSITE FOR PARENTING IN THIS TECHNOLOGICAL WORLD
About Us
Ms. Everitt, 6th Grade School Counselor
email: heveritt@wcpss.net
phone number: 919-387-3033 x 22069
Mr. Nilsen, 7th Grade School Counselor
email: snilsen@wcpss.net
phone number: 919-387-3033 x 22067
Ms. Young, 8th Grade School Counselor
email: myoung4@wcpss.net
phone number: 919-387-3033 x 22068
Ms. Alston, School Social Worker
email: jsalston@wcpss.net
phone number: 919-387-3033 x 22058
Ms. Vitiello, School Psychologist
email: kvitiello@wcpss.net
phone number: 919-387-2130 x 21989
Ms. Ragan, Student Services Assistant
email: seragan@wcpss.net
phone number: 919-387-3033 x 22071
Website: https://www.wcpss.net/davisdrivems
Location: 2102 Davis Drive, Cary, NC, USA
Phone: 9193873033
Twitter: @DDMSBuzz