Where we are with Friends Resilience from Miss Snowball

We know that 2020 has been a strange and peculiar time for all pupils at Stamfordham. The COVID-19 pandemic has been really tough for our children (and for you at home) and that many of them (and you) were anxious about the return to a more ‘normal’ way of life. We wanted to ensure that on returning to school and our ‘new normal’, our children were supported to develop the skills needed for them to manage and prevent anxiety, and go on to become confident and thriving individuals. The children have looked forward to the weekly Friends Resilience session and have participated in various activities both at home and at school, creating a bank of new skills which they can use and rely on in different situations. We have seen such a positive response to the programme and will continue, throughout the year, to refer back to the skills we have learnt in autumn, to support children as they continue to develop confidence and self-belief.

From the children…

“Learning relaxation techniques! I have been able to work through friendship issues by using different breathing methods to calm me down and think of solutions.”

Martha from Class 4

“I have learnt how to create a coping step plan to help me with tasks I find tricky at school.” Courtney from Class 3

“I have enjoyed learning how to change my red thoughts into green thoughts and how I can use bubble breathing to feel relaxed.”

Charlie in Class 2

“How to be a kind friend and look after your friends, you can use your green thoughts too!”

Jack from Reception.

Please do continue to use FRIENDS Resilience strategies at home. To help, there is a wonderful, new ‘FRIENDS’ app which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store (it’s not available for android devices at the moment). It’s definitely worth looking at and gives lots of activities and topics for children to discuss. With many thanks as always for your wonderful support.

Our children's welfare is extremely important to us at Stamfordham Primary so we are working in collaboration with experts, trainers and counsellors at Melva, a company which specialises in supporting and counselling both children and adults.  They also help children with coping methods surrounding healthy relationships, puberty, sexual education, anxiety, emotional well-being, self-esteem and self-care.

Workshops/lessons will run throughout the school year to ensure that we continue to help our children in the changing world they will face when they move on from Primary School and into later life. 

We're very excited to be working in partnership with Melva, who will assist us in making sure early help is in place should the children need it.  If there are any concerns either pre or post any workshops please feel free to come and see us in school.

These workshops will all run in line with the PHSE curriculum which states that all children are given guidance in relation to Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World.  

For more information about the companies, please look at the following links and read the booklet below:  

http://www.supportingminds.com/

http://www.think2speak.com/  

Every Mind Matters-

Public Health England’s new mental health campaign to support children and young people and their parents and carers

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/

Stop, Breathe, Think

My life- app available with a version for kids and one for adults.

https://my.life/

FRIENDS

Friends Resilience App found in Apple App Store. This app supports all strategies and techniques used within Stamfordham to support children with their mental health.

Please see Miss McKinney/Miss Snowball for any support