Respectful Relationships

Term 3 RR Topics

To begin this term, most classes across the school in Respectful Relationships lessons, have begun learning activities on the topic of Help Seeking. This topic is of high importance because learning activities in this area are designed to help students discuss the importance of seeking help and providing peer support when dealing with problems that are too big to solve alone. As teachers, we often see students seek help after issues have either blown up to the point where poor decisions have been made, or well after a problem, such as bullying, has been going on for quite some time. These types of situations can be difficult to deal with and resolve so it is important that we teach students, both at school and at home, to seek help early on, before problems become out of hand and that it is important to be an active bystander.

Learning about this topic also helps to normalise and de-stigmatise help-seeking behaviour. Students will participate in scenario-based activities that help students identify situations in which help should be sought, identify trusted sources of help, and practice seeking help from peers and adults. We encourage parents/carers to discuss what students have been learning in the RRs to further build on their learning and encourage help seeking behaviours.

Following this topic, in a few weeks as we move towards the middle of term, most year levels move into a new and recently update topic of Gender Norms and Stereotypes. This topic covers age appropriate activities based around:

• Challenging gender stereotypes
• Detecting and challenging the limiting nature of gender norms/stereotypes
• Understanding and critiquing the influence of gender norms on our attitudes and behaviour

Students also learn about key issues relating to - Human Rights, Gender Identity and the Importance of Respectful Gender Relationships.

We stress that all activities and lessons are age appropriate and LPS values the importance of these topics, along with the topics already covered, aiming to teach students to be respectful and resilient human beings. Should you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming topics, we encourage you to access the following links where you can find frequently asked questions and each year level's curriculum and lesson plans so you can see more specifically what's covered. If you still have concerns then please contact the school: 

http://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/ResourcePackage/ByPin?pin=2JZX4R 

https://www.vic.gov.au/respectful-relationships#myths-and-facts 

Upcoming event - Bullying No Way: National Week of action - August 11th-15th

There is less than a month until the Bullying No Way: National week of action. Bullying No Way Week is an opportunity to promote the importance of peer, school, parent and community connections – where every child feels safe, supported and respected. 

This year’s theme is ‘Be Bold. Be Kind. Speak Up.’ and LPS along with LSC and SGSS will be promoting this message through daily videos and whole school activities across the week. Watch this space for more information.