We hope your family got plenty of sun and sleep over spring break and feel refreshed and ready to take on these last few months of school. As the weather warms up and the days grow longer, it can be especially challenging for kids to stay motivated at school. Even more so during our current climate of remote learning. See some tips below for inspiring our children to finish the school year strong.

~Kailey & Alex

Resources to Use with Students:

Talking to kids about anti-Asian racism:

https://www.rebekahgienapp.com/anti-asian-racism/

Read Alouds to CELEBRATE our AAPI students:

My name is Yoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc6li0jFTfI

Mama's Sari's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtSYlkehkNQ

My name is Jar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGCuOEoEXSc

A Different Pond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVTTJUBLLvQ

Taking Care of Ourselves During Times of Racial Stress & Collective Grief:

1. Build or access a support network. You are not alone in dealing with race-related stress and connecting with other people with similar experiences and feelings can help you to successfully navigate racism.

2. Incorporate cultural foods, activities, music, books, and other traditions into your home. For example, take some time for yourself to listen to music that reflect and promote your culture, that make you feel good about yourself.

3. Get some exercise. It can be as simple as going for a walk and enjoying the outside; (OR if you're like me and indoors feels safer right now) a simple 5-10 minutes of stretching or yoga exercises. Being physically active is proven to help reduce and manage stress.

4. Take 10-20 minutes to practice deep breathing exercises or meditation.

5. Journal a. Take 5-10 minutes in the morning, before, bed or both to write down your thoughts and feelings and reflect on your day. b. You can also write down positive affirmations or positive things that happened to you today.

6. Limit your media intake. Be mindful of the media you take in and how long you spend taking it in. The media can be a source of race-related stress, through constant coverage of racial violence. Try disconnecting from social media and news for 15 minutes to one hour today and reflect on how you feel afterwards.

7. Seek out counseling/therapy from therapists who you feel you can relate to or reflect your cultural values to discuss ongoing stressful situations, process complicated feelings, and strengthen your resolve.

8. If spirituality plays an important role in your life, use your belief system to cope with stress. This could involve connecting with other groups or individuals who share your spiritual beliefs, confiding in your spiritual leaders, or participating in your spiritual rituals (e.g., prayer, meditation).

9. Take some time to listen to a podcast that you enjoy. Or watch a funny tv show or funny animal YouTube videos.