Four Life Skills Parents can Teach Their Children During the Pandemic

Four Life Skills Parents can Teach Their Children During the Pandemic 

Huffpost  Article

1. 
   
   How to live with uncertainty
1. Their routines have changed
2. No one can give them answers about when this will end
3. Tell them you don’t know when it will change
4. Explain that doctors are trying to find medicines that will help
2. How to be resilient
1. Allow for discomfort (stress and fear are normal)
2. Model coping strategies (walking, talking to friends, etc..)
3. Reinforce problem-solving skills
4. Give them time to think about solutions and strategies that might help them.
3. That kids are so much more than school and extracurriculars
1. Help kids recognize that there is more to them
2. Help them connect them to what they truly enjoy
3. Talk to them about what they would like to be doing more of
4. How important their role is in your family. 
1. A family is a team
2. Have children help with chores. Give me responsibilities they otherwise may not have had.
3. Reinforce the importance they have to the family.

Keeping Your Child Motivated to Complete Assignments

Parents of teens, tweens, and pre-teens, we applaud you! You have a difficult job during Remote Learning - helping your child stay on track with completing class assignments. How do you know if your child is really done with all their online work? The tangible pieces of evidence of work being completed are now rare, and parents often have to rely on their child’s word that their homework is finished.   

Parents are left trying to figure out if your child is really “all done for the day” as your child gleefully announces, “I’m done” at 10:30 while flipping over to Super Smash Brothers or Instagram for the day.  And truly, do you have the time every hour to grill them on their assignments, to have them “pull them up on the screen” to be sure they wrote a full paragraph or did out the math work for each problem? 

Then, wham!, you get an email from their teachers that work is incomplete or missing!  

What do you do?  You can ground them---oh, wait, isn’t that what social distancing is?  You can take away their phones?  But that is the only way they can talk to their friends right now!  Sounds inhuman, right?  

How about if you were to REWARD them?  Give them something that they value---but make them earn it.  Like us---we don’t get a paycheck unless we produce, right?  Way of the world. 

This does not have to be a big treat--and it can be something that they already receive from you, like a trip to Dunkin’s for a coolatta with a friend.    And  this is a temporary measure, during this more challenging time of remote learning, to help your children develop effective self-management habits.

Week 7! Refresher on Being Independent During Remote Learning

“7 Guiding Principles for Parents”

Summary of article

“7 Guiding Principles for Parents” 

By Laura Lee

Edutopia 

April 3, 2020

As millions of students across the K-12 spectrum shift to at-home learning because of the coronavirus threat in the United States, parents are scrambling to understand their new role as surrogate teachers. It will require equal parts patience and tenacity. “This is going to be messy,” wrote educational leadership professor Jennifer Weiner in The New York Times, before giving parents and teachers permission to try and fail “and that is OK.” 

Establish a Flexible Work Space.  Tailor their space to their work.  Move furniture and props to fit their learning needs. Set clear expectations and set parameters for what kind of work occurs in which spaces, but give them choices.

Check in Every Morning and Through the Day. Use lightweight ‘checks-ins’ and vary the question to get a sense of how your child is feeling.  “What color best represents how you’re feeling today? Why?"

Allow Frequent Brain Breaks.  For young students, research shows that brain breaks improve attention span. Breaking lessons into smaller, more manageable chunks helps students focus. Older students need breaks every 20-30 minutes to maintain focus and energy.

Find a rhythm that works.  For the teenage brain, a later start and more sleep can mean better memory and retention. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises starting an adolescent’s school day no earlier than 8:30am. 

Consolidate learning. Consolidation means that students are retrieving information frequently and then making new meaning of it. Many studies reveal that teaching what you’ve learned to someone else—to a parent or to another sibling—is also a highly effective way to consolidate learning and make it stick.

Encourage productive struggle.   Allow students to wrestle with problems before intervening. 

You want your kids to continue to push themselves, and praising hard work is more effective for building endurance and tenacity.

Consider passions and play. Build in time for passion projects and fun. Household activities like cooking or organizing offer the opportunity to develop problem-solving skills. Play and exercise can actually alter brain structure in ways that improve memory, attention, mood, and cognitive function. 

Knowing your Stress and Breathing to Relax

Whenever we are faced with a totally new routine, like schooling from home, or we are worried about our own or our loved ones’ health, or we just don’t know what to expect, we all feel stressed, scared, nervous, fearful, and many other uncomfortable emotions.   While it is normal to feel this way during these uncertain times, it certainly is not pleasant. It actually can feel downright miserable! Our heart rates may rise, we may lose our appetites, our voices may get louder, we may become cranky or sad, clench our teeth, feel tired even though we slept, be unable to fall asleep even though you are tired, be unable to focus, cry for no apparent reason, or get headaches often.  Stress affects our mood, our ability to think and deal with everyday life, and our health. Here is a brief, simple video, created for youth, that explains how stress works in our bodies.  

If you notice some of these signs that you are stressed, there are several ways to relax and “reset your brain.”  The first and foremost, is to take a break from what you’re doing. Shut down the computer, walk away from the situation, or even simply stand up and stretch.  Then breathe!  

Breathe in for 4-5 seconds, hold it for 4-5 seconds, and then breathe out for 4-5 seconds for at least 5 slow breaths.    

Here is a link to a short video to help you, adults and students,  practice one relaxation breathing technique. 

You should feel your body start to relax and your stress level come down. Attached is a list of a few other relaxation activities for you to try at home.   

Write A Letter

We are so glad to hear from many of our students.  We seem to be adjusting to the new routine of virtual learning.  The one concern we hear is that students are missing their friends.  Kids in middle school are beginning to develop deep and meaningful friendships that we encourage parents to nurture during this distancing period.  Consider writing a letter to a friend or relative, putting it in an envelope ,and mailing it.  A tangible connection is sometimes much more meaningful than the virtual connections we are experiencing now.  I think we all realize that now.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Alcohol Awareness Month occurs every year during the month of April.  In 1987 the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence originated this program to target college age binge type drinking.   It has since become a resource for families and communities to focus on prevention and treatment needs for teenagers. 

• Confront denial with facts.  If someone you know struggles with substance misuse there is information that may be helpful regarding these common conditions.  
• “Marijuana Talk Kit”. The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids has a thorough publication for parents titled 
• “50 Ways to Stay Drug Free”. During this 2019-2020 school year the Students Against Destructive Decisions created a poster titled  
• “Get Smart About Drugs”. Check out this website titled  with up to date, real time statistics and articles. Click here to visit their website. 

If you feel you or a loved one may be struggling with substance misuse, you are not alone. The American Addiction Centers remain open during the Covid 19 pandemic as a support for navigating treatment options.  Their direct telephone number is 866-571-6191.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week

Celebrating a Decade of Commitment Welcome to the official kickoff of National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®(NDAFW)! For a decade, we’ve united communities across the country and around the world (now representing all 50 states and more than 20 countries) to shed light on the science-based facts about drugs and alcohol. Together, we’ve empowered teens to make informed decisions about drugs, taking into consideration the impact drugs have on their developing brains. Now, for the 10th anniversary, we’re excited to connect virtually across the globe to SHATTER THE MYTHS®. We want to thank everyone who registered for NDAFW. And even though NDAFW begins today, if you haven’t yet had a chance to plan or register your virtual event, it’s not too late to do so!

Participate in NDAFW Virtually  Today, Monday, March 30, from 3 to 4 p.m. EDT, join us for a Tweetstormby tweeting about drug and alcohol facts and using the hashtags #NDAFW and #ShatterTheMyths. There are many activities that teens, parents, caregivers, and teachers can do that don’t involve leaving the house. Try: Playing the new Kahoot! games with an online class or encouraging students to play the games individually. Taking the National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge. Test students’ knowledge about drugs and alcohol with this short, interactive quiz available in English and Spanish that can be used on mobile devices. Sharing the facts on social media. Tweet, snap, or post. Social media platforms can be powerful tools to shatter the myths about drugs and alcohol. Use the new “Not everyone’s doing it” [PDF - 19.7MB] social media cards and hand-held placards. Taking advantage of free, science-based resources to use at home. These include toolkits and activity ideas on various topics; science- and standards-based classroom lessons and multimedia activities on teens and drugs; and the recently updated Mind Matters series, which helps students understand the effects of various drugs on the brain and body. Joining NIDA on Friday, April 3, at 3 p.m. EDT, for a Twitter Trivia Challenge in collaboration with Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD). Anyone can test their knowledge by following the hashtag #NDAFW and answering multiple-choice questions about drugs and alcohol.

