Junior School
SHELLEY PARKES
Head of Junior School
If there’s one thing Lockdown has taught us, it’s the importance of actioning kindness.
As we ride this rollercoaster, we should all keep checking in, taking the time to communicate, making an effort to connect with others and equally importantly, we must continue to practice kindness.
Kindness can mean different things to different people. The meaning is in how YOU choose to show it. Be it through empathy, acceptance, kind gestures, thoughtfulness, the possibilities are entirely up to you. Kindness might look like being helpful or showing empathy. It may mean doing nice things without expecting nice things in return.
At Oakleigh Grammar Junior School we value kindness and we believe it goes beyond merely being nice.
Our ELC students lead the way, by practicing kindness, through bucket filling and an understanding of bucket dipping. Our ELC students reflect the power of sincerity and kindness.
Our Prep to Year 5 students incorporate the 7 Habits when showing acts of kindness. They know that being kind is doing intentional, voluntary acts of kindness. Not only when it’s easy to be kind, but when it’s hard to be.
Our magnificent Junior School students have been consciously building their ability to action kindness over the past two weeks. Their want and need to fill another’s bucket is nothing short of heartwarming.
As adults, the challenge for us to consciously pay it forward becomes a little greater. Paying it forward inspires generosity and compassion. All too often, we think too much about our own needs without considering how our behaviour affects others. What we say and do matters. Ultimately, the person paying it forward grows as much as the person receiving the act of kindness.
A small gesture, big impact: the little things we do for others or have done for us mean a lot.
Over the holiday break identify that person who you can lift, who you can validate. We have a lot to learn from our incredible students at Oakleigh Grammar.
SARAH CAFFERY
Head of Curriculum - Junior School
As we conclude Term 3, I would like to congratulate and acknowledge each and every student for their ongoing resilience and commitment to learning. I’d like to extend that to all of the families supporting their children, and of course our outstanding educators. We have all been on the rollercoaster and there have been ups and downs for sure.
I would like to celebrate this last week and how our students have embraced the opportunity to be independent learners. They have taken skills modelled within the Engage, Explain, and Elaborate Phases of The Quartet and applied these when selecting tasks from choice grids. They are demonstrating the ability to think, act and pursue their own interests with an element of autonomy. Experiencing independent learning is important because it develops creativity and intellectual curiosity.
The opportunity to participate in a daily small group session has been a highlight for many this week.
The conversations, the personal direction, and the chance to have the spotlight has been a wonderful conclusion to a challenging term.
I hope you all have a wonderful break and continue to find a moment each day to celebrate a small success or recognise the simple moments that bring happiness, a bedtime story, baking something together, or a family walk. I hope our students enjoy the downtime!