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Back in the Routine After Break:
Back in the Routine After Break:
Sometimes coming back to school, can be a rocky transition. Here are some tips to hopefully make this adjustment period smoother:
1. Bedtime - make it early & stick to it. Start the "bedtime routine" as early as you need to in order to get "lights out" at a reasonable hour. Enough sleep is critical for young children! Many people find it helpful to start gradually getting closer to your "school bedtime" schedule, maybe 15 minutes earlier each night, early in August, so that it isn't a big change in September.
2. Breakfast - make sure your children get a healthy breakfast in the morning. Having trouble getting protein on the menu? Try a juice & yogurt smoothie, add a glass of milk, or some peanut butter on toast. For most of us, if we eat some protein we won't get hungry again quite so quickly.
Click here for breakfast ideas for children.
3. Do as much as you can the night before - the less that needs to be done in the morning, the more time that can be spent waking up, and dealing with unforeseen disasters. Who knows, maybe you'll even be ready early and have time for some parent-child fun?!
4. Routine, routine, routine - a predictable routine is reassuring for children. If we end up in remote learning again, routine will help decrease chaos and will establish some normalcy for your child. A predictable schedule will also help you make sure to build in time for learning. This is a great opportunity to help your children develop some healthy habits for life, like tooth brushing, homework hour after school, etc.
5. Show your interest & support for school - be sure to ask your children about their day at school. This will reinforce the value of education for them, and let them know that you are there for them if they need support.
6. Breathe in, breathe out, smile!
WELCOME BACK!
Cynthia Martell & Caitlin Nolting
Captain Albert Stevens School
31 Elementary Avenue, Belfast, ME 04915
August 21, 2024
Dear CASS Families,
Welcome back! Please join us in welcoming our new school-based social worker, Caitlin “Kate” Nolting. Kate has an extensive background in social work, Cynthia and Kate have enjoyed professional collaborations in the past, and I, Cynthia, cannot think of a better fit for our school!
Kate and I are excited to connect with you and your children! We look forward to providing families with a solid support system at Captain Albert Stevens Elementary.
For all students, Cynthia will continue offering social-emotional learning, personal safety, skills for academic success, and career readiness via regularly scheduled classroom lessons. Watch for regular communications regarding each month’s topic and ways that you can reinforce this learning at home. Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out for more information on a topic being covered.
Some students benefit from additional support when adjusting to the social and academic demands of school. If you feel that your student is struggling do not hesitate to reach out to us. You can reach us via telephone, email, or our new referral form. A copy of it is attached with this letter, as well as on the CASS Website! We will work together, with you and your student’s teacher, to develop a plan to support your child at school.
Cynthia can offer short-term support for students individually, as well as in small groups. If you are hoping that your student can participate in a particular support group (Self-Esteem, Changing Families, Anger Management, Grief & Loss, Friendship Skills, etc.) please reach out as soon as possible. Topics for group support are typically based upon the needs that arise.
For some students, a longer-term, more in-depth, individualized, therapeutic intervention is required. This is where Kate, our school-based social worker, will step in. She will be available to offer this deeper level of support for our students, and you, our families, as well.
Our theme for the start of the school year will be empathy and compassion, and in particular how this can create a positive school climate for everyone. Again this year, Cynthia’s focus will be to connect our social emotional learning with our CASS CARES pledge. We will begin by applying these themes via the book, How Full is Your Bucket, or The Kindness Rocks Project. Hopefully you will hear about filling someone’s bucket with kindness, or maybe even get to see an uplifting message on a kindness rock.
One last piece of exciting news - Cynthia and the CASS Civil Rights Team will be welcoming back our community based co-advisor, Sara McFarland (Pendleton)! For those of you who are new, we have a well established Civil Rights Team at CASS, who work to make our school safer and more welcoming for everyone. We are really proud of all the positive energy our team brings to CASS. Want more information about the Maine Civil Rights Team Project? Check them out online at http://www.maine.gov/ag/civil_rights/.
We thank you for the privilege of working with your amazing children! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if there is anything we can do to support your student in having the best school year ever!
Warmly,
Cynthia Martell/School Counselor Kate Nolting/School Social Worker
cmartell@rsu71.org/338-3510 X313 cnolting@rsu71.org/338-3510 X163
Kick the Habit! Here's a great link with tips to help quit smoking. The 800 number listed in the article will refer Maine residents to the Maine Tobacco Helpline... 1-800-207-1230.
GEAR Parenting Support Workshops. Click here to see the latest offerings from GEAR, a local parent support organization.
Want support with mindfulness and resilience at home? Check out GoZen.
Another great resource is big life journal. They offer lots of resources to help support your kids in developing a growth mindset.
Interested in a great way to help your kids with their behavior? Check out the Collaborative Problem Solving Model by Ross Greene.
Want to know how to help your kids be safe & responsible with technology? Check out Common Sense Media.
Looking for information about common childhood health issues, parenting or puberty? Check out the information on Kids Health.
For those of you with boys & girls nearing puberty, here are a few book lists:
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/body/puberty/print_books.html
www.towardthestars.com/blog/news/top-10-resources-to-empower-girls-babies-bodies
Looking for things to do during a staycation? Check out kidspot with indoor/outdoor, games, activities, and art.
Looking for things to do during a staycation? Check out kidspot with indoor/outdoor, games, activities, and art.
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