November 24, 2020
Parents/Guardians of NMS Students:
As we begin this remote learning journey, I’d like to once again let you all know that I am here as a resource for both parents and students. Students can chat with me on google hangouts, or they can send me an email and we can arrange a time to do a video chat. Parents, please feel free to call me at school (204-388-4731) or email me at dplett@hsd.ca with any questions.
There are many areas where I walk alongside students, and one of those areas is in digital citizenship. I realize that teachers, and you, the parents, are also teaching them about appropriate online interactions. We are all guiding students as to what is appropriate and inappropriate to view and to say, how to respond to difficult conversations, and how to be safe online.
With the current online learning situation in mind, I am reaching out to parents to provide some good resources to support these conversations with our children. We all want our students to develop the skills they need to navigate the internet as they grow older.
One great Google Site that has a section for families is Be Internet Awesome. Click on the “Families” tab on the upper right area of the home page. Then there is a PDF Family Guide that you can download, and there are other resources as you scroll down that page. Please let me know what you think and if you’d like to connect to talk about this topic.
Working together with you,
Deidre Plett
Guidance and Literacy Support
Niverville Middle School
Here is the link to the Kids Help Phone. You can call them, text them, or chat online with someone. They also have links to other resources.
What to do with Worry? Two of my favourite resources:
Over the last number of years, I have shared the link to Psychotherapist Lynn Lyons' video "Decreasing Anxiety", and I think many parents and their children have found her ideas helpful. During this time of COVID-19, Lynn has created a podcast called "A Mom's Retreat" in order to support families who are at home with their children at this time. She releases one podcast per week and some of the titles will give you an idea if you'd like to listen in. Episode 1 is "Stuck-in-Home Parenting"; Episode 2 is "When FOMO Becomes Just MO"; and Episode 3 is "Why we must flatten our emotional curve for our kids."
The other resource is the Clinical Psychologist, Dawn Huebner. She has written a book entitled "What to do When You Worry Too Much", which many families have found helpful, and another one "Something Bad Happened: A Kid's Guide to Coping with Events in the News". This second book is not specifically talking about the current pandemic, but is a general guide to conversations about serious world events. Dawn has worked with her publishers to make this book available to everyone. She reads a few chapters at a time for parents and children to listen to together, and she instructs parents to "keep drawing and writing supplies on hand as children will be encouraged to pause the recording to draw, write and talk about what they are hearing."
As always, if you'd like to talk about something I have posted, please send me an email: dplett@hsd.ca
Schooling at Home
I want to share this article with you because I think it clarifies some ideas about online learning for parents. Schooling at Home, or online learning, has created some difficult dynamics for some of you. I have talked to many of you who are trying to work from home, take care of young children, help school-age children do their lessons, and manage your home, all in the midst of a health crisis. Please read what Linda Stade has to say, and her ideas may alleviate some of the pressure you are feeling. As always, please contact me if you'd like to talk on the phone; email me at dplett@hsd.ca and we can arrange a time to talk. Stay well.
