Family Resources
Below you will find additional information about two potential areas of family stress: bullying and moving to a new home. Please feel free to come to me with any questions or concerns you may have throughout the year - I look forward to supporting you any way I can!
Bullying
Unfortunately, bullying is all too common in today's schools. StopBullying.gov defines bullying as "unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance." Bullying can be multi-faceted, as children can be bullied, bullies, or a witness of bullying; sometimes children may even take on more than one of these roles. It is my hope that by creating a caring community in which children respect and value each other's differences, I can help prevent bullying in my classroom and in years to come. Modeling positive behavior is crucial as a teacher and parent; children are always watching the adults in their lives and frequently imitate the language and actions they observe. Talking to children about how they are feeling and helping them understand how their actions may cause someone else to feel are also important. In my classroom, I strive to create a trusting environment with clear expectations of how to treat people and handle conflicts.
Here are a few helpful links with more information:
http://www.stopbullying.gov/index.html
This is an awesome resource for anyone interested in learning more about bullying and is a federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. It is full of information, including: what is bullying?, cyber bullying, who is at risk, and how to prevent and respond to bullying. There is information provided for early childhood all the way up through highschool and also a map that allows you to look up laws and policies by state. Definitely a site worth checking out!
http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topicsandactivities/topics/bullying
As you probably know, Sesame Street is loved by children around the world. This link will take you directly to a Sesame Street video clip titled "The Good Bird's Club." Watching this video with your child could be a fun way to start a discussion with them about bullying. Listed below the video are questions you could use throughout your discussion.
Below is a video made by 28 students in K-5 from Beekmantown Elementary School as a public service announcement against bullying. The title of the video is "Bullying - We're Not Going to Take it Anymore." It's pretty cool!
Here are a few helpful links with more information:
http://www.stopbullying.gov/index.html
This is an awesome resource for anyone interested in learning more about bullying and is a federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. It is full of information, including: what is bullying?, cyber bullying, who is at risk, and how to prevent and respond to bullying. There is information provided for early childhood all the way up through highschool and also a map that allows you to look up laws and policies by state. Definitely a site worth checking out!
http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topicsandactivities/topics/bullying
As you probably know, Sesame Street is loved by children around the world. This link will take you directly to a Sesame Street video clip titled "The Good Bird's Club." Watching this video with your child could be a fun way to start a discussion with them about bullying. Listed below the video are questions you could use throughout your discussion.
Below is a video made by 28 students in K-5 from Beekmantown Elementary School as a public service announcement against bullying. The title of the video is "Bullying - We're Not Going to Take it Anymore." It's pretty cool!
Moving to a New Home
Moving to a new home can be extremely stressful - trust me, I know! Growing up, my family and I moved every two to three years, and I remember how hard it was to be the new kid in school. Now, as an adult with a young child I have seen just how stressful moving can be as a parent too! According to the American Acadamy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, moving can be especially difficult for children in kindergarten or first grade because they are still in the process of seperating from their parents, adjusting to school life and new authority figures, and experiencing new social relationships. It is hugely important to talk frequently with your child or children about the move and what it will be like at their new home and school. Do your best to help them keep in touch with friends and get them involved in groups or activities in your new location so that they can begin building friendships and community right away. Although it can be difficult during a move, family stability is essential to helping your child feel safe and happy in their new home. If your child shows signs of persistent distress or depression after the move, consider contacting your family doctor or pediatrician for a referral to a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Here are some helpful links about moving to a new home:
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_family_moves
This link will take you directly to a brief document produced by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry titled "Children and Family Moves." It is full of useful information about how to help your child adjust throughout the move and also contains links to other helpful articles such as "The Anxious Child" and "Children Who Won't Go To School."
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/pages/Helping-Children-Adjust-to-a-Move.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token
HealthyChildren.org is produced by the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a wonderful resource for parents. This article, "Helping Children Adjust to a Move," provides information on how to help children prepare for a move, express their feelings about the move, and maintain contact with their old community. It will be important for you as the parent to remain optimistic about the move, get involved with your new community, and make the move a family event!
http://www.nncc.org/Child.Dev/movenew.html
The National Network for Child Care is another great resource for parents. This link will take you to a practical outline of how to handle moving with children of all ages, from infants to teenagers. For each age group, there is a brief description of how the move may effect them, followed by useful ideas of what you can do to ease the transition. This article also contains a list of children's books about moving that could be great to read with your children throughout the moving process.
Here are some helpful links about moving to a new home:
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_family_moves
This link will take you directly to a brief document produced by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry titled "Children and Family Moves." It is full of useful information about how to help your child adjust throughout the move and also contains links to other helpful articles such as "The Anxious Child" and "Children Who Won't Go To School."
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/pages/Helping-Children-Adjust-to-a-Move.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token
HealthyChildren.org is produced by the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a wonderful resource for parents. This article, "Helping Children Adjust to a Move," provides information on how to help children prepare for a move, express their feelings about the move, and maintain contact with their old community. It will be important for you as the parent to remain optimistic about the move, get involved with your new community, and make the move a family event!
http://www.nncc.org/Child.Dev/movenew.html
The National Network for Child Care is another great resource for parents. This link will take you to a practical outline of how to handle moving with children of all ages, from infants to teenagers. For each age group, there is a brief description of how the move may effect them, followed by useful ideas of what you can do to ease the transition. This article also contains a list of children's books about moving that could be great to read with your children throughout the moving process.