Apr 23, 2015 (Excerpted from h/p://kidshealth.org ‐ D'Arcy Lyness, PhD) To adults, childhood can seem like a carefree ;me. But kids s;ll experience stress. Things like school and their social life can some;mes create pressures that can feel overwhelming for kids. As a parent, you can't protect your kids from stress — but you can help them develop healthy ways to cope with stress and solve everyday problems. Kids deal with stress in both healthy and unhealthy ways. And while they may not ini;ate a conversa;on about what's bothering them, they do want their parents to reach out and help them cope with their troubles. But it's not always easy for parents to know what to do for a child who is feeling stressed. Here are a few ideas: No.ce out loud. Tell your child when you no;ce that something's bothering him or her. If you can, name the feeling you think your child is experiencing. ("It seems like you're s;ll mad about what happened at the playground.") This shouldn't sound like an accusa;on (as in, "OK, what happened now? Are you s;ll mad about that?") or put a child on the spot. It's just a casual observa;on that you're interested in hearing more about your child's concern. Be sympathe;c and show you care and want to understand. Listen to your child. Ask your child to tell you what's wrong. Listen aOen;vely and calmly — with interest, pa;ence, openness, and caring. Avoid any urge to judge, blame, lecture, or say what you think your child should have done instead. The idea is to let your child's concerns (and feelings) be heard. Try to get the whole story by asking ques;ons like "And then what happened?" Take your ;me. And let your child take his or her ;me, too. Comment briefly on the feelings you think your child was experiencing. For example, you might say "That must have been upseRng," "No wonder you felt mad when they wouldn't let you in the game," or "That must have seemed unfair to you." Doing this shows that you understand what your child felt, why, and that you care. Feeling understood and listened to helps your child feel supported by you, and that is especially important in ;mes of stress. Put a label on it. Many younger kids do not yet have words for their feelings. If your child seems angry or frustrated, use those words to help him or her learn to iden;fy the emo;ons by name. PuRng feelings into words helps kids communicate and develop emo;onal awareness — the ability to recognize their own emo;onal states. Kids who can do so are less likely to reach the behavioral boiling point where strong emo;ons come out through behaviors rather than communicated with words. Help your child think of things to do. If there's a specific problem that's causing stress, talk together about what to do. Encourage your child to think of a couple of ideas. You can start the brainstorming if necessary, but don't do all the work. Your child's ac;ve par;cipa;on will build confidence. Support the good ideas and add to them as needed. Ask, "How do you think this will work?" Listen and move on. Some;mes talking and listening and feeling understood is all that's needed to help a child's frustra;ons begin to melt away. A]erward, try changing the subject and moving on to something more posi;ve and relaxing. Help your child think of something to do to feel beOer. Don't give the problem more aOen;on than it deserves. Limit stress where possible. If certain situa;ons are causing stress, see if there are ways to change things. For instance, if too many a]er‐school ac;vi;es consistently cause homework stress, it might be necessary to limit ac;vi;es to leave ;me and energy for homework. 36367 Stephen Leacock Drive, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2Z6 604.557.0422 auguston.sd34.bc.ca Principal, Mr. Luigi DeMarzo
Transcript
Apr 23, 2015
(Excerpted from h/p://kidshealth.org ‐ D'Arcy Lyness, PhD)
To adults, childhood can seem like a carefree ;me. But kids s;ll experience stress. Things like school and their social life can some;mes create pressures that can feel overwhelming for kids. As a parent, you can't protect your kids from stress — but you can help them develop healthy ways to cope with stress and solve everyday problems.Kids deal with stress in both healthy and unhealthy ways. And while they may not ini;ate a conversa;on about what's bothering them, they do want their parents to reach out and help them cope with their troubles.But it's not always easy for parents to know what to do for a child who is feeling stressed.Here are a few ideas:No.ce out loud. Tell your child when you no;ce that something's bothering him or her. If you can, name the feeling you think your child is experiencing. ("It seems like you're s;ll mad about what happened at the playground.") This shouldn't sound like an accusa;on (as in, "OK, what happened now? Are you s;ll mad about that?") or put a child on the spot. It's just a casual observa;on that you're interested in hearing more about your child's concern. Be sympathe;c and show you care and want to understand.Listen to your child. Ask your child to tell you what's wrong. Listen aOen;vely and calmly — with interest, pa;ence, openness, and caring. Avoid any urge to judge, blame, lecture, or say what you think your child should have done instead. The idea is to let your child's concerns (and feelings) be heard. Try to get the whole story by asking ques;ons like "And then what
happened?" Take your ;me. And let your child take his or her ;me, too.Comment briefly on the feelings you think your child was experiencing. For example, you might say "That must have been upseRng," "No wonder you felt mad when they wouldn't let you in the game," or "That must have seemed unfair to you." Doing this shows that you understand what your child felt, why, and that you care. Feeling understood and listened to helps your child feel supported by you, and that is especially important in ;mes of stress.Put a label on it. Many younger kids do not yet have words for their feelings. If your child seems angry or frustrated, use those words to help him or her learn to iden;fy the emo;ons by name. PuRng feelings into words helps kids communicate and develop emo;onal awareness — the ability to recognize their own emo;onal states. Kids who can do so are less likely to reach the behavioral boiling point where strong emo;ons come out through behaviors rather than communicated with words.Help your child think of things to do. If there's a specific problem that's causing stress, talk together about what to do. Encourage your child to think of a couple of ideas. You can start the brainstorming if necessary, but don't do all the work. Your child's ac;ve par;cipa;on will build confidence. Support the good ideas and add to them as needed. Ask, "How do you think this will work?"Listen and move on. Some;mes talking and listening and feeling understood is all that's needed to help a child's frustra;ons begin to melt away. A]erward, try changing the subject and moving on to something more posi;ve and relaxing. Help your child think of something to do to feel beOer. Don't give the problem more aOen;on than it deserves.Limit stress where possible. If certain situa;ons are causing stress, see if there are ways to change things. For instance, if too many a]er‐school ac;vi;es consistently cause homework stress, it might be necessary to limit ac;vi;es to leave ;me and energy for homework.
36367 Stephen Leacock Drive, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2Z6 604.557.0422 auguston.sd34.bc.caPrincipal, Mr. Luigi DeMarzo
DATES TO NOTEFri, Apr. 24 Last Day for Scholas;c Book Fair and Lost & Found on display Aborig. Pres. ‐ Warrior S;cks Div. 2 9‐10:30am Hot Lunch Day ‐ Taco Del Mar Movie Night 6pm doors open
Tues, Apr. 28 Ready Set Learn for 3 & 4 year olds Walk‐a‐thon pledges due
Thurs, Apr. 30 Jeans Day Walk‐a‐thon for BCCH 1:15pm Dress Code Submissions due Sa;sfac;on Survey deadline (at midnight)
Fri, May 1 Churro Day
Tues, May 5 Team Photo Day
Wed, May 6 Gr. 4 field trip “Water Presenta;on” at AESC
Thurs, May 7 Volunteer Tea 1:30‐2:30pm
Fri, May 8 Non‐Instruc.onal Day #5 NO CLASSES
Mon, May 18 Victoria Day Stat. Holiday
Tues, May 19 Tradi;onal Schools Spelling Bee 6:30pm at ATMS
Fri, May 22 Auguston Fun Fair 4‐8pm
Sat, May 23 Chess Tournament 8:30‐2pm at CDG
Mon, Jun 1 Non‐Instruc.onal Day #6 NO CLASSES
Tues, Jun 2 Track Meet
Just be there. Kids don't always feel like talking about what's bothering them. Some;mes that's OK. Let your kids know you'll be there when they do feel like talking. Even when kids don't want to talk, they usually don't want parents to leave them alone. You can help your child feel beOer just by being there — keeping him or her company, spending ;me together. So if you no;ce that your child seems to be down in the dumps, stressed, or having a bad day — but doesn't feel like talking — ini;ate something you can do together. Take a walk, watch a movie, shoot some hoops, or bake some cookies. Isn't it nice to know that your presence really counts?Be pa.ent. As a parent, it hurts to see your child unhappy or stressed. But try to resist the urge to fix every problem. Instead, focus on helping your child, slowly but surely, grow into a good problem‐solver — a kid who knows how to roll with life's ups and downs, put feelings into words, calm down when needed, and bounce back to try again.Parents can't solve every problem as kids go through life. But by teaching healthy coping strategies, you'll prepare your kids to manage the stresses that come in the future.
UnDl next Dme…
Michael BortoloOo Presenta;on On Wednesday, April 15th students, staff and parents had the privilege of hearing Michael talk about the importance of friendship and seeing people for who they are on the “inside”
and not judging by what they look like on the “outside”. Students heard Michael speak about some of the hardships he endured growing up and how friendship helped him through those difficult ;mes. He also spoke about the importance of perseverance in helping oneself become a beOer person to meet the many challenges that they may face in life.
