Sacred Heart Catholic High School PASTORAL NEWSLETTER |
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Dear Parents/Carers, Welcome to the summer term’s Pastoral Newsletter. As we are about to embark on the longest holiday of the academic year, this edition is full of guidance and interesting articles to support parents through the summer holidays. A recent study at the University of Oxford researched the impact the pandemic had on young people’s mental health. It has confirmed what we know collectively as educators and as parents, that it is vitally important that we work together to understand our young people and that we all need to promote better mental health. This study recruited students aged between 11 and 13 and engaged them in discussions and surveys about their mental health and mental wellbeing at four different points over three years. More than 6,300 students took part. The comprehensive new study has shown that young people’s mental health deteriorated during and after the pandemic and social, emotional and behavioural issues are now more of a challenge at home and school than ever before. Study outcomes show that fostering home connectedness, friendship and a positive school climate are crucial for the mental health and wellbeing of our young people. Our newsletter includes articles and information about anxiety in young people, how to address and manage online safety, as well as reminders about the fantastic resource that Sacred Heart has in the Wellbeing Hub. This resource is available to all students, parents and staff once they sign up via the link provided at the end of the newsletter. Yours, Mrs Howell |
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SHAPING OUR VISION THROUGH STUDENT VOICE |
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At Sacred Heart Catholic High School we value student and parental voice. The ideas and opinions of our students and parents help shape our school. Every year we conduct a student survey and also regularly survey parents on such issues as: pastoral care, including bullying, prejudice and safeguarding; our Sacred Heart school ethos and culture; teaching and learning; and school rules. We are always striving to improve our school and are never complacent. Examples of changes we have made based on student and parental voice include: adapting our uniform with the introduction of school trousers and the hijab; changing the mobile phone rule to support parents; improving the food on offer in our school canteen; improving site safety and parental pick up points; and revamping our parents' consultation evenings. If ever a parent or student feels that they have a suggestion that could improve our school or the safeguarding of our students, they should contact us at enquiries@shhs.org.uk or call 0191 274 7373 and ask to speak to the relevant Head of Year. Mr L Clarke Deputy Headteacher for Pastoral Designated Safeguarding Lead |
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THE SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL |
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The Sacred Heart School Student Council provides another opportunity for our pupils to experience democracy in action; they create manifestos, campaign and commit to sitting on the Council for the school year. There are currently two representatives from each year group on the Council, which ensures consistency and fairness across the Key Stages and makes sure everybody has a voice. Our pupils have been instrumental in providing a student viewpoint on many topics: from campaigning for more outside seating to recycling within the school dining hall and classrooms. This year the School Council have even been asked to provide opinions for external companies. The opinions of the Sacred Heart School Council are listened to and valued. Miss Sweet, Student Council |
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An integral part of a Sacred Heart education is the development of the whole person—intellectually, morally and spiritually. Our Pastoral Team share in this essential mission by addressing both the emotional and spiritual needs of our students, helping them to grow into their full, God-given potential. Our foundress, Madeliene Sophie Barat stated that ‘education must be concerned not only with studies, but also with whatever may be required for the right ordering of life and requirements of cultivated society.’ Taking Madeleine Sophie as our inspiration, we believe that our educational mission is to communicate the love of God, forming young people in intelligent faith, compassionate action and courageous hope. The Ethos and Pastoral Teams work very closely to make school a nurturing and supportive environment underpinned by Gospel values and the mission of the Sacred Heart Society. Our school is very much a community where personal and spiritual growth is encouraged and celebrated. For example, we have a wealth of opportunities for our students to participate in, such as residential retreats to the Emmaus Youth Village, the Diocesan Summer Festival and our biannual trip to Rome. These events are all aimed at promoting the wellbeing and freedom of our students, where faith and spirituality can be explored and shared. In addition to this, our inclusive approach ensures that regardless of background or abilities, our students will receive the holistic support they need to truly flourish. We also place great value on service and encouraging students to put their faith into action. This is demonstrated by our many whole school and individual charity efforts that can be read about in our Personal Development blog. This aspect of our school helps students to understand and live out the Catholic social teaching principles of solidarity and the preferential option for the poor. Finally, to quote Pope Francis, ‘the mission of our Catholic schools is to develop a sense of truth, of what is good and beautiful. And this occurs through a rich path made up of many ingredients.’ |