Register Your Event!

Taking Time for Yourself and Connecting with Others

As we wrap up with our first full week of remote learning, two concerns we’ve been hearing in the guidance department the most are, “I’m feeling overwhelmed” and “I miss connecting with others.” 

We want to remind everyone that during this time, what students, parents, and teachers alike will remember the most is how they felt. We all have the pressure of feeling like we’re not doing enough and that we should be doing more. We are here to remind everyone that you are doing enough. It’s not going to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be. Your child may not learn all the skills they would if they were in school and that’s ok because everyone is in the same situation. Yes, there will be some gaps in learning and you have every right to feel that your child will regress but we are all weathering the same storm and it’s important to weather it together. Because through all of this, we are all developing a whole new set of coping skills. We are all learning that the impossible is possible. Our children are seeing what it takes to get through a challenging time and they are learning skills they might not get in school.

Don’t worry about them regressing in school. When they are back in the classroom, the teachers will know what to do to meet them where they are. Teachers are trained to do just that. Don’t pick fights with your children if they don’t adhere to the schedule and don’t mandate hours of learning if they are resisting. At the end of all of this, your mental health and your child’s mental health will be  more important than their academic skills. Trust us, the memory of how you and your children felt during this time will last far longer than the academics they are learning. 

So if you have been feeling stressed about making sure your child needs to get every aspect of the curriculum, breathe and let it go. That’s not what’s important. What’s important is taking time to take care of ourselves and the others around us. This is challenging for everyone and the best thing we can do is to stay healthy mentally. So if you can’t get to every assignment, it’s ok. If you need to spend extra time being outside to relieve the stress you are feeling, do it. If you need to take a break and take care of yourself, do that. Listen to yourself, you know what you need to stay mentally well. So in case you need permission to take time for yourself, here it is: Take time for yourself and pick up the phone and connect with those around you who need the same advice.

Treat Everyone with Respect

Treat Everyone With Respect.  As we begin this remote/ virtual learning journey together, the Guidance Team at Lurgio wants to take a minute to remind everyone about the ROSS in Ross A. Lurgio Middle School.  RESPECT OF SELF & SCHOOL. We encourage both students and families to review this article from stopbullying.gov.  It is a resource to remind us all how to be good Digital Citizens. As we move forward together remember:   

Talk to an adult you trust

Don’t keep your feelings inside

Stay away from places where bullying happens

Stand up for yourself in a calm clear way

Stand up for others

How to Talk to Your Child About Coronavirus

Talk about current events with your kids often. It's important to help them think through stories they hear about. Ask questions: What do you think about these events? How do you think these things happen? Such questions also encourage conversation about non-news topics.  

Click here for an article from kidshealth.org

Click here for an article from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Welcome to Remote Learning: The Importance of Creating Routine

Hi Parents and Students,

Who would have thought we would be finding ourselves in the midst of a remote learning experience. With remote learning comes many new challenges and unknowns. Your guidance team will work on being with you every step of the way. We will be posting to this blog daily with helpful hints and strategies to best support you as we all navigate these uncharted seas together...

One of the first steps in remote learning is developing routine. Routine helps to maintain some normalcy in this not so normal situation. The teachers at Lurgio Middle school will be creating a schedule that mimics your child's schedule while they are at school. Maintaining this routine at home will be beneficial in setting up your child's success during this remote learning experience. Look for your child's schedule from his/her pod teachers. These schedules may be posted to google classroom or emailed to you directly. When creating a schedule, it is important to consider a child's normal school day routine. They should be waking up at normal time, eating breakfast, getting ready for the day, and then setting up a space to begin their school day. When creating a schedule, important things to consider would be downtime, screen breaks, movement breaks, lunch, and activities.