Things are beginning to change, and slowly and safely it seems to be getting a little bit back to 'life before lock down'. This might excite you, or worry you. But it's OK - people will feel a mixture of different emotions. Something I did want to let you know is as a school we are working hard to make sure you are aware of the changes for when you may return to school. We will try our very best to ensure you know exactly what is happening.
At home, you might want to start brainstorming things you would like to find out about next year. You might write down what questions you have? What are your worries? What are you looking forward to? As you start to find out different things you can tick them off. You can copy out the brainstorm on a piece of paper and send it in on Purple Mash to your teachers or send them into admin@virginia.towerhamlets.sch.uk! 
'You are stronger than you believe, braver than you know & smarter than you think!'
What is Self Esteem?
An activity that I would like you to try is a 'Well being Shield' What do you already know about shields? What are they used for? Who used them? What were their purpose? You may mostly know about them being used as a piece of armour (used in battle). You're right- they were used as a piece of armour, for protection and to look “powerful”. However today I want you to combine that 'power and strength' you would get from a shield and think about your own 'power and strengths'. Did you know power and strength isn’t always physical - it’s emotional too. What makes up your “armour”? What are your characteristics and strengths that makes you powerful and strong? What activities make you feel powerful and strong? You can either print out this sheet below, or create your own shield thinking about the characteristics and strengths. For example mine would be: Humorous, Loyal, Friendly, Loud, Creative. For humorous I could draw someone laughing, for loyal I could draw a lion, for friendly I could draw a heart with people standing around it etc.... You may want to make your own one out of cardboard! 
 
Good morning lovely VPS people,
I hope you are well. The weather is absolutely bonkers at the moment - one minute the sun is shining the next it's raining and chilly! This week we could get tempertures of 31 degrees! Yikes! I think a storm may follow as that is VERY hot for little old London town! Storms can be a bit scary but some people find them quite relaxing! Just looking out the window at the rain gushing down and the lightening brightening up the sky can make you feel all cosy. I guess the weather is a bit of a reflection of how some of us may be feeling at the moment. There's moments (like the sunshine) where we feel all warm and fuzzy and happy but then there may be days of feeling quite glum ( like a wet rainy day). Today I want to give you some mindfulness tasks! Did you know that mindfulness is a valuable tool that can help us. If you try to do some mindfulness every day it could have an impact on your feelings of anxiety, as it can encourage you to be calmer. You may want to add some mindfulness to the end of your school day to wind down reflect on what you achieved in your work. Go and find a really cosy spot in your house and try out this video - it focuses on how 'breathing' can help to calm you down and help you to relax. 
An optional 5 Day Elsa Support Mindfulness Challenge
A craft idea...
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| heart-boxes-mindfulness.pdf |
'' I AM GOING TO EXPLODE - I AM ABOUT TO FLIP MY LID''
Bonjour!
Emily here..again!
I hope you are all doing well. I am SUPER impressed with your home learning that I have seen on the other blogs. You are all working really hard and should all give yourselves a HUGE pat on the back.
Before I get started on my blog today I want to give a special mention to Yousif, Sam, Zakiya , Sabine and Asma!
On the home phone calls all of them were so chatty, and had such a positive mindset! It was such a joy to talk to you all today - you all brightened up this rainy afternoon!
So today I have something from the BBC website that I want you to have a look at!
Often we have overwhelming feelings sometimes that can cause us to ' Flip our Lid'. This means it makes us SUPER ANGRY and frustrated.
Sometimes we don't know how we have got to this point, or we don't know how to calm ourselves down.
This film talks about what happens in our brains when we feel strong emotions such as anxiety, fear and anger.
Dr Hilary then suggests what you can do to calm down and move on from these intense feelings.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/pshe-ks2-the-brain-house/zd7kd6f - CLICK THIS
Emily here..again!
I hope you are all doing well. I am SUPER impressed with your home learning that I have seen on the other blogs. You are all working really hard and should all give yourselves a HUGE pat on the back.
Before I get started on my blog today I want to give a special mention to Yousif, Sam, Zakiya , Sabine and Asma!
