A Few Words From The Wellbeing Hive….

With the announcement yesterday that all students will be returning to remote learning, we at The Wellbeing Hive just wanted to take a few minutes to reassure families that we are here to support and provide ideas, resources and inspiration at this time.

Yesterday’s announcements have implications for us all:

• For Year 12 students who are no doubt experiencing some anxiety about their final weeks of schooling and their assessments
• For students who were enjoying working on campus and must now return to learning remotely
• For those students learning from home – whose timeline for this has just been extended – and the parents who have been patiently and lovingly supporting them
• For families who return to a level of uncertainty around social, domestic and economic matters – both on the larger and the smaller scale
• For staff who must change teaching planners at short notice and return to working from home – with the same challenges facing many parents working from home.

But as a community, our strength lies in our resilience – our ability to bounce back from this set-back and lean on each other for help.  And if the spirit of our school could speak – it would say something much like this to you.

Parents – we want to work in partnership with you to support your children – and while their academic progress is the core business of any school – this kind of success is dependent on their wellbeing. Check in regularly. Reach out if you have questions and concerns.  Know that we have psychologists on staff that can assist.  And encourage students to get involved in all opportunities the House System offers – as well as the many other enrichment opportunities we have and are putting together to keep students engaged. 

Encourage students to be independent and problem solvers. If they are stuck what can they do to get unstuck?  Help them come up with strategies and feel confident in their ability to solve problems. 

Encourage them to get off their screens and get fresh air.  Share with them your favourite past-times from times before Netflix and iPhones.  Talk and share around the dinner table. 

Check back over our previous articles for ideas for entertainment, checking in, and mindfulness.  And feel free to suggest your own!

Students – Remember that your teachers may seem further away – but we are all right here.  And we want to help. We genuinely care about you – your progress in our subject and how you feel each day.  Never doubt that.  Remember that asking for help is never a sign of weakness – it is a sign of determination. It is an indicator of success.

Remember too that times like these can be very much what we make of them.  This could be an opportunity to try new things and grow and broaden horizons rather than feel locked down.  Read, be creative, keep in touch with others and say yes to opportunities rather than no. 

It is optimism that will keep us all going during lockdown – and the optimists always look for the silver lining. For you, the silver lining could be:

• More time as a family – a greater understanding of where each of you are coming from and what is important to you.
• More sleep and better nutrition
• More time for hobbies or new challenges
• A time to adopt a habit you always wanted to
• A sense of a simpler life – a return to things we are nostalgic about like family bikes rides, board game nights and projects around the home.

We acknowledge there will be challenges – and challenges on different levels for different families.  We cannot be together physically right now, but we are still “all in this together” remotely. 

Please note this photo was taken before Covid19.