From the Principal
Well and truly well
I am very pleased to take the opportunity to introduce our new Wellbeing Coordinator at Preshil, Amir Tatai.
Amir has spent a few days with us and will be at the School on a fulltime basis from Monday 27 May. Amir is keen to get to know all of the children and their families at Arlington, so you can expect to see him around and to meet him as we find opportunities to introduce him to the community more formally. Amir is a highly qualified practitioner who has had extensive experience in schools. He will take a proactive role in building a culture of good health and resilience, as well as being available to children who can benefit from individual support. Please say hello and introduce yourselves when you see him at Arlington at drop-off and at other times.
This year the School is focusing on all aspects of our approach to wellbeing, from Kindergarten to the final years of secondary school, for both children and their teachers. This is supported by the School Council as part of our review of the School’s 2013 – 2023 Strategic Plan.
The wellbeing of each individual has always been foremost in the school’s goals.
‘Preshil regards all children as unique and precious individuals, to be cherished and celebrated for their own selves: their strengths and weaknesses, their quirks and their differences.’ Courage p5.
Focusing on social and emotional learning must take place from the earliest days of a child’s experience at school if they are to flourish academically, artistically and physically. Wellbeing and outstanding learning programs are not mutually exclusive, but rather should go hand in hand, each supporting the other if we are to nurture confident and capable life long learners.
At Preshil we have never prioritized academic results ahead of wellbeing and have often felt the need to protect children as they approach adolescence from the pressure our society, perhaps unwittingly, begins to exert on young people to perform and compete academically in a high-stakes race to the end of schooling. This pressure, together with the heightened vulnerability created by the internet and social media, are increasingly encroaching on childhood - with the inevitable impact on children’s mental health.
At Preshil the IB programmes align with our emphasis on nurturing the whole person, their emotional, physical and intellectual growth. This begins in the Kindergarten with the cultivation of curiosity, confidence and social responsibility through the deliberate inclusion of philosophy, conceptual play, the creative arts and physical education and social and emotional learning.
As teachers we are accountable for our efforts to ensure all children at Preshil are as robust and resilient as we can help them to be. We set out to proactively:
- Engage each child in rich learning
- Offer regular opportunities to have a voice in day to day events; open discussions about feelings, emotions, relationships
- Develop collaborative ‘agreements’ rather than impose rules to enforce compliance and conformity
- Teach the underlying principles of consensual interactions
- Embrace diversity of appearance, abilities, beliefs, differentiated learning
- Cultivate play, creativity and collaboration rather than competition
- Model respect and trust
- Build close links between home and school
- Team teach and model adult professional interactions
- Role model leadership and nurturing from both women and men
- Celebrate and protect our natural environment and the healing power of nature.
This proactive approach is reinforced by:
- Extensive and thorough staff professional development
- A restorative approach to managing difficult interactions
- Policies setting out processes and procedures
- Risk management assessments
- Individual counselling
- Individual Education Plans
Families are always welcome to initiate discussions about any concerns they have about their child’s wellbeing. We know that strong partnerships and open communication between home and school is a crucial element in the optimal development of your children.
Marilyn Smith
Principal