Polaris Community’s Post

As summer ends and school starts, students may struggle to shift from a relaxed summer routine to the structure of the school year. However, with some careful planning and preparation, students can navigate through this important transition successfully. Keshet social worker, Jessie Draper, offers five tips to help your child adjust from camp to school. Check It Out Here:

“If we are to truly create inclusive classrooms, we have to have everything on the table, from teacher training all the way through to the basic architecture of buildings." Inclusion is about so much more than educating children together in the same classroom or giving teachers additional hours of CPD on special educational needs. To create an inclusive education system, we need to see change and progress across every part of the system. https://lnkd.in/ePVt8jtF #InclusiveEducation

REDEFINING NORMAL "The term 'normal' often evokes notions of conformity to a standard, yet who sets this standard remains variable and subject to debate. Parents raising uniquely developing children often grapple with the internalised belief that their child does not fit this standard. This belief can carry unnecessary pressure and stigma for both the child and parents alike." To read the full article written by Alison Scott, Executive Principal at Bellavista School, click on the link below. https://lnkd.in/d2-y8D_Q #InclusiveEducation #LearningDifferences #Neurodiversity #ParentalSupport #TeacherTraining #BellavistaSchool #BellavistaSHARE #BellavistaIThemba

“One of the biggest absentee groups since the pandemic is children with special educational needs (SEN) that may not have been apparent before the crisis. Diagnoses for conditions such as ADHD and autism have risen sharply since 2020. As of March this year, 172,000 adults and children were on a waiting list for an NHS autism assessment — the highest figure on record.” A balanced article about the rise of homeschooling in 🇬🇧. It shows that the steps and processes used to support neurodivergent pupils return to school or to set up alternative educational provision are being applied to all pupils struggling in mainstream settings. Generation homeschool: why 1.5 million children aren’t going to class https://lnkd.in/eP6AkRdE

With today marking the day parents learn which schools their 3 and 4-year-olds will attend starting in September, I can't help but wonder if anyone is addressing the considerable mental load this process places on parents. Personally, I'm feeling quite nervous - and admittedly a bit embarrassed about it - as I've noticed significant differences among the schools I've visited. My top choice seems to be the best fit for my child, despite being farther away. My second choice is decent and conveniently located, while the other three options seem rather average. Talking to other mums, it's clear that everyone is feeling the pressure. This decision seems to loom large, and the collective anxiety is palpable. I'm not sure if this topic is newsworthy, but from my discussions, it's evident that parents, especially mums, are feeling the weight of today's decisions. And with this comes a whole new wave of parents exposed to the shortcomings of the education system as a whole. I'm talking about the one size fits all approach, the insufficient focus on holistic development, the lack of creative and critical thinking, insufficient socio-emotional learning, the missed opportunity for building life skills. And never mind the issue of what do we actually do with the kids between 3pm - 6pm!? I don't mean to bash schools. They do a lot with the resources at hand and I don't dispute their need. But something IS missing. Call me biased, but CocoRio might just be the answer. And here's a photo of my 3yr old going on 13. #creativelearning #creativitymatters #creativechildcare #afterschoolcare #creativity Corinna Bordoli Paraag Amin Hery-Christian Henry

Clarity Child Guidance Center is partnering with Southside ISD to bring mental healthcare to all students within the school district’s boundaries.

Discover essential tips for parents preparing their teens for college. Learn how to empower your teen with independence in personal, school, and social tasks. Start fostering crucial skills today to ensure they thrive away from home. #ParentingTips #TeenEmpowerment #CollegePrep #ParentingAdvice #IndependentTeens #TeenDevelopment #EmpowerYourTeen #LifeSkillsForTeens https://lnkd.in/ee4bJyiW

Raising a neurodiverse child is a journey filled with unique joys and challenges. From learning the best ways to support their development to advocating for them in social, educational, and community settings, the experience can be profoundly rewarding but also at times, isolating. The truth is, no parent can—or should—navigate this journey alone. Catch our latest article here: https://lnkd.in/dgwmt4az

Why ‘the village’ is so important for children & How we can rebuild it today. I've recently read about a fascinating experiment conducted by Michael Muthukrishna and Joseph Henrich that got me thinking about how we approach teaching and skill development in children. In their study, successive groups of participants were tasked with recreating a complex image using an editing program. The participants were divided into two groups: one received advice from just one previous participant, while the other received input from multiple individuals. Over several rounds, the group with access to multiple sources of advice saw dramatic improvement, reaching an average of over 85% accuracy, compared to the group with a single source of input, which showed little to no improvement over time. This experiment beautifully illustrates the power of learning through collaboration and diversity of input. It reminds me of the importance of creating a community of support for children's development. At Small Moments Speech & Play, I believe in the collective wisdom of parents, therapists, teachers, and caregivers coming together to help children thrive. Just as the participants who had access to multiple teachers in the experiment outperformed those with only one, children learn best when they can benefit from various perspectives and approaches. This is why my therapy kits are designed not only to support children but also to involve everyone in their lives. When multiple people provide input, whether it's through play or therapy, children develop a broader set of skills and can adapt more easily to different situations. It’s a team effort, and the results speak for themselves. #childdevelopment #speechtherapy #communityoflearning #earlychildhooddevelopment #collaborativeteaching #smallmomentsspeechandplay