Positive Futures News

Positive Futures Community Action Project - Habitat Rehabilitation

Year 9 Group-45 Positive Futures students have just completed their major Community Action Project to rehabilitate a section of the schoolyard.

They identified a patch near the classroom which was a bit ‘unloved’ and decided to give it a makeover.

After the NAIDOC week inspired focus on aboriginal culture, Kelly in Year 9 pointed out that this project has the students feeling ‘connected to the land’.

The first step was to remove the weeds (non native species) using the weeding forks that last year’s Positive Futures students created.

The students noticed that once the weeds were removed, although it improved the area, within a month many weeds grew back. 

It was decided to lay a ‘weed mat’ to stop the weeds from returning. Cardboard was chosen as the material and Ryan explained it was ideal “because it’s biodegradable”.

Students started against the building and slowly worked across the area. Each time, starting with weed removal, then laying cardboard and finally spreading fresh mulch on top. The process took several weeks.

The Year 9s agreed the change after the final session was remarkable. Kelly described the project as ‘so exciting’ and explained that ‘seeing our school ground clean and no weeds coming up, makes us feel joy’.

Tom Martin

Technology Teacher

What is the EDSC Positive Futures program?

Positive Education brings together the science of positive psychology with best-practice teaching.

The school’s journey with Positive Education began in 2012 with Positive Education focuses and values implemented across each year level and over time has evolved into the whole school approach launched in 2020. 

Our Positive Futures program has some very clear goals:

• We want to improve student quality of life and their engagement with others, including with their teachers
• We seek to develop students in a more holistic way, with a stronger focus on wellbeing

There are six tenets of Positive Psychology that are embedded into our model:

Positive Health – Positive Self

Developing knowledge, understanding and skills to promote health and well – being.

Positive Relationships

Nurturing positive relationships based on respect. 

Accomplishment

Generating hope and optimism through the accomplishment of personal and community goals

Positive Emotion

Building and experiencing positive emotion. 

Meaning

Believing in serving something greater than ourselves.

Positive Engagement

Developing critical thinkers by promoting challenge, curiosity and creativity. 

More resources and information can be found here:

https://www.eastdonsc.vic.edu.au/wellbeing-engagement-positive-futures

Rebecca James

Student Engagement & Connection

Learning Specialist