LAUGHTER is timeless, IMAGINATION has no age and DREAMS are forever

Walt Disney

Mindfulness for Children

Mindfulness has an extraordinary capacity to build a strong body, mind and spirit; science has told us that it can help to protect against stress, anxiety, low mood, illness and pain, improve academic performance and social relationships, as well as expand the capacity to experience positive emotions.

Mindfulness is about stepping back and seeing thoughts and feelings come and go, without judgement, but in a relaxed state that focuses on the present moment. Children are wonderfully present in what they do, but as life picks up speed, the capacity to experience that calm, strengthening stillness can become more difficult to access. The sooner we can encourage the little people in our lives towards mindfulness, the greater their capacity for mindful presence will be. A regular mindful practice will ensure that existing connections in the brain are strengthened and new ones established.

Please see the attached document for some wonderful ideas about the fun and effective activities that can support mental wellbeing

Newsletters

Click on the links below to view the most recent editions of the Wellbeing and Mental Health Service (WAMHS) Newsletter:

Family Healthy Lifestyle Programme

Free lifestyle and wellbeing programme aimed at children aged between 5 and 11 years of age.

To download a copy on the ‘Alive & Kicking’ poster below

SJSJ Mental Health & Wellbeing Policy

Helpful Websites

During these unprecedented times, it is vital that we continue to make our mental wellbeing a priority and take care of ourselves in the best possible way; life as we know it has been completely overturned during the past few years and for many of us this can be very stressful. Below is a list of websites which have some fantastic tips and advise about how to tackle some of uncertainties surrounding the Coronavirus outbreak:

• Children’s Commissioner
  https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/publication/childrens-guide-to-coronavirus/
• MindEd
  https://www.minded.org.uk/
• The Child Bereavement Network
  http://www.childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/covid-19.aspx
• Anna Freud
  https://www.annafreud.org/parents-and-carers/
  https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/
• British Psychological Society
  https://www.bps.org.uk/covid-19-public-resources
• Mentally Healthy Schools
  https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/getting-started/primary/

Additional resources:

From my discussions with parents, I thought that these additional resources/web links might be valuable.

• Gingerbread
  Organisation which offers support for single parent families
  https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/
• Power Up!
  Hackney based initiative, tackling obesity, etc
  https://www.homerton.nhs.uk/powerup/
• CAMHS Alliance
  NHS supported mental health services across City & Hackney
  https://cityandhackneycamhs.org.uk/

SJSJ Padlet

Hackney has a range of services and activities to support all children, particularly those with SEND in and out of term time. Navigating the support can sometimes be overwhelming and difficult to find the right service at the right time. This ranges from parent groups, to advice lines to strategies you can use at home to support communication.

Please note that whilst some services are for children with SEND, there are a wide range of support networks on the Padlet available for all children and families.

If you know of any services which are not listed on the schools Padlet, please let Mr Watson know and we will update it.

https://padlet.com/jwatson274/st-john-and-st-james-send-support-bu420ks1xjivj8oi