Wellbeing

Dear Families,

We are well into the term and, as parents, I’m sure many of you are noticing fatigue beginning to set in. As students build their stamina for the length and demands of the school day, it is common to see moments of dysregulation, stress, or frustration.

This is entirely normal.

The part of the brain responsible for behaviour, working memory, impulse control and complex thinking is the prefrontal cortex. It works hard during learning and requires a lot of energy. When children are tired, they can find it more difficult to concentrate, retain information, problem-solve and regulate their emotions.

This is often why we see “big emotions” after school. By the end of the day, children’s cognitive resources are depleted and their brains prioritise rest and recovery. Their brains are literally drained!

As parents, it can be helpful to view these moments less as “misbehaviour” and more as a response to tiredness, intense learning and effort. While that doesn’t necessarily make evening routines easier, understanding the “why” is important.

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne outlines several effective strategies for responding to challenging behaviour.

Research consistently shows that reinforcing positive behaviours, noticing, praising and rewarding what we want to see, tends to have a stronger impact than focusing on negative behaviours.

This is why, as educators, we emphasise positive reinforcement, restorative conversations and offering structured choices. We aim to promote empathy, responsibility and a sense of voice and agency.

There are many parenting courses available, both free and paid. Some reputable free starting points include:

• The Orange Door
• Raising Children Network
• Triple P – Positive Parenting Program

Parenting is hard, marathon-level hard. Community and connection can make it a little less hard.

All the best,

Sam Younes.