Alphington Primary School Newsletter

Classroom News

Brainstorm Productions - 'Being Brave'

This week, our Year 4 and 5 students participated in a performance by Brainstorm Productions, titled ‘Being Brave’. It tackled many issues and supplemented the APS Wellbeing curriculum. It might be a nice opportunity to talk to your children about the show and the themes and issues that were raised within the show. 

Here is a blurb about the show:

When children experience change, bullying, loss and other stressful life events, it can have a huge impact on their behaviour and wellbeing. They may worry about themselves, their families and the world.

Being Brave is a live show that gives students positive strategies to cope with emotions and adapt to change at school, at home and online. Fly is a young boy whose parents have separated. He misses his dad desperately and tries to be brave by keeping his emotions ‘bottled up’. He meets Isha, who has been forced to come to a new country. Tim is being bullied and Billie is learning to face her fears. Mrs Russo wants to connect safely with her family online and Celia is coming to terms with loss in her family.

By connecting with the people in his community, Fly discovers the true meaning of being brave: sharing stories, showing feelings, keeping good memories and living life. 

 

For more information, please see this website: https://www.brainstormproductions.edu.au/ 

 

Sports and Drama Action Teams

Dear APS Families,

We are the Sports and Drama Action Teams and we have an exciting opportunity for students across APS! 

This term we will be running fun activities in the gym at Tuesday lunch times. 

Here is the schedule for the term:

Week 4Sports Foundation
Week 5DramaAll are welcome 
Week 6SportsYear 1
Week 7DramaAll are welcome 
Week 8SportsYear 2 
Week 9Drama All are welcome 

Don’t worry if you’re in Year 3-6 you won’t miss out. Your sport session will be in Term 4! 

If you are interested in coming along and joining in please meet us in the gym after the bell at 1:40pm. 

We can’t wait to see you there!

From,

The Sports Action Team - Toby, Harrison, Eddie and Carter

The Drama Action Team - Claudia, Ella Stray, Aria, Edie

Material Aid Drive for 300 Blankets 

Friday 8th August - Friday 22nd August.

If possible, please donate the items above.

Collection tubs will be in the Main Office 

 

Thank You

From The Community Outreach Action Team

Prime Minister's Spelling Bee

Registration forms have been sent home to students in Yrs 3-6 and are due back at school by Monday 11 August. Full details below:

Responding to Anxiety in Children

Dear Parents, 

As mentioned 2 weeks ago, we’ll be running an informative series in the school newsletters, written by Australian Child Psychologist, Michael Hawton. 

Michael (a former teacher himself) has spoken with hundreds of school leaders nationwide through a range of workshops addressing child and teen anxiety.  Based on his close work in the education sector for many decades, Michael believes that far more parents are prematurely jumping in to fix a problem on their child’s behalf than was the case a generation ago. 

Over the next six weeks, we’ll be exploring what anxiety looks like, what parents can do to alleviate anxious behaviours in children, and how ’jumping in’ to fix a perceived wrong-doing to a child may in fact be reducing a child’s ability to resolve problems independently. The articles will also include some tips and strategies for parents to address anxiety early. 

We hope you enjoy the upcoming series and welcome any feedback you may have.

 

Responding to Anxiety in Children

What you can do as a parent

By Michael Hawton, Child Psychologist (MAPS) and Parentshop founder.

In the previous article I cited the work of Professor Patrick McGorry and his colleagues in The Lancet Psychiatry Commission highlighting the mental health crisis facing our young people.

McGorry's Commission highlights several factors contributing to the current mental health crisis among Australian youth. Social media exposure, climate anxiety, and what they term "global megatrends" are creating unprecedented pressures on developing minds.¹ As parents, you're navigating uncharted territory—our children face challenges we never encountered at their age.

This reality means we need to be more vigilant than previous generations about recognising early warning signs. The old approach of "they'll grow out of it" is no longer sufficient when dealing with the current epidemic of childhood anxiety.

Here's where I want to emphasise something crucial: research shows that when significant adults in a child's life learn how to respond appropriately to anxiety, their intervention can be as effective as professional psychological treatment for mild to moderate anxiety levels.[1] This means that as parents, you have more power than you might realise to help your child develop coping skills.

However, many parents hesitate to intervene because they worry about being "mean" or making things worse. This is misguided thinking. Teaching children to challenge anxious thoughts and face manageable fears isn't cruel—it's essential preparation for life's inevitable challenges. As I often say, it's better to prepare the child for the road rather than the road for the child.

Red Flags That Warrant Professional Help

While many children can manage anxiety with family support, certain warning signs indicate the need for professional intervention:

  • Anxiety that persists despite consistent family support and doesn't improve over several weeks
  • Severe avoidance behaviours that significantly disrupt school attendance or family functioning 
  • Physical symptoms such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, or panic attacks
  • Any mention of self-harm or suicidal thoughts
  • Anxiety that's accompanied by depression, eating disorder behaviours, or substance use.

The goal isn't to eliminate anxiety entirely—that's neither possible nor desirable. Instead, we want to help children develop what I call "robustification" skills. This involves teaching them to recognise anxious thoughts, question their validity, and develop practical coping strategies.

Start by helping your child understand that anxiety is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences. Normalise the feeling while teaching them that they don't have to be controlled by it. Encourage problem-solving rather than avoidance and model calm responses to stress in your own life.

Create predictable routines and environments that foster a sense of security, whilst gradually exposing your child to manageable challenges that build confidence. Remember, building resilience is like strengthening a muscle—it requires consistent, progressive effort.

Given the scale of the mental health crisis documented by McGorry and his colleagues, we can't afford to wait for symptoms to become severe before acting. Early recognition and intervention are our best tools for helping children develop the resilience they'll need to navigate an increasingly complex world.

As parents and community members, we have a responsibility to become more skilled at recognising anxiety in children and responding effectively. This isn't about creating a generation of anxious parents, but rather about equipping ourselves with the knowledge and tools needed to support our children's mental health in challenging times.

By learning to recognise anxiety early and responding with appropriate support for your child, we can help reverse the troubling trajectory that McGorry's research has identified and give our children the tools they need to thrive.

References:

1. McGorry, P.D., Mei, C., Dalal, N., et al. (2024). The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on youth mental health. The Lancet Psychiatry, 11(9), 731-774.

2. Creswell, C., Parkinson, M., Thirwall, K., & Willetts, L. (2017). Parent led CBT for child anxiety. Guilford Press: New York.