Wellbeing MATTERS!

Dear Families,

“Be Their Best” is something we want for our children no matter where they are or what they are doing! Being successful at school, in their chosen sport, playing a musical instrument, with their friendships or just about in every aspect of their lives requires resilience, persistence and attitude - the “I can” way of doing things. You as their Parents and us as their Teachers have a pretty big influence on how children are successful.

This week I am continuing with the list of tips that can help our children to learn, stay motivated with their lives and school to be their best!

Last week we covered: Get involved at school; Show positivity and be active in your child’s learning; Encourage them to talk about their day at school; Read together, do homework together. This week’s tips are:

Praising - Children love to hear positive and encouraging words from their Parents and teachers. It is a reassurance for them that they are doing well and are pleasing in their eyes. It boosts their self-esteem and self-confidence. Celebrate all achievements they have made at school, whether it is receiving a sticker in class, or a certificate in assembly. Praises allow your child to create an awareness and association that positive actions lead to positive rewards. However, not all praises are equal. Praises should be given to sustained effort, and not just for a great outcome.

[Over-praising or ‘inappropriate’ praising (such as praising insincerely) may actually back-fire and could lead to the opposite effect whereby children are continuously seeking approval from their parents, become over-confident or subsequently, develop a lack of desire to undertake more challenging tasks in fear of failure.]

Praising appropriately falls under a list of methods that is used to encourage your child to develop a growth mindset. Growth mindset is the belief that you can control your own ability through learning and improving. A fixed mindset, on the other hand, is the belief that a person is born with a fixed amount of intelligence, traits and talents and nothing can be done to improve or change it. Children with a growth mindset believe that they have the ability of achieving their goals if they put in effort and hardwork to get there.

Give them an opportunity to play - Not everything is about homework and school. Give them a chance to be children and play. Play is relaxing, play is fun, and play is also learning. A school day is long enough, especially when after school activities are added in. Making sure that they have a chance to unwind after school each day is worthwhile for them to not be overwhelmed with tasks. It also gives them an opportunity to recharge and de-stress from a busy day.

Create structure for your child - Children need structure. They need to know routines, what is expected of them when they finish school, right up to bedtime. Giving them structure will allow them to be more independent and give them a sense of responsibility as they become familiar with, and take charge of their own routine. Independence, time management, and a great sense of responsibility are all great qualities to have as they progress through school.

Prepare the night before to create less rush in the morning - A rushed morning often involves a lot of nagging, raised voices and even tears. Start the day less rushed and children will feel less stressed when they arrive at school. Set the day up for a good start. Pack school bags the night before with homework books, prepare as much of their school meals as possible the night before, lay out their uniforms (you can even choose your own clothes the night before too). The more you can do the night before, the smoother your morning will be. No one wants to start their day off on a bad note.

As we can see, Parental involvement through support and engagement in children’s education is vital in helping our children stay motivated and learn. Success at school and indeed, all aspects of life can be defined in many ways. Each family may have their own definition of success depending on what they see as important to them. One family may see top test scores as success, while another family may define success as their child having a friend to play with at lunch time.

Ultimately, success at school is when we know that our children enjoy being at school, playing sports and show an enthusiasm towards learning and life. Teachers teaching at school, and Parents teaching at home; when these two are combined, will give your children the best chance to truly reach their greatest potential. To “Be their Best!”

Please feel free to contact me if you have any concerns or queries.

Debbie Turvey

Pastoral Wellbeing & Learning Diversity Leader

dturvey@shtatura.catholic.edu.au

(03) 5824 1841

Stay tuned in our school newsletter for more ideas and conversations around promoting wellbeing and learning in our school community.

Have a great week, make the choice, be your best!