Engagement & Wellbeing

Wellbeing

We have had a really calm and settled start to the year in the wellbeing space, which is fantastic. The students have responded well to our "Learning to Learn" program over the first few weeks. Taking the time to strip back to basics and explicitly teach the procedures our students are exposed to gives us the best chance to turn them into routines that are embedded and can be done independently in time.

Some of these procedures and routines include:

· Lining up in our safety lines

· Entering and exiting the classroom in a calm and settled manner

· Transitioning from one subject to the next

· Our morning routine

· How to ask for help

· How to use our workbooks

· Effectively using our mini-whiteboards

· Plus much, much more!

As you can see, there are so many tiny parts to the school day, so the value in taking the time over the first weeks of school to practice and embed these highly effective procedures cannot be overstated. After all, practice makes permanent!

Change in Leadership

As you may have seen in the Principal’s Report, Mrs. Sullivan will be taking some leave over

 the second half of this term. I (Mr. Rodgers) will be replacing her during this time, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is any support we can provide regarding your child’s wellbeing, or even if it’s just to talk through things on the phone!

If sending Mrs. Sullivan an email, you may find it bounces back with an auto-reply. In that case, please reach out to me at Jarrod.Rodgers@education.vic.gov.au, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

I will still be continuing my role as the Disability Inclusion Coordinator during this time, so everything that’s been organised will continue as usual for the students and families I am supporting.

Bunjil Student Awards

Congratulations to the following students who received a 3/4 Bunjil Award at last week’s assembly.

Wooohooo!  Well done everyone!

Bunjil awards recognise student achievement and those who display our school values of being respectful, responsible and kind.

Well done! All of our winners were treated to a Zooper Dooper or Hot Chocolate with our Principals. One the key parts of our Bunjil Awards is getting the chance to hear directly from the students about how things are going around the school. This is a perfect opportunity for the kids to raise some great ideas (and some interesting ones at times) that can help us continue to embed their voices into our school plans for the future.

I look forward to sharing some of these thoughts in our next newsletter.

Raising Children Network

Looking for some extra tips and tricks on raising kids! While there is no perfect way of doing it (we can dream) there are lots of resources out there for you to read/view if you are not sure where to turn to next…Have a look at the link below that’s been helpful for some of our families in the past.

Raising Children Network: Introducing an app to support student wellbeing https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/raising-healthy-minds-child-mental-health

The Raising Healthy Minds app is a free, personalised, pocket resource to help parents and carers raise confident, resilient children. Co-designed with parents and experts and funded by the Australian Government, Raising Healthy Minds aims to support children’s social and emotional wellbeing with evidence-based information. 

You’ll find information on topics like dealing with worries and making friends, as well as ideas for day-to-day life, like creating family routines, looking after yourself as a parent, and building strong relationships. 

The app offers a mix of quick-read articles, videos and animations aimed at parents and carers of children aged 0-12 years. You can tailor information to the age of your child and opt-in to receive helpful tips. 

Raising Healthy Minds provides simple-to-use information at your fingertips with clear actions you can start today.   Download from Google Play or the App Store or go to raisingchildren.net.au/rhm to learn more and raise a healthy mind.