Wellbeing

Our Resilience Youth Survey (completed by grade 3-6 earlier in the year) data reveals some frightening statistics about sleep (and device habits at night) for children at BBPS: 

get at least 8 hours of sleep most nights

Did you know, primary school children need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep each night? What time is bed time for your child?

not using a device between 10pm/midnight and 6am

A good reminder for, where is your charging station? What are students doing in the hour before bed to deplug?

PART 2 of our CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING newsletter entries. This week we look closer at our learning curriculum – what does building cultural understanding look like across the school?

Multicultural inclusion is formally addressed in the curriculum through the intercultural capability. It intersects with all other capabilities in the curriculum and can be taught explicitly through several of the Learning Areas. Intercultural capability is taught in two strands: cultural practices and cultural diversity. It is taught from Foundation to Year 10 and has achievement standards at levels 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. Below we outline the key themes explored at each year level this year:

P-2

• recognising that others have different cultures and beliefs whilst also reflecting on student’s own cultural background – through our All About Me exploration about families and community in Prep/Grade 1.discussing events acknowledged, celebrated and/or observed in the school and community, by whom and for what reasons, for example, Eid and Ramadan, Harmony Day or Easter – through our Prep/Grade 1 celebrations unit of study.  
• exploring cultural diversity by identifying visible elements, such as food and behaviour, and invisible elements, such as how people live and what they value – Grade 2 units of study focus on Australian connection to country and our First Nations history. 

3-4

• reflecting on the impact of own values and cultural practices on intercultural experiences, and understanding the importance of mutual and self-respect – exploring themes such as immigration, the gold rush and cultural differences as part of our history unit on Australian history, from indigenous to first contact to federation. In our visit this week from Aunty Katrina Amon we explored the differences between our own culture and that of the First Nations and imagined what it was like to eat honey ants and witchety grubs whilst also exploring different belief systems and connecting them to our own.
• exploring a range of strategies to support understanding differences, such as not jumping to conclusions, emphasising similarities rather than differences, or modelling ways that students can respectfully disagree - Through Resilience and Rights and Respectful Relationships we have been exploring healthy positive relationships with the throughlines of building empathy, teaching emotional literacy and understanding the viewpoints of others. We explored this through acting out different scenarios and analysing picture story books.

5-6

• comparing differences in a range of countries, such as legal driving or voting age, laws around alcohol consumption or school leaving age, and discussing these in relation to adolescent – adulthood rights of passages – explored as part of our unit of study on government, comparing and contrasting systems of leadership. 
• exploring identity through economic, consumer and media practices and choices, and discussing these in relation to globalisation and/or American cultural influence, such a popular music, television or film – critical literacy as part of our Market Day unit this term.
• exploring the meaning of terms such as tolerance, respect and acceptance and discussing a range of ways to show respect for different cultural practices – through our literacy unit of poetry, reading and responding to poems that explore these themes. 
• discussing how body language and gestures can influence communication and describing differences in meanings attached to body language and gestures in different cultures – as part of our Respectful Relationships curriculum and developing emotional literacy and empathy for others.

How can you support at home? (From the Centre For Multicultural Youth LINK)

1. Foster genuine connections with all families at BBPS – welcome new families, build networks, and take interest in each other’s backgrounds.
2. model acceptance, compassion and understanding
3. avoid stereotyping people, countries, cultures and religions 
4. learn and teach about diverse faiths and cultures
5. provide accurate, relevant and useful information in developmentally appropriate language to your child
6. promote critical assessment of information your child has access to about current affairs and cultural representation
7. talk about any of the above themes and the connections to your own family values and practices.

Resource share

Intercultural Capability in the curriculum