GRADING

At this time school are closed until at least April 29th. Grading for MP3 will end this week. Students should focus on completing all work assigned prior to March 13th. The grading for this marking period will be based on this work. Any additional work you have been assigned can be used towards improving your grade for this marking period. Marking period 4 guidelines will be coming but plan on connecting with your teachers for google classroom assignments and feel free to email your teachers for support!

EVENTS

We know all families are asking about events at WOIS. We are following the NYS guidelines by the governor and will await guidance regarding when and how to hold larger events such as concerts, prom, graduation, etc.

A Message from our School Psychologist

It’s understandable that kids may not be their usual selves for a short period of time, but if these behavioral or emotional changes increase in severity, persist for many weeks or interfere with your child’s everyday functions, you may want to seek professional advice. In addition to seeking professional guidance, parents can foster open dialogue with their kids, validate their feelings, correct misinformation, exercise patience, offer reassurance, establish routines and other sources of stability, facilitate virtual communication with friends and family, plan safe activities in nature and share opportunities to help others and make a difference in the world, even from the confines of home.

1. Regressive Behavior - Behaviors that you thought your child had grown out of may suddenly reappear. This could include thumb-sucking, needing a special toy for comfort, bed-wetting or other potty-training issues.

2. Changes in Appetite - Parents should keep an eye out for changes in eating habits, including loss of appetite or extra comfort eating. This is often apparent in older kids and teens.

3. Sleep Issues - Sleep disturbances are common in difficult times, so kids may experience insomnia, nightmares, waking in the night or other irregularities.

4. Mood Shifts - Behaviors to be aware of include angry outbursts, sudden bouts of crying, sullenness, irritability, loss of interest in favorite activities and isolating from others. Anxious children are likely to feel more anxious, while those with anger issues may have more frequent outbursts.

5. Reassurance-Seeking - An increase in reassurance-seeking and worrying questions is often an indicator of internal anxiety, so it’s important for parents be present to offer that reassurance and a sense of stability.

6. Clingy Tendencies - Some kids may oscillate between acting very clingy to rejecting and withdrawing from others. These changes in attachment behavior can be common in difficult and uncertain situations.

7. Withdrawal - Some kids may start to ignore the family members in their home or choose to reject the opportunity to connect with loved ones virtually.

8. Somatic Complaints - It’s possible for kids’ mental struggles to manifest in their bodies. Children may have more complaints of headaches, stomachaches, and less energy.

9. Trouble Focusing - Older kids and teens may struggle to focus on educational tasks or procrastinate as they get easily distracted. It may be a child forgets to complete a chore she has done for a while. It may mean that you tell him to complete a task and he can’t remember what you just said.

10. Acting Out - Children may start pushing boundaries, displaying higher levels of aggression, disobeying instructions or getting into more arguments with family members. Parents may notice an increase in moodiness, tantrums or emotional outbursts given the stress of the situation and/or in conjunction with everyone living in tighter confines.

Full article here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kids-mental-health-signs-coronavirus_l_5e7e2867c5b6cb9dc19f37ff