Engagement & Wellbeing

We are counting down the days to our annual Be Awesome Day! For this day to be a roaring success, we require lots and lots of donations from our wonderful community! Please refer to your child/ren’s cohort page in the newsletter to see how you can donate towards the stalls. You are welcome to check out each cohort page to see if there are any other stalls you could assist.

Compass Canteen will be used for families to purchase passports and pre-order your sausages. A Compass newsfeed with details on how to order will be released next week. Class teachers will also put out a call for parents to help man their stall in 15-minute intervals.

We also require volunteers to cook our sausage sizzle on the day. If you are willing and able, please contact us via lauren.schulz@education.vic.gov.au.

This is our major school fundraiser and we couldn’t do this without your support. We thank you in advance for your generosity!

Be Awesome Team

RRRR

As part of our Resilience, Rights & Respectful Relationships program, students will be exploring the topic of 'Positive Gender Relations' in Term 4. 

This topic, as with others within the RRRR, addresses specific areas of the Victorian Curriculum, including elements of English, Personal and Social Capability, and Health and Physical Education. The evidence base for this particular unit of work is addressed below: 

• Patterns of gender-based violence in society affect children and young people. Family violence is often witnessed by the children who live in the household.
• In Australia, domestic, family and sexual violence is found across all cultures, ages and socio-economic groups, but the majority of those who experience these forms of violence are women. This means that some children have seen violence perpetrated against their mother. Others have been the victims of violence in the home. 
• Children who witness family violence are more likely to be affected by violence as adults, either as victims of partner violence, or as perpetrators of violence against children or partners. Some research shows that boys who witness their father use violence against their mother are up to five times more likely to use violence against their own partner when they grow up.

Studies show that initiatives, such as RRRR, can make a real difference, producing lasting change in attitudes and behaviours in students. Providing clear classroom programs to all students is a key part of our whole school approach to preventing gender-based violence and promoting positive relationships, now and in the future. 

Activities that the Grade 5 and 6 students will undertake within this unit include: 

• Identifying different manifestations of gender-based violence, including physical, verbal, psychological and sexual, and the ways in which these types of violence can play out in face-to-face and digital environments 

• Exploring the relationship between negative gender norms and acceptance of gender-based violence 

• Identifying and practicing behaviours that demonstrate respect and recognition of the rights of others within interpersonal relationships 

• Demonstrating the use of protective and assertive behaviours that can be used to maintain safety or dignity in situations involving gender-based violence 

• Demonstrating proactive peer support and help-seeking strategies that can be used in response to instances of gender-based violence.

SWPBS 

During our first two weeks back of Term 4, Prep Mortlock students have been revisiting our classroom expectations. In particular, we have been working on 'giving 5' during mat time (ears listening, legs crossed, eyes watching, hands in your lap, mouths quiet). Miss Mortlock and her 'leader' have been looking for students that are displaying these behaviours each day for Gugu stickers. We have lots of students who are working hard to get their 50 or 100 Gugu certificate. 

All students at SGPS have settled back into Term 4 extremely well and are working hard to reach the highest level they can on our school Gugu puzzle. Students are excited to find out what our Term 4 rewards are going to be (announced soon). 

UPSTANDER TRAINING

Our SRC members attended Upstander Training this week! On Monday, the SRC, along with other school current and future leaders, learned about how stereotypes are formed, prejudice is felt and discrimination comes out through words and actions. We heard incredible stories from families of Holocaust survivors, brave men and women who risked their lives to stand up against the unfair treatment of others. We even had a Holocaust survivor share her stories from her memories as a young child.

We would like to thank the Courage to Care Team for their time and commitment in teaching our students the importance of being an upstander!!

SRC  Feedback

I liked the story about the Mother. They told us how if these people hadn’t been Upstanders, the mother wouldn’t have survived. I thought that if I was an upstander then I could help people too.

Hannah J

I really liked it. It was encouraging and told us how to be an upstander instead of a bystander.

Baylee M

I liked the slideshow and giving opinions. I think as SRC members it’s important that we are upstanders. I think most of the kids absorbed the information and ideas.

Nihira G