Parent Academy
Fall '23
WELCOME...
The goal of Parent Academy is to provide learning opportunities for parents to better understand ways to support their students’ academic success and personal well-being. We welcome parents and families to engage in various activities and events to explore topics related to mental health, well-being, equity and inclusion, and academics. Please visit our website (www.sd25.org/ParentAcademy) for archived newsletters, further resources, or to submit an idea/topic for the next Parent Academy newsletter.
SUPPORTING CHILDREN DURING TRAGEDY
Recent world events inspired this edition of the Parent Academy. Events in our community and our world can sometimes open our children up to violent imagery, confusing information, and many questions/discussion around the dinner table. As we approach two extended breaks (Fall & Winter) children's increased downtime often means more time spent online.
It is important that we understand the challenges that world and sometimes community events present to our children, and make sure we do our best to be prepared to guide our children. Below are a few resources to help us all work towards how to best support our children process war, conflict, and tragedy around the globe. Here are some strategies to work towards creating a supportive environment for our children around tragic events whether it be in the world, our community, or personally.
District 25 Supports
In District 25, our priority is the well-being of our students, their families, and our staff. We want you to know that we are here to provide support and resources for those who may need it. Our counselors, teachers, and support staff are available to assist in any way they can. Should you believe your children need support dealing with or managing tragedy, know that our Department of Student Services is here to help.
You can reach out to your school's Social Worker by clicking here and looking for their contact information.
Opportunity to Help
One tip emphasized in many of the resources listed below is that children will feel better if they have some opportunity to help, no matter how small. Allowing your children to write a poem, draw a poster, compose a song, send a card, raise awareness/funds – doing anything to send positive energy into the world and toward the tragedy/issue that has got their attention can really help.
Below is just one example of how one of our students helped her home country Ukraine.
Holding Space for Questions, Discussion, Curiosity
As uncomfortable as it may be to discuss such sensitive topics, these topics are consuming many of our students’ social media feeds. As the authors of Handle With Care: Supporting Young People During Crises point out: “When something bad happens, it’s of immediate importance to young people to share their feelings or thoughts, so it will occupy their minds whether you discuss it or not. Hold space for conversations and do not dismiss their questions, concerns or comments. Encourage young people to journal and draw to share their thoughts, or allow them privacy if they choose not to express their feelings at the moment.”
The article linked above talks about the following topics when learning how to support young people during crisis:
Listen & Hold Space | Provide a Sense of Safety
Model Empathy | Brainstorm Action Items
Embrace Self-Care and Seek Community-Care
Common Sense Media
Resources from Common Sense Media provides information to guide discussions on child-related topics. Here, they provide guidance on how to talk to children about violence in the news.
Click here to visit this resource.
National Association of School Psychologists | NASP
The National Association of School Psychologists has a downloadable flyer called Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Families and Educators, strategies for each grade level, and suggested talking points.
Click here to visit this resource.
Learning for Justice
This article from Learning for Justice gives many resources to help educators, parents, and caregivers discuss war and conflict.
Click here to visit this resource.
UNICEF
UNICEF published an article with 8 tips on how to talk to your children about conflict and war.
Click here to visit this resource.