Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa / Warm greetings to you all,
I sincerely hope you all had a chance to enjoy the school holidays. I certainly enjoyed mine shared with whānau from near and far and dear friends. Not having the pressure of getting off to school each day lessens the stress in our family so we enjoyed fewer meltdowns and more spontaneous play and chilled times too. I understand this is not the case for many families who’s tamariki struggle with the lack of structure that school holidays can bring. I was humbled and grateful for being in Aotearoa over our festive period relatively free from all the Covid pressures rife in almost every country across the world.
Anna Gundesen
Auckland RC
09 280 3862 or 027 538 9691
Children’s Day: Sunday 7th March
Children’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of March so this year it is 7th March. I will let you know when events have been finalised so keep an eye on our Facebook page. Meanwhile, see the link below of other events organized in Auckland. It will keep getting updated as events are registered so keep checking closer to the beginning of March too.
Foster Care Awareness Week: 8th March – 14th March
It is Foster Care Awareness Week the second week of March so again keep an eye on Facebook for any announcement of upcoming event/s to celebrate foster caregivers both whanau and non-kin. Events are still in the early planning stage. I am in the planning stages with GRG (Grandparents Raising Grandchildren) and Voyce Whakarongo Mai in the planning of a Whanau Bike Event at Henderson Park and will let you all know once a date has been confirmed.
Last year I secured FREE tickets to the KUMEU SHOW. This year the dates are Saturday 13 March and Sunday 14 March, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. Keep an eye out for the email offering these freebies again this year. They got snaffled up quickly so get in quick. However, do keep in mind that some caregiver families miss out unnecessarily on events such as this with tickets being requested but then not used. Please be sure the dates are clear on the family calendar before you request them.
Excellence in Foster Care Awards: Friday 12th March in Wellington
To round out Foster Care Awareness Week will be the celebration of the winners of the Excellence in Foster Care Awards held this year in Wellington.
Self-care
Self-care is important at any time of the year. Often the transition back into the school term is a challenging time for us as our tamariki adapt back into routines. Their internal fears of new teachers, new classrooms, new friends, and new expectations can create turmoil that is expressed through behaviour. Predictable, consistent, calm, and kind environments are the most conducive to a stress-free beginning to the school day. Parenting tamariki with special needs and/or developmental trauma and challenging behaviour is undeniably stressful. Make yourself a cuppa and read This Isn’t What I Signed Up For (eileendevine.com)
Training
The calendar for Term One of 2021 is now live on our website. Click the training calendar below to find out more and register. There are some new Session topics on offer this term. I try to offer training in a variety of suburbs and venues around the region e.g. North, West, Central and South. Feel free to get in touch if I am in your area and we could meet for a chat.
There is also the online discussion series which has all sorts of topics on Therapeutic Parenting and is a live Q & A format. Click the button below to register.
Support Groups
FASD Support Group Auckland
For caregivers by caregivers. Meets 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7pm in Blockhouse Bay.
Contact: Ross Porter
Mobile: 021 644 150
Email: rossaporter@gmail.com
South Auckland / Botany Support Group
Contact: Sharon Deetlefs
Mobile: 021 230 5821
West Auckland Foster Care Support Association
Contact Yasser on waucklandfostercareassociation@gmail.com
or Pamela on 021 803 956
Have you joined our closed Facebook Group?
As a member of Caring Families Aotearoa you have exclusive access to our CLOSED Facebook groups. These are only open to caregivers that are members of Caring Families Aotearoa. This allows our members a platform to seek support, information and resources.
Click the link below to join!
Auckland Support Closed Facebook Group