Dear Karoo Community,

What another exciting fortnight that we have had at Karoo PS! So many wonderful experiences and learning opportunities that have occurred and I have no doubt there are many more to come before the end of the Term.

At Karoo PS, we continue to have a strong focus on supporting the development of the whole child, knowing that nurturing a child's social and emotional wellbeing, in turn supports their ability to engage in their academic learning. As a result, in every class, every day each student engages in Circle Time, reflects on their Zone of Regulation and strategies to support them in each of the zones. Every week, students also engage in Wellbeing lessons, which focus on a range of developmentally targeted learning opportunities and our staff utilise the RRRR curriculum to support students in their social and emotional learning.

Respectful Relationships (RR) and Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR)

Respectful Relationships takes a whole-school approach and recognises that schools are places of learning and a key part of local communities. It embeds a culture of respect and equity across our entire school community, from our classrooms to our staffrooms, sporting fields, social media and social events.

As part of Respectful Relationships, throughout the school year, all students across our school engage in learning through the 8 units of the RRRR curriculum. In term 1, our students will be participating lessons focusing on Unit 1: Emotional Literacy.

Emotional literacy is described as the ability to understand ourselves and other people. This includes the ability to understand, express and manage our own emotions, build empathy and to respond appropriately to the emotions of others. The students focus on building their emotional vocabulary which helps increase emotional literacy, self awareness and empathy for others.

Zones of Regulation

At Karoo PS we support students to develop a greater understanding of their emotions and to regulate their emotions by utilising the Zones of Regulation framework. The Zones of Regulation (Kuypers, 2011) is a framework to develop self-regulation and emotional control. It is a systematic and cognitive behaviour approach that categorises our emotions and states of alertness that we experience into four zones; The blue, green, yellow and red zone. Optimal learning occurs in the Green Zone. However, there are different emotions that are experienced with the four different zones. The diagram below lists the common emotions that can be experienced in the different zones.

It is important to remember that there is no 'right' zone and that all emotions are valid. When learning about the Zones, the focus is on what do we do when we are in the different zones to support us to learn and engage with the world effectively. Utlising the Zones of Regulation provides our students with learning opportunities to increase their repertoire of emotional language and strategies which they can then use to support themselves when they are experiencing different feelings.

Strategies to help children recognise and regulate their emotions?

Help children put words to what they are feeling. Ask them how they are feeling and help them label their feelings to build their emotional vocabulary
Emphathise with how your child is feeling and normalise it. You can say ‘I can see you are feeling ….. because your body is ……….. I have felt that way too.’ This helps your child to feel that their emotion is okay and that they are not the only person who feels this way sometimes and that you understand how they are feeling.
Share things that you do to feel better. Such as going for a walk, counting to ten, deep breathing, mindfulness exercise or talking to a trusted friend. Or ask your child ‘What do you think we could do that might help right now?’
Fully listen to what your child is saying and watch their body language. You can validate what they have told you by saying things like ‘from what I am hearing, it sounds like you are really angry about ……. Or it sounds like you are feeling frustrated about ……….’
Use a framework to discuss emotions, such as the Zones of Regulation. This enables consistent language to be used to identify emotions and strategies to support students when they feel they are in a particular zone.
Discuss problem solving strategies with your child. This helps them to more clearly identify a problem, brainstorm possible solutions, think about them and select the most appropriate course of action.
Encourage and model positive self-talk and a growth mindset. Model how to use positive self-talk to encourage yourself. Support your child to recognise negative thoughts and how to replace them with positive and empowering statements.
Provide visual Cues when needed. Providing children with visual clues can help them manage their time and to understand how changes in their world can impact their emotions and how to manage this.
Provide breaks and movement opportunities. Encourage your child to take breaks to release energy and improve focus and concentration.
Remember that as a parent you don’t always have to solve what your child is going through. Listen, reflect and support them to problem solve through the struggle or challenge. This will help promote the development of their self-esteem, as they learn that they can move through a challenging time and be okay on the other side.

If you would like further information regarding the Zones of Regulation or strategies to use at home to support your child's learning around understanding feelings and Zones of Regulation, please don't hesitate to contact the school and your child's teacher.

Child Safety - Child Safe Standards

Karoo Primary School is a child safe organisation which welcomes all children, young people and their families. We are committed to providing environments where our students are safe and feel safe, where their participation is valued, their views respected, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives.

Our child safe policies, strategies and practices are inclusive of the needs of all children and students. We have no tolerance for child abuse and take proactive steps to identify and manage any risks of harm to students in our school environments. We promote positive relationships between students and adults and between students and their peers. These relationships are based on trust and respect. We take proactive steps to identify and manage any risk of harm to students in our school environment.

When child safety concerns are raised or identified, we treat these seriously and respond promptly and thoroughly. Particular attention is given to the child safety needs of Aboriginal students, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, international students, students with disabilities, those unable to live at home, and any students experiencing risk or vulnerability.

Child safety is a shared responsibility. Every person involved in our school has an important role in promoting child safety and wellbeing and promptly raising any issues or concerns about a child’s safety.

Wellbeing Groups

Our 2024 Wellbeing groups will commence in next week and there are many excited students who can't wait to take part. In our Wellbeing groups our students have the opportunity to learn further about key skills and strategies to support them in their social and emotional development, as well as build relationships with more members of our school community. These groups are facilitated by our sensational Educational Support Staff, who have been trained by a counsellor, and run for approximately 10 weeks. During this time, students learn about key skills and strategies, in a safe and supportive small group environment.

At Karoo PS, we offer four wellbeing groups:

Let's Talk About Anxiety and Worry
Let's Talk About Social Skills
Let's Talk About Growth Mindset
Let's Talk About Grief and Loss

If you believe that a wellbeing group would support your child in their development, please don't hesitate to talk to your child's classroom teacher about the opportunities that we have at Karoo PS.

In our lives we often have situations that arise in which we may need further support. In these situations it is important to remember that reaching out for support when you need it, is a sign of strength. If you or someone that you know may be feeling like they need to talk to someone about further, our school can provide you with connections to key organisations. One key organisation that we often refer to is called 'The Orange Door.' The purpose of 'The Orange Door' organisation is to listen to you and help connect you to the supports that you may need. You can visit them face to face, call over the phone or email.

For further information please use the link below to 'The Orange Doors' website or come speak to myself or your child's teacher.

Orange Door Website: https://www.orangedoor.vic.gov.au/

I hope that you all have a wonderful fortnight and I look forward to seeing everyone around our amazing school!

Kind Regards,

Courtney Hoffmann

From the Classroom

Year 5 Camp Reflections