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SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD WITH ANXIETY: A GUIDE FOR PARENTS & CARERS |
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Anxiety in children is a common but often misunderstood issue that can significantly impact a child's well-being. As a parent/carer, you play a crucial role in helping your child navigate their anxiety. Here are some strategies and tips to support your child effectively: Understanding Anxiety in Children: Anxiety in children can manifest in various ways, including excessive worry, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and physical symptoms like stomach-aches or headaches. Recognising these signs early is essential to provide the right support. Open Communication: Creating an open and trusting environment where your child feels comfortable discussing their feelings is the first step. Encourage them to express their emotions without fear of judgment. Use open-ended questions like, "Can you tell me more about what’s been bothering you?" to initiate conversations and avoid telling them you know ‘exactly’ how they’re feeling. Validate Their Feelings: It’s important to validate your child's feelings without dismissing them. Let them know that it’s okay to feel anxious and that everyone experiences anxiety at times. Phrases like, "I understand that you're feeling scared, and it's okay to feel that way," can be comforting. Establish a Routine: A consistent daily routine provides a sense of stability and predictability, which can be reassuring for anxious children. Ensure that your child has regular sleep patterns, balanced meals, and scheduled times for homework and leisure activities. Stay Patient and Positive: Supporting a child with anxiety requires patience and positivity. Celebrate small victories and progress, no matter how minor they may seem. Reinforce their efforts and remind them of their strengths. If your child’s anxiety is severe or persistent, seeking professional help is essential. A mental health professional can provide tailored strategies and support for both you and your child. Therapy, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), has been shown to be particularly effective for anxiety in children. To learn more about anxiety and further ways you can support your child please see our parent’s guide https://www.sacredheart-high.org/_files/ugd/872c7b_f2cff08308bc4d57a819fd30819c2115.pdf |
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As we all know, the internet and social media comes with both positive and negative features. Now more than ever it is crucial that adults continuously guide, monitor and intervene when it comes to young people and their mobile phones. Top Tips: Alicia Drummond, Founder of Teen’ Tips’ and ‘The Wellbeing Hub’ offers these top tips to keeping your child’s screen time safe and healthy: Be engaged – ask what they are doing, who they are talking to and what they enjoy Use technology to manage screen time and use Educate them about online predators Give them the tools to block, report and protect themselves Do not allow yourself to become the enemy Encourage them to be selective about what they are doing online Help them recognise when they are using screens unhealthily Have a family screen contract in place
‘Screen Addiction’ is becoming more common, see below the signs and symptoms of what to look out for: You spend increasing amounts of time on the computer and internet You fail to limit your time spend on screens and tablets You neglect family, friends and other responsibilities to spend more time on screens You get angry when others criticise the amount of time you spend online You withdraw from other pleasurable activities Your online use interferes with studying or work You are restless or anxious when not online You forgo necessary sleep to stay on line
Q&A on The Wellbeing Hub - Have you visited the parents Q&A section on The Wellbeing Hub yet? Take a look at the type of question being asked and hopefully you will find the answers to your own questions: Q: What should I do if I come across harmful content on my child’s mobile phone? Q: What is sextortion and what should I do if it happens to my child? Q: What is image-based abuse? Q: Should I confiscate my child’s mobile phone? |
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BeReal -The New App - What makes this platform stand out for the better? It is focused on friends and not followers. Unlike other platforms, it does not reward likes, filters, or followers, but instead encourages a genuine snapshot in time. There is less opportunity to engage with strangers. You can set your image to only be viewed by ‘friends’. If you post a photo which can be viewed by ‘everyone’, only your friends can comment on this. There is no private messaging feature – so no strangers trying to send you messages through direct (DMS) or private (PMS) messaging. There is no algorithm designed to keep you on the app for hours at a time. The app asks you to post at one moment in the day, and once you have caught up on your friends’ photos/those on discovery (which theoretically are posted at the same time) then there is very little else to do on the app. Like any online platform, the app does come with risks (including location settings) so The Wellbeing Hub have put together a parents' guide to support use of this app. If you are concerned about your child(ren)'s online activity and would like support, please do not hesitate to get in touch: hub@teentips.co.uk |
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EXPERIENCING GRIEF - THE ANGUISH AFTER SIGNIFICANT LOSS |
