WELL BEING 

Celebrating World Kindness Day! 

On Thursday 13th November, communities around the globe celebrate World Kindness Day!

Kindness isn't just a nice thing to do, it actually rewires our brains for happiness! When children practice kindness, their bodies release feel-good hormones like serotonin and oxytocin. This helps reduce anxiety, boosts self-esteem, and fosters a strong sense of belonging within our community.

This year, the theme is "Kindness is a Superpower!"

The Education Piece: What is Kindness?

We often talk about being kind, but what does it actually look like for a primary school student? We are teaching our students that kindness is not only embedded into our school wide postive behaviour matrix but we can look at kindness in three ways: 

1. Kindness to Others: Helping a friend who fell down, sharing a game, or saying thank you.
2. Kindness to Ourselves: Forgiving ourselves when we make a mistake, speaking gently in our inner thoughts, and resting when we are tired.
3. Kindness to the Environment: Picking up litter, looking after school equipment, and caring for classroom plants or pets.

The Kindness Challenge: 5 Days of Kind Acts!

We invite all our students and families to join our Kindness Challenge this week. Try to tick off one act of kindness together each day:

• Monday Checklist: Compliment a classmate (or family member) on something specific (e.g., "I love how creative your drawing is!").
• Tuesday Checklist: Include someone new in a game at recess, lunchtime or at home.
• Wednesday Checklist: Do a secret helpful job at school or a chore at home without being asked.
• Thursday Checklist: Write a small 'thank you' note or draw a picture for a teacher, school staff member, crossing guard or family member.
• Friday Checklist: Clean up three pieces of rubbish that aren't yours to help look after our beautiful school grounds or local community (with family help).

Parent & Carer Corner: Cultivating Kindness at Home

Children learn kindness by watching the adults around them. Here are two quick ways to build a kindness routine at home:

• Change the dinner question: Instead of asking "What did you learn today?", try asking, "What is something kind you did today?" or "Did anyone do something kind for you?"
• Practice "Bucket Filling": Imagine everyone carries an invisible bucket of feelings. When we are kind, we fill their bucket (and our own!). Ask your child, "Whose bucket did you fill today?"

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." — Aesop

Celebrating the Men in Our Lives!

This November, our community is shining a spotlight on Mens Health!

While you might notice some teachers or dads growing fun moustaches this month for Movember, the real goal is much bigger. This month is to celebrate the amazing men in our lives, dads, grandpas, uncles, stepdads, brothers, and mentors, and learning how we can all work together to keep them happy, healthy, and strong!

What is "Health" for Men and Boys?

Being healthy isn't just about having big muscles or being fast on the sports field. True health has two vital parts that apply to boys and men alike:

1. Looking After Our Bodies (Physical Health): Eating colorful foods, drinking plenty of water, getting moving, and going to the doctor or dentist for a check-up, even when we feel fine!
2. Looking After Our Feelings (Mental Health): We want all our boys and the men in our community to know that it is a sign of strength to talk about your feelings. Everyone gets sad, worried, or tired sometimes. Sharing those feelings with someone we trust is the best way to stay healthy.

Modeling Healthy Habits for Our Boys

Young boys look closely at the men around them to learn how to behave. We can support our boys' future wellbeing by rewriting some old rules:

• Normalise all emotions: Avoid phrases like "big boys don't cry." Instead, try: "It’s okay
•  to feel upset/frustrated. Let's take a breath and talk about it."
• Normalise help-seeking: Let your children see you prioritising your health. Mention casually when you are going to the doctor for a routine check-up, or when you are taking a break because you feel stressed.

• Normalising "Checking In": Life gets busy, and it is easy for parents and carers to put their own wellbeing last. We want to encourage the men in our community to check in on their friends, and importantly, to check in with a GP for regular health lookups. Taking care of your health is the greatest gift you can give your family.
• Talking About Big Feelings: One of the best ways to support the future wellbeing of our children, both boys and girls, is letting them see that the adults they look up to handle stress by talking about it. Sharing when we are tired, worried, or sad shows children that emotional health is just as important as physical health.

Conversation Starters for the Dinner Table

If you are looking for a gentle, positive way to bring this up with your children and celebrate

 the male role models in their lives, try these simple family chat prompts:

• "Who is a man in our family or community that you love spending time with? What makes them special?"
• "What is something active or fun we can do as a family this weekend to keep our bodies healthy?"
• "What do you think is the best way to cheer someone up when they are having a stressful day?"

The "Healthy Heroes" Home Challenge

To celebrate the special men in your family, we invite students to team up with a male role model this month and complete these fun health challenges together:

• Get Moving Together: Go for a 20-minute walk, kick a footy at the park, or have a silly 3-minute kitchen dance-off.
• Fuel Your Engine: Cook a healthy meal together, making sure to include at least two different colored vegetables.

• The "Highs & Lows" Chat: At dinner or bedtime, share one great thing about your day 
•  (a high) and one tricky thing (a low). Showing kids that adults have "lows" too teaches them emotional resilience!

A Quick Reminder for Our School Dads & Male Carers

To all the incredible men supporting our students: thank you for everything you do. Please remember to look after yourselves with the same care and dedication that you show your kids. Book that health check, reach out to a mate for a coffee, and take a moment for your own wellbeing this month!

"A healthy hero isn't someone who never falls down—it's someone who takes care of their body and isn't afraid to ask for help when they need it."