Student Wellbeing and the ‘Silly Season’
Once again Christmas is just around the corner and while we are all looking forward to the opportunities that Christmas brings, to celebrate the birth of Christ, spend time with family and friends, have a holiday or even just a break and change from normal routine, it can bring about a level of stress in some families. Afterall, there is a reason Christmas time has been nicknamed the ‘Silly Season’.
We know how exhausting and stressful preparation for this time can be for us as adults, and for our children, it can be even more of an emotional roller coaster without the ability to fully explain or understand why they are experiencing these emotions.
At school, as we prepare for transition to the next year, begin to finalise the more formal learning experiences and break the normal routines to prepare for end of year celebrations and events, we are on the lookout for signs of emotional turmoil amongst our students. These can include unexplained behaviour changes, strong emotional outbursts for no real reason, the loss of problem solving strategies when having challenges amongst peers and out of character mood changes. All this is expected and seen. Homeroom teachers and the Wellbeing Team work hard to support and encourage our students to emotionally regulate and to look for positive pathways through their challenges.
At home, we encourage you to remember that your child may be more tired, emotional and acting out in ways that does not reflect their usual sunny selves.
- Try to promote good sleeping habits, and a regular routine as much as possible.
- Try to keep up healthy food habits and some form or daily physical exercise.
- Be aware that they are watching you and picking up on your emotions and help to model some strategies to encourage emotional regulations and empathy to each other.
Together we can ensure that our children get through the ‘silly season’ in a positive way with a focus on all that is truly important about this time of year.
Thank you from the Primary Wellbeing Team for your support of your children, their teachers and us throughout the year.