Positive Futures News
What is the EDSC Positive Futures program?
Positive Education brings together the science of positive psychology with best-practice teaching.
The school’s journey with Positive Education began in 2012 with Positive Education focuses and values implemented across each year level and over time has evolved into the whole school approach launched in 2020.
Our Positive Futures program has some very clear goals:
- We want to improve student quality of life and their engagement with others, including with their teachers.
- We seek to develop students in a more holistic way, with a stronger focus on wellbeing.
There are six tenets of Positive Psychology that are embedded into our model:
Positive Health – Positive Self
Developing knowledge, understanding and skills to promote health and well – being.
Positive Relationships
Nurturing positive relationships based on respect.
Accomplishment
Generating hope and optimism through the accomplishment of personal and community goals
Positive Emotion
Building and experiencing positive emotion.
Meaning
Believing in serving something greater than ourselves.
Positive Engagement
Developing critical thinkers by promoting challenge, curiosity and creativity.
More resources and information can be found here:
https://www.eastdonsc.vic.edu.au/wellbeing-engagement-positive-futures
Positive Futures Update
Due to the extension of lockdown our Positive Futures classes have been continuing online with students and teachers having meetings, playing games, encouraging physical activity and checking in on each other.
Last week we encouraged staff and students to focus on respectful relationships. Ms Petty who is our Daily Organiser shared this with us after she had met with her Positive Futures group.
“Please find attached a photo of what your encouragement led me to do during Positive Futures… then I walked to the postal box to post a letter to my sister-in-law.”
Ms Wheeler also shared with her group an Altruistic August calendar to encourage acts of kindness and gratitude throughout this month. Refer to the document included below.
We look forward to seeing all our students once we return to school.
Institute of Positive Education - Wellbeing at Home activities
We know that this period of extended lockdown is hard on everyone. Here are some articles that may assist and guide members of our school community to practice self-compassion and to flourish.
https://instituteofpositiveeducation.com/blogs/wellbeing-at-home-activities/feel-great-with-8
https://instituteofpositiveeducation.com/blogs/wellbeing-at-home-activities/five-ways-to-flourish
Positive Futures Book of the Week
Kristin Neff offers practical, wise guidance on the path of emotional healing and deep inner transformation.' Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance.
Kristin Neff PhD, is a professor in educational psychology, and the world's expert on self-compassion. A pioneer who established self-compassion as a field of study, Kristin offers a powerful solution for combating negativity and insecurity - the symptoms of living in a high-pressure world.
Through tried and tested exercises and audio downloads, readers learn the 3 core components that will help to heal destructive emotional patterns so that you can become healthier, happier, and replace negative and destructive measures of self-worth and success with a kinder and non-judgemental approach.
Self-Compassion recognises that we all have weaknesses and limitations, but in accepting this we can discover new ways to achieve improved self-confidence, contentment and reach our highest potential. Simply, easily and compassionately. Kristin Neff's expert and practical advice offers a completely new set of personal development tools that will benefit everyone.'
A portable friend to all readers ... who need to learn that the Golden Rule works only if it's reversible: We must learn to treat ourselves as well as we wish to treat others.' Gloria Steinem
'A beautiful book that helps us all see the way to cure the world - one person at a time - starting with yourself. Read it and start the journey.' Rosie O'Donnell
Rebecca James
Student Engagement and Connection Learning Specialist