From the  Assistant Principal's Desk - Wellbeing

Early this term some of our Meadows Primary School staff attended the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) training.  The BSEM is an educator-designed and evidence-led framework that empowers schools to create classrooms where every student is ready to learn and able to thrive.  The five domains of the BSEM connect with child development capacities that each student must build in order to be ‘Ready to Learn’.  When teachers are planning how to best meet the needs of our students, they focus on building self-regulation skills, relational capacity and nurture willingness to engage in learning. These five domains are listed below.

Using a whole school approach to education, the BSEM provides proven strategies for teachers to implement in the learning community. It empowers and equips educators to help all students succeed.  By increasing the engagement of students with complex, unmet learning needs and successfully improve all students’ self-regulation, relationships, wellbeing, growth and academic achievement with teaching strategies that incorporate trauma-informed teaching, positive education, and wellbeing practices.

For more information see https://www.berrystreet.org.au

One of the BSEM strategies that MPS implements every day is the Morning Circle which takes approximately 5 minutes at the start of every day. 

See below for the structure of our Morning Circles at MPS:

The first 5 minutes of class are critical for setting the tone for the rest of the learning. Consistent rhythms and routines, particularly ones that embed intentional positive micro-moments, are powerful healing interventions as they help build confidence that positive events will occur. Welcome circles – nurture routines that support engagement in learning and wellbeing and are a key strategy for consistently embedding strengths and also tending to the body and relational connection.

This routine of forming a circle with our young people to review key values and expectations and celebrate any announcements and successes, serves as a threshold between the outside world and the complex task of learning. It allows young people to ground themselves, co-regulate and establish a common rhythm for the learning day. Schools are often pressed for time, and it can be tempting to jump straight into learning, however, when we take the time to check in and connect with our young people, we are not only setting them up to get much more out of the learning, but we are providing an opportunity for us, as educators, to get on the front foot of any potential issues that may present as speedbumps for learning.

WHAT ARE BRAIN BREAKS?

Our staff incorporate several Brain Breaks throughout the course of their day.

Brain breaks are short, structured breaks from learning activities designed to refresh the mind, improve focus, and enhance learning. They involve physical or mental exercises that help students reset, refocus, and return to their tasks with renewed energy and improved cognitive function. 

BRAIN BREAKS YOU CAN DO AT HOME