Help for Parents

Parental Participation Forum - Greenwich

You may remember that we used to be fully involved with Parent Voice -a group of parents who had children with SEN who supported each other, helped navigate through complex areas and arrange amazing activities - such as the Father Christmas grotto at Charlton House ... I think some of you might have recognised the elf and Father Christmas himself.

After many years of hard work the group has finally ended and we are so proud to have played a small part in their amazing work.

Greenwich have recognised that this level of parental engagement is really important, and so with the help of Carol Foyle (her introduction is below), they are starting a parental engagement group.

In the documents below there are, along with Carol's introduction, some invites and their data policy.

We are looking forward to inviting Carol to visit us (when we are allowed) but in the meantime, if you have any questions about getting involved - either let us or Carol know.

Are you worried how your super hero is making sense of this 'interesting time'?

Our lovely friends at Music Therapy have come up trumps again with some lovely resources to help.

Listening / Empathy and how we hold onto our Feelings:

This lovely clip from "Inside Out" models active listening, empathy and now we hold on to our feelings - Sadness comforts Bing Bong. This would be useful if you watch it then try the activity below :

Difficult Feelings and Feeling Anxious

Using the template letter, write about how you are feeling about COVID-19. It is a useful way to let each other know how you are feeling - and if you don't want to write, you can draw it instead.

Positive Thinking

How many positives (sheet below) can you think of and be grateful for? It is really easy for us to think about the negatives (not being able to see family and friends and hug them), but think how technology has made them feel close.

Music Therapy:

Whilst COVID 19 is on everyone's minds, we need to think about those super heroes who have accessed music therapy.

Why not click/tap here : www.youngminds.org.uk/blog/talking-to-your-child-about-coronavirus/

We also have some lovely help packs below - thank you to Sarah and the Music Therapy Team for these.

Fortnite - what do you need to know?

At Waterside, we are concerned about how the game Fortnite is impacting on our super heroes but also how you, as parents are able to manage this.

Why not take a look through our handy guides (supported by LGFL) to help you.

• Our six top tips for parents:
  • Don't ban Fortnite (or any other game) because a newspaper headline said it's evil; at the same time, don't allow it because a friend said it's fine. Have a look and decide yourself (get your child to show you, or play together if you're feeling brave). If you're happy, fine; if not, it doesn't matter whether "everyone else is playing it".
  • Fortnite's PEGI age rating is 12 ( = appropriate age, NOT skill level).
  • Games don't go on for hours, but average 20-30 minutes. So if your child says they need hours and hours, they're wrong...
  • One of the best ways to keep children safe on games is to know what they are doing, so if you allow it, get them to play near you with the sound on (no headphones so you can hear the other players' comments)
  • When you start, there's a 'Privacy' button - choose between Public (anyone in the world) / Friends / Private (invite only). It's easy to change. Make sure you have made the decision.

The game is free, but there are lots of in-app purchases. Is your credit card attached to the account/device? Worth checking if your child could buy the £79 10,00 V-Bucks + 3,500 Bonus pack at a click. Click on a cheap one to see if there is a payment method attached.