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As our current lock down enters a fourth week many of us may be starting to feel like a marathon runner who has ‘hit the wall’. In general, hitting the wall happens to those engaged in endurance sports and occurs when energy stores become depleted. This condition is typically accompanied by feelings of fatigue and negativity. The condition can usually be avoided by ensuring that energy levels are high when the exercise begins, by maintaining glucose levels during exercise, or by reducing exercise intensity.
Parenting and teaching, especially during a pandemic, can be likened to participating in an endurance sport. With remote learning now underway in households throughout our community we acknowledge, like the marathon runner, the difficulties that may be involved, but we wish to offer some tips to support our parents to go the distance.
ensuring that energy levels are high
- Prepare for home learning by creating a routine and setting aside a designated working space.
- Listen to the signals of your child and respond when they need a break.
- Accept the need for an increase of screen time and focus on effectively managing the remaining hours of the day by setting aside unplugged time for exercise, family meals, sleep and downtime.
maintaining glucose levels
- Try to create realistic blocks of working time. Most children can only work for 20 minutes before needing a break. Parents of younger children should also not feel pressured to re-create a six-hour school day, this is impossible. For younger students in Kindergarten, Year 1 and 2, two to two-and-a-half hours a day, up to three for some older kids is probably enough.
- Parents must pick their battles and prioritise which tasks need a child’s attention the most. If your child really struggles with reading, for example, make sure that is the one task you focus on.
- Pre-preparing snacks and bookmarking key web pages may help the day run more smoothly, especially if parents are juggling the demands of working from home.
- Parents are encouraged to be open about their needs and to communicate with the school whenever they need additional help.
- Sitting still for long periods of time is not good for children. Developmentally, children need to have the experience of learning by doing and learning through play. Supplementing schoolwork with Lego challenges, drawing activities, building a cubby, gardening, cooking, having a conversation, visiting the park, going for a walk are highly encouraged and are acceptable alternate activities. Remember that playing is learning.
by reducing exercise intensity
- Give yourself and your child permission to stop whenever you / they are too tired or overwhelmed. If they’re struggling or you’re struggling, or they’re having trouble with a concept, put that aside and do something else.
- Please support the critical parent-teacher partnership during remote learning. In the classroom, teachers can see when students are struggling or need work adjusted or adapted, now we must rely on feedback from parents to tell us when this may be the case.
- Please know that 'doing what works' during this time is a valid strategy.
And at the beginning of each new day, like families and teachers everywhere, we pick ourselves up, adapt and strive to move forward, just like a marathon runner who moves toward a finish line that is not clearly visible.
Last week I had the privilege of watching a TED talk delivered by 7-year-old, Molly Wright. Molly very eloquently reinforced the importance of parent connection and the impact this has on child development. Although aimed at parents with very young children, the messages can be easily translated to apply to parenting children of all ages. I strongly recommend viewing as the messages certainly help to put our current situation into perspective.
I am very grateful to our Year 6 Leaders who have created a motivational video that will be shared with all students on Thursday morning as part of the remote morning message. Thank you, Year 6 Leaders, for reminding us of the many positives that can be found during these challenging times. As the quote on our Remote Learning Page states - "...at the end of all of this, your child's mental health will be more important than their academic skills. And how they felt during this time will stay with them long after the memory of what they did during those weeks is long gone. So keep that in mind, every single day."
Let Christ guide our way and bring us fullness of life in the days ahead.
Tina Murray
Principal
I have included an article from the Victorian Government website with great information for parents on talking to your child about COVID-19.
Talking to your child about COVID-19
Most children will have already heard about Coronavirus. Parents and carers should take the opportunity to talk to them about the current situation. Honest and regular communication is key. Not talking about something can make children worry more. Children often rely on their friends and social media for the news. Parents and carers can help by positioning themselves as a trusted source for information and as a person who can help children with their questions.
Adapt information based on your child’s age
Try to remain calm and positive when talking to your child. Think about your child’s age. Offer information using language and examples they’ll understand. It’s okay if you can’t answer everything – and to say you’re not sure. Use this as an opportunity to find out information together. Being available to your child is what matters. Be careful not to share too much information all at once, as this may be overwhelming. Avoid talking in a way that could make your child feel more worried.
