Harbour View PTA welcomes you to our Pelican Winter Wellness Series!
In the coming weeks we will be sharing helpful resources created by the Mental Health Education Team at CHOC, Children's Hospital of Orange County. These informational links and webinars will be housed on our PTA website, and will cover topics geared towards mental wellness and healthy behavioral goals. Our hope is that these resources will enhance the well-being for our Pelicans, and we parents as well. First up, “Mindfulness and Meditation.” We hope you enjoy sharing these tools with your children - Be well Pelican Families!
https://www.choc.org/files/mental_health_toolkit/parent/mindfulness-meditation/Mindfulness_and_Meditation_Parent_English.pdf
Again, thank you for all of your support as we try to bring more mindfulness to our community and peace to our Pelicans!
Second in the Series
“Welcome to week 2 of our Pelican PTA Winter Wellness Series. We hope you found last week’s mindfulness tips to be helpful in getting centered and setting positive intentions for the coming month. Next up, we are inviting everyone to reach into our collective Mental Health Toolkit, and join us in exploring the many benefits of “Mood Hygiene.”
As parents of elementary age children, we know all too well the stressful morning routine. Add to that a kiddo who didn’t get a good nights’ sleep, and who won’t eat breakfast, and who may be feeling moody as a result, and we have a recipe for a “challenging” morning to say the least. Luckily, CHOC has complied a wonderful overview of how we, as parents, can help our littles to set some healthy boundaries and begin the life long process of practicing good self care. This week, we are sharing an overview of tips on sleep, diet & nutrition, activity & exercise, screen time and social media, as well as some healthy coping skill suggestions that our Pelicans can begin to access in their own mental health toolbox, whenever they feel their mood shifting.
Thank you for joining us in our effort to explore healthy options which will keep our Pelicans thriving all year long. Be well Pelican Families!”
Week 3 - Gratitude
Hey Pelican Parents - We hope you’re enjoying our Winter Wellness Series weekly shares! Week 3 has us reaching into our resilience building toolkit with the aim of cultivating gratitude. Establishing a gratitude practice can help to reframe our perspective from scarcity consciousness towards a mindset of abundance. This weeks link from CHOC details a few great tips on how to introduce our Pelicans to a gratitude practice, which is age appropriate, and actually fun for the whole family, too! Our favorite ideas are creating a gratitude tradition in your home, writing an A-Z gratitude list (great way to get our littlest Pelicans to learn the alphabet too!), and creating a gratitude jar. Click on the link below for more creative ideas and details!
Week 4 - Mood Booster Project Idea
Week 4 of our Pelican Spring Wellness Series is a creative project idea! Sometimes we all have a day when we need to ask for a little extra help getting out of a funk … asking for help is a sign of strength! What better way to teach our Pelicans that vulnerability is a super power, than by co-creating a source of support that they can reach for when they’re feeling a little blue …. A “mood booster jar!”
A mood booster jar holds strips of paper with encouraging statements that friends or family members have written about you. Place this jar somewhere visible and whenever you’re having a tough day, pull out a strip of paper to get some love and encouragement.
Link here for CHOC’s step-by-step instructions on how to create this supportive source of inspiration with your little Pelicans. We get by with a little help from our friends … and families!
LINK :
Week 5 - Anxiety
What Is Anxiety??? We parents know all too well that anxiety, if not managed, can lead us into feeling emotionally overwhelmed and way out of balance. Our children also may experience anxiety in their daily lives, but may not know exactly how to recognize it, or to ask for help when symptoms present themselves. This week, our Wellness series is focused on Anxiety. CHOC has composed a great overview for parents of children and adolescents on anxiety symptoms, as well as some tips on how we can best support our Pelicans. We have also included a link to CHOC Children’s Psychology Departments recommend reading list, which offers some great titles relating to anxiety. A second link centers on books regarding parenting strategies, stress reduction and talking about worries with school aged children.
We are also thrilled to announce that CHOC will be providing our Pelican parents with an opportunity to connect directly, via webinar, with Dr. Amy Morse, PsyD, who is part of the CHOC integrated primary care team. Dr. Morse will share on how to navigate social anxiety due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, and how we can best continue to support our Pelicans. Information on our upcoming webinar is included below, so please see our SAVE THE DATE, and mark your calendars!
