Newsletter 17 Wednesday 2nd February 2022 Spring Term 2022
www.sandiway.cheshire.sch.uk admin@sandiway.cheshire.sch.uk Mental Health Week Strategies for school and home – a partnership approach Next week is Children’s Mental Health Week the theme Being in the moment - Spending time with children being GROWING TOGETHER, interlinking perfectly with without distraction is really important – as a school our school tag line ‘Achieving and Growing Together’. community we are making more time to talk and listen. At Here is short video to give you a lovely idea to start home, we can replicate the being in the moment by thinking about growing together. making sure we all have each others’ attention (devices Recently, I spoke to the children about our physical and away), spending time playing games, reading, being mental health – I was faced with a forest of hands with outside, noticing the things which we normally walk past, children desperate to tell me things that they do to help etc. both these aspects. Focus on well-being – we take time to do this each week. It is important to consider maintaining our mental health as if we would our physical health. Our forest area is having a positive impact, which we intend to use more. The new relationships education is helping us to explore positive friendships and the importance of resolving conflicts. At home, if you would like some extra tools to support conversations, here are some more ideas I have used with my own children: The use of ‘worry monsters’ or ‘worry dolls’. Books that describe worries and how they are dealt with. A favourite of mine is ‘The Huge Bag of Worries’ Mindfulness activity books and colouring books. Further information On the Children’s Mental Health Week website, there are some lovely stories to listen to and activities to take part in. Another site which is really useful for ideas is Young Minds – some very helpful reads, parent guides, etc. The impact of Covid Finally, the NHS has a really useful website with further As a school, we are noticing that there is an increasing support for young people and their families. legacy of COVID appearing; growing anxieties that children really should not have. We are seeing some children As we enter next week, can I ask that we all take some struggle more with friendships and the ability to resolve time out to Events and Dates support both arguments. Children are working hard in lessons: they 8 Feb 6pm Y5 Conway visit Information listen well, work hard and are progressing well. Outside our families Meeting the classroom we are seeing some behaviours that we and 8 Feb Parent Partnership Meeting would like to support more. In our lessons, we are ourselves? 18 Feb Break up for half term working through a ‘recovery curriculum’ – one that we are 28 Feb Children return to school 1 Mar 3.30pm Y2 Fox Howl meeting making sure any disrupted learning is consolidated before Chris Priddey 2 Mar Dental check-up for 5-year-olds we move on. We also need to recovery and heal in other 2-4 Mar Y5 on Conway Residential ways – an absolute priority for us all, I believe. 29-30 Mar Y2 on Fox Howl Residential The new normal 1 Apr Break up for Easter holiday Children have been attending school seeing classrooms 19 Apr Children & staff return to school half empty. Children have been spending more time at 20-22 Apr Y4 on Ironbridge Residential home (many of which have loved this – parents too). We 2 May Bank holiday are seeing children starting to attend parties again. All of 9-10 May Y3 on Burwardsley Residential these things we are not used to and we need to adjust as 27 May Break up for half term we emerge from the pandemic. As an adult I have found 6 June Extra ‘Bank Holiday’ for school (Queen’s Platinum Jubilee) this challenging, then I try to imagine what this feels like 7 June Children & staff return to school to a child. 28 Jun – 1 July Y6 on Keswick Residential 20 July Children break up for summer