The Wellness Newsletter
Barrington Middle School - VOL 7
A Message from Your School Counselors
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are all continuing to navigate this current way of life and we're always finding new information that can help us to get through it all a little easier. We will continue to share these tips with you and hope that you are finding them useful. We know that many of you are also working from home right along with us so we want to share some tips that will be useful for you as well as your children. As some states start to look at the next phase, it can be helpful to consider what our next "new normal" will look like because we can actually start to plan for that!
As always, please reach out to us at any time if you have any questions or concerns.
Your School Counselors,
Ms. Rouleau and Ms. Doran
Nurses Corner
~Mrs. Faul, School Nurse
NAVIGATING COVID-19
We recently attended a webinar presented by Effective School Solutions on supporting children during this time of COVID-19. They had some wonderful suggestions, and we thought we could condense the information into some easily digestible suggestions. Please, reach out to your school counselor if you need support or have any questions.
- You must take care of yourself first. Just like the advice about applying the oxygen mask to yourself before putting the mask on someone else. You will lead by example. If you aren’t practicing what you are preaching, it will be very obvious in such close quarters.
- Remain Calm. Practicing patience and tolerance is key. Kids will ask questions, and might want to talk about their feelings. Keep them talking- encourage them to express their feelings. Help them to reframe their concerns into the appropriate perspective. This also means you need to watch your response to media. Limiting media exposure is a good idea for you as well as for the children.
- Be reassuring while being honest & accurate. Use credible sources- like the CDC and the other links on the EHS website. Discuss what COVID-19 is, how it is spread and its symptoms. If you don’t know an answer- say that you don’t know-invite them to help you find the answer. Remind children to separate what is in their control from what is not & that adults are here to keep them safe & healthy. Reassure that it is still relatively rare. (see diagram below about what is within their control)
- Be Developmentally Appropriate. Let your child(ren)’s questions be your guide on how much information to provide. Make time to talk, but most importantly, listen. Your high school students may have some pretty in-depth questions/knowledge about what is happening. This is why #3 is so important.
- Create a plan for safety. This is also a way to be reassuring. Focus on what you are doing to stay safe. Model the precautions and basic hygiene to help reinforce them to practice it. Setting and discussing new household rules helps to keep children feeling secure. It is also a great idea to connect your child(ren) with a trusted adult outside your home. They can provide a sounding board and support if (when) things get tense in the house- they can also reaffirm what you are telling them.
- Provide STRUCTURE. This is very important. Although you may have treated the first few weeks as an extended vacation with some binge-watching of new shows…it is time to set new rules, including a schedule. Stick to a routine, with at least 80% success, balance work/play/school/exercise/screen time. There is a sample on our “Tips For Success” page on the EHS site under Related Updates then Resources and Articles. Regular meals, consistent bedtime, and limited unstructured screen time (2 hours max) help to keep moods up and stress down. Unstructured screen time means- looking at those cat videos, TikTok and the like. Encourage your child(ren) to stay in touch with peers through school work, games and phone or internet. Set (gentle but) firm limits. Include a contribution to household chores-daily.
- Avoid Blame & Look for Stigma. Encourage children to spread kindness. Remind them that COVID-19 has nothing to do with how someone looks or speaks. Avoid stereotyping or looking for someone to blame. This might mean stepping away from social media & discussing what you just saw/watched together.
WORKING FROM HOME
Tips for success during your “work from home” period
- Create a schedule and stick to it with 80% accuracy.
- Include a creative and an exercise period in your schedule.
- Also include an “unplugged” period in your day- at least one hour- no social media, TV, Computer, electronics, etc.
- Get outside at least once/day (while practicing social distancing)
- Set goal and make a check list so you can cross them off when you reach/complete them.
- Connect with friends (virtually) for a purpose. Working on understanding an assignment or completing a group project has great benefits of helping you feel connected and useful.
CDC Guide to Managing Anxiety/Stress & Guide to Self-Care
Lynn Lyons: Episode 4 - Plan now for the next new normal
As states try and determine the safest schedules to reopen businesses and schools, parents will want to think about an eventual transition back to normal and which family quarantine habits will be tough to break.
We didn’t have time to prepare when we were thrown into this traumatic change, but we can prepare for our journey out.
The Cat in the Hat: Rap Version!
Mindfulness Apps
Virtual Field Trips
Monday, Apr 27, 2020, 08:00 AM
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Your School Wellness Team
Tamrah Rouleau, School Counselor (7th/8th)
Kelly Faul, BMS School Nurse
Website: http://sau74counseling.weebly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Barrington-Middle-School-BMS-Barrington-NH-407593242631099/