Be guided by your child
Ask your child to tell you anything they may have heard about COVID-19, and how they feel about this situation. Check in with your child often. Give them opportunities to ask you questions over the coming weeks and months. Some children will worry more about others than themselves. Find ways for them to connect with family and friends as much as possible using technology.
Be reassuring. Tell children that the changes in their life have been introduced to make us all safer. Tell them that eventually, things will go back to normal. Be aware of the language you use with your child while you're around them. Remember that children will be listening to adult conversations more than usual. Don’t dismiss your child’s fears. It's understandable for them to be concerned because they have probably never experienced anything like this before.
Tell your child that doctors and scientists all around the world are working really hard to learn more about COVID-19 and to keep us safe.
Focus on what you're doing to stay safe
Give them some control over what is happening. Teach the importance of physical distancing, hand washing and how to do these things properly. Remind them of their responsibility to protect others from coughs and sneezing.
Stick to a routine
During remote learning, structured days with regular mealtimes and bedtimes are still an important part of keeping children happy and healthy. Where you can, have a daily routine. Create a shared timetable with your family and put it up on the fridge where everyone can see. If possible, find a time every day to talk about the importance of good hygiene. Teach them the essentials of practicing physical distancing. Include things like outside time, play time, free time on technology, creative time and learning time. It is okay to be flexible and respond to the needs and emotional state of your child.
Keep talking
Find out what your child already knows or is worried about. It’s important to find out if they have heard incorrect information. Ask questions that don’t have yes or no answers. If your child asks you something and you don’t know the answer, say so. Use the question as a chance to find out together. If your children don’t seem interested or don’t ask a lot of questions, that’s okay. Let them know that we're all going to keep listening and talking.
Close conversation with care
It’s important not to leave children feeling worried after a conversation. When you wrap up your conversations, look for signs they're feeling anxious. This might be a change in their tone of voice, their breathing or body language. Comfort them if they feel this way.
Things to look out for in your children
It is normal for children and young people to show signs of distress. Common reactions include:
- fear and anxiety
- anger and frustration
- confusion
- sadness
- denial
Remember to look after yourself
This situation can be stressful – regardless of your age. To look after the people you love, you also need to look after yourself. If you notice that you're feeling anxious, take some time to calm down before having a conversation or answering your child’s questions. If you're feeling worried, tell your child that you will find some information and talk to them soon.
LILLIAN DEL GIUDICE
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Congratulations to all families making time to read - reading can take us to many places!! We can make a virtual escape to either somewhere real or make-believe, the choice is ours, depending on the book we are reading. It appears that there are many using Sora to access either eBooks or audio books, and hopefully some of you are also using the International Children’s Digital Library, where you will find books from around the world, and in many different languages:
http://en.childrenslibrary.org/
Don’t forget to take a look at our Oliver Library Home page which has links to many interesting sites and activities. Remember to keep a reading log of all the books you are reading, titles and authors, and we can register these later on for the Premiers' Reading Challenge. Explore your book further with some of the writing activities on the sheet below, or perhaps design a new cover for your book, or make some book marks you can use to mark your spot. Another idea is to write a different ending for your book – sometimes we don’t like the way a story ends, so we can write our own! Maybe print out the following sheet and colour in the icon when you complete the activity.
Premiers' Reading Challenge: Let’s hope we are keeping records of books read so we can register them when we get back to school. Anyone who remembers their login details can register your books anytime. Remember to look at the PRC website to make sure the books chosen are on the correct list – if you have too many not on the list they will not be accepted. Years 3 - 6 must read at least 15 from the lists and may read up to 5 personal choice books; Kindergarten – Year 1 can read 25 from the list and 5 free choice. Year 2 have read the books together in class. Have a look at the Premiers Reading Challenge website:
https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html
Daily Reading: Don’t forget to try to take at least ten minutes out of your busy day to read with or to your children.
"I beg you all to read superb books aloud to your children! Begin on the day they are born. I am very serious about this, at least three stories and five nursery rhymes a day, if not more, and not only at bedtime, either!."
Mem Fox
Happy reading!
Mrs Susan Bryant
Teacher Librarian