​TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING
​


READING

We are very interested in keeping our children reading while staying at home. As we keep the children engaged and continue the importance of reading, let us remember our own wellbeing and take a few minutes a day to enjoy some great resources available to us.
  • Create a Reading Bingo game at home, like the one linked here, and have fun with the kids as they read their way to fill up their card!
  • The @New York Public Library offers remote digital library services. All you need is your library card to be able to browse and read through the entire digital library. This also includes audio books and access to the more than 800,000 digitized items including historic prints, photographs, maps and manuscripts.
    Don't have a library card? No problem. During this period of closure, NY residents can apply online through the SimplyE app
  • The celebrity community has come out to help by reading to children live every day! @Josh Gad is reading to children on Twitter (follow hashtag #gadbookclub too) and @Jennifer Garner and @Amy Adams paired up to read to children with @save with stories.
  • @Storyline Online, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's award-winning children's literacy website, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children's books alongside creatively produced illustrations.



CULTURAL EXPERIENCES FROM HOME

Tired of Netflix? Tired of Facebook? Ready to take off on an arts and culture trip around the world? Through the power of the internet, you can virtually travel to other countries and experience some of the greatest collections in the most famous museums.

Google Arts & Culture has curated the best art & museums across the globe and it's all free and at your fingertips. Let us know which museum you visit, virtually of course!


RESOURCES FROM THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

The New York Public Library offer remote digital library services. All you need is your library card to be able to browse and read through the entire digital library. This also includes audio books and access to the more than 800,000 digitized items including historic prints, photographs, maps and manuscripts. Learn more here.
Don't have a library card? No problem. During this period of closure, NY residents can apply online through the SimplyE app.



ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Anyone who follows our office knows that we LOVE reading.  While students are back to learning via online instruction, it's important to keep children reading while at home. As we keep the children engaged and continue the importance of reading, let us remember our own wellbeing and take a few minutes a day to enjoy some great resources available to us.

  • Create a Reading Bingo game at home, like the one linked here, and have fun with the kids as they read their way to fill up their card!
  • The celebrity community has come out to help by reading to children live every day! Josh Gad is reading to children on Twitter (follow hashtag #gadbookclub, too) and Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams paired up to read to children 
  • Storyline Online, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's award-winning children's literacy website, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children's books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Learn more here.

Although schools, gyms, art classes, music lessons—and, seemingly, life as we know it—are canceled, families can keep entertained and keep learning with live events and activities online. We've compiled a list of activities ranging from drawing lessons to museum tours happening online. The best part? They're free. If you, like many of us parents here at Common Sense, are scrambling to find ways to keep your kids engaged with good media, check out our list!

 
  • Common Threads
    ​Common Threads calls itself a sanctuary for parents - it provides free activities, recipes and more.
    http://www.commonthreads.org/coronavirus

  • Education and other related resources - NYS Parent to Parent
    ​http://parenttoparentnys.org/images/uploads/pdfs/Educational_Resources--1st_Ed..pdf​

  • Fun at Home - NYC
    ​nyc.gov/funathome
    The city is offering a free new digital platform to provide safe, fun, and entertaining virtual activities for New York City’s teens and young adults. This first-of-its-kind campaign combines city and community resources to engage teens who are at home during the COVID-19 crisis, and also provides tips to cope with the public and mental health challenges that may arise during this difficult time. For the basketball fans out there, it has a link to the NBA’s league pass for free!  Fun at Home can be accessed at nyc.gov/funathome or texting “Fun” to 97743 to receive the latest updates on resources and activities

  • Art Breaks
    https://newvictory.org/category/family-engagement/​
    Art Breaks program from New Victory Theater.  All of the material is online and can be started at any time. Their website updates every Monday with something new.

  • Active At Home (Rising New York Road Runners)
    ​https://activeathome.nyrr.org/
    New York Road Runners adjusted their youth fitness program – Rising New York Road Runners – into an online portal called “Active At Home” so that kids of all ages and abilities can continue to develop movement skills while staying home during this time of COVID-19. This allows both caregivers and teachers to download activities and videos based on the child’s developmental stage.

