The main areas of Stress and Anxiety, Dealing with Grief, Self, Care, Trauma Recovery Resources and Relaxation Resources provide specific videos and ideas to assist in coping with all the stress that we are working through during this difficult time in all our lives.

When we are able to return to school there will be an actual room on campus called the Gold Club where students will be able to have specific times that they can spend there doing some unique activities. We look forward to the time that it will be open and supporting wellness.

Please use responsibly and if you need to speak to someone please see the link below.

Explore your backyard

Sure, you’re in a de facto state of staycationing already, but make it special. Weather permitting, treat a pool day like a beach day, if it’s warm enough. Set up a tent and camp in the backyard. Have the space for a garden? Create one, or at least an area for potted plants. Buy some outdoor games, such as ladderball, cornhole or KanJam.

Redecorate

Does your kid want a fun, colorful room that reflects his or her interests? Is your young teen ready to grow out of those bright pink or baby blue walls? Make it happen. Redo some walls, swap out some furniture or shop for a rug or lighting. Plus, can you come up with a more fun excuse to have them completely clean their rooms? It could even be time to reorganize the playroom and set up a system for containing all those toys.

Binge watch

This isn’t a novel suggestion, but there’s simply too much content out there to have possibly watched everything you and your kids want to see. Take a day or two to turn into such a couch potato that your brain gets mashed. Maybe use this as a good excuse to try Disney+ if you haven’t already, or any of the numerous streaming services available.

Write Letters

Yes, old school, but so valuable. Write a family member or an old friend a letter. Let them know why they mean so much to you, and why you chose them to write to. They will appreciate it greatly, and you will make their day!

Create a craft

Head to a Michael's, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's or a big-box store (if they are open...) and go nuts buying art supplies. It could be time to make those bird boxes you were thinking about, or try some painting. There are thousands of crafts you could create from just a few affordable supplies, using your imagination (and maybe Pinterest).

Break out the board games

You can get a lot of mileage out of a few smart board games, even if your family members claim they’re not competitive. Break out the classics, such as Life or Monopoly, or buy some new ones — it’s hard to go wrong. Or you can see if your kids want to design their own games. If your family wants something on the more calming side, there are always puzzles.

Reintroduce reading

If your kid complains about how boring reading is, clearly you need to introduce them to some good literature. If you aren’t planning to visit a public library or bookstore, don’t forget about the digital books available on most tablet apps.

Act out

Do you have some budding thespians in your home? If so, put their acting skills and imagination to use by breaking out some old Halloween costumes. Your kids can write their own scripts and act out their parts while in costume.

Keep school skills fresh

Help younger kids keep their learning skills fresh with grade-appropriate activities. Look for fun math problem books, science experiment kits and writing prompts for kids, available online.

1. Meditation and mindfulness apps

There are so many new mindfulness apps that it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. There's Calm, Ten Percent Happier, Breathe, Headspace, and Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, just to name a few. Some of these are paid, others are free, others are pay-to-upgrade, so it's worth doing a little research to suit your financial situation.

2. Super zen calming YouTube videos

There are so many free talks, meditations and discussions about mindfulness on YouTube that you could literally spend your entire self-quarantine period letting them auto-play one after the next. But one part of being mindful is being deliberate in our actions, so instead I'll point you to a few keepers. This talk from meditation guru Tara Brach on learning how to 'respond, not react' is a personal fave. This talk from Eckhart Tolle about the essence of spirituality is another good one, although I can't tell if I find his words helpful or am simply hypnotized by his cute old-German-man voice. If ASMR is more your thing, this clip titled 'cozy night time whispering' comes highly recommended from yours truly, not least because the guy doing the cozy night time whispering is a straight-up hunk.

3. Mindfulness activities you can do anywhere

Mindfulness isn't something you have to pay for - and it's not something you have to leave the house for. That's why it's so popular with prisoners. One of my favorite easy-to-do mindfulness exercises simply involves listening to your favorite music, but resisting the judgments and thoughts that might normally come along with this music. Other exercises include finding a natural object nearby and focusing on it for several minutes, or doing a check-in with your different body parts (it's called a body scan!) while sitting comfortably.

If all else fails, you can always order an adult coloring-in book, or download these free colouring-in print-outs.

4. Do something creative

You'd be surprised how calming arts and crafts can be. Not oil paints, necessarily, as they get onto your hands and then onto the tap and then onto the kitchen bench and before you know it you're having a mental breakdown. But things like drawing, colouring in, cross-stitching, embroidering, or building something out of clay with your hands will force you to be in the moment, which is, at the end of the day, the core goal of mindfulness (but we don't call it a goal, because mindfulness and meditation shouldn't be goal-oriented!).

5. Animals

This might seem like an obvious one, but there is plenty of research to suggest that being in the presence of animals helps us minimize stress and stay mindful. So, if you have a pet, keep them real close. Give them a brush! Take photos and send them to your friends! But don't worry if you don't have a pet, because the internet has your back. YouTube is awash with brilliant pet compilation videos that should have you forgetting the word 'pandemic' in no time.

*disclaimer: what follows is a pretty packed day with a lot of transitions. The purpose here is not to impose a structure but to offer ideas for how to break up the time. Think of it as a menu of options; pick and choose what works for your children and your family.

8:00 Make breakfast together

9:00 An hour of schoolwork

10:00 DIY Science project

11:00 Exercise! Here are some Indoor suggestions

12:00 Creative lunch-making

1:00 Second session of schoolwork

2:00 Round 2 of physical activity - we all need it...

3:00 Healthy snack & DIY Crafts project

4:00 Write, rehearse, and perform a play or mock commercial, or dress up time.

5:00 Movie or TV break

6:00 Prepare, eat, and clean up dinner; everyone helps.

8:00 Board Games/showers/read aloud before bed

HOW to Access Google Classroom from Home

Click on the Link below to review how to access Google Classroom from home.

Our counselors are working remotely to support all students. They are available to assist as needed. To reach your child's counselor, please have the student complete our form here...

bit.ly/pjhstress

For all existing students receiving counseling services through an IEP or school based counseling, counseling services will continue via telehealth. Your child's current counselor/therapist will be reaching out to you by phone regarding logistics.

In preparation for our transition to this online environment, we encourage you to visit our Distance Learning webpage for helpful tips on how this new process will work. We will be updating this page with new resources daily. You can access that webpage by going here:

https://www.hartdistrict.org/apps/pages/distance-learning

Sometimes screen time is a necessity if we have children at home and work we need to do. Here are three apps that make screen time a learning time:

1. CodeMonkey: a game-based education program that teaches children to code. It comes with a membership fee, but there's a free 14-day trial that doesn't require a credit card.
2. BrainPop: Online learning across subject areas for children in kindergarten through middle school and ELL learning for all age groups. Free.
3. Khan Academy: Online learning in math, science, and literacy for all age groups. Standards-aligned. Free.
4. BrainPop: Fun, interactive educational activities for all ages and all subject areas
5. Scholastic Learn at Home: Interactive learning journeys for all ages.

It is important for us to share very important information about an event that will taking place right now: the U.S. Census. The census is a count of all people living in the U.S. and takes place every 10 years. It is simple and confidential to complete. For the first time, you can respond online. You will receive a unique identifying number in the mail, which will allow you to fill out the online form beginning in March 2020. Here are some things you should know:

Your identity remains anonymous. Any personal information you provide on the census form is protected by law and cannot be shared with anyone or any other federal agency. Regardless of your immigration status, the information cannot be used against you or to invade the privacy of you or any members of your family.

The Census is important. The Census is important because it helps to decide how much federal money our schools will get over the next ten years, and how much money our state will get for our parks, neighborhood improvements, public health, transportation, and many other programs and services.

The Census is safe. All the data collected through the census is protected under Title 13 of the U.S. Code. All U.S. Census Bureau employees swear a lifetime oath to protect respondent information. The U.S. Census will never share a respondent’s personal information with other government agencies. Data is only released in summary tables; no individual records are released.

What do you need to do? Your kids count, so make sure to count them when you fill out the census form in Spring 2020! Between March 12th – 20th, you will receive an invitation to respond online. When you receive this information, log-on and complete the census information for your family. If you need assistance, please reach out to us, we are here to help.

For more information regarding the U.S. Census, please visit the following websites:

• https://californiacensus.org/
• https://www.census.gov/