Families are at the heart of Nazareth. When you choose to enter into the vibrant Catholic community, you’re choosing to enrich your family life with support, guidance, acceptance and encouragement, across not only your child’s educational opportunities but also your whole family experience.
Words: Lauren Jones, Senior Speech Language Pathologist, Spot Paediatrics It’s likely that most of us have heard the term “teletherapy” much more in recent months, and while teletherapy or telehealth is not new in the therapy space, this is the first time we have seen these services used on such a wide scale. For those of us in the paediatric allied health sector, teletherapy has not only changed the therapy realm but it has also allowed us to continue to support our clients in this upside-down world. But for many the question still remains: what is teletherapy and what does it actually look like? What is teletherapy? Teletherapy is therapy that is delivered via video conference – something we’ve all become quite familiar with! While professionals may use different programs to deliver the service (e.g. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype) it all looks relatively similar. Teletherapy sessions are also essentially the same as when clients are face to face in the clinic – we target our goals, complete activities, have conversations, and even still manage to have a lot of fun! The effectiveness of teletherapy is also well documented, and studies have shown that children continue to show improved outcomes. It’s also supported by Speech Pathology Australia, Occupational Therapy Australia, and the Allied Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. So how easy is it for families to actually get started with Teletherapy? Well, if you have a device with microphone and webcam, and an internet connection you’ll be up and running within minutes! While computers and tablets seem to work best, many have even managed successful sessions via smartphone. Once the device is set up, children just need a quiet environment, or limited distractions, and support from an adult to ensure everything runs smoothly. What have many of us learned from Teletherapy? Our kiddos are amazing and resilient! Despite the reservations that professionals and parents alike have felt, there are an abundance of telehealth success stories with children of diverse ages and needs. What’s more, while many clinicians may have felt like fish out of water as we navigated new resources and technical glitches, it’s been exciting for therapists to upskill, learn new techniques, and connect more readily with other professionals. We have also been inspired by observing our children in their own environments and that we continue to see parents unwavering in their commitment to therapy, even in these crazy times. While we don’t know what the next few months has in store for us, the world of telehealth is here to stay! Why not give it a try?
Alive is a network of Catholic Early Learning Centres, committed to creating positive early learning and preschool (kindergarten) experiences for children from 6 months to 5 years old.
Whether it’s fighting over the TV remote, or who is using what colour texta, or bigger issues like power dynamics between older and younger siblings, sibling rivalry affects all of us at one point or another in our lives, and as parents it can drive us crazy when all our kids seem to do is fight. We asked Developing Minds to talk us through some ideas on how to encourage our kids to get along and what to do and say when we need to intervene.
Separation anxiety is the most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorder in children with approximately 4-5% of children ‘meeting the criteria’ for a separation anxiety disorder. We asked Developing Minds to talk us through possible causes and how to help children who feel anxious when apart from their parents or care givers.
Understanding kids meltdowns: Developing Minds Psychology gives us some advice on what to do when children are very angry or overwhelmed.
I Can Jump Puddles, a leading NDIS registered provider across metropolitan Adelaide and regional SA, is bringing an award winning program for parents and carers, to South Australian families to deliver positive results for children with disability or developmental delay.
We’ve asked Karina Savage from Smartbite to review a selection of everyday kids snacks you’ll find on the supermarket shelves, that might be regulars in your kids lunchboxes or at afternoon tea time, to find out how healthy they really are!
Stressed about too much egg shell in the batter, or just don’t know where to start with teaching the kids how to cook simple, easy recipes? Check out Adelaide’s best kids cooking classes and get the professionals involved! (Pssst… and you won’t have to do the clean up!!)
St Peter’s Woodlands has introduced a new literacy program for its ELC, Reception, Year 1 and 2 classes, Let’s Decode. As the only Independent school in SA running the evidence-based program, after just five months, they are already seeing some remarkable results. Typically, students who attend schools running the Let’s Decode program are reading proficiently by the end of Year 2.
National surveys show that kids are currently eating up to 8 times the recommended daily intake of unhealthy foods. Try these tips for families to see how you can make small changes to reduce unhealthy food in your household!
We’ve put together a list of picture books that might help you start conversations with your kids about honouring the beauty of people’s differences.
The Farm Barn in Hahndorf have launched a series of “learn from home” live streams where kids can learn about the animals who call The Farm Barn home.
BTN is creating even more education focused content this term… Still national and still all made in SA! Our favourite news source BTN now has a Teachers tab and a Subjects tab on their homepage and YouTube Explainers on all sorts of different topics as well as their weekly show and BTN Newsbreak every weeknight. Check out one of their latest episodes on how Covid-19 is effecting kids below! There’s also content on how to deal with upsetting news, BTN Investigations and how to get your voice heard on the news: abc.net.au/btn/ They’ve also got a page all about COVID-19 for kids: abc.net.au/btn/newsbreak/coronavirus-covid-19/12137268
SOUTH AUSTRALIA‘S YOUNG POETS TAKE OVER – History Festival Poetry Takeover Challenge open for entries Throughout May 2020, the History Trust of South Australia is inviting budding poets in years 4 to 11 to participate in the History Trust’s first ever online poetry challenge. Asking young South Australian poets to answer questions such as:What does local history mean to you?Why are objects important and why should we care?Why would a museum have that particular object on display?What’s the story? Originally part of South Australia’s History Festival 2020, which was this year postponed, the Poetry Takeover Challenge aims to engage young people with history and museum collections in a new and creative way – even if they can’t visit in person. Poetry Takeover Challenge participants will create a poem taking inspiration from the collections of the History Trust and other museums and galleries across South Australia. South Australia’s History Festival Manager Karen Blackwood said the theme of the Poetry Takeover Challenge is change which is now more relevant than ever. “In times of change and uncertainty, poetry offers a unique outlet to express complex emotions, to connect, to sooth the soul or simply have fun playing with words.” “The Poetry Takeover challenge provides a platform for young people to take some of the fascinating items held in the collections of South Australia’s cultural institutions and to interpret them through fresh eyes. We’re excited to see how our state’s young poets respond to the challenge,” Karen continued. The History Trust will publish Poetry Takeover Challenge poems in an online gallery and share across the History Trust’s social media. Every young poet who submits an original poem will be in the running to win one of six $50 Dymocks vouchers, chosen by a panel of peers. Community Choice prizes will also be decided online by popular vote. Entries close on Sunday 31 May at 5pm. The Poetry Takeover Challenge was originally planned as part of the South Australia’s History Festival education program. The History Festival, which usually takes place from 1-31 May each year, is one of the state’s largest community festivals. The 2020 festival program included almost 700 events, presented by over 400 organising groups. Entry is FREE, to access forms, resources, links to online collections and further details https://poetrytakeover.com.au/ History Festival Poetry Takeover ChallengeWhen: 1 – 31 May, 2020For: SA students in years 4 – 11.Where: https://poetrytakeover.com.au/#HFPoetryTakeover@HIstoryFestival