• Feel reassured, with less stress and pressure around your kids, their schooling, and life
• Have concrete strategies you can start on immediately to make your family happier
• Know how to be on the same page as your partner
• Be able to develop habits and practices that will ensure your children – and YOU – can get your daily work done, even while everyone is stuck at home.

Sounds great to us! 

We also remind parents that the school is a member of Parenting Ideas. We reproduce useful articles by Michael Grose and his team in our LPS eNews, but parents can also access the readings, blog, webinars and other resources here. There is no cost to LPS parents for the webinars, if you register by the advertised registration date. (You can also register and watch the catch-up recording at a time that suits you)

As other family needs continue through the current crisis, we’re pleased to let you know about an upcoming Parenting Ideas webinar - just click on the link below for more information:

Teaching young people about healthy relationships: 9 Sep 8-9pm AEST

In a world where young people are bombarded by adult themes, sexualised and destructive media messages, it can be hard for parents to feel confident to take on delicate topics with their child. In this webinar Collett Smart gives parents the tools to build a strong relationship with their child where no topic is off-limits and they can come to them with any questions.

Finally, a parent has also asked for the prompts we shared last term to promote independence in children while learning from home. These can be found in eNews #3 but, as 30 April seems a very long time ago, they are also reproduced below. We've added some new ones about Webex sessions, success criteria and work submission as well:

Although you know your children better than anyone, we’ve had some questions from parents around managing them as learners. Some children will sit down to a task and just do it (Growth Mindset), while others will immediately appeal for help (Fixed Mindset and/or Learned Helplessness). Some parents have found they have experienced both of these within the same family or child, depending on the tasks.

This eNews shares some simple strategies for parents to use to encourage independence, self-direction and problem-solving. Please read these with an understanding that some children will need another person to read tasks with them, while others can do that on their own. Some will need lots of prompting, others hardly any.

You’ll note these are mostly questions, because these are more likely to result in a cognitive response (I have to think of an answer/solution). This creates cognitive pathways for children that build up with repetition. A reliance on ‘telling’ can result in constant questions and very dependent children.

If you feel that you’re doing lots of telling, you might like to try a couple of these:

• What are you doing next?
• What do you need to do today for Webex?
• Where are you up to after yesterday?
• What are you doing today? (harder question – requires multiple decisions)
• What things do you need to do this? (pens/scrapbook/Epic! password etc.)
• What do you have to do?
• Have you done something like this before? How could that help you today?
• Have you read it? Have you tried reading it again?
• What could you try there?
• What else could you try?
• What could help you? (reread instructions, look at yesterday’s work/have a brain break/have a movement break/come back to it later and do something else now, check the success criteria)
• Who else could help you? (sibling, phone a friend)
• Have you checked your work?
• Have you checked your work with what you were supposed to do? (e.g. refer to success criteria or task instructions)
• How did you go today?
• What needs to be sent to your teacher today/tomorrow?
• What do you need to remember/do tomorrow? Which tasks do you need to have ready for Webex tomorrow? What could help you remember? (write it down, add a post-it note, check Google Classroom) 

Teachers rarely sit with a child for long periods at school. They check for understanding, then rove around while they reinforce effort, offer opportunities to try something and check back in:

• Looks like you know where to start. I’ll come back in a little while/15 minutes.
• You’ve made a great start – keep going.
• Great try! What’s your next step?
• Looks like you know what you’re doing. Why don’t you bring it to me when you’re finished?

If children are avoiding something, or just need a break, try gently stretching their focus with First - Then:

• Sure, you need a snack. First, finish reading this page, then let’s get something to eat together.

Or, if that still doesn’t work:

• Great idea to have a movement break. Could you finish that after your break?

We’re not expecting parents to be teachers, just sharing these suggestions to help you manage your own work and develop children’s independence at home. These suggestions don't require any special training.

We are still learning as we go in this very different world of remote learning. Send us any new questions and we'll try to provide some answers!

Take care,

Kim