Principal Report 

Positive mental health and wellbeing is important for healthy development and learning. It supports us to manage the normal challenges of life.

At Oatlands, positive mental health and wellbeing continues to be a priority this year with a group of staff engaging in professional development and training in The Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative.

This government initiative will assist our staff to: 

• maximise the wellbeing programs within our school to better support our students and families 
• build their capacity to identify and support our students’ wellbeing 
• implement targeted activities that address wellbeing within the classroom 
• coordinate targeted support for students 
• advocate for student voice and agency in student wellbeing and mental health needs supporting them to achieve their full potential.

The continued implementation of the Resilience, Rights & Respectful Relationships (RRRR) curriculum promotes and models respect, positive attitudes and behaviours. It teaches our students how to build healthy relationships, resilience, and confidence. 

In Term 1 the RRRR focus is Emotional Literacy or Positive Strengths: 

Emotional literacy is the ability to have awareness of ourselves and other people. It includes the ability to understand, express and manage our own emotions, build empathy, and to respond appropriately to the emotions of others. 

Positive Strengths: Children and young people need a vocabulary to help them recognise and understand strengths and positive qualities in themselves and others. This topic provides learning activities to build this vocabulary and to use it when discussing personal, social and ethical challenges. 

As parents and carers, you’re already doing many things to support your child’s mental health and wellbeing. You can continue to protect your child’s mental health and wellbeing by developing and promoting:

• healthy sleeping habits
• healthy eating habits
• physical activity
• strong and nurturing relationships
• positive self-talk and providing praise, encouragement
• mindfulness, kindness and gratitude
• social and emotional skills
• help seeking.

Deanne Morgan - Assistant Principal