As diverse as they are, they are united in the fact that their final months of high school were anything but ordinary. While some traditions were unable to take place due to the confinement, our seniors prevailed and now have a story that will make their final semester of their high school memorable.

Another aspect that unites our senior class is their demonstration of our core values. During the last few months, they have been called on to display our core values: curiosity, compassion, integrity, respect and grit.  Out of these values, grit is one that stands out as the one most needed during these trying times.  We define grit as having courage, resolve and strength of character. Our graduates have demonstrated all of these traits, and we are so proud of them. May those core values stay with you throughout your lives.

Graduation is not just for our seniors - it is a culminating event of years of hard work, effort and development - and one to be celebrated by the entire ACST community. We hope that all of you will take an opportunity to join us tomorrow at 4:00 pm to view the live streaming of the graduation ceremony.  A link will be sent out later to the ACST community.

The doors to ACST are always open to the graduating class of 2020.  They are our newest ambassadors to the world, and as much as we wish them well, we also expect much of them.

Congratulations to the students and their parents of the Class of 2020!

We are taking care of our children, worried about their well-being, we also need to stop and take a moment to focus on ourselves. If we don't, we won't be able to sustain all our roles.

Staying connected and aware of our mental health is a common theme in this week's Falcon Flyer.  Mr. Thomas’ article shares with you how we are making sure our students have a daily peer connection as well as weekly 1:1 time with their advisor.  Connectedness is the key ingredient in building our resiliency during a time when we are not afforded the opportunity to have physical connectedness with our family and friends. As a parent and faculty member of ACST I firmly believe we are addressing connectedness for our students and now we need to stretch our arms out a little more and make sure we embrace all members of our Falcon community.
 

As the school counselors we are here for the entire ACST community. To help us better plan our parent engagement sessions over the next few weeks we would like to assess the pulse of the community.  Essentially, we want to ask, "How are you, really, how is it all going for you?" Linked here is a Staying Connected to our Parent Community survey that we very much would appreciate if you filled out (it was sent out via Bright Arrow as well on Wednesday). This survey is anonymous but we will provide you with the opportunity to share your name and contact information with us if you would like support from the counseling department. 

Be well!

Space: Create a quiet work space, dedicated to learning and away from distractions. Turn phones to silent and reduce background noise. Monitor your child’s lessons but try not to interrupt them. It may be necessary to remove extra devices until class time is over.

 

Schedule: Doing class online, reading online and chatting online adds up to a lot of screen time so it is more important than ever to balance all of this screen time with compulsory tech-free activities. Create or adjust a daily schedule. Add recess and lunch breaks into the schedule for everyone to get up, have something to eat then do something active for a while. 

 

POSSIBLE THINGS TO INCLUDE IN A DAILY SCHEDULE

 

A well balanced day can help children maintain mental and physical health. Please remember that screen use before sleep can significantly impact the quality and duration of sleep, so, try to reserve the last 60 minutes of the day for device-free time. 

 

Family:  Once lessons are over, find some time to come together as a family. It may be over dinner or via programmes, shows or games that you can participate in together. Talk about what you are watching/doing. Ask questions to facilitate a deeper understanding of the content and encourage everyone to give their opinions about what is happening.

 

Connections: Staying connected to friends and loved ones is important. Video chats with friends and family are a healthy and safe way to use technology. Make sure everyone in the family has opportunities to connect with their friends.

 

Fun: Being isolated with your family offers a unique opportunity to strengthen your family bond and create memories that could become a cherished part of your family history. Apart from the regular family time on school days, try to do something special at least once a week. 

 

POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES

 

 

Freedom: It seems contradictory but try to schedule some unstructured time, but your children need time when they can just be free to play and explore. Agree on some safety boundaries and set them free to build forts, do craft, create music, dance, do puzzles and make a mess.

 

Model: It's important to monitor our own media consumption and model healthy device habits. We can do this by having our own device free times. 

 

Forgive: Many of us are feeling stressed, and this includes our children. Don’t be hard on yourself. Do what you can and prioritize. Stay in touch with the teachers and other ACST families. Many of your children are more independent than you realize so ask them to explain things. Invite children to think of ways they can be helpful and make a positive difference in their own family. 

 

 Resources

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Log into the ACST website with your registered email address to access most information. 

ACST portal for SS students  Scroll all the way down to find SS Learning Center 

ACST portal for parents  (For ES student access)

 

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PTO Website “From a Distance”

Tips for parents: Navigating the GSuite

Online Safety Privacy & Security

Parents' Ultimate Guide to setting Parental Controls 

Common Sense Media, 

Free educationally based online activities that kids can do at home 

Coronavirus Q&As: Answers to 7 questions your kids may have about the pandemic

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SOURCES
McArthur, Brae Anne, Sheri Madigan. The Conversation, The Conversation US, 2020, theconversation.com/coronavirus-5-tips-for-navigating-childrens-screen-time-during-social-distancing-134445. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.

 

Fabiano, Jennifer. The Ladders. Ladders, 2020. www.theladders.com/career-advice/tips-for-parents-online-learning-with-children

now.tufts.edu/articles/home-learning-kids-and-parents-amid-covid-19. Accessed 8 apr. 2020.