page background

Fall Newsletter

Port Washington Elementary School Counselors

Fall NewsletterPort Washington Elementary School Counselors

Dear Port Families,

As we settle into this very different school year we are grateful to hear and see the wonderful learning and growing that surrounds us in our fully virtual and brick and mortar schools. As we turn the clocks back this weekend, we continue to focus on the social and emotional wellness of our students and families. This year brings challenges for all of us. We hope the resources in this newsletter will help to support our school community.


Please contact your Elementary School Counselor with questions or for additional resources and support.


Daly School: Casey Horowitz, chorowitz@portnet.org

Daly Pre-K: Jessica Shawver, jshawver@portnet.org

Guggenheim School: Gina Kelly, gkelly@portnet.org

Manorhaven School: Barbara O’Donnell, bodonnell@portnet.org

Salem School: Arzu Alkan, aalkan@portnet.org

Sousa School: Jen Biblowitz, jbiblowitz@portnet.org

District Director: Kitty R. Klein, kklein@portnet.org

open_in_new zoom_out_map

FREE LUNCH & BREAKFAST

Please click on the megaphone image to link directly to the Portnet.org informational page.
zoom_out_map

St. Peter of Alcantara Contact: Lourdes 516-883-0365

You do not need to be affiliated with the churches to access the pantry. Pantries are open to ANY community family in need. You MUST call and make an appointment while we are social distancing.
zoom_out_map

Our Lady of Fatima Contact: Sister Kathy 516-883-3903

You do not need to be affiliated with the church to access the pantry. Pantries are open to ANY community family in need. You MUST call and make an appointment while we are social distancing.

Kids are experiencing afternoon fatigue and melting down; some tips for supporting students emotionally at home

  • Adjust expectations for the kids. This year looks and feels different from all the years in school. Remember to give your children and yourselves permission to catch up gradually.

  • 1:3 ratio criticism vs praise. Children need 3 praises for every criticism they receive. Let's remember to highlight their strengths as well.

  • Encourage healthy eating habits and increased water intake. Due to prolonged mask wearing, we're seeing decreased water consumption in school. Remind one another to drink more water.

  • Parent by example. Kids learn by watching how adults respond to stress. Remember to remain calm and in control.

  • Take care of the caretaker...find time to do the things that make you smile, feel calm and balanced.

How to manage anxiety in our kids


    1. “When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it is our job to share our calm, not join their chaos.” Children may mimic our reactions when they are confused and their emotions are hard to manage. Remaining calm gives the message that it is okay to feel anxious as long as we are in control.

    2. Allow the feeling. What gives them anxiety may seem irrelevant or insignificant to us adults. However, welcoming an emotion is the first step to manage it appropriately. Remember to validate their feelings.

    3. Offer alternatives. We all use different strategies to calm down; what works for one may not for another. Give popular methods a try but be open to offer alternatives if it doesn’t seem to help.

    4. Always listen to your children. If you don't listen to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it feels big. Even though it may seem insignificant to us as caretakers.

Best apps for meditation/relaxation to take care of the caretakers:

zoom_out_map

Calm

zoom_out_map

Insight Timer

zoom_out_map

TenPercent

open_in_new zoom_out_map

Personal Zen website has the following helpful hints to help manage our inevitable anxiety:

As the coronavirus spreads, our stress and anxiety levels are also rising.

It is perfectly normal to feel anxious and stressed given the never-ending media coverage, uncertainty, and real-world impact of this global health crisis on our daily lives.

Indeed, listening to our anxiety is a good thing – it motivates us to take proper precautions. But if our anxiety about the coronavirus starts to feel out of control, there are steps we can take to reign it back in during these challenging times: ⁠⠀

1. Instead of checking the news every few minutes, devote an ample window of time once or twice a day for learning about important updates. We don’t need to avoid information. Knowledge is power!⁠⠀

2. Make extra time to practice meditation and self care. ⁠⠀

3. Make sure to read news from reliable sources and news platforms. ⁠See our page on The Coronavirus for resources and information to help you during this time. ⠀

4. Focus on what we can control – for example, take precautions in public and follow recommended practices like washing hands and avoiding touching your face. ⁠⠀
zoom_out_map

Mindful Parenting try the STOP technique:

S- Stop. Whenever you notice stress or imbalance, simply pause in awareness.

T- Take a breath. Simply bring your awareness into the breathing body, just letting the sensations of the breath move into the forefront. Breath awareness actually harmonizes the cardiovascular systems in the body, while also calming the "alarm" centers in the more primitive parts of the brain, restoring full brain function. When we are stressed, we can't think clearly or see any situation accurately.

O- Observe. Just notice how the breath begins to naturally bring balance to the systems of the body. Let this be felt. Also, look around. What is really happening, in the moment?

P- Proceed. Having shifted to a more mindfully responsive mode, take an action that is more skillful, appropriate and best attuned to your situation.

Embrace the model of the "good enough" parent


Often, we are holding ourselves to too high a standard, striving to be the "perfect" parent. Mindful parenting embraces the reality and wisdom of the "good enough" parent, acknowledging that regardless of our best intentions, moments of imperfection and failure are unavoidable. So, as parents and caretakers, how we navigate these moments is an important aspect of mindful parenting. Our children need us to fail, at times, otherwise, they cannot separate from us developmentally. Also, if we try to deny this reality, our children are not given an authentic model of what it is to be human, warts and all. When these inevitable moments of imperfection and failure occur, they become opportunities for compassion, learning, repair, forgiveness, humor, honesty and kindness. It goes without saying that this needs to be conveyed in developmentally appropriate ways.

zoom_out_map

What do we do when a classroom is quarantined?

  1. Remain calm

  2. Respect the privacy of the individual(s)

  3. Refrain from shaming/blaming others

  4. Talk about Coronavirus: https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/

Have some virtual fun with friends:

  • Have lunch with a friend on zoom
  • Facetime playdate afterschool
  • Virtual scavenger hunt contest with friends and family
  • Bake with a friend on zoom
  • Virtual dance party or contest
  • Watch the same movie and connect after-Virtual Movie Night
  • Bake some goodies and deliver to a friend