  • Learn to Code
​​​           bootcamp.cvn.columbia.edu/blog/how-coding-provides-skills-that-can-help-children-cope-with-distress/
​           For children experiencing distress, coding can provide a helpful outlet. Coding combines elements of art and visual                       language while building on the fundamentals of creativity and problem-solving in a way where  children are more                         comfortable expressing themselves: visually. Find coding activities for pre-schoolers, school-aged children and teens.

  • Parent University 
    https://parentu.schools.nyc
    Provides families with access to 95+ free courses, events and activities to support learning from early childhood through adulthood. Parents can register for free workshops on a wide range of topics, including adult education, student social-emotional learning, and special education.  

WAYS TO MANAGE STRESS

The outbreak of COVID-19 around the world has led to the spread of fear and panic for individuals and communities. In addition to following physical precautions guidelines, individuals should be taking care of their psychological well-being. 


For Everyone:
  • Reduce anxiety by reducing risk. Ways to reduce risk include practicing good hygiene (e.g. sneezing and coughing into your elbow, sneezing into a tissue and immediately throwing the tissue away, wash hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, etc.). In addition, create a plan in case your regular routine is disrupted, such as setting up remote work and alternative childcare arrangements. Setting out a plan can help reduce anxiety by taking charge of the things you can control.
  • Manage your information flow by choosing reliable sources and establish boundaries on checking for updates. Getting regular, factual information is important. However, continuously scrolling through social media or constantly refreshing the news is likely to lead to increased anxiety. Pick a few trusted news outlets - such as the state and local health authorities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or World Health Organization - and commit to checking once or twice a day for updates.
  • Monitor your anxiety levels. Anxiety is a normal response to a stressful situation and can provide adaptive benefits in many situations. However, when faced with mounting uncertainty, your brain can go into an anxiety spiral that is no longer helpful. Knowing the difference between typical and atypical stress is important. Monitoring your stress level will let you know when you need to seek additional help.
  • A typical stress reaction may include: temporary difficulty concentrating; irritability and anger; fatigue; stomachache; and, difficulty sleeping. o An atypical stress reaction may include a persistent and/or excessive worry that doesn't lift and keeps you from carrying out your daily tasks. If you experience significant changes in your energy level, eating patterns, or sleeping patterns, difficulty concentrating on normal tasks, prolonged and overwhelming worry and hopelessness, or thoughts of self-injury or suicide, seek out immediate help at 1800-273-TALK (8255) or text Got5 to 741741.
  • Practice good self-care, including exercise, eating healthy foods, and sleeping an adequate amount at night. If possible, spend some time outside. Avoid staying up late to monitor the news.
  • Virtually reach out to different types of support networks, such as family, friends, colleagues, faith-based communities, and social organizations to strengthen your overall feeling of connection. Isolation and loneliness feeds anxiety.
  • Find meaningful tasks and roles within your support network to channel your anxiety, such as coordinating deliveries of groceries to those unable to leave home, curating kids' activity ideas for parents working from home, or video calling or calling those who might feel socially isolated. Supporting others is beneficial to the supporter as well.
  • Find or create spaces that are not focused on COVID-19. Start a social media thread about other topics, ask friends to discuss other topics, or watch your favorite TV or movie.
  • Savor small positive moments, amplify positive stories, and stay optimistic. Try to cultivate a mental wellness practice, such as writing in a gratitude journal, or talking nightly with your family about moments during the day that were fun or enjoyable.
  • Take an opportunity to practice mindfulness when managing anxiety. Mindfulness tools like grounding exercises, sensory modulation, and deep breathing may be helpful.

