LEARNING COMPONENTS:
October 9 Kristin Spangenberg & Fred Folliott (AB Health Services) - Strategies for Managing Screentime Scott Heathcote - 'Ignite Your Passion' Download pdf for full notes on this presentation |
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LEARNING COMPONENT:
April 10 Peter Churchill - Video Gaming Presentation Peter Churchill supervises the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs (PChAD) program through AHS Youth Addiction Services in Calgary, and lectures on addictions at the University of Calgary and MRU. He has been a counselor for 20 years, focusing on addiction, child protection, and assessments for court. He has worked as a researcher for a number of universities, federal departments, and private firms – Sponsored by LGMS Parent Council Download pdf for full notes on this presentation. Or see April Council minutes. |
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LEARNING COMPONENT:
March 13 Adrienne Lawlor – Tool Box Project Adrienne Lawlor presented a video in which kids from K-6 talked about the Tool Box Project, a socio-emotional learning program that provides kids with the tools to draw upon their own resilience through problem solving. Adrienne, herself, used these tools during coaching girls’ basketball to help in problems during various socio-dynamic interactions. In this video, kids talked about various uses of the Tool Box such as: when they used the tools, where (at school), and how the tools helped (going to a “safe place”). Other individuals in the video defined the Tool Box project as “a program providing strategies/ideas/concepts while using a common language for kids, parents, and staff.” Some of the various tools that are included in this kit are: 1) empathy tool, 2) using your words, 3) apology and forgiveness, 4) courage, 5) patience, 6) garbage can, 7) personal space, 8) quiet/safe place, 9) breathing tool, 10) please and thank you tool, and 11) a listening tool. All these tools help students build a capacity for learning via social awareness and could be used at LGMS as a tool for bullying. Adrienne is travelling to California to learn more about this project. It is a one day course. The cost is $200 for the course plus $180 for the binder. This would be a great program for counselors at schools to also learn about. See Toolbox by Dovetail Learning at: www.dovetaillearning.org |
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LEARNING COMPONENT
December Social-Emotional Learning Adrienne Lawlor gave an informative synopsis on school resources for social and emotional learning at our December meeting. Emotional learning is essential to the school curricula: children learn kindness, compassion, and strategies to cope with daily stresses. 'Right from the Start’ is a program in local schools to build mental health capacity; ‘Inner Cool Kids’ – is a program that includes relaxation techniques, positive thinking and encourages an 'attitude of gratitude': Adrienne has worked with class teachers on deep breathing, and relaxation / mindfulness exercises; for example, sounding chimes at set times in the school day is a refreshingly simply way to help children (and adults) relax and return to a state of calm. For further resources:
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LEARNING COMPONENT:
November 12 – 16 is National Bullying Awareness Week Bill Belsey On November 14th, Lawrence Grassi Middle School with the Canadian Rockies School Division invited parents to an information evening at CCHS with Bill Belsey on subject of CyberBullying Mr. Belsey is a Canadian father, teacher and President of Bullying.org. He is the creator and facilitator of www.bullying.org the world’s most-visited and referenced Website about bullying. He is also the creator of www.cyberbullying.ca the world’s first Website about the issue of cyberbullying, in fact, he is often cited as the first person to introduce and define this word. He was also the originator of the annual National Bullying Awareness Week. See www.bullyingawarenessweek.org for more information about this major national grassroots initiative. |
From October 2012 Minutes...
LEARNING COMPONENT: Healthy Eating & Nutrition for Children and Youth (6:30 – 7:30 PM) Candice Chow, RD Health Promotion Coordinator, Alberta Health Services (Note: 3 extra parents attended this session in addition to our Board of directors) A) Comprehensive School Health: 4 pillars: 1) Social Physical Environment: Vending machines without pop or chips in schools is important. 2) Teaching/ Learning: Schools are teaching the Health Curriculum so schools are reinforcing healthy eating. 3) Partnerships and Services: School/ physical environment, teachers/parents etc. are supporting good general health. 4) Healthy School Policy: Canadian Rockies is promoting healthy eating in general.
B) AB Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth: http://www.healthyalberta.com/ Three categories for foods: 1) Choose most often : “Go signs” i.e. plain yogurts. 2) Choose sometimes (still beneficial but higher in sugar and fat/salt): “Yield signs” . 3) Choose least often (Low nutrient foods) “Stop signs” i.e. pop
C) Eating Well to Fuel the Body: How can we get our daily servings? Have 2 or more servings at each meal and snack. Pack vegetables and fruit for lunch. Keep a colorful fruit bowl on the table. Slice your favorite fruit for dessert. Add fruit to cereal, oatmeal, muffins, and pancakes. General rule for sports drink is length of time and activity / intensity of sport…If not continual/ high intensity then drink something else. D) Tips for Lunches and Snacks: Witching hour: Come home from school and the kids are starving. The key is to plan! Plan ahead of time for this: Create a simple lunch and snack, think in food groups-aim for all 4 food groups. Try something new…be creative! Provide healthy foods and be a role model for healthy eating behaviours. Get your kids involved in packing lunches and snacks. Candice uses her slow cooker so that her dinner is actually early and then snack time is reversed. Keep a well-stocked pantry: zip lock bags, whole grains breads, cereals, crackers, dried/canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned tuna/salmon, canned beans/ chickpeas…In fridge: yogurt, cheese, milk, fresh vegetables and fruit, 100% juices…In freezer: whole grain pitas wraps, low fat homemade muffins E) Being Healthy Together: Healthy lunches: Cubed cheeses, cherry tomatoes, whole wheat crackers, lean deli meat, drinkable yogurt with a piece of fruit, high fibre granola bar, boiled egg, pasta or potato salad with vegetables, burrito to go, leftover pasta, cut up veggies, fruit bowl on counter, take a healthy snack when you leave the house, clear your pantry of unhealthy snacks, plain popcorn with a sprinkle of herbs, bake an apple with cinnamon, freeze yogurt in a popsicle tray.
Active parents=Active children * Say “Yes you can have that…as long as you’ve eaten the other healthy foods.” F) Cooking/ Lunch club-Things to Consider: Things to consider: Why would we start a cooking club? Building a team, this will involve a team. Consider funding and creating a budget, finding a facility: when is this club offered? It also involves recruiting facilitators and equipment. |
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