Ask a PSB School Psychologist
Hello parents and guardians! Welcome to ‘Ask a School Psychologist’!

Wondering how to manage bedtime worries, what to tell your teen who wants to visit friends, or where to begin with structuring your child’s day? If you have any questions you would like to submit to our PSB Psychology Team concerning COVID isolation, academics, behaviour, or well-being, send them to askapsychologist@edu.pe.ca.

We can’t promise we’ll get to every question, but we will be posting anonymous responses to some of your questions on the PSB Student Services Facebook page.

This project is for information sharing with you and our broader parent and guardian audience. If you are experiencing an emergency, please call the Island Helpline (1-800-218-2885) or Emergency Health Services (911).

Please submit your questions by May 8th.

Dear Families,

If you would like to place an order for the Lifetouch school pictures that were taken earlier this year, go to mylifetouch.ca. Free shipping to your homes will be available until May 31, 2020, when you order on mylifetouch.ca with promo code SMILES. Locate your access credentials on your proof sheet if you have it or call 1-866-457-8212 and Lifetouch will help locate your credentials.

Thank you

April 22, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students;

This is the fifth week of schools being closed since we returned from the March Break. This is also the third week of teacher led home learning. What education looks like on PEI now has been the culmination of the advocacy and teamwork of many. The efforts our educational leaders and teachers have made around home learning during this pandemic has allowed us to maintain connections with students and families. It has been our response to staying apart and supporting our communities and health care system. It looks and feels much different than what we are used to and we are all having to adjust. PSB students, parents, and staff have always responded in times of crisis and this time is no exception. We still have much to do, but we have accomplished much these last few weeks, and this success is thanks, in part, to you and your efforts.

We thank you for your support of the learning that has rolled out from teachers thus far, and we ask you to continue to communicate with them. We are all new to this, so we need to know if you require additional support. We have identified and are providing Chromebooks for our grade 12 students who need them most, so they can access on-line learning materials. We also have print materials and basic learning supply packages available. Please contact the Support for Families line at 902-368-5155 or supportforfamilies@edu.pe.ca to access supports we may be able to provide to assist with home learning.

Please refer to the chronology of COVID-19 education related decisions posted on our website https://tinyurl.com/chronologyeducationdecisions

Early in my teaching career, a parent gave me a poem called ‘Unity’ that had been written by an anonymous author. It was presented to me as a gift and the parent had framed it in their own calligraphy. The poem, which has remained on display in my classrooms and offices ever since, tells a story about the efforts of a parent and teacher working together to ensure the success of a child. I have looked at it often as a source of guidance and encouragement. It struck me that in our new reality, this poem has probably never been more appropriate than today.

UNITY

I dreamed I stood in a studio

And watched two sculptors there,

The clay they used was a young child’s mind

And they finished it with care.

One was a teacher; the tools he used

Were books and music and art;

One a parent with a guiding hand

And a gentle and loving heart.

Day after day the teacher toiled

With a touch that was deft and sure

While the parent laboured by his side

And polished and smoothed it o’er.

And when at last their task was done

They were proud of what they had wrought,

For the things they had moulded into the child

Could neither be sold nor bought

And each agreed he would have failed

If he had worked alone.

For behind the parent stood the school

And behind the teacher, the home.

Many people remind us now that we are in this together. From an education standpoint, I think we always have been. Thank you for your efforts in supporting learning at your home and for working together.

There are no words to express the level of sympathy that is being felt right now in many of our homes due to the horrific events in our neighboring province, Nova Scotia. Many people have been personally impacted and know family, friends, or first responders who were affected by this terrible tragedy. We are united in our grief and our condolences. Please take good care of family members and yourself.

Parker Grimmer

Director, Public Schools Branch

In an effort to stay active and have some fun the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance has partnered with V4Sport out of Poland, and other groups to try and set a World Record for an Online Physical Education Class which will be Livestreamed on the 22nd of April at 8:30 AM EST / 2:30 PM CET / 8:30 PM HKT.

Our goal is to have minimum 5000 people participating in the livestreamed class as this would assure us of the World RecordJ

In order to achieve 5000 participants and hopefully go far beyond, I would like to kindly ask you to get involved and participate in this as well. I would also like to kindly ask people in your network to register for this event as well! It would be great, if during the online class, we could receive comments from people from all of the countries we are representing.

If willing and interested, here is how you can help:

1. Below you will find the links for both the event page and the fanpage related to the event. The best way to share the information and invite your partners, colleagues, family and friends would be to go on the event page and use the “share” option. You can then add the caption in your language. This way your post will automatically use the official picture and will be the easiest way for the others to sign up.

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1080597062310488/

Event related fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/Vision4Sport-101540858189175/?modal=admin_todo_tour – this is the community building part, please feel free to invite everyone to join.

2. Attached, I am sending the image which you can use on your social media or website. You are welcome to include your organisation’s logo in the blank spot and spread the word.

The caption you may want to use and translate could go as follows: Stay active while we all stay at home! Join us in setting the world record in the biggest on-line PE lesson of all time – the whole World unites for a 30 minutes exercise class! We hope to see you on-line, April 22nd at (please remember to include the right time for your time zone).

Below you will find more specific information:

Main theme: join us in an effort to set the World Record in a livestreamed online PE class!

