Hello LKS Families.
We hope all of you continue to be healthy and well.
We have a few items to share with you this week in advance of the May long weekend. They are:
- Mental Health and Well-Being
- Free Resources from WE.org
- June 2020
- LKS Connected
Mental Health and Well-Being
Taking care of yourself is an important part of supporting well-being. As we continue to live with the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic, it is important to find ways to nurture and take care of yourself. Sometimes we feel guilty for taking the time to care for/ focus on ourselves. This is a life skill that is helpful for everyone, regardless of age. Taking care of yourself (self-care) can look different for everyone. But in doing so you can improve your energy, find joy, and refocus on what really matters to you. Here are some ideas for you:
● Find moments of stillness and quiet in your day
● Move your body
● Go outside/be in nature
● Rest when you can and prioritize regular sleep
● Reflect on what works for you
● Give yourself permission to focus on your own needs and set boundaries on obligations
● Find pleasure in things that you like to do
● Explore new ways to relax and unwind
● Eat and hydrate when you can to fuel your body and mind
● Find some time during the day to connect with friends and family
Exercises for Elementary Students
● Self-Care for Students Self-Care 101
● Listen to books read aloud on KidLit TV (check out I AM PEACE) and at Brightly
Storytime on YouTube (try Miss Maple’s Seeds)
● Be Kind to Yourself
● Read a social story about self-care: Getting Ready for My Day
● Visuals can support children to help them recognize when they need a break and how they can request one! Check out these Break Cards
● Read a Self-Care Tip Sheet with Visuals 12 Instant Stress Busters
● Try some nice clean sensory fun! Rainbow Soap Foam Bubbles Sensory Play
● Or check out these other great art activities with materials you can find at home: 20 hands-on activities to keep kids busy
● Students can watch how to take care of themselves and everyone else by
handwashing
Exercises for Middle and High School Students
● Try a meditation apps, such as Smiling Mind , Calm , Headspace
● Try an at home workout or free mindfulness and hip hop class Online Workshops April 20 to June 26
● Make a Coping Box to help you through tough moments
● Read:
○ Self-Care 101
○ How teenagers can protect their mental health during COVID-19
○ Six ways to practice self-care (From CAMH)
○ Find a Resurce – Students
○ “Psychlogy Works” Fact Sheet: Student Wellness and COVID-19
○ Creative Ways to Support your Mental Health Six ways to practice self-care
○ Quiz: Am I practicing enough self-care?
WE.org
In last Saturday’s Globe and Mail there was a section called “Stronger Together: WE Got This”. Throughout this section there were a number of useful activities ranging from podcasts, well-being tips, and resources to help parents meet the needs of children and the demands of work. I encourage you to visit WE.org at your leisure and as we go into the long weekend, we thought you might like to know the 10 happiest songs on Earth that were also shared in this section. Based on positive references in a song and the tempo, here they are in no particular order:
- Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
- Dancing Queen – ABBA
- Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
- Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
- Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
- I’m a Believer – The Monkees
- Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
- Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
- I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
- Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
I am sure you know all of them so put together a playlist and share with your kids this weekend.
June 2020
As we await official word from the Ministry of Education, and assuming schools do not reopen in June, please stand-by for instructions and procedures as to how we allow students and/or a parent to enter the school to gather any belongings that were left behind. If this is the message we receive, once we know it is safe for staff and students to enter LKS, we will use our school interview booker to schedule times for admission to the school. The safety and well-being of all students, staff and parents will be of utmost importance and we will be following all guidelines as determined by Toronto Public Health and the Toronto District School Board.
LKS Connected
As strange as this year has been, next September will be even stranger without seeing the smiling and caring faces of Ms. Iafrate and Ms. Hall in our Kindergarten hallway. As you may know, they are both retiring at the end of this school year. We would usually have an opportunity to present them with a gift and give them a huge LKS farewell applause from all of
the students in an assembly. If we are not able to do that this year, we wanted to send them a virtual thank you card from all their current and former students. We are hoping that your child(ren) would create a sign or poster for one or both of these fabulous teachers to congratulate them on their retirement and to say thank you. Please take a picture of your child(ren) holding their sign/poster and send it to kimm.norton@tdsb.on.ca. This is for all of our LKS students but especially current and former students of Ms. Iafrate and Ms. Hall. When you send Ms. Norton the picture, please indicate if it is for Ms. Iafrate, Ms. Hall or for both. Please submit your pictures by Monday, June 1.
We wish all of you the best for the long weekend and if you are travelling north, please be safe.
Take care and stay well.
John and Kimm
LKS Parent Council 