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No matter the kind of loss we have experienced, grief is the natural response we have to losing something or someone that was significant to us in some way. It can feel different to different people as we are all individuals, and those feelings can change from minute to minute, day to day, and over periods of time. There is no right way to grieve and no rules, although it’s important to be patient and kind to yourself and to others who are grieving. An experience of loss may be an obvious bereavement like the death (sudden or not) of a beloved family member, a friend, or our pet. Or it may come in the form of the loss of a relationship, like the end of a marriage or a friendship, or the absence in our life of a parent or other significant person. Grief may arise when someone we love moves away (for work or university) or starts acting in a way that is unrecognisable to us from the person they once were. Grief may also be our experience when we lose an aspect of our life that was previously a given; the loss of our good health, of our sight or hearing, of our childlike innocence and sense of the world as a safe place (in the event of being a victim of a crime or witness to a tragic incident, for example). All of these examples, although somewhat different, have something in common; that the person experiencing the loss has had their world changed in an extremely painful way. They are feeling a very deep sadness and distress and a sense of emotional discomfort. These life events that lead to grief can also elicit other difficult emotions like fear, anger, confusion and guilt. And then there is the love; all the love for that person who died or that life they once knew. What do we do when we miss and yearn for someone or something so much that it physically hurts? That is consumes all our thoughts and mental imagery to the point of total distraction and despair? Grief is a process we go through, not a one-off event or occurrence; it takes time to move through and cannot be hurried, no matter how much we wish it would be otherwise. In an attempt to “get over it” quickly, we can inadvertently make it harder to move through the grieving process by avoiding it or pretending (to ourselves and others) that we are doing better than we really are. The quote “The only way out is through” refers to facing that pain and discomfort with courage, rather than turning away from the emotions we feel. This is true of all experiences and emotions but especially so of grief after loss. We are required to lean into the sadness, hurt, confusion, fear, loneliness, and any of the other emotions we experience; in order to heal, we first must feel. But how do we face and lean into such discomfort? And how do we support our child to do the same? Firstly, it’s important to notice the physical signs of grief; things such as: Bouts of tearfulness and sobbing Angry outbursts Maintaining a sleep schedule but also accepting physical rest is as important as actual sleep at this stage Feeling physically unwell; exhaustion, nausea, and/or having aches and pains Eating too much or feeling unable to stomach food at all
Encourage your child to have a healthy balance of all these things: Time to feel sad and cry and also trying to focus on other activities at times. Reassurance that anger about any difficult situation is normal and that only appropriate expressions of anger are acceptable (talking, writing about it, drawing or artwork, physical activities, screaming into a pillow) Maintaining a sleep schedule but also accepting physical rest is as important as actual sleep at his stage Encouragement to listen to their bodies and take care of themselves, including nourishing activities like showering and going outdoors each day, however briefly Encourage healthy eating alongside the odd treat, or ensuring there are preferred foods and small snacks if a meal is too much to face in one go.
It’s also important to know that adolescents experience loss very intensely, maybe more so than adults, due to their developmental stage. As such they require an understanding that, whilst they may not react in the way small children would, equally they are not adults either and cannot be expected to manage any loss as if they were. So, for example they may regress and start behaving in quite childish ways – this is an attempt to feel safe and if you meet that need to feel safe by validating their feelings, comforting, and reassuring them, then in time the regressive behaviour should reduce. Another important point is that grief usually increases anxiety, in anyone but especially in children and young people. Life has changed dramatically, often out of the blue, so everything is suddenly questionable and uncertain, for a period of time at least. Loss is incredibly unsettling to our nervous system, and we need to learn over time that we can in fact adjust to that change. If we already struggle with anxiety before the loss occurs, it can magnify our existing anxiety but also create anxiety where there was none before. The image at the top of this story may help explain the process of adjustment better. The websites below offer further information and support online, including things to do with your grieving child to help them process and move through their experiences. BEREAVEMENT/SIGNIFICANT CHANGE: Winston's Wish - giving hope to grieving children (winstonswish.org) Activities for bereaved children and young people | Download for free | Winston's Wish (winstonswish.org) Helping teenagers cope with death - Cruse Bereavement Support For young people – The Good Grief Trust Child Bereavement UK How grief may affect children: Find out more on grief and children (mariecurie.org.uk) Grief & Loss | Parents Guide To Support | YoungMinds 7 tips for helping children cope with grief | Barnardo's (barnardos.org.uk) |
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The Wellbeing Hub continues to be one of the ways we support the mental health and wellbeing of our pupils. Your daughter has access to her own account so please do encourage her to use it over the summer holidays. If you don’t yet have a log in for the Wellbeing Hub, please click on the following link which will take you to the sign-up page where you can register for your free parent/carer account: https://club.teentips.co.uk/register/parents/?ca=dd1085857396ca46c83f755a319b0bd4 |
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