On the home phone calls all of them were so chatty, and had such a positive mindset! It was such a joy to talk to you all today - you all brightened up this rainy afternoon!
So today I have something from the BBC website that I want you to have a look at!
Often we have overwhelming feelings sometimes that can cause us to ' Flip our Lid'. This means it makes us SUPER ANGRY and frustrated.
Sometimes we don't know how we have got to this point, or we don't know how to calm ourselves down.
This film talks about what happens in our brains when we feel strong emotions such as anxiety, fear and anger.
Dr Hilary then suggests what you can do to calm down and move on from these intense feelings.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/pshe-ks2-the-brain-house/zd7kd6f - CLICK THIS
Dr Hazel Harrison uses an analogy of the brain being like a house, with different types of people living on each floor, to explain what is happening in our brains when we feel strong emotions.
For an extra task I have found an activity for you to make your very own brain (which you can then label the parts)
Or if you have no playdough at home you could copy out a brain shape or print off the link and colour and label it yourself :)
For an extra task I have found an activity for you to make your very own brain (which you can then label the parts)
Or if you have no playdough at home you could copy out a brain shape or print off the link and colour and label it yourself :)
| brain-map.pdf |
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Happy Monday everyone,
I hope you had a wonderful weekend and spent some of the time resting too! My little sister has started her own baking business so I got to try out some of her treats! I am really proud of her because she was meant to take her GCSE's this year but because of Covid19 she wasn't able to. She's had to have a positive mindset and she used this time to get better at baking - so is now so good - she's selling her treats :) They were SO yummy - the one to the right was a chocolate Oreo Brownie and the one below is a a Custard Cream Blondie! Have you developed a new skill? I would love to know what this new skill may be? Today I have recorded a video of different ways you can manage the feeling of 'worry'. I have also left you with two activities to complete if you wish :) Have a nice day! Be safe, Be kind, BE YOU! Love Emily 
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Feeling worried... What can you do to manage it?
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I saw this creative idea on a website you can try....
Worry balloons
A really good way you could try to manage worries at home is by breathing your worries, troubles, or triggers into a balloon!
Keep blowing until all your worries are out!
When you are ready, you can choose to let the worry go and watch it as it gets smaller and smaller into the sky.
You can make some art too to remind yourself of how you can let go of your worries if it gets too much. You can write down how you will manage it and who you might ‘blow’ all your worries out to!
1) Draw yourself
2) Write your worries on a small piece of paper
( KS1 Parents can help write)
3) Place the worries inside of balloons.
4) Blow up the balloons (make sure you use small balloons or blow them up small enough to fit on the picture).
5) Attach or draw strings to the balloons and tape the balloons to the paper as a visual reminder for this new coping skill!
A really good way you could try to manage worries at home is by breathing your worries, troubles, or triggers into a balloon!
Keep blowing until all your worries are out!
When you are ready, you can choose to let the worry go and watch it as it gets smaller and smaller into the sky.
You can make some art too to remind yourself of how you can let go of your worries if it gets too much. You can write down how you will manage it and who you might ‘blow’ all your worries out to!
1) Draw yourself
2) Write your worries on a small piece of paper
( KS1 Parents can help write)
3) Place the worries inside of balloons.
4) Blow up the balloons (make sure you use small balloons or blow them up small enough to fit on the picture).
5) Attach or draw strings to the balloons and tape the balloons to the paper as a visual reminder for this new coping skill!
Good morning!
I hope you are all well and have been enjoying your home learning :) Today I have a video and a task you may like to try! First watch the video to help you understand what it means to have 'a bucket full of happiness' Did you know that we all have an invisible bucket and we should try to fill each other's bucket every day with acts of love and kindness. When you fill someone else's bucket you fill your own bucket too - making someone feel happy can make you feel happy too. Other people can fill your bucket by giving you compliments or being nice to you - giving you a warm hug, making you laugh, or doing something kind for you. |
I have attached a bucket full of happiness worksheet for you to either print off or copy onto a page.
You can fill your bucket up with lots of things that make you feel happy - you can add to it daily/weekly :) Have a wondeful weekend :) Be safe- Be Kind - Be YOU! Emily | ||
Good morning everyone,
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I hope you all have had a good start to your week! Today I returned to work after a long time.