Thank you for your continued support as we continue to navigate mental wellness together. Be well Pelican Families!
What Is Anxiety :
https://www.choc.org/files/mental_health_toolkit/parent/anxiety/Anxiety_Handout_Parent_English.pdf
CHOC Children’s Psychology Department Recommended Reading list :
Choose from books centered on parenting strategies, stress reduction, and talking about worries with school aged children.
SAVE THE DATE PELICAN FAMILIES!
What: How to Navigate COVID-19 Social Anxiety Presentation for Parents
When: Thursday, April 28, 2022 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Where: Virtual Training - Hosted by CHOC Mental Health Education Program
Join Zoom Meeting
https://chocchildrens.zoom.us/j/96488866427?pwd=MWJka3ROa2owUHBKY1M4Ty9ZS24yZz09
Meeting ID: 964 8886 6427
Passcode: choc
Target Audience: Parents of Harbour View Elementary School in Huntington Beach
Presentation Content:
- Brief Description: During COVID-19, children and adolescents experienced a surprising shift in their social relationships. For some youth, adjustment to extended periods of isolation led to self-doubt and a decreased sense of belonging. This presentation will discuss the signs and symptoms of social isolation in children and adolescents. The impact of social isolation on interpersonal relationships and school avoidance will be explored. Participants will be introduced to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT-informed interventions which target emotional resilience in youth. Educational objectives include the following:
- Discuss the impact of social isolation during COVID-19 on social relationships and school engagement
- Apply behavioral strategies that help promote emotional health
WEEK 6- Mindfulness
Week 6 of our PTAs Pelican Wellness effort is focused on practicing mindfulness with our children. Mindfulness is a powerful tool to help us slow down, pay attention and be fully present in the moment.
From mindful walks to mindful mantras, and mindful coloring, just to name a few, follow the link below to find CHOCs recommendations for fun and creative ways to teach your child mindfulness :
May you be safe. May you be healthy and strong. May you be happy. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be well Pelican families!
WEEK 7 - Social Media Usage
Although digital technology is beneficial for children’s social relations, social media use raises important concerns about children’s emotional well-being and online safety.
Below are some tips to help your child develop safe, healthy habits for social media use.
LINK :
Week 9 - CARVING OUT FAMILY TIME
Week 9 of our Pelican Wellness Series is focused on carving out some dedicated time with our little pelicans, where we can practice being fully present together. Research shows that positive bonding is associated with better behavior. CHOC has compiled some great tips on framing activities towards bond building, and how to ensure high quality, distraction- free, & special time with our little ones.
Link:
Week 10 - SIGNS OF DEPRESSION
It is already week 10 of our Pelican Wellness series, and our Harbour View PTA sincerely hopes that you are finding these efforts beneficial. This week we are sharing some links from CHOC centered around Depression. The first link is an overview of Depression, as well as some tips for recognizing symptoms of depression in our little pelicans. Also included are some great tips for parents, should you find yourself navigating your childs’ journey with depression. CHOC has also listed some great recommended reading resources on the bottom of the first link below.
The second link offers some quick communication tools on "what to say, and what not to say" when navigating signs and symptoms with our kiddos, or when communicating with someone currently experiencing depression.
Week 11 - MENTAL HEALT WEBINARS
Welcome to week 11 of our Pelican mental wellness efforts! This week, we thought you would enjoy access to a list of archived webinars hosted by CHOC mental health professionals. Topics range from parenting / caregiver burnout, to substance abuse, to understanding and supporting autism spectrum disorder, ADHD A-Z, how to talk to kids about race and racism, and beyond!
Be sure to click the link below to peruse a wide variety of pre-recorded educational options which you can view at your leisure!
Be well Pelican Families!
WEEK 12 -
Hello Families,
The Parent Night presented by CHOC and hosted by PTA was such a success, we are proud to share the presentation, slides for you to view if you missed it!! The survey link to provide feedback is there for you as well.
How to Navigate Covid-19 Social Anxiety
Here is the link to our presentation on YouTube Video //
Google Slide Presentation:
https://docs.google.com/
presentation/d/ 1Yh79oCfqZiB2xpx5n_ ya6YzVNcMdHzwaOYE4yXsBrcI/ edit?usp=sharing
Social Anxiety Training Survey //
https://forms.office.com/r/
Sb3ZPVQ1u6
Be well and stay healthy!
