Assistant Principals' Report
Dear HPS Community,
This week we would like to share an example of a group of Year 6 students demonstrating our school values of respect, resilience, responsibility and compassion. The students are participating in the Push Up Challenge where the aim is to do 3249 pushups from the 5th to the 23rd of June. In their words, 'we are pumped to be raising money for mental health and get those muscles for summer'.
From the students participating...
About the challenge:
The Push For Better Foundation has a fundraiser called The Push Up Challenge to raise funds for mental health. The aim of the challenge is to push yourself to do as much physical activity as possible while raising money for charity. Any donations will support people and families across the world. You can join the challenge by downloading the Push for Better app or signing up on the website at https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au
Where we are doing it:
We are doing push ups wherever we can....home, school, park and more. Anywhere flat can work to do a push up!!
Why we are doing it:
We are doing the push up challenge because we want to get stronger physically and mentally. We also want to raise money for the people who struggle with mental health. We are willing to push to the limit and do as many as possible for the people in need. Any money that has been donated goes to the charity, HeadSpace. We have already raised just under $400 and our goal is $1000. We are 40% of the way there!!
We wish to thank the students for demonstrating our values inside and outside of school, and being such fabulous role models to others. We are proud of their commitment to raise funds for and awareness of the importance of mental and physical health.
On the subject of promoting positive mental health, research shows that students who participate in rigorously designed and well-taught social and emotional learning programs, such as Respectful Relationships, demonstrate more positive social behaviour, are less likely to engage in risky and disruptive behaviour, and show improved academic outcomes. Building a large vocabulary for emotions helps to increase emotional literacy, build self-awareness and empathy.
Kids Helpline has many resources to support parents, families and children. Attached is an article related to helping children identify and express feelings:
https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/helping-kids-identify-and-express-feelings
Have a great weekend!
Helen Thomas & Monique Rankin
Assistant Principals
Heidelberg Primary School