Supporting Students to Become Ultimate Community Role Models

Play Is The Way

As parents we are all concerned about the wellbeing of our own children and hopefully that of other children as well.  Wellbeing is often thought of as happiness but it is more than that.  We need to feel worthwhile, with lives that are fulfilling and meaningful.

We need the skills to create close personal connections and a network of strong relationships that give us a sense of belonging.  We need the skills of emotional intelligence and social competency if we are to really feel like “WELL-BEINGS.”

Australia, despite its wealth and high standard of living, has alarming levels of childhood depression, self harm and suicide.  Our so called “good life” has not protected us from this sad fact.  Evidence proves that children with strong pro-social behaviour tend to lead more positive lives, have more meaningful relationships, enjoy better physical and mental health and do better at school.

In the light of such evidence, many schools are making a commitment to the sustained and thorough development of pro-social behaviour.

School though, is not the only place where children learn.  Even with five hours a day, for five days a week, for four terms a year children still do most of their “learning for life” outside school.  In fact, most of their character shaping comes from family influences.

What they learn within the family allows them to apply it outside the family.  Hopefully, what they have learnt allows them to conform to the demands and expectations of community standards in behaviour and to the requirements of everyday school life and learning.

Everyone in a school community has a role to play in helping children become independent, mature, socially competent, emotionally intelligent and successful human beings.

The first step for us all is to be the best role models we can be.  It is said, and we believe it to be true, that children need models more than they need critics.  With that in mind, let us accept our role as the adults in their midst and offer them the commitment, care, firm guidance and help they need to acquire the skills that lead to meaningful and fulfilled lives.

Wilson McCaskill, Play is The Way

Hackham East Primary School has embedded the Play is the Way strategies and learning methods in order to support our students to become Ultimate Community Role Models. We explicitly teach and practice how to be compassionate, friendly, persistent, resilient, courageous, have good manners and be tolerant of others. As a school community we continually strive to meet high expectations and have developed an understanding of ‘zero tolerance’ behaviours.

Staff and students are currently developing a Behaviour Code that reflects the virtues that we strive to develop and demonstrate both within school and in the wider community.

Sarah Kemp, Coordinator Wellbeing and Aboriginal Education