Wellbeing

PBL

At SFS, our PBL (Positive Behaviours for Learning) school wide expectations are:

Respect,

Responsibility and

Kindness

This week we focused on RESPECT in the LEARNING SPACE: Listen and Follow instructions. The students continued to learn about Respect in the Learning Space. They discussed what it looks like, sounds like and feels like and practiced scenarios where they need to listen and follow instructions.

Here are some of our lucky PBL raffle winners who have been demonstrating our school expectations. Well done to all the students.

10 reasons to praise your partner in front of your kids

The following tips were taken from Big Life Journal and they talk about how important our words and actions are with our husband or wife, in modelling behaviours for our children.

If we model what appreciation looks like with our spouse, then our children can see it in action and copy what we do in their interactions with others. So next time your partner does something for you to help you out, thank them out loud using detail such as “I really appreciate you doing the shopping, it made my day much easier”.

Here are 10 reasons why praising your spouse in front of your kids is important.

“1. It models healthy relationships

2. It builds emotional security

Hearing positive interactions between parents reassures kids that their family is stable and safe.

3. It teaches gratitude

Kids absorb the importance of appreciating others and expressing gratitude for their efforts. Children learn to focus on strengths rather than faults by observing constructive and affirming conversations.

4. It promotes positive communication.

5. It encourages respect for others

Praising your spouse shows kids how to respect and uplift those they care about, which they’ll carry into their own relationships.

6. It reduces conflict

Positive words between parents can create a more harmonious home environment,

lowering stress for everyone. When kids see their parents treating each other well, they feel more confident and secure about their own place in the family.

7. It boosts children’s self-esteem

Children see that strong relationships thrive on mutual support and collaboration,

teaching them the value of working together.

8. It demonstrates teamwork

Your behaviour sets the foundation for what your kids will look for in friendships, partnerships, and even marriage.

9. It inspires future relationships

Praising your spouse creates a culture of kindness, making the home a more joyful and loving place for everyone

10. It fosters a positive family atmosphere”.

SRC (Student Representative Council)

We will be having an SRC (Student Representative Council) again this year at SFS.

Teachers are in the process of selecting students and we will be having our first weekly meeting very soon. The SRC is a group of students elected to represent all students within the school. SRC's work democratically to represent the student body in school decision-making and organise ways for students to participate in and enjoy school life.

The children will be awarded their SRC badges at a school assembly, details to be confirmed. It is important that schools allow children an opportunity to have a voice in decisions that affect them at school and allow them to show agency.

Respectful Relationships

The Respectful Relationships curriculum is taught at SFS as part of the SWAP (Student Wellbeing and Performing Arts) specialist subject as well as through Inquiry units and Circle time. It supports students to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed for respectful relationships, and helps to build respect and equality across the entire school community.

Research tells us that providing respectful relationships education at school can lead to positive impacts on students’ academic outcomes, their mental health, classroom behaviour and relationships.The Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships resources have 8 topics that teach students about emotional literacy, personal and cultural strengths, resilience, problem-solving, stress-management, help-seeking, gender norms and stereotypes and positive gender relations.

In Term 1 we are exploring the topic called Personal and Cultural Strengths. Topic 2: Personal and Cultural Strengths helps students to learn how to recognise and understand their own and others’ strengths and positive qualities, and how to identify how the values and strengths they learn from their family and culture help them to treat others with respect.

If you have any questions about Respectful Relationships education, you can contact Rachel Lenko or visit the Victorian Government’s Respectful Relationships page: https://www.vic.gov.au/respectful-relationships

If you have any concerns about the mental health or wellbeing of your child, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am available to speak to at school, via the phone or email on rlenko@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au

Rachel Lenko

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader