Assistant Principal 

Katrina Spicer - Wellbeing

31st May 2024

THE RESILIENCE PROJECT - GEM CHATS

GEM chats are short activities or conversations that can help guide children to build their awareness of gratitude, empathy and mindfulness.

You might like to try some of these conversation starters at home. These GEM chats are designed to develop and build gratitude.

SLEEP AND DEVICES

The Resilience Project have recently shared with us some interesting data around sleep and the use of devices. We know that children need a good night's sleep to fully engage in school and learning. The body requires sleep to refresh and replenish, but when students have their devices in their bedrooms, the temptation to engage in chats, gaming, viewing or browsing can be difficult to avoid.

Katrina Spicer

Assistant Principal for Wellbeing and Inclusion

katrina.spicer@education.vic.gov.au

EVERY DAY COUNTS

By Dr Justin Coulson

There’s a relationship between how much your child attends school and their overall academic achievement. Regular school attendance is strongly correlated with academic success, and chronic absenteeism, or prolonged periods of school absence, can have a negative impact on a child’s educational attainment.

There is also a relationship between attending school and social and emotional outcomes. On average, we see that regular interaction with peers and teachers fosters social skills, emotional intelligence and a sense of belonging. Children who consistently miss school may experience feelings of isolation, struggle with forming positive relationships, and face challenges in developing essential life skills. School is often a place where students receive emotional support from educators and peers.

Additionally, completing education is often associated with better employment prospects, higher earning potential, and an improved overall quality of life. Children who miss substantial amounts of school may face difficulties transitioning to higher education or entering the workforce. This can limit their options and hinder their ability to pursue fulfilling and rewarding careers.

Based on research from around the country and the world, most Australian states have a mantra (and a marketing message) that every day counts. Queensland, for example, states on their website that:

“Every Day Counts is a state-wide initiative that aims to assist in improving student attendance at school through a shared commitment by students, parents, caregivers, schools and the community.”

Multiple days of absence from school, especially consecutive days, can be problematic for students. But a day here or there is less about impacting learning outcomes for kids and more about:

• Making life harder for teachers who have to continually repeat work and try to help students catch up on missed content.
• Helping students with consistency.
• Allowing parents to complete their responsibilities, which can often be completed only when kids are at school.

SO, WHEN THE KIDS ARE ASKING FOR DAYS OFF, WHAT’S THE BEST WAY FORWARD?

Understand root causes.

If kids are pulling a ‘sickie’, understanding what’s really going on is vital. It’s obvious, but often we miss the mark on this. Sometimes kids choose not to tell us what’s really going on. This is where we get curious, not furious.

Do they need your attention because things aren’t good at home? Do they need your attention because things aren’t good at school? Are they saying they’re ‘sick’, but they’re struggling with a teacher, a peer or a bully? Are they complaining about school, but they’re actually worried about an upcoming test, or a particular class or subject that they struggle with?

Pausing to really explore and understand is key.

Explore, Explain, Empower

When faced with the dilemma of kids wanting a day off, explore, explain and empower. Discerning the underlying reasons, communicating a clear rationale for what you’re asking, and developing solutions together will usually be the best way forward. And if it’s something deeper (that could lead to school refusal), this process will generally help you discover that issue faster.

In doing these things we gain perspective, and we open a dialogue with our child that is more likely to lead to productive conversation and resolution.

Information regarding attendance in Victorian schools can be found here: https://www.vic.gov.au/attendance-and-missing-school

Our school subscription to Happy Families allows access to the Happy Families website to all members of our school community. 

Families can access the Happy Families website at: https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/whps

Password: happywhps