Mental Health Support at CCS |
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Parent presentation - It's time we talked (itstimewetalked.com)
https://www.brettullman.com/2014/11/17/christians-sex-education/
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/how-to-talk-to-teens-about-dealing-with-online-predators
Every May, nationally we acknowledge Mental Health Week. At CCS, we have begun to bring more awareness to Mental Health Month and the goal is to emphasize that we all have mental health and just like physical health, learning about and caring for our mental wellness is important. The student wellness team has helped bring awareness to mental wellness themes throughout the year but also during the month of May.
MHW2021 Homepage - Canadian Mental Health Association (mentalhealthweek.ca)
Every year, when returning back to school, there can be a mix of excitement and nervousness. For those that lean more towards anxiety at their return to school, check out these tips:
5 tips for transitioning back to school:
Get back into a routine - Create night time routines, morning routines, after school routines, and visual schedules/checklists. These will all help to establish structure, which is so important and may have been a bit lost this summer, because, let's be honest, it was needed!
Prepare the night before - Get kids involved in packing their own lunches, packing school bags, and picking out clothes the night before. Give a bit more time for kids to unwind before bed: put on some quiet music, read a book, use a prayer journal.
Validate emotions - Recognize that even uncomfortable emotions, such as worry, fear, and stress are normal emotions that may be heightened given the circumstances. Be understanding and help normalize their feelings. Look at things that will be the same about returning to school and what things will be different. Prepare your child, as best as you can, for what school may look like.
Utilize coping skills - When emotions are high, it can be difficult to think clearly, reason, or make sense of things. Each child has things they do that can help them stay calm or return to calm. Come up with some new skills together; including using transitional items - stuffed animals, scented items, stress balls.
Talk to your child about ways to follow new safety rules - Discuss how to safely engage with friends, how to wear masks, wash hands, etc. Make it fun; model the norm and they can follow your calm and fun approach to these new practices. Feeling prepared can help calm some of these fears.
Anxiety Canada - coping with back to school anxiety
HWDSB resources for mental wellness
Centre for Disease Control - parent checklist for return to school
Child Mind Institute: Helping kids back to school routine
Parent Guide to a Mentally Healthy Return to School - Niagara District School Board
Free Hamilton Workshops for Back to School Anxiety - Your Space
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Mental Health Resources - COVID 19 Response |
In response to COVID 19, a list of mental health resources was created for parents and families:
Mental Health Resources:
Crisis Response Resources:
905-972-8338 or 1-844-972-8338
Zones of Regulation |
In 2019-2020, when the school counselling program began at Calvin, the Zones of Regulation curriculum was introduced as a school wide initiative to increase social and emotional awareness. This continues to be taught so that kids have a universal language to label, express, and manage emotions.