See links to Calendars on our school website:
School Calendar & Events: hOp://auguston.sd34.bc.ca/calendar
District Calendar for 2014‐15: hOp://auguston.sd34.bc.ca/node/7654
WEEKLY EVENTSChess ClubFridays at lunch (a]er the ea;ng bell) un;l the Chess Tournament on Saturday, May 23.
ChoirTuesdays at lunch (a]er the ea;ng bell) un;l May 5.
Grade 4 Unofficial FSA 2015 ResultsGrade 4 students completed the Ministry of Educa;on Founda;onal Skills Assessment in February. Parents should have received their child’s results a]er spring break. We received student results in an unofficial format at the end of March. The unofficial results for our school are indicated as follows in the subjects of Reading, Wri;ng and Numeracy:
Students mee;ng or exceeding expecta;ons in Reading – 98% Students mee;ng or exceeding expecta;ons in Wri;ng – 89%Students mee;ng or exceeding expecta;ons in Numeracy – 98% Congratula.ons to staff and students!
Michael Bortolo/o PresentaDon
TOMORROW, Friday, Apr. 24, is Movie Night in the school gym! The movie is "Book of Life". Doors open at 6pm. Movie starts at 6:30pm. Bring a blanket, pillow & wear your PJ’s! Popcorn and water will be available for $1 ea. Children MUST be accompanied by an adult.
Lost & Found is on display in the hallway this week. Please check it out before it’s donated to charity!
Division 1Alex N.Drilon S.Dallas S.
Division 2Tianna B.Harlan B.Isa H.
Marissa T.
Division 3Jenna C.Eden E.
MaOhew K.Colleen R.
Division 4 Olivia E.Inaya N.Logan W.
Division 5Kai‐ann M.Landon P.Kevin W.
Division 6Ava‐lee H.Erin M.Mark M.
Division 7Parker P.Maryam T.
Division 8Rehaan D.Indigo M.Owen R.
Division 9Isabelle D.Asher J.Ishaan S.
Division 10Emily M.Alex O.Ben P.
Division 11Quen;n F. Olivia H.
Annalise V.
Division 12Cole D.
Japneet G.Rebekka S.
Division 14Joey B.
William G.Daniel R.
Division 15Alexander F.Maryam L.Johnathan S.
Congratula;ons
Students of the Month!
These students have demonstrated exemplary work habits, academic or social responsible aOributes for
the month of March! Congratula.ons on being Ambi.ous, Respec_ul,
Responsible, Orderly, Wise & Safe!
Warm Weather Foot WearWith warmer weather upon us many children will be wearing lighter clothing as well as thoughts of lighter footwear like flip‐flops or open toed sandals. Although, it is nice to wear these cooler footwear they do pose problems for children in regards to safety. Younger children can trip easily when running about the school playground area. As well, open toed footwear can
also lead to toes being injured due to hiRng objects that may be s;cking out. With this in mind we ask that students not wear flip‐flops or open toed footwear. Thank‐you for your coopera;on with this maOer.
You are Invited to Auguston Traditional’s
Volunteer Appreciation Tea Date: Thursday, May 7Time: 1:30 to 2:30 pmWe would like to invite all of you who have volunteered at our school. • in the classroom• on field trips• in the Library• sporDng events • hot lunch
We don't want to overlook anyone so if you have helped in any other way, we want to recognize you too.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐** Please RSVP by Thursday, April 30 **
___ Yes, I will be a/ending the Volunteer AppreciaDon Tea.
___ No, I am unable to a/end.
*Please email your response to Mrs. Tait OR return the invitaDon that will be sent
home by your child’s teacher
Auguston Tradi;onal’s
event for 3 & 4 year olds
Tuesday, April 28th
Please note that specifically for RSL, 3 year olds are considered children born Jan, 1 ‐ Dec. 31, 2011, and 4 year olds are born Jan. 1 ‐ Dec. 31, 2010, and going
into Kindergarten for September 2015.
Please click here for the schedule for our 4 year old RSL.
The 3 year old RSL event takes place on April 28th from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in Rm 130 (Mul;‐Purpose Room). Please click here for more info. on the 3 year old RSL. Thank you.
Our annual Jeans Day Walk‐a‐thon will take place on Thursday, April 30. We will meet in the lower parking lot at 1:15 p.m. and the walk will start at 1:30 p.m.
Students are asked to please bring their form & pledges to their classroom by Tuesday, April 28, so that there is a final tally to present at the end of the Walk‐a‐thon. Please make cheques payable to BCCH Jeans Day Walk‐a‐thon. All contribu;ons of $20 or more are tax‐deduc;ble.
