Mr. Houghtaling Available for Families

Mr. Houghtaling will be available to meet with students and parents by appointment at the Swift Community Center. He will also be sending out information through the Town and Superintendent's office via this website.

Dear Parents,

I hope that you are doing as well as possible considering the present Coronavirus crisis. Hopefully your child(ren) are finding ways to be engaged, resilient and loved. Events like the ones presently confronting us can cause stress and anxiety. My purpose in writing this is to support your efforts and to offer a few helpful hints.

Many of our routines have been altered over the last few weeks. This especially impacts young people. School is a place where they learn, interact with peers, engage caring adults, and feel connected. In a blink that changed. Like us–young people too are struggling to find safe and secure ground.

There are many things you can predict, and control, through these trying times. Your modeling of behavior, being available for conversation, and simply offering encouragement are powerful tools to allay fears. Your creating routines like; encouraging distance learning, family meals/interactions and a show or two (perhaps 9 or 10) will prove helpful as well. Kids need security and degrees of predictability. Offering these things will help young people get through tough times.

If you need additional support, or just a little chat, please feel free to contact me at 401-230-2246 or email rhoughtaling2@verizon.net. Social Distancing does not equal isolation. We can still connect through words over the phone, internet and 6 feet away.

See you soon. – Bob Houghtaling

• UPDATED 5/25/20 - EGHS Philosophy Club - Virtual Meetings

• UPDATED 5/25/20 - 5th Grade Character Education - Virtual Lessons from Mr. Bob

• UPDATED 5/25/20 - For Adults who care for Children - One Step Back

• Conversation Starters for Families

• A Little Rebellion, a message for parents from Mr. Houghtaling

• Hierarchy of Needs, Mr. Houghtaling

• Small Victories, a message for parents from Mr. Houghtaling

• Listen: An Important Reminder/Prevention During A Pandemic. Dr. James McDonald, Medical Director of Health for the RI Department of Health, speaks with Kathy and Bob about how the Coronavirus Crisis has impacted many around the state. Special emphasis is placed on a rise in opioid related deaths as well as how marginalized populations are being affected.

• Listen: Stress and Mindfulness - Prevention During a Pandemic. Kathy Sullivan and Bob Houghtaling welcome Student Assistance Counselor, Dianne Ferrara, CSAC, LICSW, to discuss how people can handle stress during difficult times. By listening you will also be able to take part in a most relaxing mindfulness exercise.

• Listen: Alcohol and Youth. Kathy and Bob welcome Kathy Gardner to today’s Podcast and discuss the impact alcohol use/misuse has on young people. Special emphasis is placed on adults modeling behaviors and helpful hints that help curtail underage drinking. kgardiner@risas.org riprevention.org

• Listen: Prevention During a Pandemic - Suicide Awareness for Teens. Kathy and Bob welcome Leigh Raposa to the show and discuss the topic of Teen Suicide. Special emphasis is placed on creating supports for individuals in crisis, as well as training others to help recognize signs and symptoms that might lead to an early intervention. Lraposa@risas.org

• Listen: Prevention During a Pandemic. A Powerful VoiceKathryn Power, Director of Rhode Island’s Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, visits Kathy and Bob to discuss her role, along with challenges the Coronavirus is presenting the state. Special emphasis is placed on programs designed to protect our most vulnerable populations as well as those that support youth.

• Listen: A Supportive Community. Craig Levis, Superintendent of the Coventry Public Schools, joins Kathy and Bob to discuss how the Coronavirus crisis has impacted students, parents along with faculty members. Special emphasis is placed on supporting the social/emotional needs of young learners.

• Listen: Natural Highs Part 1 and Natural Highs Part 2. Matt Bellace expands upon his previous conversation to discuss how many young people look for ‘highs’ through alcohol and other drugs. Special emphasis is placed on brain development and how intense adolescence can be. Finally, the role(s) adults play in supporting youth is considered.

• Listen: John Tassoni Recovery Radio with ASAPP. Recovery Radio and ASAPP John Tassoni welcomes Bob Houghtaling and students from the East Greenwich High School ASAPP Club to Recovery Radio – the topic, mental health. Emphasis is placed on addressing stigma, gaining support and spreading the word about an issue that impacts many youth today.

• Listen: Prevention During a Pandemic - A Vital Resource. Cathy Schultz, Project Manager for the West Warwick Health Equity Zone, discusses how the Coronavirus crisis has impacted those she works with. Special emphasis is placed on serving individuals with substance abuse concerns as well as families who are economically vulnerable. CathyS@thundermisthealth.org

• Quarantine Blues, Poem from Mr. Houghtaling

• Handling Adversity - Peanuts and Crackerjacks

• It Takes a Team - Willie at the Line, written by Bob Houghtaling

• Thirty Years - Now That You’re Old poem, written by Bob Houghtaling

• During this time of crisis spirituality and community are extremely important. The poem Abu Ben Adhem calls upon us to recognize the importance of both. Loving our fellow man is something we must do at this moment. Enjoy the poem. Abou Ben Adhem, by Leigh Hunt

• Trying Times. These trying times have pushed many to their limits. Although this truth cannot be ignored, there are other truth’s that should be recognized as well. One of these being the fact that people all over the world have come together providing help to fellow human beings. The Coronavirus offers no ‘day at the beach’. Instead it has flooded us with emotions and washed away things we hold dear. The poem Waves speaks to how we can get through a powerful tempest type event. Hopefully, when it is over we’ll keep that feeling of togetherness for years to come.