Week 5 – 03 March, 2017
Good afternoon Woodland Grove families,
And just like that, we’re five weeks into Term 1…
Adjusting to a new routine and making friends can be tricky, especially at a new school.
At the end of this post I have included an article by an experienced school psychologist, Suzanne Gibbney. She has put together the three top tips for settling your children into school. I hope it is helpful. Remember to make an appointment with your child’s teacher if you have any concerns.
Pupil Free Days
The following dates are our planned School Development Days for the year:
- January 30 and 31
- March 07
- April 24
- July 17
- December 15
Half Day Closure
If you are having trouble finding suitable care for your child/ren on our half day closure for parent interviews on 15 and 16 March please call the front office and we will organise care for them at school during this time.
Parent/Teacher Interviews Week 7
You will have the opportunity to book an interview with your childs teacher as soon as our online booking system is live. It is currently being set up and we will let you know as soon as it is available. Bookings can be made throughout Week 7.
Settling into School, Rebecca Gibbney
1. Set a morning routine for your children
A stressful morning can lead to a stressful day!
We can all relate to that – sleeping through the alarm and running out the door with breakfast in hand makes it pretty hard to feel composed.
Keep mornings calm by:
- turning off the television
- packing bags, laying out clothes and making lunches the night before
- writing out a step-by-step plan and putting it on the fridge.
Involving your children in planning the routine gives them a sense of control and allows them to focus on achieving what’s next on the list in the morning.
Keep the initial routine simple with just five or six items on the list and build it up as your children get used to it.
2. See them off at school the right way
Skidding through the kiss and drop area while your children jump from the car isn’t the most effective way to drop them off at school.
Getting to school 15 minutes before the bell so your children can get organised for the day saves rushing to classes and increasing feelings of anxiety.
Staying with your children can sometimes make the situation worse.
This prolongs the wait time for your children and makes it harder for them to leave you.
If a child is finding it difficult to say goodbye, it may be helpful to give them a quick kiss, tell them you’ll see them in the afternoon and then go.
Reinforce that your child can rely on you and trust you by being on time for pick up – that helps them feel secure at school.
3. Help them make friends for life
We all remember sharing highs and lows at school with best friends. Friendships make school memorable and, most of all, make learning exciting.
If your child is struggling to make friends, it’s important to keep things in perspective.
Empathise with your child’s feelings, but keep those feelings in perspective. Children usually let go of the pain a lot faster than we do.
Remember that, as parents, we may overreact and blame others unfairly because we only know one perspective.
To help your children develop friendships:
- encourage and help them to invite friends home
- create opportunities to meet new friends outside school time;
- make friends with the parents of your children’s friends (and those they don’t get along with)
- model being a good friend with your own social group and talk with your children about the ways good friends act.
Enjoy your weekend.
See you all next week.
Ashley