What Are Your Plans for Self Care and Smart Action This Year

That’s right! What are your plans for self care and smart action this year? Check this out! This week we have a vlog! Feel free to watch above or read below. Hey, how are you? It’s the beginning of the year. It’s the first week of term here in New South Wales where we are.

Tips for Surviving the First Weeks of School

Written By Deb Hopper, Occupational Therapist Planning for Back to School Success Summer holidays are ending here in Australia in the next few days. As parents’ ideas for how to fill in time start to dwindle, and we finish off the back to school shopping, it’s really important to talk to and plan with our

Using a Calendar to Help Transition Back to School

How to use a calendar to help transition back to school? Here’s how! Summer holidays can be the carefree, fun-packed time of experience and shared experiences which neither kids nor mums and dads want to end. It can be very appealing (and rightly so!) to make the most of every day of the school vacation,

What is SPD and How to Identify in the Classroom?

Written By Deb Hopper, Occupational Therapist Let’s take a closer look at what SPD is and find out ways to identify it in the classroom environment. As professional educators, it is important to know about any sensory issues that may challenge our pupils. SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) is one of the issues that could prevent

Steps to Using a Self Regulation Program as a ‘Whole Class’ Classroom Management Strategy PART 2

This is the second part in the self regulation in classroom management program that I was discussing in June, see part one here. As I mentioned in part one, I’ve been asked to implement a whole class and whole school approach to teaching self regulation. The school I am working with is a small local

Award Winning Classroom Environment – Let’s Meet Amy McGarry

With Deb Hopper, Occupational Therapist Amy McGarry is an inspirational teacher at one of our local schools – the Forster Holy Name Catholic School, who has recently won an award for her amazing and innovative classroom environment. I’m also very passionate (if you hadn’t noticed) about creating best practice learning environments in classrooms, and I

Your Classroom Sensory Environment: Is it Time for a Painless Classroom Detox to Start the Year?

Your classroom sensory environment – why bother about it? Okay, before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s take a minute to think about our favourite relaxation place. Is it On the beach? At your favourite restaurant? Curled up in bed or on the couch reading a book? What sensory environment is perfect for work

Reducing Back To School Anxiety

Written By Deb Hopper, Occupational Therapist How To Reduce School Anxiety in Children When Transitioning Back To School The summer holidays can be a carefree, fun-packed time of adventure and shared experiences which neither kids nor parents want to end. It can be very tempting (and rightly so!) to make the most of every day

Planning your Classroom Management Strategies for the School Year

Written By Deb Hopper, Occupational Therapist Classroom management strategies are in class strategies that are developed over time by teacher. Teacher training, mentoring, trial and error and hours clocked in the classroom help teachers to fine tune these strategies as they develop their own personal classroom management strategies “personality”. Classroom management refers to “the wide

Using Visuals With Kids With Autism In Schools

All young people, especially those with autism, need to find ways to be able to communicate and make sense of their world. If kids are unable to make their needs known it can lead to behaviour problems, withdrawal and being misunderstood in everything they do. Over the years, schools have looked for effective ways to