Faith & Wellbeing
WELLBEING
Dear Parents,
Once again we are faced with a 7 day lockdown that will last who knows how long. We are all experiencing our own challenges at this time, yet when I look at the news of what is happening in Kabul I feel lucky. Maybe we don’t all see it that way at the moment, but in time I am sure we will. Many of our staff are working at home alone looking after their own children whilst their partner goes to work. Or Vice Versa, our partners are at home looking after our children whilst we come to school to supervise our onsite students. How lucky are we to have the ability to do this, even as hard as it is.
As you are aware this term we are holding a trial through a program called Ripple. Ripple is a wellbeing survey that our students complete every Tuesday and Thursday. This data helps us to be able to shape our conversations with classes or with individuals. Every time a student completes a Ripple, the data goes into the form of a heatmap. The Blue colour indicates that particular rating is tracking well. The red indicates not so well. Here is an example.
During last year's remote learning I was lucky enough to be involved in a PD with Miriam Rose and from that PD we have embedded a number of First Nations people's practices into our daily lives at school. Please watch the video below from Gregory Nicolau - Ripple, the founder of Ripple, talking about the value of including Dadirri in our lives each day.
DADIRRI - Being the boss of your feelings so you can create change
Helplines
As mentioned in an email sent earlier this week, a reminder that in all year levels the wellbeing of our students is our primary concern. We ask that all parents closely monitor their children to assess how they are handling the ramifications of lockdown. This can include the disappointment that comes with events being cancelled, sporting activities shutting down, missing friends and social activities or just feeling down about the current situation.
The links below provide some information you may find helpful.
Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636
Headspace – 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
Lifeline – 13 11 14
Parentline – 13 22 89
Managing Challenging Behaviours whilst at home during Remote Learning
Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you know that when caring for a plant, there's A LOT that happens on the surface of the soil.
The plant sprouts, you water it, the sun helps it grow, etc.
But beneath the surface, there's even more happening: there's a lot of unseen growth and development.
Understanding what’s happening underneath the surface is as important as watching and reacting to what's happening on the surface.
Parenting is similar to gardening in this way.
We see our children’s behavior on the “surface.”
And often, we pay attention to their challenging behavior. Those times they can’t seem to sit still or show some really big, really unpleasant emotions.
But how often do we take a moment to think about what’s going for them "under the surface"?
How often do we consider the root causes of their behavior?
Just like those plants sprouting up in the soil, there's a lot of growth happening in our children at the “root” level: emotional skills being developed, mindsets forming, and worries emerging.
Sometimes in our effort to handle the surface-level behavior, we might overlook the underlying causes.
We might say something like:
“Why can’t you be as quiet in class as your friends?”
This unintentional use of shame breaks their spirit and takes our focus away from what’s going on at the root level.
Instead, bring your focus back to your child’s needs to understand the root causes of their behavior:
Why are they acting this way? What do they need right now?
Mrs Georgia McNamara
Student Wellbeing Leader
gmcnamara@stjamesbrighton.catholic.edu.au
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
For Parish Newsletters, please refer to the new Parish Website
https://www.baysidecatholicmission.org/
Emma Herbert
RE Leader
eherbert@stjamesbrighton.catholic.edu.au