Wellbeing
PBL
At SFS, our PBL (Positive Behaviours for Learning) school wide expectations are:
Respect,
Responsibility and
Kindness
This week we focused on RESPONSIBILITY OUTDOORS, Be SAFE. This week’s PBL lesson particularly looked at our Twilight sports carnival that was on this week. In preparation for the evening, we discussed with the children the things we need to do to keep safe on the night. This included staying in our designated house area during the event, making sure a teacher knew at all times where we were, routines around getting ready for races, going to the toilet and getting their sausage to eat. We also discussed the importance of staying off the running track when events were on, being a good sport and active participation.
Here are our lucky PBL raffle winners who have been demonstrating our school expectations. Well done to all the students.
SRC (Student Representative Council)
A big congratulations to our semester 1 SRC reps who were presented with their badges at a special morning gathering this week on Monday.
The students met with Christine again this week to discuss an idea they would already put into action. The students wanted to spend more time in the school’s lovely yarning circle and lead the other students in prayer in this space. The students made a roster this week for all the Home groups to have a turn at using the yarning circle and for students to lead their class in prayer. We look forward to them actioning some more great changes this year.
What is Harmony Week?
Harmony Week is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging. The message of Harmony Week is everyone belongs.
Harmony week is the week beginning Monday 17 and runs through until Sunday 23 March 2025. Please join us to celebrate Harmony Week at school on Friday 28th March.
We are asking students to wear orange to school on that day. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect. Wearing something orange during Harmony Week shows support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia. The children will be learning about the message during the week. All parents and families are warmly invited to attend a special Harmony Day assembly at school on Friday 28th March in the hall at 2.30pm. Have a conversation with your child and talk about your own family history and cultural background.
We would love to learn more about the rich cultural backgrounds of all our families at SFS. We would also love to share some performances of singing and dancing from different cultures throughout the year.
If you or your child belong to a cultural group who sing, dance or perform in anyway, we would love for you to share this with our school community. Please email me rlenko@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au if you would love to share this with our school. Or you can ring the school to speak to me or have a chat if you see me at school.
Help Seeking Behaviours
At SFS we teach and encourage children to use help seeking behaviours. It is a very important skill for children to develop to keep themselves safe and to use as a positive coping skill.The following information was taken from a fact sheet about help seeking from the Be You website. For more information visit www.beyou.edu.au
“Help-seeking is about communicating an issue or challenge to obtain support, advice or help. Asking for help can act as a protective factor for a child or young person’s mental health and wellbeing.
Getting support early can help prevent small issues or challenges continuing, or even getting bigger. What is help-seeking? Help-seeking is a positive coping strategy. Help-seeking could mean asking for assistance with day-to-day events such as learning experiences, and relationships (e.g. negotiating with peers on a task, managing anxious feelings or relationship breakups. It could also mean seeking help for developmental queries or general health matters, including mental health.
Examples include speech and language delays, understanding puberty or behavioural challenges. Help may come in many shapes and forms. It could come from within the learning community or from external agencies, resources and organisations. It may occur through daily interactions and conversations between educators, children and young people, and families. Other good sources of information and support are brochures, fact sheets, reputable websites, family, friends and health professionals. Support may be focused on the children and young people, their families or the school, or a combination of both. The goal in providing support is to find the best possible pathway to maintain or improve the wellbeing of children and their families.
Why is help-seeking important? Seeking help is important because it can foster children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. There are a range of influences and experiences – both positive and negative – that impact on an individual’s mental health. These influences and experiences are known as risk and protective factors. Being able to ask for help can act as a protective factor because help-seeking can lead to accessing resources that support mental health and wellbeing. When children and young people view help-seeking positively, it builds a sense of agency and confidence that they can influence their world and receive help if needed. Children and young people who have a positive experience of help-seeking are empowered to access available supports in future. Getting help when needed may buffer the impact of risk factors that challenge a person’s mental health and wellbeing. The earlier individuals can access support, the better. Issues that aren’t addressed can become more difficult to manage, continuing to affect the child or young person as they grow.”
It is important for your children to know who is in their safety network. Have a conversation with your child about who are the people at school, home and in the community who they can go to for help when they are feeling unsafe and need help and encourage them to ask for help. You could even talk about some of the situations where they may need the help of an adult.
If you have any concerns about the mental health or wellbeing of your child, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am available to speak to at school, via the phone or email on rlenko@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au
Rachel Lenko
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader