The Connection Corner
Your Whole Child Hub
Welcome to your "Whole Child Hub"!
Building Resilience: Helping Kids Bounce Back from Setbacks
Setbacks are a normal part of learning and growing. Teaching our kids coping strategies now will only help them in the future.
Resilience is the skill that helps kids recover, learn, and keep moving forward. Here are a few simple ways to support it at home:
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Normalize mistakes: Remind your child that everyone makes them and it's how we grow.
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Focus on effort, not outcome: Praise persistence, problem-solving, and trying again.
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Model calm coping: Show your child how you handle frustration in positive ways.
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Encourage problem-solving: Ask, “What’s one thing you could try differently next time?”
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Stay connected: A strong, supportive relationship with you is the biggest resilience-builder of all.
Resilience is about learning how to overcome and rise after setbacks.
Parent–Child Conversations That Matter: Questions to Spark Meaningful Talks
The best conversations often happen in the car, at dinner, or right before bed. Asking open-ended questions can help your child share more and build stronger connections.
Try these:
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“What was the best part of your day? What was the hardest?”
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“What’s something you’re proud of this week?”
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“If you could change one thing about today, what would it be?”
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“Who did you spend time with at school, and what did you do together?”
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“What’s something new you learned or tried today?”
"Who were you kind to today? Who was kind to you?"
Little questions can open the door to big conversations!
Creating Routines That Work: Morning, Homework, and Bedtime
Routines give kids a sense of security and help reduce stress for the whole family. A few simple habits can make the day run more smoothly:
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Morning: Prep the night before: lay out clothes, pack bags, and make lunches to start the day calmly. Put up a white board with a checklist by the door your child leaves in the morning. Teach them to check the list each morning to ensure they have everything.
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Homework: Set a regular time and quiet spot for work. Build in short breaks to keep focus strong. You can set boundaries like, "No iPad until homework is done or no TV until homework is done."
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Bedtime: Create a consistent wind-down routine: dim lights, read together, and keep screens away to help kids fall asleep easier. Do not allow your child to keep their phone or iPad in their room at night as this causes disrupted sleep.
Middle South Sets Expectations
Middle School Advisory Training with Wayfinder
PBIS Launches Around Hawthorn!
Mental Health First Aid Training
This summer, many of our staff took part in Youth Mental Health First Aid training through the Josselyn Center. Participants learned how to recognize and respond to a young person experiencing a mental health crisis, becoming certified Mental Health First Aiders.
Students Learn Expected Behaviors in Library
Students in library at Aspen learned about expected behaviors.
ReferralGPS: Connecting Families to Mental Health Resources
- Searchable Database: Offers a database of treatment options for easy access.
- Care Navigation: Provides services to support families in triage, appointment scheduling, and follow-up care.
- Inclusive Insurance Coverage: The service is compatible with all types of private and public insurance, including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and it caters to uninsured or underinsured families.
- No-Cost Access: Available free of charge for use by district students, staff, and families.
- Confidentiality Assured: Rest assured that all information entered into the ReferralGPS tool is kept completely confidential and securely stored.
Social Workers
Our students benefit from access to school social work services. Our social workers provide ongoing support in several ways. They collaborate regularly with grade-level teams to promote a positive school climate for all students, and help support staff in using instructional practices that support social-emotional learning across all subjects. Our social workers may also lead class lessons or work in small groups with students to provide more targeted support.
District Social Workers:
Meghan Frazier - Lincoln School - frazierm@hawthorn73.org
Rhonda Malina - Hawthorn School for Young Learners - malinar@hawthorn73.org
Sydney Pacernick - Elementary North/Aspen - pacernicks@hawthorn73.org
Anna Bach - Aspen -bacha@hawthorn73.org
Ashley Zarinana - Dual Language - zarinanaa@hawthorn73.org
Kathleen Falotico - Townline - faloticok@hawthorn73.org
Grace Haggerty - Townline-Dual - haggertyg@hawthorn73.org
Paul Mazzetta - Elementary North - mazzettap@hawthorn73.org
Connie Travis - Elementary North - travisc@hawthorn73.org
Nesrin Unlu - Elementary South - unlun@hawthorn73.org
Brittany Langton - Elementary South - langtonb@hawthorn73.org
Lauren Brownstein - Middle School South - brownsteinl@hawthorn73.org
Amunn Jaffery - Middle School South - jafferya@hawthorn73.org
Jaime Medbery - Middle School South - medberyj@hawthorn73.org
Brian Van - Middle School North - vanb@hawthorn73.org
Kelli Cordes - Middle School North - cordesk@hawthorn73.org
Scarlett Davalos - Middle School North - davaloss@hawthorn73.org
Connect with ME!
Megan Goldman
Director of Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Learning
847-990-4269
Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @D73SOARS
Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj-L3MVWzHT7xxgWytCWmYA