It was lovely to see lots of familiar faces and other teachers and TA's. It made me so hopeful that things WILL get better and slowly but surely, we will all be together again one day having lots of fun and learning new exciting things. I hope my previous post was helpful to some of you- remember we are always here to listen to your worries. So today your activity it to: Learn more about your own family and celebrate different types of families. This activity is inspired by Stonewall and I found this activity on https://dreambigathome.uk/ Upload your work to Purple Mash - I would love to see it! :) Be safe, Be kind , Be YOU! Love Emily :) |
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Instructions
Draw your family. Start with the people you live with, then add other members of your extended family if you have them. Family doesn’t have to be people you are related to by birth – who feels like family to you?
Think about some other families.
Draw a family tree for someone whose family is quite different to yours. |
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Take it further
Create a short video using your pictures talking about what families have in common and what makes them different to each other. What different challenges and opportunities might different families face? You could interview some of your family or friends and find out about their experiences of family.
WORRIES ABOUT THE WORLD
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
There may be some of you who are feeling quite worried due to what is going on in the world.
You might hear or read something scary on social media or from someone else. Some stuff can be hard to make sense of like politics, climate change, natural disasters, and recent events such as Corona Virus and the death of George Floyd.
You might hear words like isolation, lockdown, social injustice, racism, protesting but not know what they mean.
Hearing about this stuff can make you feel anxious or scared. You might feel unsafe and if there are a lot of things in the news about what is happening it can feel really overwhelming.
But I do want to remind you that, there are so many wonderful people who are coming together to support the world to become a better place. People are peacefully protesting the important message of Black Lives Matter and raising awareness, and there are scientists and NHS staff who are working so hard to keep us safe from COVID 19.
There are so many incredible charities and volunteers supporting their communities to feel safe and there is lots of work going on to make sure schools are opening safely.
As teachers/support staff we can support you if you are feeling anxious or scared. We do not have all the answers to your questions but as adults we can try to help you to make some sense of the world.
Get in touch on Purple Mash if you want to speak to any of us about how you are feeling or have any questions you really want to ask.
Have a safe, relaxing and nice weekend.
Emily
x
Trusted links to find out more information and get support:
https://www.flipsnack.com/CSKidsBooks/what-s-going-on.html - A free book for younger children explaining COVID 19.
http://www.frodshamce.cheshire.sch.uk/serve_file/441282 - Corona Virus Social Story
https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/anxiety-stress-panic/worries-about-the-world/ - Childline support for worries about the world.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52813673- George Floyd.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/news/watch_newsround - A video to help explain what is happening in America.
http://www.frodshamce.cheshire.sch.uk/serve_file/441282 - Corona Virus Social Story
https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/anxiety-stress-panic/worries-about-the-world/ - Childline support for worries about the world.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52813673- George Floyd.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/news/watch_newsround - A video to help explain what is happening in America.
Some definitions of some words you may hear linked to the media...
Good morning !
Slighly late but here is a calendar for June with well-being suggestion activities and ideas for each day of the month.
You can download the calendar and print it off or you can look back at this every day. I will put a copy on my Purple Mash blog too.
Credit to : @ELSAsupport
Have a wonderful day.
Be Kind, Be YOU.
Love Emily.
Slighly late but here is a calendar for June with well-being suggestion activities and ideas for each day of the month.
You can download the calendar and print it off or you can look back at this every day. I will put a copy on my Purple Mash blog too.
Credit to : @ELSAsupport
Have a wonderful day.
Be Kind, Be YOU.
Love Emily.
| wellbeing-calendar-for-june.pdf |
Good morning everybody!
The forecast is rain today waaaaah! But we have been so lucky with this glorious sunshine so I cannot complain!
Today I have another video :) I'm starting to get better at recording myself on the camera even though I still feel a bit silly but I am getting there!
Today's feeling is BORED!
The meaning of bored:
1. feeling impatient or dissatisfied, because you are not interested in something or because you have nothing to do. If you want to say you are extremely bored, you can say you are bored stiff/rigid/silly or bored to tears.
I have included different ways you can manage your feeling of boredom at home in the video below.