For Parents, Including Parents of Children with Pre-Existing Anxiety Disorders:
  • Think about and rehearse scripts for talking with your kids about COVID-19. Kids take cues from caregivers about how anxious they need to be about a topic. Seek out resources and media to assist in your preparation.
  • Talk about the situation openly. Most kids elementary-aged and up have heard about COVID-19 or coronavirus. Avoiding the topic or providing blanket reassurances is more likely to feed anxiety. If kids bring up the topic, let them know you are glad they brought it up. This increased the likelihood that they will come to you with further anxieties or questions.
  • Don't give more information than is requested. Part of a developmentally appropriate approach is to answer the question your child asks, but not necessarily more than that. Check to make sure they understood your response by asking them to repeat back what they heard, and let them know you are open to more questions. Reassure your child that it is normal to feel scared or anxious.
  • Help your school-aged child and adolescent set boundaries on their information flow in the same way you are setting your own boundaries. Help them identify factual sources of information and set appropriate intervals to check in. Encourage them to use their media literacy skills to question the messages they are getting from various information channels. Consider limiting media exposure or consuming media with your child so that you can be available to interpret and explain information.
  • Keep as many routines intact as possible. For kids who may be out of school and/or have extra-curricular activities cancelled, it is helpful to keep other routines, like mealtimes and bedtimes. To the extent possible, for kids who are at home for longer periods of time, set up a structure. Collaborate with your child to come up with a loose schedule, such as an outdoor activity and lunch prep in the morning, and a movie and homework time in the afternoon. 
  • Find fun ways to maintain contact with individuals your child is separated from, such as elderly grandparents or classmates at school. Set up opportunities to maintain and even grow connections, such as reading a book to grandparents on video call or sending postcards to friends. 
  • Encourage physical activity and time outside, where possible. Both staying active and having opportunities to be in nature are helpful with mitigating anxiety and building resilience. 
  • Use this as an opportunity to teach distress tolerance skills that will be helpful to your kids in any situation. This is a great time to learn about purposeful breathing, guided imagery, distraction, and other skills.

Emma's Place
http://www.emmasplacesi.com
Emma's Place, Staten Island's Grief and Loss center for Children and Families, is serving the community during COVID 19. Their home page includes valuable videos on helping children during this unprecedented time.

Child Mind Institute
They will answer questions daily at 10:00am and 4:30pm on their Facebook page.
Website:  https://childmind.org/coping-during-covid-19-resources-for-parents/

Text4Caregivers
Resources, self-care and stress management support for Caregivers of special needs children by age and diagnosis.
Website:  https://platform.trumpia.com/onlineSignup/ddpctext/text4caregivers

A NY State of Mind
www.headspace.com/ny
Governor Cuomo just announced NYS is partnering with Headspace to offer free meditation and mindfulness content for all New Yorkers as a mental health resource for an initiative called "A NY state of mind." New Yorkers across the state can access a specially curated collection of science-backed, evidence-based guided meditations, along with at-home mindful workouts, sleep and kids content to help address rising stress and anxiety. Available at www.headspace.com/ny, the collection will also feature Headspace co-founder and former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe, who will share special video messages with the people of New York to help offer guidance, support and solidarity.

Parent to Parent of NYS
http://www.ptopnys.org
Parent to Parent of New York State builds a supportive network of families to reduce isolation and empower those who care for people with developmental disabilities or special healthcare needs to navigate and influence service systems and make informed decisions. 
     Parent to Parent of NYS
     1050 Forest Hill Road
     Staten Island, NY  10314
     716-427-5140


IMMIGRANT FAMILY RESOURCES
PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Borough Hall's Education Team is in constant communication with the Department of Education on the latest on online instruction and all issues surrounding school closure. Here is what we can share that we believe all parents should know:

Remote Learning/Instruction Delivery
Each school has its own online platform, with many schools using Google Classroom. Educators have contacted school communities to let you know what remote learning tool your child's school will be using.
  • You can find instructions on DOE student accounts and getting started in Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams at schools.nyc.gov/learnathome.
  • If you are having additional problems connecting, contact your school directly via email. Our Find a School tool can help you find contact info for your school as well, if you do not already have it: https://www.nycenet.edu/schoolsearch
  • Students will not be on a device for 6 hours a day; they still need physical materials.
  • Learning opportunities will include enrichment subjects.
  • There will be posted activities for parents, lesson plans for teachers and virtual means for teachers to help fellow teachers and parents to interface with teachers or call the help desk. 
  • Multilingual learners - they are providing guidance that will go out in multiple languages, as well as how to use Google Translate.
  • PBS to broadcast "Learn At Home" educational content for pre-K to 12th grade. Learn more here.
  • Free mindfulness online classes will be offered by Mindful Schools - these will include fun and interactive activities for kids such as mindful eating and movement. The classes will take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m. Learn more here.
 