#: #WorldPEClass #OnlinePErecord #InterntionalPEchallenge

Date: 22.04.2020. 22nd of April 2020. Wednesday.

Exact hour: 8:30AM EDT 2:30PM CET (please remember to include the right time for your time zone)

World Record: The overarching goal of this initiative is to have as many participants as possible from all corners of the World participating in ONE PE CLASS at the same time. Participants will be able to comment and write the name of the countries they are from, what are their preferred activities etc. They will be able to share with others their videos & pictures. The goal for it is to be very interactive and to create a sense of community in times of “social distancing”.

The teacher: The On-line PE class will be led by a female PE teacher from Poland.

The duration: We are planning this for 30-40 min.

Language: Basic english with some greetings in different languages. It has to be understandable for the kids from all over the World.

Livestream: Facebook livestream. The link to the event will be posted on the event page on Monday April 20^th.

StudentsAchieve (SAS) update for Parents and Students

We are pleased to report that StudentsAchieve (SAS) is now available for teachers to mass email parents and students! StudentsAchieve is fully functional and working well. Given the current school closures and shift in how learning is happening, teachers are not currently entering any data into SAS. In order to avoid any confusion, we will leave SAS “off” for now. If you would like updated information on your child’s progress from earlier this year or during the home learning situation, please contact your child’s teacher. When schools re-open, we will make SAS available again to parents and students!

Parents/Guardians & Students,
click the link below for more information on grade 10 registration

Grade 10 Registration

April 15, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students;

Thank you for your efforts in supporting learning at your home right now. It is great to see the on-line images of students working on their studies, some with the help from parents, at kitchen tables across the Island. Many parents and students have placed a lot of pressure on themselves because they have high expectations for being successful. We recognize these efforts are not without their challenges or stress. These challenges are recognized by the Public Schools Branch staff and the well-being of our students and parents is very important. While we all struggle to balance current pressures and manage new realities, sometimes it helps to know that others share our experiences and understand how we are feeling.

Emotional Well-Being

We are all hearing a lot about the importance of connection right now. We have taken for granted some of the ways we socialize and connect through time together in schools and at work that are presently no longer possible. We are social beings and during this time, even though we are physically distant, we need to find ways to be emotionally close. It is important to keep socially and emotionally connected. When we feel more connected to family, friends, and our work, we have less emotional distress. We all do better when we are connected.

I would like to share with you, two short articles that were recently shared with me on the importance of connection: “COVID-19: Moving Forward with a Caring Approach” by J. Kevin Cameron http://nactatr.com/covid19.html , and “The Importance of Connection” by Dr. Jane Nelson https://www.positivediscipline.com/articles/importance-connection. I hope you find the insights helpful.

Building in moments of connection do not need to be for long periods of time. Even a three-minute connection with someone can be helpful (e.g. texts, emails, phone call, or social networking). Connecting with those who model calmness can create that feeling in ourselves. Try connecting visually with others when able (e.g., video through social networking), as hearing and seeing the person strengthens the level of connection. This type of connection is especially important for individuals living alone or the elderly. Staying connected to the people within our circles is a good way to give support and be supported.

Create Routine and Structure

Keeping predictability within our environments and relationships during an unpredictable time is important. Maintaining our daily routines and structures as well as engaging in calming and regular activities can help to manage stress and improve our mental health.

Some of these routines and activities may include regular times to wake up, and go to sleep, preparing healthy meals, short exercise blocks during the day, listening to music, dancing and spending time outside in nature, while following the rules around social distancing.

Connecting with Media

It is important to stay informed using reputable media sources. Limit your time watching the news and be mindful of the content young children are exposed to as they often hear and take in more than we may realize. Our government sponsored websites are a good source of information. They are written without sensationalism, which helps to keep us calm, while making us knowledgeable about up-to-date and factual information.

As we all strive to stay connected and create structure and routine in our lives, every day I search out the many positive things happening within the PSB. Recently I enjoyed watching the video message one of our school principals sent to his school community with a wealth of good information and cameo appearances of his two children. He closed by saying: ‘you are not stuck at home, you are safe at home.’

Stay safe and thank you for remaining connected. We appreciate the opportunity to continue working with students and parents.

Parker Grimmer

Director, Public Schools Branch

Grade 9 Registration:

• We are starting our online high school registration process using Myblueprint (myblueprint.ca/pei). We began this process before March Break.
  The first step in the process is to ensure students can login to myblueprint.ca/pei. We will be sending you resources to help make informed registration choices in the coming days. The resources will also be posted to our webpage. Please see the instructions in the link below to create your Myblueprint account or recover your Myblueprint password.
• How to use MyBlueprint

Band:

• Expect some info in the next day or so about continuing band in grade 10. CRHS and CG have wonderful band programs and teachers! Continuing studying/playing music is highly recommended for you all as you enter into highschool. Normally I would have the high school teachers come to our school, meet you, and answer any questions you may have about the program. Be advised that taking band will not conflict with sports, drama, etc. Teachers of these subjects work out a schedule that will not result in conflicts. I will send along information about the high school band programs the minute it is available.
• The Birchwood band trip has been cancelled for June 2020 as directed by the Public Schools Branch. For those who have paid the first installment (payment of $200), you will be reimbursed by cheque from Birchwood Intermediate School. These cheques have been readied and will be sent to you by mail, and you will likely receive the reimbursement by week’s end.