Jeans Day Pins and Hockey cardsJust to clarify on the pins and hockey cards that were sent home along with the Jeans Day Walk‐a‐thon Pledge sheets... The pins are to be worn when canvassing for pledges and on Jeans Day on Apr. 30. The hockey cards are a commemora;ve item for all students to do with as they please.
Jean Day Commemora.ve Pins for 25th AnniversaryFor families directly affected by BC Children's Hospital, being that this is the 25th anniversary of Jeans Day, we have some decora;ve commemora;ve pins available at the school office for a $20 (tax deduc.ble) dona.on.
Coloured T‐ShirtsNot only do you get to wear JEANS to school … there will be the op;on again this year to wear a COLOURED T‐SHIRT as well! This will help with keeping the grades together.
Each grade has been assigned a colour and the students in that grade can either wear that colour shirt OR their uniform shirt.
Kindergarten – Yellow Grade 3 ‐ GreenGrade 1 (including Div. 10, Gr. 1/2) – Red Grade 4 – Orange Grade 2 (including Div. 7, Gr. 2/3) – Blue Grade 5 – Purple
Families are invited to join us at the school at 1:15 p.m. or along the route for the Walk‐a‐thon on April 30 and to the Incen.ves Assembly (date TBA).
Top Fundraising Class in Primary and Intermediate: Ice cream sundae picnicPrimary = K‐Gr.2 DIv. 8‐15, Intermediate = DIv. 1‐7 (including Div. 7, Gr. 2/3)
Students to provide their own lunches. Dates to be provided later by teachers.
Top Fundraising Student: Lunch with a Friend and Mr. DeMarzo
A BIG THANK YOU to Mr. Carmichael & Mrs. McAllister for all their hard work on our school garden beds, geRng them all dug and de‐rooted, and 25 hills of dahlia tubers planted! What a great spot for tea! Plus, the front of the beds is all ready for plan;ng of the Spring leOuces/greens. We are looking forward to the Spuds and Salad Fest luncheons coming up in June!
The dress code commiOee would like
to remind all parents and students to write their ques;ons/ sugges;ons / comments and drop them in the sugges;on box (located outside the office) ‐ Deadline for submissions for the 2014/2015 school year is April 30 ‐ and will be presented during the May PAC mee.ng.
Will you be leaving Auguston next year?In order to begin our planning for the 2015/2016 school year, we would like to know how many students will be leaving us at the end of this year. If your child will NOT BE RETURNING to Auguston in September, 2015, please contact Mrs. Tait at [email protected] or 604‐557‐0422. Thank you.
Community Informa;on Page There are new items on the Community+Parent Informa;on webpage with many community ac;vi;es, programs & events.
Recently added items include:
• April 25, 9am to 12pm: Annual East Abby Kids Swap Meet Swap meet loca;on: 35131 Straiton road; admission $1.
• May 8, 10am‐2pm: 12th Annual Family Fun Day at Rotary Stadium. For pre‐school aged children: ac;vi;es, cra]s, entertainment and more for preschoolers and families. More on flyer.
• Registra>on: Abbotsford Magnuson Ford soccer club is now taking registra.ons for a variety of spring and summer league play. More details here.
• Registra;on: Kidsmaler A]er School ‐ Spring Programs April ‐ June.• Programs at public libraries in Abbotsford: (Check the many other programs available each month in
Abbotsford's community libraries (Abbotsford, Clearbrook, Mt.Lehman) at www.fvrl.bc.ca/programs.php )
For more info. on the above and many more, go to: hlp://www.sd34.bc.ca/parents‐students/CommunityInforma.on or on our school website under Parents and Students: hlp://auguston.sd34.bc.ca/node/
9719
Ministry of Educa;on Sa;sfac;on Survey ‐ Reminder to Gr. 4 Parents
Reminder to Grade 4 Parents that the Ministry of Educa;on Sa;sfac;on Survey ends on Thursday April 30th at midnight.
The Provincial Sa;sfac;on Survey is unique in its scope, size and usefulness to schools. It gathers informa;on from parents, teachers and students on topics related to school environment, safety, and achievement. The informa;on provides feedback to individual schools and provides a district and provincial perspec;ve.
We encourage parents to par;cipate in this survey, as the results are important in iden;fying and celebra;ng current strengths, as well as determining where the school needs to focus improvement. The surveys contain standard ques;ons for the Province.
The survey can be completed electronically and can be accessed on the Internet at hOp://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/sat_survey.
