This month's Wellness Spotlight focuses on Preparing for Change as our students approach the end of the school year, new adventures over the summer, and transitioning to the next phase of their lives.
Our students will be learning about strategies they can use to deal with change and how they approach situations that are new to them. Our Mental Health Team - Student Advocacy Counsellors and Wellness Coaches - will be sharing resources with students, staff and families, and supporting activities and initiatives in our classrooms.
RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES
Here are some links that our team recommends for families to encourage and promote self-awareness at home:
- 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise
A coping skill you can use or have your children use to help get you through tough or stressful situations. - Embracing Change Podcast by Anushruti Nagarajan and Grace McGoran
Embracing Change is a podcast created to help our world through small steps. - 7 Ways to Help Kids Cope with Big Life Changes (Big Life Journal)
Children who are new to major life changes need extra support in addressing their feelings, understanding and adjusting to change, and learning new strategies and skills along the way.
Watch for the Counsellor's Connections newsletter from your Student Advocacy Counsellor for more information about what is happening with Preparing for Change at your school! For more curated resources, please visit the Preparing for Change section of our Mental Health Resources for Families on our website.
PREPARING FOR CHANGE CONTEST
Each month we are offering students, staff and families the opportunity to share their own stories related to our theme on our Engage NLPS website. You can write us a story or poem, make a video, draw or paint a picture, or tell your story in whatever other creative way you can think of.
For June, here are some things you may want to consider when telling or creating your Compassion story:
- What is a big change that you have experienced and what strategies did you use to cope?
- How do you prepare for changes in your life?
- What is a change that you are looking forward to and how will you celebrate?
Everyone who shares a story will be entered into a monthly draw for a prize, and will be eligible for our year-end grand prize. Staff or students who submit stories will also earn entries for their school. At the end of the year, one of our schools will also win a prize for their whole school!
We will be sharing more ways to win on Facebook and Instagram. Like and follow us so you don't miss our posts.