Yesterday we had the pleasure of hearing Michelle Cassidy speak about mental health and how we can reduce stress for our children. She spoke about brain research and what happens in our brain when we are anxious or in an escalated state. She explained that for children to feel less anxious and be able to self-regulate they need us to be calm, consistent and reliable with our own reaction. She spoke about the plasticity of the brain and how we can change how we react to things and grow new neuron pathways that more quickly lead us to positive emotions. She gave us ideas of how to do this by providing more opportunities for our children (and ourselves) to see their world in a positive view. 
Strategies such as calming techniques like deep breathing, movement breaks and mindful meditation were shared. She also gave us suggestions to make gratitude lists, random acts of kindness and ensuring we have dedicated family time to make positive connections.
Many of these strategies we are teaching your children at school. We know they would be much more effective if they were reinforced at home as well.
Ms Cassidy was kind enough to share her presentation slides with us below. Embedded in her presentation are several video clips that demonstrate many of the points that she made.
http://bit.ly/wpscassidy Why don't you check it out for some ideas?
With patience and perseverance we know we can help our children grow into positive, successful individuals.
Thank you for your partnership to support the well-being of our students. Thank you to Ms Cassidy for sharing this information with us.
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