Fun with Flavours Club DATES TO REMEMBER
In January, for our Fun with Flavours Club, the students made cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches! Students had the option to utilize all of the ingredients, pair a couple of items together, or eat individual ingredients on their own. Some of our students spread the cream cheese on a cucumber, whereas others just had cucumber and bread. This provided students with the opportunity to explore different combinations of tastes and textures. When presenting new foods at home, it is helpful to get your child involved and provide flexibility with how things are assembled and consumed. Feel free to ask your child to make you this delicious snack at home!
March 13 – 24
March Break (school closed)
March 13-17
March Break Camp (optional enrollment)
March 27
Fun with Flavours Club
March 29
Casual Day
March 31
Parent Coffee
Anti-Bullying Day
Oakwood Academy was excited to celebrate Anti-Bullying Day this year by wearing pink, opening conversations about bullying, and engaging in related activities. On February 22, students from St. Jude's Academy visited Oakwood classrooms to elicit thought around bullying and spread kindness. This was a great opportunity for Oakwood students to familiarize themselves with what bullying is, what it looks like, how to offer support to someone, what to do if they feel like they are being bullied and how to connect with others who are being bullied.
Community Club
In January, the Community Club invited Officer Andrew Taylor from the Peel Regional Police to Oakwood! The students were divided into two groups. The first group of students learned what a police officer’s role is in the community and the items they carry with them each day to keep people safe (e.g., flashlight, first aid kit). The students then had the opportunity to engage in a question-and-answer period. The second group of students learned about community safety, the items an officer carries to keep the community safe and internet safety. These students also had the opportunity to engage in a question-and-answer period. The goal of having the students connect with Officer Andrew was to support them in feeling safe and comfortable with communicating with police officers when in the community, or if they are ever in need of support. The visit was a great way for the students to see how the community works together to keep everyone safe!
How to Support During Dysregulation and Big Feelings
Dysregulation is hard for both your child and yourself! Often, when our children are dysregulated, they are back at FEDC 1 – Regulation and Shared Attention. They do not have the ability in that moment to express their needs, process information, open and close circles of communication, or engage in problem solving or negotiating. This month, our Parent Workshop focused on supporting our children through dysregulation. Here are some of the take aways from the workshop.
Think about your own regulation first. Is there an option to switch out with someone until you are regulated? Can you give yourself a couple of minutes to regulate before co-regulating? What can you do to regulate yourself (e.g., deep breathing, some hand squishes, a fidget)?
Hold the space for them – less is more when co-regulating. Holding the space for your child might look like sitting somewhere and looking at them with an empathetic look, validating their feelings and emotions with simple, minimal language (e.g., “I know”, “That was hard”) Model how to stay regulated or become regulated through body language, gestures and tone of voice – your body language is open, not crossing your arms, modeling deep breaths or how they might be feeling (e.g., you might say, “My body is mad” or “I am feeling big things.”)
Limit the use of many words when co-regulating – less is more when co-regulating so using minimal and sometimes no words can be helpful. Our goal is to get your child regulated – Don’t feel the need to rush through this part, talk about what happened or get to the higher FEDCs.
Ontario Science Centre Field Trip
Our trip to the Ontario Science Centre was a success! The students had fun exploring the exhibits such as the Rain forest, Space Hall, Kids Spark, Indigenous Ingenuity, and so much more. A trip to the Ontario Science Centre was chosen as it is a great opportunity for students of all age groups and abilities to explore and interact with various sensory mediums, as well as providing an opportunity to learn new and interesting scientific facts. Each group of students had the opportunity to venture out, learn at their own pace to support their regulation and enhance their individualized experience.
We had a new therapy dog visit Oakwood! Her name is Lola, and she came with her owner Jess. Lola was sweet and calm as she visited with all the students. Students were able to pet Lola, see her tricks, asks questions, and hear about Lola’s unique story! We look forward to seeing her again in March!
Gymnastics:
Oakwood students continue to enjoy weekly gymnastics excursions. Students are divided into groups and complete various activities including stretching, walking along the balance beam, trampoline and vault. Gymnastics is a great way to practice gross motor skills, bilateral coordination and balance while strengthening the core.
OAKWOOD ACADEMY NEWS
HEAD OF SCHOOL: Trillian Taylor
PRESIDENT: Aaron Sawatsky
NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Ann Harvey
Send your comments, questions and address updates to aharvey@stjudesacademy.com
EDITORIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
Ann Harvey, Melissa Filion, Cassandra Flurey, Melanie Mendes, Trillian Taylor, Amy Cooke, Hope McSwain
CONTRIBUTORS
Amy Cooke, Transition Program Director Melanie Mendes, Academic Program Director Hope McSwain, Cassandra Flurey, Kayleigh Gallant, Stevie Millet, Tirzah Bhatti, Jeena Choi
The Oakwood Academy News is a monthly communication distributed electronically to members of the Oakwood Academy community during the academic year.
© Oakwood Academy 2023
