Mindful Morning for Parents

Posted on April 12, 2017
This entry was posted in Oakville Elementary News, Rotherglen News.
On Friday March 31, we hosted our first “Mindful Morning” for parents with guest speaker, Dean Huyck.  Mr. Huyck is a veteran presenter from the Trillium Demonstration School, where  leaders in instructional “best practices” from around the province provide professional development for primary school educators.  Mr. Huyck led workshops for teachers at Trillium for over 8 years, and also worked extensively in the field of mental health.  His varied experience in introducing students and educators to the practice of Mindfulness has made him a wonderful resource to the Rotherglen community.  Our “Mindfulness Journey” as a school began over two years ago, beginning with workshops for staff and including multiple class visits by Mr. Huyck to all grade levels. Classroom teachers have adopted Mindfulness practice in a variety of ways.

At our Mindful Morning session, Mr. Huyck introduced parents to the basics of brain science.  He also reviewed current medical and educational research that espouses the many benefits of breathing and “being in the moment” which include; enhanced concentration, improved self regulation and anxiety reduction.  Rotherglen students are learning through a variety of activities and discussions, about cultivating a healthy mind. The information session culminated with Mr. Huyck leading the group through a Mindful Meditation. Interesting questions and discussion followed, and many parents stayed afterwards for further interaction. The morning session was attended by over 50 parents from both the Oakville Elementary and Oakville Primary campuses. We look forward to welcoming Mr. Huyck again for class sessions of Mindful Movement in the outdoor classroom during the month of May.

Comments are closed.