Have a wonderful day!
Emily
:)
The forecast is rain today waaaaah! But we have been so lucky with this glorious sunshine so I cannot complain!
Today I have another video :) I'm starting to get better at recording myself on the camera even though I still feel a bit silly but I am getting there!
Today's feeling is BORED!
The meaning of bored:
1. feeling impatient or dissatisfied, because you are not interested in something or because you have nothing to do. If you want to say you are extremely bored, you can say you are bored stiff/rigid/silly or bored to tears.
I have included different ways you can manage your feeling of boredom at home in the video below.
Have a wonderful day!
Emily
:)
Untitled from Virginia Primary School on Vimeo.
A big thank you to Zakiya in Year 4 for these wonderful ideas to burst our boredom blues! You are a star - thank you for putting this list together for your friends :)
Hello everybody,
I would like to take this time to just talk about how you can stay kind online.
I would like to remind you all that when you are mad at someone, there are other ways to manage your anger instead of being unkind to someone else.
When you are mad, you need to talk about your anger and not call people names. Speak to your parent or teacher about what has upset you online - this is a much calmer way to sort of the issue and talk about how you are feeling.
Please remember the affects your words can have on somebody else. It really hurts the person's feelings - just like physical hurt. You will have butterflies in your tummy and a fire in your belly if you read something unkind about yourself.
Think about a time somebody called you a bad name and how you felt - I am sure it wasn't a nice feeling at all.
You also need to think about what you are actually arguing about online - is it really worth getting into a big fight over a game? Try and scale the problem down and think about your reaction to what is going on. Instead of using not very nice words when someone has upset you try to say
“ 'I'm angry and upset and I am leaving this chat now'' or ''I am disappointed that you are being mean to me- I am telling an adult.''
You have the choice to LOG OUT so when things are getting very tough and upsetting just log out and tell an adult straight away.
Please remember to be KIND online. During this time, the internet is one of the only things connecting us together, so please make sure you are using it safely and respectfully.
If you need to speak to me or your teacher about unkind behaviour online please do let us know.
Emily.
Remember...
'Sometimes it isn’t obvious that what you are doing is wrong, but if you use digital technology to upset, anger or embarrass someone on purpose, this means you’re involved in online bullying. It might be as simple as ‘liking’ a mean post, laughing at an online video, or spreading a rumour, but the person being bullied could feel like they are being ganged up on.
Think about how it would make you feel if it happened to you. Everyone can make mistakes, but it’s important to learn from them - go back and delete any upsetting or nasty posts, tweets or comments you’ve written'
Think about how it would make you feel if it happened to you. Everyone can make mistakes, but it’s important to learn from them - go back and delete any upsetting or nasty posts, tweets or comments you’ve written'
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Good morning wonderful VPS children!
I hope you have all had a wonderful half term. The weather has been absolutely beautiful, I know it has certainly put a HUGE smile on my face! What have you been up to? Please share with us on the blogs on Purple Mash! Here is a photo taken yesterday when I had a safely distanced picnic in the park. I felt so HAPPY yesterday - I was very grateful for the lovely green space, reconnecting with my best friend (2M of course) and the weather. I took a walk down the canal too which glistened in the beautiful sun. It was timed perfectly ( I still don't know how I managed to jump that high!) |
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Today I am trying something a bit different by uploading a video!
I must admit I was a little bit shy at first filming myself because I felt a bit silly but I would really like to share a book I have at home with you.
The book is called' How Are You Feeling Today'. This book is filled with fun, imaginative ways to help you understand and cope with your emotions! It also helps to boost your emotional literacy ( being able to explain and name your feelings).
I must admit I was a little bit shy at first filming myself because I felt a bit silly but I would really like to share a book I have at home with you.
The book is called' How Are You Feeling Today'. This book is filled with fun, imaginative ways to help you understand and cope with your emotions! It also helps to boost your emotional literacy ( being able to explain and name your feelings).
Intro to the book.
Whoops! Book is the wrong way around for the first part! Soz!
First feeling of the week.... HAPPY!!
So next time you feel the feeling of happiness think about all of the different ways you can manage it and enjoy it!