From the Principal

August News

The start of another month and lots of things to celebrate from last month & lots to look forward to also.

School is such a busy place and a hive of learnings and fun times.  We have moved past the halfway point of the year.  Teachers have spent time planning and preparing targeted learning for students over the last few weeks.  They will share information at parent teacher interviews.  We are so excited to share learning journeys with students and families.

You will see from some of the contacts and information shared with parents we have been working on our social skills and friendship skills at school.  We have subscribed to URStrong to support the teaching and learning.  Parents are able to join this for free to use the resources at home also. 

Lockyer Zone Champions

Congratulations to these students that are heading off to compete at Western Ranges Track and Field trials next week.

Good Luck!

Friendship Fire or Mean-on-Purpose?

Conflict is tricky! How can we tell the difference between Friendship Fires, Mean-on-Purpose, Mean-by-Accident, and Bullying?

We classify conflict into just two categories to keep things as easy as possible for kids: Friendship Fires® (normal conflicts between friends) and Mean-on-Purpose behaviour. By making this distinction and establishing a common language, we can better coach and guide our children towards healthy friendships.

Is it a Friendship Fire or Mean-on-Purpose?

Kids and their parents sometimes mistakenly believe that any conflict with a friend is “bullying” (a word that is typically misused and misunderstood). Instead, however, we want to use simple, kid-friendly language. Here are a few common questions:

So, how can we tell the difference between a Friendship Fire or Mean-on-Purpose?

The difference really lies in intent—was it a misunderstanding or were they really trying to hurt your feelings? From the data we’ve collected so far, the majority of conflict that exists in schools are Friendship Fires (approx. 90%).

Can a friend be Mean-on-Purpose too?

Yes, absolutely, and it really hurts!

Can a friend be Mean-by-Accident?

Yep, this is a Friendship Fire.

Can a Friendship Fire escalate into Mean-on-Purpose?

Definitely. This is why we teach kids that timing is important when we put out our Friendship Fires. Sometimes we’re not ready or our friend isn’t ready to put out the Fire. If we continue to try and Talk-it-Out when the time isn’t right, we will inevitably make the Fire bigger.

Can we de-escalate a Mean-on-Purpose moment into a Friendship Fire?

For sure. Sometimes we misinterpret someone’s behaviour as Mean-on-Purpose. When we respond with a Quick Comeback, the person knows we felt it was mean. This then allows that person to respond in a way that explains that their intent wasn’t to be mean. By doing this, they move into the Talk-it-Out phase on the Friend-o-Cycle and, thus, it’s downgraded to a Friendship Fire.

Here’s a scenario that demonstrates our step-by-step friendship strategy in-action:

Your friend starts calling you the nickname, “Sweatpants,” because you always wear comfy pants to school. At first, you think it’s fun and it makes you feel closer to your friend. You both laugh about it and think it’s cool.

After time, it feels less funny and more like your friend is making fun of you. You start to feel offended and it’s really bugging you. THIS IS A FRIENDSHIP FIRE®.

In URSTRONG, we teach kids to (1) Retell the situation, and (2) Explain how it made you feel. This is a conversation.

You ask to talk to your friend and let them know that the nickname is actually making you feel bad. Through the conversation, you explain how you feel and you respectfully ask your friend to not call you “Sweatpants” anymore.

The next day, your friend continues calling you the nickname, fully knowing you don’t like it. THIS IS MEAN-ON-PURPOSE.

In URSTRONG, we teach kids to say their Quick Comeback in a strong voice and then walk away. This is not a conversation.

When your friend calls you the nickname again, knowing it’s hurtful, you say your Quick Comeback: “Stop.” You walk away and try to keep your focus on something that makes you happy.

At this point, we would let kids know that if this is a healthy friendship, your friend would respect you enough to stop calling you the nickname. If your friend continues calling you the name, trust and respect (Friendship Fact #3) break down, and this friendship would be in the unhealthy (red) zone of the Friend-o-Meter. 

The URSTRONG advice: Spend less time with this friend. You deserve healthy, feel-good friendships and remember Friendship Fact #4: Friendships change…and that’s okay.

If your friend continued to be Mean-on-Purpose, despite standing up for yourself and communicating it’s not okay (through your Quick Comeback), then THIS IS BULLYING. (We describe bullying as ongoing, Mean-on-Purpose behaviour.)

Social skills and friendships are lifelong learnings that we continue to navigate through in our lives.  Our little people are learning each day how to work through these issues.  Conflict is hard for lots of adults, to hear another's perspective on something that has happened as well as acknowledging our parts in the conflict.  The way we talk about conflict and manage it with understanding and kindness is important to model for our children.

PARENT-CHILD VIDEO SERIES

Start Learning our Language of Friendship

Designed for kids in grades 3 to 6 in mind, this series includes 8 videos plus an intro & conclusion. Each session includes the key outcome, objective, materials required, instructions, & next steps. You’ll also see Related Resources from our resource library if you want to dig deeper.

Enjoy Quality Time Together

The videos are sequential and will take you roughly 30 minutes each. Choose a schedule that fits your family, but one session per week is ideal.

Be sure to pause the videos when prompted to engage your child + make that personal connection to their friendships.

Camps

3/4 & 5/6 students are heading off on camp over the next few weeks.  Lots of information about our camps have gone home.  Lists have been shared and students in 5/6 have been told of their room mates.  Class teachers and the office are points of contact for any queries.  Its starting to get really exciting!

Glenore Grove Playgroup

We are starting a Playgroup at the Grove.

Playgroup will commence Friday morning 12th August in our new building.  Please contact the office if you would like more information.  

Student Resource Scheme

The final instalment of payment for this is due this term.  Please organise payments as you can.  Preferred method of payment is QKR! or BPoint. Lauren will send out statements in the coming weeks.

Have a wonderful month as we head into spring and the days get warmer, please read the newsletter carefully and keep an eye on our socials & dojo for updates.  We work hard as a team to keep you informed and use numerous methods to support you engaging with the school.

The Cobb & Co excursion was a hit!!  Students had a great time engaging in some dancing and wonderful activities.  I received great feedback about their engagement and behaviour at the event also which has made us all very proud.

Cheers