We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting another parenting workshop series this year. The highly requested workshop is entitled “Discipline Is Not a Dirty Word”. This experiential workshop is designed to meet the needs of parents with young children, ages 2-12 years. The goal of this program is to provide parents and caregivers of young children with an understanding of age appropriate behavior and realistic expectations regarding young children.
This year’s national observance focuses on the importance of an integrated health approach to supporting children, youth, and young adults with serious emotional disturbance who have experienced trauma. For more information and downloadable graphics, visit the continually updated Awareness Day 2018 page.
It is easy for parents to identify their child’s physical needs: nutritious food, warm clothing, and bed time at a reasonable hour. However, a child’s mental and emotional needs may not be so obvious. Good mental health allows children to think clearly, develop socially and learn new skills. Additionally, good friends and encouraging words from adults are all important in helping children develop self confidence, high self-esteem, and a healthy emotional outlook on life. WHAT DO CHILDREN NEED TO FOSTER GOOD EMOTIONAL HEALTH? UNCONDITIONAL LOVE Love, security and acceptance should be at the heart of family life. Children need to know that your love does not depend on his or her accomplishments. Mistakes and/or defeats should be expected and accepted. Confidence grows in a home that is full of unconditional love and affection. NURTURING SELF-ESTEEM
MAKE TIME FOR PLAY! Encourage Children to Play- To children, play is just fun. However, playtime is as important to their development as food and good care. Playtime helps children (elementary age and middle school age) be creative, learn problem-solving skills and learn self-control. Children Need Playmates - By playing with others, children discover their strengths and weaknesses, develop a sense of belonging, and learn how to get along with others. Parents Can Be Great Playmates - Join the fun! Playing games with a child gives you a great opportunity to share ideas and spend time together in a relaxed setting. Play for Fun - Winning is not as important as being involved and enjoying the activity. One of the most important questions to ask children is “Did you have fun?’’ not “Did you win?” TV and Video Games Should Be Monitored -Try to set some guidelines with TV or video game usage on a regular basis. PROVIDE APPROPRIATE GUIDANCE & DISCIPLINE
WHEN TO SEEK HELP Parents and family members are usually the first to notice if a child has problems with emotions or behavior. Your observations, with those of teachers and other caregivers, may lead you to seek help for your child. WARNING SIGNS The following signs may indicate the need for professional assistance or evaluation:
If you are concerned about your child’s social, emotional, and behavioral health, you may contact:
Saturday, April 28th, 2018 is International Pay It Forward Day (PIFD). At last count, there were more than 5 million people in 80 countries around the world participating on this day. Pay it Forward Day was built by volunteers around the world to inspire a huge ripple effect of kindness in the community.
Pay it forward day is about all people, from all walks of life giving to someone else and making a positive difference. For 2018, the goal is to inspire over 10 million acts of kindness around the world. Imagine the difference that would make. In order to recognize this AWESOME initiative, both elementary schools will be distributing "Pay It Forward" cards to each classroom. Each teacher will receive one card per student. The idea is for students to do one kind deed for someone else (with no expectation to receive anything in return), and then pass the card on to that person requesting they do a kind deed for someone else. The cards will then be in circulation and can be shared both in or outside of school. Let’s see how far we can reach!! A special shout out to the Park Avenue Student Council students who took the time to count out and sort all of the cards! For those teachers in the primary grades that feel their students may be too young to participate with the cards, we thought the cards could still be sent home with students for their parents to participate if they should choose. So why should we Pay It Forward? ♥To encourage all of us to embrace the incredible power of giving. ♥To show each other that we care and that there is love, hope and magic all around us. ♥To know that we may be only one person in this world, but to one person, at one time, we are the world. Together we can change the world, one good deed at a time! Why not start a positive chain reaction today? What Is Autism?
Autism affects the way a person’s brain and body works. It is not a disease and is not contagious. You cannot catch autism from a classmate or friend. A person with autism may have a hard time communicating with other people, making friends, or following directions. However, with the help of teachers, classmates, families, and friends, children with autism often can find it easier to learn in spite of these challenges. How Do Kids with Autism Act? Children with autism may act in some unusual ways. Some may have difficulties with certain activities, but they may have strengths in other areas. For instance, a child with autism may be a math whiz, a great artist or unbeatable at computer games. Still, they may have trouble putting their thoughts into words or understanding what you say. Some children with autism prefer that schedules stay the same or that people always sit in the same seats. They may have a difficult time when things change. Changes may be scary for them, so they may try telling others what to do or where to sit. You may think they are being “bossy” but it is really them trying to adjust to the changes. When schedules change and they do not know what is coming next, they can be very upset, sad or angry. Why DO THEY ACT THIS WAY? Some children with autism do not see, hear, or feel things the same way we do. For instance, the sound of the school bell or the noise of a parade may hurt their ears. Some may have trouble eating certain foods because of the way they taste. Others may be very sensitive to certain smells. Smells you like, such as cookies baking, may make them feel sick. On the other hand, things that bother most of us, like a bee sting, may not appear to be as painful to them. It is hard for some children with autism to understand what we say or what our facial and body expressions mean. For example, if you are frowning or showing an angry expression on your face, your classmate with autism may not be able to understand that you are angry. However, this does not mean you should stop trying to talk to them. Sometimes showing them a picture or an object helps them understand things better. For example, if you are talking about baseball, pointing to a baseball card or a bat may help your friend know what you mean. Just because someone with autism may not be able to use words, it does not mean he can’t understand your words. Please talk to him as you do with your other friends. Like all people, sometimes kids with autism can get frustrated and angry but they often cannot tell us why. Instead of words, they may use actions to express their feelings. When they are upset, confused, or bored, they may make noises or spin around. When they are excited or happy, they may flap their hands, jump up and down, or run in circles. Or they may do all these things at once to help them calm down. Many children with autism get upset when their surroundings or schedules change because new or different things can be very difficult or scary for them. They may cry or hold their hands over their ears. How Can I Be a Friend To Someone with Autism? When you become a friend to a person with autism, you both learn a lot from each other. Here are some ideas that can help you be a better friend to a kid with autism: • Accept your friend’s differences. • Know that some kids with autism are really smart, just in a different way. • Protect your friend from things that bother him or her. • Talk in small sentences with simple words and use simple gestures like pointing. • Use pictures or write down what you want to say to help your friend understand. • Join your friend in activities that interest him or her. • Be patient – understand that your friend doesn’t mean to bother you or others. • Wait - give him or her extra time to answer your question or complete an activity. • Invite your friend to play with you and to join you in group activities. Teach your friend how to play by showing him or her, what to do in an activity or game. • Sit near your friend whenever you can, and help him or her do things if they want you to. • Never be afraid to ask your teacher questions about your classmates with autism. • Help other kids learn about autism. No Name-Calling Week – January 16th – 19th, 2018
The Warwick Valley Central School District will once again be participating in the annual, nation-wide No Name-Calling initiative. January 16th – 19th, 2018 will be designated No Name-Calling Week in our schools with the national theme “Kindness in Action”! Our district theme this year will be “Blow the Whistle on Name Calling”! Students throughout the district will participate in a variety of activities that will help them realize the impact of verbal bullying and teach them strategies for coping and putting an end to name-calling. Tuesday, January 16th - Blue Day Wear blue, the color of bullying awareness, to show your support for No Name-Calling Week! Wednesday, January 17th - Baseball Cap and/or Attire Day Wear your favorite baseball cap and/or clothes to Strike Out Name Calling! Thursday, January 18th – Crazy Sock Day Wear fun socks to Sock it to Name Calling! Friday, January 19th- Purple and Gold Day Wear purple and gold, our district colors, to reinforce the idea that We Are All on the Same Team! Thank you in advance for helping your children participate in No Name Calling Week at Park Avenue Elementary School. We will continue throughout the year to emphasize the need to Blow the Whistle on Name Calling and put Kindness in Action!
We are pleased to announce that due to popular demand, we will be hosting another parenting workshop series this year. The highly requested workshop is entitled “Discipline Is Not a Dirty Word”. This experiential workshop is designed to meet the needs of parents with young children, ages 2-12 years. The goal of this program is to provide parents and caregivers of young children with an understanding of age appropriate behavior and realistic expectations regarding young children. It is easy for parents to identify their child’s physical needs: nutritious food, warm clothing, and bed time at a reasonable hour. However, a child’s mental and emotional needs may not be so obvious. Good mental health allows children to think clearly, develop socially and learn new skills. Additionally, good friends and encouraging words from adults are all important in helping children develop self confidence, high self-esteem, and a healthy emotional outlook on life. What do children need to foster good emotional health?Unconditional love Love, security and acceptance should be at the heart of family life. Children need to know that your love does not depend on his or her accomplishments. Mistakes and/or defeats should be expected and accepted. Confidence grows in a home that is full of unconditional love and affection. Nurturing self-esteem
Make time for play Encourage Children to Play. To children, play is just fun. However, playtime is as important to their development as food and good care. Playtime helps children (elementary age and middle school age) be creative, learn problem-solving skills and learn self-control. Children Need Playmates. By playing with others, children discover their strengths and weaknesses, develop a sense of belonging, and learn how to get along with others. Parents Can Be Great Playmates. Join the fun! Playing games with a child gives you a great opportunity to share ideas and spend time together in a relaxed setting. Play for Fun. Winning is not as important as being involved and enjoying the activity. One of the most important questions to ask children is “Did you have fun?’’ not “Did you win?” TV and Video Games Should Be Monitored. Try to set some guidelines with TV or video game usage on a regular basis. Provide appropriate guidance & discipline
Remember, the goal is not to control the child, but for him or her to learn self-control! When to seek help Parents and family members are usually the first to notice if a child has problems with emotions or behavior. Your observations, with those of teachers and other caregivers, may lead you to seek help for your child. Warning signs The following signs may indicate the need for professional assistance or evaluation:
If you are concerned about your child's social, emotional, and behavioral health, you may contact:
At last count, there were more than 5 million people in 80 countries around the world participating in International Pay It Forward Day. Pay It Forward Day is all about people, from all walks of life, giving to someone else and making a positive difference. For 2017, the goal is to inspire more than 10 million acts of kindness around the world. Imagine the difference that would make! In order to recognize this awesome initiative, students will participate in different activities in school. Please be sure to have a conversation with your child about which activity they are doing within their school building. One of the activities includes writing a random act of kindness/good deed in the middle of a sunflower, which will be provided to the students. The sunflower was chosen because it is the designated symbol on the Pay It Forward official website. The deed can be as big or small a deed as students would like it to be. We will be displaying these sunflowers throughout the hallways, as we did with the boots for No-Name-Calling Week. The second activity involves distributing a "Pay It Forward" card to each student. The idea is for students to do one kind deed for someone else, and then pass the card on to that person requesting they do a kind deed for someone else in return. The cards will then be in circulation throughout the school and/or community. For those teachers in the primary grades who feel their students may be too young to participate with the cards, we thought the cards could still be sent home with students for their parents to participate if they should choose to do so. So why should we Pay It Forward?
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WVCSD Elementary school counselingJeanette Myrick, Children Learn What They Live Archives
May 2017
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