Spring Cleaning Emotional Backpacks

SAP Newsletter February/March 2022

Decluttering Stress and Prioritizing Self Care

Have you ever helped your child de-clutter his or her school backpacks, finding that long lost form or homework, or old projects, books or objects that are taking up space and weighing the backpack down? We can use the backpack metaphor to describe the emotional stress we carry around with us in our daily lives. Spring is a great time to take a look at the stress that is causing us to feel weighed down emotionally and figure out ways to manage that stress and take care of our emotional well being. In doing so, the hope is to start feeling lighter and able to face the next challenge with a renewed sense of optimism and confidence!

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SELF CARE for PARENTS and Caregivers

Supporting Emotional Growth at Home

10 Ways Parents Can Bring Social-Emotional Learning Home

Most educators know that supporting students' social and emotional wellness is critical to their overall success. We can't expect students to process information when they're distracted, hungry, tired or feel unsafe.

movethisworld.com

Importance and Benefit of Spending Time With Family

10 Benefits of Spending Time With Family

There is not an investment wiser than spending quality time with family. The word "family" is a collective term. In other words, it is not just a couple of individuals living together under the same roof, but a group of people who are connected and share good as well as bad times.

familyfocusblog.com

Family Activites

FREE FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Home movie night

Kids Castle Park

Lake Nockamixon - picnics, hiking, (swimming pool includes an admission fee)

Ringing Rocks Park

Doylestown Pump Track (just bring your own bike)

Deerwood Alpacas

Peddler's Village “PEEPS in the Village” March 11-April 24th

Core Creek Park

FAMILY ACTIVITIES (require admission fee)

ShadyBrook Farm

Hellerick’s Family Farm

Sesame Place

Dorney Park (opens on May 13, 2022)

Tree Trail Adventures (New- Opening Spring 2022)

Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve ( children 5 and under are free)

Bristol Riverside Theater

Funzilla (Children's Amusement Center)

Practicing Mindfulness with your Family

Zenful SpiritHow Meditation Benefits Your Family and Friends | Zenful Spirit

Practicing the art of daily meditation is a great way for people of all ages, genders and backgrounds to relax, unwind and find mental peace and clarity. There are so many personal benefits that can come with regular meditation. However, what many people don't realize is that meditation can actually help your friends and family.

zenfulspirit.com

mindfulness for kids

Mindfulness for Kids - Mindful

By teaching children meditation and mindfulness skills we help them increase their well-being and enable them to meet the stresses of the world with presence, self-compassion, and openness. In order to help kids of all ages find their way into practicing mindfulness, it can be helpful to give them an easy definition they can relate to.

mindful.org

Planting Kindness

The Life Kit Guide To Being Kind - To Others And To Yourself

There are a lot of cheesy cliches about kindness: it costs nothing but means everything; it's the gift that everyone can afford to give - and those all might be true, but practicing kindness can also be hard. Especially these days. Maybe you're feeling cooped up, stressed out, spread thin, unsure, or all of the above.

npr.org

A Story about How to Spread Kindness

SELF CARE FOR EDUCATORS

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Why Teacher Self-Care Matters and How to Practice Self-Care in Your School - Waterford.org

Because teaching is such an intensive job, educators can greatly benefit from learning about and practicing self-care. Unfortunately, teachers may worry that taking care of themselves can lead to self-absorption and distract them from their students. However, despite the misleading title, self-care isn't at all about selfishness.

waterford.org

9 Self-Care Tips for Teachers - MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director and Sara Rattigan, Communications Director Posted in: Stress, You & Your Family Topics: Healthy Living, Stress During COVID-19, teachers are feeling additional pressures on top of their already demanding work lives : Being responsible for teaching and emotionally supporting students Creating innovative ways to teach

mghclaycenter.org

Wellness partners

We can pair with colleagues who serve as wellness partners to provide a sense of accountability for one another during the frenzy of the school year. Having a colleague looking out for your mental health specifically sends a clear message: Mental health matters should always be on the list of daily priorities.

This Newsletter is brought to you by the Bucks County Student Assistance Program (SAP)

What is SAP?

In Pennsylvania, every school must have a Student Assistance Program (SAP). A SAP team is made up of trained professionals like administrators, school counselors, social workers, nurses and teachers, along with a SAP Counselor from an outside agency. The SAP team is here to help identify issues that may be interfering with students being successful in school.

How to Refer a Student to SAP:

If you are concerned for your student and want to see if the Student Assistance Program Team can help, please contact your student's school administrator or school counselor.

Please check out the video below to learn more about SAP and the SAP process!