Message - Deputy Principal ( Inclusive Education)
Dear Parents,
As we begin to welcome back our students as whole cohorts to onsite learning (what a lovely sentence to write), we need to consider a number of factors.
While it is exciting to begin the process of returning to school, our children will be feeling a wide variety of emotions. There will be joy, anticipation, excitement but also worry, nervousness and uncertainty. For some of our children, it has been many months since they have walked through the front gates and seen their teachers and friends face to face.
For some of our students who have been on site, they have worked with many different teachers and peers. It will look different for them as more students return to school and the faces change again. They may have forgotten their friend’s names, how they interacted together and if their friends still want to play with them. While these may seem small worries to us as adults, they are big worries to our children.
The Australian Psychological Society has put out an article with suggestions of how we can make transitioning back to onsite learning as successful as possible for our children and our families.
Many parents had conversations with their children about the importance of learning from home to keep them healthy and safe. Some children may now worry about the safety of returning to school.
To help our children feel safe, have a conversation with them explaining that:
- the decision to return to school is based on medical advice
- everyone at school is working hard to make sure that children are safe
- anyone who is unwell will stay at home
- the government is keeping an eye on things – if it starts to be unsafe, decisions about what to do will be made
- reassure your child that it is normal to have mixed emotions such as excitement, relief, worry and anger
- discuss what they are looking forward to and what they are worrying about
- reinforce good hygiene practices
As important as it is to prepare our children to return to school, it is just as important to give our children a chance to talk about their day when they arrive home. After school talk about the day including what they enjoyed, what they felt worried about and what they are looking forward to tomorrow. Schedule extra family time as your child is likely to have missed being at home with you. They will also most likely be tired so ensure some quite activities are in place for them to recharge.
Another factor to consider is the staggered return to school for siblings. Younger children returning to school earlier than other family members may feel disappointed that their siblings are continuing with remote learning or may feel disconnected from the family.
You can help your child by:
- reassuring them that is ok to feel disappointed
- explaining that all children will be returning to school soon
- allowing your child to pick a fun activity to complete when they get home from school so that they have something to look forward to
- avoid scheduling any ‘fun’ activities with other family members or friends whilst your child is at school.
We look forward to seeing everyone back on site soon. Take care and God bless
Kindest regards,
Jen Gulavin
Deputy Principal. Inclusive Education.
Further tips can be found on the link below.