News From Mr Smith

Dear School Community Members,

Building Resilience at Mano:

Throughout 2026, we have been exploring how we can further nurture and strengthen resilience across our school community. As part of this work, our staff have been engaging with the research of Luke Ross, founder of the Social Intelligence Group, which provides social intelligence programs for schools.

Luke's research reinforces that resilience is not something we are simply born with - it is a skill that can be developed and strengthened over time. Some of the key messages from his work include:

Developing an adaptive mindset helps children become more resilient. This means learning to adapt positively to pressure, stress and change.
Resilience is the ability to cope with challenges and return to a positive emotional state as quickly as possible.
Around 50% of children aged 7–12 experience stress-related symptoms, highlighting the importance of explicitly teaching resilience.
Experiences such as disappointment, setbacks, mistakes and conflict are a normal part of life and play an important role in building resilience.
Simply telling children to "be resilient" is not enough. Resilience is a learned skill that must be taught, practised and modelled.
Research also suggests that while our genetics and life circumstances influence our wellbeing, around 40% of our happiness is determined by the way we think and act. This reminds us of the power of positive thinking, healthy habits and supportive relationships.
Children develop resilience by observing the important people in their lives. Parents, teachers and peers all play a significant role by modelling resilient behaviours, encouraging perseverance and celebrating effort.

At Manifold Heights Primary School, we are committed to helping every child develop the confidence, perseverance and adaptability needed to navigate life's challenges. We will continue to draw on research from experts such as Luke Ross to ensure we are providing our students with the skills they need to thrive—both at school and beyond.

Book Week – week of Tuesday, 25th August:

The anticipation is building as we prepare for Book Week. Many fabulous activities have been planned to continue to develop the love of reading and books. Our traditional Book Week dress up day will be on Tuesday, 25th August. All families are invited to the parade which will commence at 9:15am. Students are encouraged to come to school on this day dressed as their favourite ‘book’ character. Further details regarding the parade and the other events are included in this edition of the newsletter and have been sent via SeeSaw.

Staff Professional Learning – English:

At Manifold Heights Primary School, we are committed to continually strengthening our teaching practice to achieve the best possible outcomes for our students. Last week, our teaching staff participated in a professional learning session focused on our English curriculum, led by our Literacy Leaders, Sharon Seeckts and Narelle Geary. During the session, Sharon guided staff through a review of our Reading and Writing curriculum, including the scope and sequence, to ensure a consistent and high-quality approach to literacy across the school.

A key focus of our ongoing work is the continued refinement of our English curriculum and our whole-school approach to the teaching of Reading and Writing. We look forward to sharing updates with our school community throughout the remainder of the year as this important work continues.

Sunsmart Hats:

It is that time of the year when we need to ‘dust’ off the Mano Sunsmart Hat. All students are required to wear their Sunsmart Mano hat from Monday, August, 17th during all outside activities. This is part of the ‘Student Dress Code’ and ‘Sun Smart’ policies of our school. Students will be required to play in a designated shaded area if they don’t have their Sunsmart hat. Please locate your child’s Sunsmart Hat and send along to school from Monday, August, 17th.

Pupil Free Day – Monday, 24th August:

Our next Pupil Free day will be held on Monday, 24th August.

On this Curriculum Day, our teaching staff will continue their professional learning as part of our ongoing work to strengthen the teaching of English at Mano. The focus for the day will be on integrating the teaching of reading and writing, while further developing evidence - based approaches to vocabulary instruction. This professional learning will support our commitment to providing high-quality literacy teaching and improving learning outcomes for all students.

School Council update:

Our School Council met on Monday evening to discuss a range of important matters that support the ongoing growth and improvement of our school.

Some of the key agenda items included:

Continuing advocacy for improved school facilities, with a particular focus on securing a school stadium.
Reviewing three proposed playground designs and considering which company to partner with for this exciting project.
Discussing and endorsing our 2026 - 2030 School Strategic Plan.
Endorsing the transition of our Grade 4 camp to YMCA Anglesea, following a recommendation from the school's Leadership Team.
Approving a change to our Term 4 Pupil Free Day, which will now be held on Monday, 23 November, instead of Friday, 20 November.

Our School Councillors generously volunteer their time and are deeply committed to supporting the best possible outcomes for our students, staff and wider school community. We sincerely thank them for their ongoing dedication and service.

If you have any feedback, ideas or questions, we encourage you to contact one of our School Councillors. This can be done by emailing:

manifold.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Att: School Council

Thank you for supporting our school and have a great week.

Christian Smith