Assistant Principal's Message

We would like to extend our thanks to all the parents who attended our recent Wellbeing Open Afternoon. Your presence made the event a resounding success, and it was a pleasure to have you with us as we showcased the work we do in the field of wellbeing at Toorak Primary School. We believe it's essential for parents to be informed about the tools and techniques we employ to support our students' emotional and mental growth. By understanding these strategies, you 

can better support your children's well-being 

both at home and at school. Below is an overview of what occurred in each of the classrooms on the afternoon of the Wellbeing Open Classroom: In Prep, the lesson focus from Respectful Relationships was on Playing Fairly. The students engaged in class discussions, story time, and played with their parents practising the skill of sharing. In Year One, the lesson focus from Respectful Relationships was on Positive Coping. The students engaged in a class discussion on Resilience and played a range of games to practise coping skills and how we use strategies to support us in difficult times. In Year Two, the lesson focus from Respectful Relationships was on Regulation Strategies and Positive Coping. The students engaged in mindfulness, student led meditation, role play scenarios and student/parents created a toolbox of strategies to work through. In Year 3, the lesson focus from Respectful Relationships was on Help seeking. The students engaged in a range of activities throughout the lesson including: Mindfulness (belly breathing- Mindful Teacher- You Tube), Warm up activities (Help seeking scenarios- vote), Problems you can handle alone vs Problems you need support with activity, Reflection (Cold call- share your responses), Game (matching pairs). In Year 4, the lesson focus from Respectful Relationships was on Problem solving. The students engaged in revising their knowledge of how big my problem is and Zones Of Regulation. Students played the roundabouts game where they are given scenarios and are asked to think of 4 problem solving strategies and rank in order of most effective. In Year 5, the lesson focus from Respectful Relationships was on School values and kindness. The students engaged in how words can be harmful (folding a paper person each time a negative thing is said (related to our text Wonder). Students created posters to promote kindness/ stopping the use of harmful words. In Year 6, the lesson focus from Respectful Relationships was on Resilience and Secondary School Transitions. The students engaged in activities with their parents where they were asked to embrace change, make friends, find solutions and identify personal strengths and goals. Our commitment to promoting the well-being of our students is a cornerstone of our educational approach. We understand that a child's emotional and mental well-being is equally as important as their academic success. With that in mind, we have been working hard to develop a comprehensive Wellbeing Program that caters to the unique needs of every child in our school community and we look forward to sharing these programs with you. 

Warm regards, 

Margaret Whitford

Assistant Principal