How are you feeling about going back to school?

This experience will have been different for every student, teacher and parent. Some will be happy, others traumatised and everything in between. We can’t assume how anyone feels. How do we deal with all of this?

Phychologist Dr Helen Street, chair of Positive Schools, suggests we ask 4 questions similar to these. Make sure EVERY person has a chance to answer each one in their own way- speaking, drawing, one to one or in the group. They must feel they belong and have an equal voice : 1. What felt different for you learning at home? 2. What did you enjoy? 3. What did you miss? 4. What would you like to do differently back at school?

It’s very healthy to TALK about and experience your FEELINGS. Use Circle Time, so everyone has a chance to speak. ALL feelings are good, it’s what we do with them that can make a difference. If we let them CONTROL us, that’s where we can be in trouble! YOU need to CONTROL your feelings so you don’t hurt either yourself or others, and so you can feel happier. We need to all build strategies to control our feelings. (See some helpful posters below)

Controlling your feelings by SELF SOOTHING

What helps YOU clam down? Everyone is different. Modeling Self Soothing gives the best example that it works, do some together: e.g. Deep breathing, drinking water, reading, walking, running, playing outside, painting, cooking, eating (not too much!!), listening to music, singing, dancing, playing sport, watching a movie, mediation, mindfulness, games, jokes, laughing, lying down, resting, sunshine, swimming, a bath, the gym, exercises, yoga, writing, drawing, puzzles, jigsaws, climbing, sitting under or in a tree, the park, a playground, talking to a friend or helper, pets, animals, fishing, lego, IT, robotics, etc.

Mindfulness or Meditation

Always helps to ground and centre us, and has much research to show it works. There are many resources such as Smiling Mind, that can be used.

Routine

PREDICTION = SAFETY Have a schedule up each day so there are no surprises, and if the schedule changes, let the students know in advance if possible. After all the disruptions, routine is comfort.

Gratitude

There are ALWAYS things to be grateful for. Focusing on the things that go right can help to increase mood. Do this in a written, spoken, in your mind or pictorial way. Try and do it every day until the next holidays to get them into the habit. Have a gratitude board in the staff room, tell students to ask their parents what they are grateful for.

Discover Strengths

Use strength cards and discussions, or questionnaires, to discover each others strengths – both physical and emotional. Talk about how you could use your strengths to help others. Make Strength posters, display them. We ALL have strengths we can share to make the world a better place.

Exercise every day

Get the students and yourself moving, both in the classroom, or work area and outside. Dance, sing, do brain gym, PE, a ‘Play is the Way’ game, Simon says, etc. have frequent breaks if students are not settled.

Relationship and Empathy

Get to know your students all over again, things will have changed. Some will have improved, some will have regressed – in either learning and /or behaviour. Relationship is VERY important, every person wants to belong, this goes for staff as well. Empathy is relationship building.

Posters that may help:

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By Barb Bellesini

This Resilience Program has been tried, adapted and tested over 6 years for 5-9 year olds, and can easily be adapted for HOME SCHOOLING, as well as for older students. It covers every Social and Emotional Learning area, and provides coping strategies, which are good for both children and adults. The underlying focus is always RESILIENCE. The Workbook can be used with or without the Lesson Plans. It would also be beneficial for every child and adult to begin a Gratitude Journal, listing or talking about 3 good things that have happened to them that day. Happiness and anxiety can be reduced by doing this.

Each page has an ‘At Home’ section on the bottom of the page, so you know what the lesson is focused on e.g. At Home: We have talked about different feelings, talk about the ones they have drawn and any others they understand. Every feeling is OK, it’s how we deal with them that counts. How do you deal with feelings?

Feedback: We have been using some of your resources this year to support our Positive Education Program. We have nothing but great feedback to give you! We have enjoyed the continuation of the lessons ….. they understood each concept and they have enjoyed .. singing songs to support different ideas. Templestowe

To order go to https://www.bepositiveprogram.com.au/product/junior-workbook/ for the hard copy book $10 plus postage, or https://www.bepositiveprogram.com.au/product/ebook-junior-workbook/ for the eBook $25. Lesson Plans, posters and a Gratitude Journal is also available from the website.

If you have any trouble, please send me an email to order at: bepositiveprogram@gmail.com

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Welcome to the Be Positive Program. This is a Resilience and Wellbeing  Program that has been developed and tested in Australian schools, and covers every Social and Emotional Curriculum Standard, but can easily be used in any English speaking country. The Posters are currently being used at every school level, from Prep /Pre-Primary to the final year at secondary school, as well as in waiting rooms, and by some Psychologists.

The current Lesson Plans and Workbook are best for children from 4 – 8 years, but can be adapted up or down to suit different levels. By the end of 2018 there will be lesson plans and Blackline Masters for all primary grades and up to year 8 – 13 or 14 year olds.

Hi my name is Barb Bellesini. I am a mother of 4 very different children and have been taught every level from Pre-Primary to Grade 6. (4yrs -13yrs) As a classroom teacher and Specialist in Physical Education and Positive Education, my experience is broad.
My philosophy of teaching has ALWAYS been- ‘To form a relationship with your students, and make them feel listened to and understood, then they will have much more potential to learn.’

Social and Emotional Learning has been a passion and I have been lucky enough to be a Specialist ‘Positive Education’ Teacher for 6 years, teaching from Prep to 6 and developing these programs.

I have refined a Prep program that covers all of the SEL areas, which sets up a basis, language and strategies to be built on and developed in future years.

Developing programs for the other levels was done on a year to year and term to term basis, but I would try to cover all areas over a two year period. In the 6 years no two were the same!

All SEL programs help to build resilience, but it is more effective and better retained if followed up at home as well as school. I also began a Positive Ed Blog, which documents many things we have done over the last few years including songs, children’s ideas, some of which i will share with you here.

I would write in the Newsletter each fortnight with a Home Practise section for parents to follow up at home. Some did, some didn’t, but those families that did built better relationships and built up new strategies and ways to communicate as a family.

I have many resources to share- The Junior Workbook and Lesson Plans, posters, program notes for all other Primary levels, a Gratitude Journal and PD opportunities.

www.bepositiveprogram.com.au will have both old and new Blog posts with songs, stories, outcomes and various ‘child raising’ issues.

Contact me through my website or my email and leave me your details for further information.  barb@bepositiveprogram.com.au

Thank you in anticipation of having happy, balanced people surrounding you.

Barb Bellesini

Package 1

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