From the Deputy Principal

School Values

This week a had quite a few chilly starts to the morning, but this has not stopped the learning during the week. It has been another busy week at Living Waters. 

For the first three weeks of this term, we are focusing on the value Endeavour and having a growth mindset. If you are not familiar with the term, let me explain. A mindset, according to psychologist Carol Dweck, is a perception that people hold about themselves. People can be aware or unaware of their mindsets and it has a profound effect on learning achievements, skill acquisitions and many other areas in life. There are two types of mindsets: fixed or growth. 

A fixed mindset is a belief that talents and learning is fixed and cannot grow.  You are born with a certain level of ability, and we are unable to improve our level of ability over time. 

A growth mindset occurs when we believe our intelligence and abilities can be improved with effort and the right strategies. A willingness to confront challenges, passion for learning and viewing failures as a springboard for growth are all characters associated with a growth mindset. 

Research has shown that our brains are constantly growing and changing. Developing a growth mindset is a lifelong journey. There are many ways we can develop a growth mindset in ourselves and our children. 

• Practising positive self-talk or mantras
• The “power of yet.” Sometimes things are difficult and take time to practice before succeeding. Remind children to have an attitude of “I can’t do this YET” but that one day soon, I WILL!
• There are many story books that show how to have a growth mindset e.g., Giraffes Can’t Dance, The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes, The Koala who Could and many more. 

Children’s University

On Tuesday night we had a parent launch for the Children’ University. We had a fantastic turn out! A big thank you to all the families who came to find out a little more about the program.  We have a very enthusiastic group of 30 children who applied to participate this year. They have been doing learning online and at different learning destinations around town and interstate. 

Miss Megan Nertney