WEEK 13
Welcome to week 13 of our Pelican PTA Wellness Series. This week we are sharing a quick 3 minute video from CHOC which explains and leads us through a session of “Mindful Grounding.”
Mindful grounding is a way by which our little pelicans can use their senses to shift their attention to what they are experiencing “right now.” The goal of this activity is to refocus on the present moment. The object of mindful grounding is to stay out of the past and the future, whereby minimizing anxiety and depression.
Here’s a link to this quick 3 minute video with great ideas and tips to help you lead your little pelicans thru a mindful grounding session, with the goal of landing gently in the present moment! Happy Grounding!
With Gratitude -
WEEK 14
Welcome to week 14 of our pelican PTA wellness series. In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, and in light of the emotional heaviness we are all feeling this week, we thought it would be helpful to share a few resources, should you find yourself needing to reach out for support for your Pelican, or yourself. We are so fortunate to have a wealth of mental health resources in our local community.
First, we would like to share a link from Child Mind Institute Family Resource Center. This article is called “How to talk to your kids about school shootings.” It is very helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where or how to begin. What can I do to reduce my anxiety? What should I tell my child about school shootings? These are just a few of the questions addressed in this article, which hopefully will help us to continue processing the gravity of today’s reality, and help us, help our children to address their anxiety around the topic. There are also great ideas to communicate to our children, about how to support a classmate or friend who may be struggling.
Mental Health Community Resources :
The Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living offers mental health services for income qualifying members of our community.
Psychology Today offers an easy and free online service to locate and research mental health professionals by geographical area through the link below. This is a good place to begin to narrow down your search by specialty, etc. Keep in mind that many insurance plans cover mental health services. Most plans have a special mental health 800 number that you can call, and they will provide you with a list of providers in your area as well.
CHOC offers an incredible pediatric mental health program, click the link below to learn more about their offerings : https://www.choc.org/programs-services/mental-health/
The OC Health Care Agency. They offer children, youth, and teen crisis services. There are many helpful links on their website for more information on how these programs help individuals of all age groups during a behavioral health emergency.
The link below from the OC Health Care Agency on wellness promotion and prevention has a special mission … They strive to prevent development of serious emotional or behavioral disorders or mental health conditions in at-risk individuals.
https://ochealthinfo.com/about-hca/mental-health-and-recovery-services/wellness-promotion-prevention
WEEK 15
Welcome to week 15 of our PTA pelican wellness series! This week, we decided to focus a little energy on processing BIG change. With 5th grade culmination quickly approaching, we thought it would be a good idea to offer a little support and validation to our Pelican Parents who may be preparing their last Pelican to graduate from Harbour View. Change is hard. Our 5th grade Pelicans may feel on top of the world, feeling as though they have it all figured out, while we parents may be feeling lost and a little sad, during what “should” only feel like a celebration. First and foremost, let’s not “should” on ourselves … We are here to reassure you that happy and sad emotions can exist at the same time, and feeling both simultaneously doesn’t make you anything other than 100% human. We are aware that feeling “sad“ about something “happy” like a graduation, can also make us feel that there is something wrong with us. As much as we want to see our Pelicans spread their wings and FLY, “Graduation Grief” is very real for us parents, as we realize our kiddos are continuing their process of growing further away from the nest. In the event that you’re experiencing some sadness about this being your last year as a Pelican Parent, we want you to know, we see you, and the myriad of emotions you may be feeling are all normal and valid during this exciting time of big changes.
This week, we thought we would share a few articles centered around the grief process, which we suddenly find ourselves navigating, as our children approach major milestones. You’re not alone! The only way out, is through, and Grief is a healthy part of the human experience. We just want you to know that if you’re feeling all the feels as your final Pelican school year comes to a close, you are healthy and normal, and valid … and WE LOVE YOU, our Pelican Families!
We also thought it would be helpful to include a quick article centered on dealing with helping our Pelicans process their anxiety around starting middle school. We are hopeful that our Pelican families know that we are a strong community. We are looking forward to maintaining a continued support system, as we all transition to this new educational and social-emotional landscape … TOGETHER!
With Gratitude
