Child Development Advisor (CDA)

WELCOME! Langdon School has two Child Development Advisors (CDA). Margaret Schrauwen supports students in grades Kindergarten to grade 6 and Nikki Smart supports in grades 7-9. The CDA offers a planned and balanced approach to student development. Planned activities focus on developing social and emotional skills in students, with the goal of enhancing both social interactions and academic performances.

The CDA consults with staff, students, parents, and when necessary, with outside agencies. This ensures that the needs of all learners are being met. The program is designed to provide proactive and preventative programs as well as intervention with issues which have already been identified. The CDA works with students individually, in groups, in class presentations, and with the whole school on various initiatives.

Vision:

The Child Development Advisor promotes and advocates for the development of the whole child.

Mission:

The Child Development Advisor is a collaborative resource to children, staff, parents, and community to support and enhance the healthy development of social, emotional, behavioural, and mental health competencies.
The CDA consults with staff, students, parents and when necessary, with outside agencies. This ensures that the needs of all learners are being met.

Services and Topics

The C.D.A position has an emphasis on the social/emotional wellness of students from grades Kindergarten to grade nine and offers a variety of small group sessions, in-class workshops, individual coaching, post-discipline action plans, and crisis relief.

Areas of support:

•   Anger management
•   Bully proofing
•   Classroom survival skills
•   Conflict resolution and anger management
•   Coping with changes in the family
•   Dealing with loss and grief
•   Family support and referrals
•   Increasing self-esteem
•   Leadership
•   Peer issues and choices
•    Anxiety and depression
•   Preventative programming for kids at risk
•   Relationship building
•   Resiliency/character building
• Social skills

Referral Process and Accessing the CDA:

Students can be referred to the C.D.A in 4 ways:
•   Self Referral
•   Parent Referral
•   Teacher Referral
•   Administator/CDA referral

Download CDA Brochure brochure

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CHILD DEVELOPMENT ADVISOR BROCHURE

CDA Brochure.pdf — PDF document, 787 kB (806571 bytes)

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Mental Health

Depression & Anxiety Self-Management for Teens: The AHS Provincial Mental Health Promotion & Illness Prevention Team has released a completely redesigned and updated Adolescent Depression Series resource. AHS has combined the individual topics found in the series into one convenient booklet now called, Teen Self-Management for Depression and Anxiety. This new booklet provides evidence-based information and age-appropriate activities (youth ages 13-18) which service providers, parents or caregivers, and youth can use to help manage depression and anxiety as well as support positive mental health and resilience. Key themes in this booklet include: nutrition, physical activity, relaxation, substance use, social connection, and treatment.
Child Anxiety: A Method for Parents in How To Reduce It: Here’s an interesting article about childhood anxiety and a method for parents to reduce it.
HEADSTRONG: Youth Anti-Stigma Initiative: Mental Health Commission of Canada
Healthy Relationships: Research is telling us more and more how truly important relationships are. Relationships have been found to directly impact brain development and thus is essential for positive child and youth development. They are also central to the well-being and safety of our schools and communities. Click link to read more.
Test Anxiety: During exams, do you... • feel like you "go blank"? • become frustrated? • find yourself thinking "I can't do this" or "I'm stupid"? • feel like the room is closing in on you? • feel your heart racing or find it difficult to breathe? • suddenly "know" the answers after turning in the test? • score much lower than on homework or papers?
Youth Addictions, Supports, and Resources: Youth Substance Use and Mental Health Services is dedicated to helping adolescents develop a lifestyle free from the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and gambling. "We work with youth, their families, professionals, and the community to address a full range of concerns related to adolescents and addictions. From education and information through to residential treatment and aftercare, AHS's Youth Addiction Services provides a continuum of services".
Mental Health Matters: Just like physical health, everyone has mental health. Mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness . . . To continue reading, please click on link.
Activity: Wheel of Life: Create your own Wheel of Life! It is easy to forget the many things we have going on in our life. Taking the time to reflect, map out, and identify areas of your life where you may need to pay more or less attention to is a good practice and good for your mental health. For more information, please click on link.
ADHD: If you are a parent/guardian of a child with ADHD and are looking for support from others, please join our Facebook page at "Langdon ADHD group".
Anxiety
Autism
Children's Mental Health: Canadian Mental Health Association
Family and Community Resource Centre: Alberta Health Services - Alberta Children's Hospital
Grief and Loss
Health Link Alberta: Health Link Alberta provides health advice and information through a toll-free phone number to all Albertans. Access is 24 hour, 7 day a week and support is provided by experienced registered nurses and other health-care professionals.
Positive Behaviour Supports for Children: This is a series of related websites developed for use by families, aides and school staff supporting children with disabilities! These interactive websites provide evidence-based strategies for promoting adaptive behaviour, while managing challenging behaviours. There are additional topics of interest in each site, so feel free to look through all of them. These websites are free, and anyone who is interested in gaining a better understanding of how to support a child with a disability is encouraged to use them.
Teen Mental Health
Youth and Self Injury
Stess in Children and Adolescents: Tips for Parents
Mental Health Disorders: Ideas for Families: LEARN MORE ABOUT CHILD AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH The contents below contain family-friendly resources that offer in-depth information on general and specific topics in mental health. All resources displayed on this website are for informational purposes only. Treatment advice, including assessment, should only be provided and/or performed by trained professionals.
Healthy Sleep for Students

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Healthy Eating in RVS

Healthy Eating Initiative. Rocky View Schools recognizes that healthy eating is an important part of growth and development and contributes to student learning. As such, RVS supports success in students by promoting healthy eating environments in all schools and by coordinating the efforts of people and resources within schools and across the jurisdiction.

Conflict Awareness and Resources

At Langdon School we strive to keep our community focusing on positive character traits and acts of kindness. Over the years we have used various types of programs to enrich our culture. Anxiety, Self-Regulation, conflict management, relationships, and tolerance are just themes we address in our homeroom and health classes. We also run lunch-time programming for students looking to connect. Though we take conflicts seriously, we also understand that students are learning to interact, and we do not expect that all students will interact positively with each other. We address needs and issues as they arise through our "what happened form" and we seek to work with families and establish supports where needed.

Backpack Program

Costco Wholesale, along with some of its suppliers, has graciously donated backpacks filled with school supplies for children and youth. Each backpack is filled with various school supplies. If you feel that your child would benefit from having a backpack filled with supplies, please feel free to contact me or have your child come to the office and ask for Ms. Schrauwen. 403.936.4579 ext. 154 or mmschrauwen@rvschool.ab.ca

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Parent Resources and Seminars/Workshops

Child Anxiety: A Method for Parents in How To Reduce It: Here’s an interesting article about childhood anxiety and a method for parents to reduce it.
UNDERSTANDING SELF-HARM: Parent Information Sheet: This resource is to help you better understand non-suicidal self-injury and how best speak to your child.
Town of Chestermere Community Resources Services: Serving Langdon, Chestermere and South East Rocky View. Working together to build dynamic communities that promote the strength and well being of all people. "Our goal is to connect you and your family to programs and services to support your everyday life". Please click on link for further information.
Family & Community Resource Centre: Located at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the Family & Community Resource Centre is one of the essential components of the Alberta Health Services and helps to promote Family Centred Care in child health services. The Family & Community Resource Centre provides a comfortable and supportive environment where families, service providers, and community members can find reliable child health information, receive support, access child health education, and connect with community resources. For more information, please click on link.
Information Perscriptions: Information Prescriptions provide a list of recommended resources on a variety of child health topics or chronic illnesses. Staff and community partners who have expertise in the clinical area have carefully chosen these consumer-friendly resources.
MedicAlert’s - No Child Without Program: MedicAlert’s No Child Without Program is at Our School The No Child Without program offers a free MedicAlert membership to students who attend our school and are between the ages of 4 up to their 14th birthday. If your child has a medical condition, allergy or is required to take medication on a regular basis then you should consider a MedicAlert membership through this program. MedicAlert is your child’s voice in an emergency, MedicAlert membership; • Gives emergency first responders immediate access to a your child’s medical information on their MedicAlert bracelet or necklet • Enables first responders to quickly obtain up to date medical information by means of the child’s Electronic Health Record through the 24 Hour Emergency Hotline. • Communicates with the parent or emergency contact upon activation of the Hotline • Allows free updates of the child’s medical record as needed MedicAlert identification can alert school staff, friends, coaches and others about your child’s medical condition should an emergency occur. For further information come to the CDA office for a brochure or go to www.nochildwithout.ca. To register your child, you will need a No Child Without brochure from the office. If your child is already part of the No Child Without program and there have been changes to their medical condition, medications or emergency contact information, call MedicAlert at 1-866-679-3220 to update your child’s file.
AHA Parenting: What is Aha! Parenting? You know what an Aha! Moment is, right? With our child, it’s that lightning flash of insight, when suddenly we see things from another perspective, and everything has the potential to be different. This website has Aha! moments for parents of every age child, from pregnancy right through the teen years (AHA Parenting, 2016, http://www.ahaparenting.com/).

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Divorce

Student Learning Tools

Organizational Skills
Study Habits
Exam Stress: Stress is a normal part of life. Some situations, like exams, are more stressful than others. It's what you do about it that makes a difference to your well-being.

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MindUP

Staff and students have been working on learning the MindUPTM Curriculum here at Langdon School. Students seem to enjoy learning about their brain and learning concepts and strategies to promote healthy social-emotional development.

Welcome to MindUP™

Helping Children Thrive in Learning and in Life.

“MindUP™ is a Social and Emotional Learning curriculum and framework for teachers that helps students flourish and become more resilient. MindUP™ is grounded in Neuroscience, activated by Mindful Awareness, inspired by Positive Psychology and a catalyst for Social and Emotional Learning. These four pillars inform a curriculum and framework of 15 lessons that, when combined with key principles and practices, helps develop self-regulation and focus in your students, along with an improved ability for them to work well with others.” The program focuses on developing the whole child and creating a positive influence in the classroom and school culture, as well as improving the quality of life in general.

Why MindUP?

There are increasing levels of stress, anxiety disorder and ADHD in schools, as well as the rising incidence of school violence bullying and an increase in the number of child/teen suicides. MindUP can be implemented in the classroom, whole school or at the district level, in a variety of ways. We will explore this in the training.

MindUP provides a powerful program for students, the Hawn foundation reports that the benefits extend to teacher and even to family life. 67% of teachers who use MindUP have reported a decrease in their stress and improved teacher satisfaction. 72% of parents have reported that MindUP has contributed to greater family harmony and improved relationships at home.

MindUP is highly flexible and can be adapted to serve private and religious schools, including schools that serve children with special needs.

MindUP is a scientifically oriented and evidence based program. MindUP is a CASEL approved SEL program and provides a powerful alignment with adopted curriculum. Additionally, MindUP provides teachers with content guides including suggestions for subject content in science, health, Language arts and math.

MindUP produces measurable results:

90% of children improve their ability to get along with other children.
82% of children become more optimistic.
75% of children have better impulse control and less reactivity.
75% of children improved their planning and organizational skills.
Absenteeism is down as are visits to the principals office and incidents of bullying.

About MindUP https://mindup.org/

MindUP for schools https://mindup.org/mindup-for-schools/

MindUP for families https://mindup.org/mindup-for-families/