Technology and Distribution
To keep students connected and able to participate in remote learning, the DOE is lending 300,000 Internet-enabled iPads to students. Priority will be given to students most in need. All devices are granted on a temporary basis and will later need to be returned. There is a limit of one device per student.
  • Those who still need technology can fill out this form. The Helpdesk can be reached at 718-935-5100, Option 5
    This week, the first shipment of 25,000 iPads will make their way to homes across New York City. Students in temporary housing will be the first to receive iPads. They will be delivered in bulk to shelters and foster care centers. A point person is on standby at these locations to receive the shipments and distribute the iPads. We are working with:
    • Department of Homeless Services
    • Human Resources Administration
    • Department of Youth and Community Development
      These agencies are helping to reach children in temporary housing, in youth or emergency shelters, and children in foster care so that the students will receive a web enabled iPad delivered to their doorstep through FedEx.
  • The DOE is contracting with FedEx to deliver iPads directly to students. Your iPad will be shipped to the address you entered on the request form.
  • If you have already filled out the request form, you will receive a text message or email making sure you have completed the Student Device Loan Agreement. Please complete the agreement when you request a device as your device cannot be shipped unless you have signed the agreement.
  • Please make sure someone is at the address to accept the delivery, as FedEx will not leave packages unattended. Also, FedEx carriers will adhere to social distancing rules.
 
Special Education
If your student is recommended for integrated co-teaching, special class, or special education teacher support services (SETSS), your school will make every effort to arrange for students to continue to receive instruction from the same special education teachers and classroom paraprofessionals that usually teach them. Someone from your school will contact you to discuss how instruction will be delivered.
  • For more on remote learning for students with IEPs, please visit schools.nyc.gov/learnathome
  • To support the shift to remote learning, someone from each school is reaching out to every family to create a special education remote learning plan for any student with an IEP.
  • Related services are moving to tele-therapy sessions, ideally virtually but minimally by phone and remain at the same ratio as on IEP.
  • If a student has Assistive Technology, it is to be sent home to the student. Caregivers should reach out to the school to obtain.
  • IEP meetings will be conducted by phone. To make a referral for initial evaluation or reevaluation, you can email your principal or specialeducation@schools.nyc.gov or call 311. Charter schools and non-public schools will contact families to discuss their plan for serving students while schools are closed. Students will receive SETSS, SEIT, and related services remotely, whenever appropriate, in the same manner such services are provided to students in district schools.
 
Multilingual/English Language Learners
Every school will create a remote learning plan to ensure that English language learners and former English language learners receive targeted instruction in English with the appropriate amount of supports in their home language. Your school will continue to consider your student's specific strengths and needs, such as their current level of proficiency in English and the academic areas where they need the most support. These services will be provided by and in collaboration with an appropriately certified teacher.
  
State Assessment Tests
  • New York State assessments have been suspended for the remainder of this school year.
  • The suspension applies to: 3-8 English language arts and Math tests; grade 4 science test; grade 8 science test; English as a second language achievement test in grades k-12; and the New York State Alternate Assessment for students with severe cognitive disabilities in grades 3-8 and high school.
  • AP exams administered in school will not take place this year. For each AP subject, there will be 2 different online testing dates. Learn more here.
  • Beginning on Wednesday, March 25, you can attend free, live AP review courses, delivered by AP teachers from across the country. Learn more here.
  • No determinations have been made about Regents exams.
Office of Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella  •  10 Richmond Terrace  •  Staten Island, NY 10301  •  718-816-2000