April Showers Bring May Flowers

“Here comes the sun” – The Beatles

Students, families and staff: From April 19th to May 28th we will be running an April Showers Bring May Flowers campaign with our partner organization The Umbrella Project.

We will be focusing on five Umbrella Project skills during the campaign: Gratitude, Kindness, Mindfulness, Optimism and Resilience.

Building on the #HarbouringHope initiative of our student leaders, WCDSB students, staff and families are welcome to submit entries showing how they have bloomed/ grown this past year. Submissions can be sent via email to bloom@wcdsb.ca or by sharing on social media using #WCDSBblooms.

Student submissions may be produced in an April Showers Bring May Flowers digital postcard that will be forwarded to the school and students can share it with others to pass on their ‘May Flowers’.

Submission Form

Note: When sending us your submission, please submit
the highest quality version photo of the project.

Umbrella Project Helpful Tools

Enjoy this months’ collection of curated resources filled with practical ideas and actions you can take as a parent.

Umbrella Skills

Empathy

Read a fiction book or part of a fiction book. Try to imagine what it would be like to be one of the characters.

Gratitude

Do a random act of kindness for a family member.

Growth Mindset

Challenge yourself with a cross word puzzle, Rubik’s Cube, Lego or other puzzles.

Grit

Design a rainbow out of items you find outside and around your house.

Cognitive Flexibility

Try a new DIY craft or project.

Self-compassion

Just sit for a length of time looking at the clouds or stars. Reflect on your feelings afterwards.

Authenticity

Dance to your favourite songs and challenge your family to join along with you!

Resilience

Call or write a message to a relative or friend you haven’t spoken to in a while and check in on their well-being.

Purpose

Ask each of your family members how you can make their day better and make those requests part of your day.

Mindfulness

Write in a journal or draw your feelings and experiences around COVID-19.

Kindness

Offer to help your family around the house with chores.

Autonomy

Set 3 goals for the day and complete them.

Self-efficacy

Talk about your feelings to someone in your family.

Intrinsic Motivation

Do something for no other reason than because you love to do it.

Optimism

List all the good things that have happened as a result of you being home.

Integrity

Send a thank you email to someone who you appreciate. Or even better, give them a call!

Mastery

Bake or cook a recipe that you have not made before.

Healthy Lifestyle

If you have a skipping rope, skip for 10 minutes, if not, hop, do jumping jacks, MOVE!