Mia & Ashley's MessageBoard

When Bubble Wrapping Our Kids Really Works

The Wellbeing team has been working with our Prep students on personal space and safety.  This is a great message for every child in every year level.  We encourage you to have this discussion with your child, if you think it is beneficial.

We used the concept of a ‘bubble’.  Every person has their own invisible bubble in which they allow some things to enter and others not to.   We all have a bubble around us. This bubble keeps us safe and happy.  When things come into our bubble that we like everything is okay, but when someone puts something in our bubble that we don’t like it can hurt us and pop our bubble.  We get to decide what we do and do not allow in our bubble.  We may allow hugs, but not allow kissing.  We may allow soft fist bumps but not hard high fives.

There are some rules that apply to everyone's bubble.  We can never touch someone in their private area, that will always break their bubble.   We do not always know all of the rules of someone else's bubble so sometimes we have to ask them.

We encouraged the students to think about and discuss:

1. what they allow in their bubble

“In my bubble I allow ____”

1. Ask others what they allow in their bubble

“do you allow ___ in your bubble?”

1. What to do if someone says “no, I do not allow _____ in my bubble”
2. What is never allowed in anyone’s bubble
3. What to do if they see someone invading another person’s bubble

We read The Playground is like the Jungle, by Shona Innes and Irisz Agocs.  This book explains the different types of personalities in a playground, and how to stay safe in the playground.  This book is a school library book and you can borrow it from the library or from Wellbeing.

We also recommend the book and website:  My Underpants Rule  https://myunderpantsrule.com

Ashley Wallace & Cheyenne Mason  -  Student Welfare Officers

Greetings CHPS community,

I just wanted to take this opportunity to officially introduce myself.  Hello everyone, I’m Cheyenne and I will be working here as a Student Welfare Officer.  I am so excited to work with you all.  I have spent some time these last two weeks with Ashley, getting to know some of our students and seeing some of the school culture, and I can already tell that Croydon Hills Primary is a very special place.

I just moved to the Croydon Hills area in October, and so far have felt very welcome and at home in this area.  I am originally from Denver, Colorado, USA but my parents are both originally from this area here in Australia, so I am a citizen of both the US and Australia.  I grew up a third culture kid and have spent the majority of my upbringing immersed with Native American people.  I have a background working in public schools in Denver and spent the last two years working at a magnet school for refugee and immigrant students.  I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Restorative Practices.

As I previously stated, I am excited to be working here with you all.  I am very passionate about community building and restorative practices and welcome a chat with you about that.  I will be here two days a week going forward and will be here on Mondays and Tuesdays at least until the end of this term.  Feel free to drop in and see me anytime for any reason.

Thank you all for being such a welcoming team,

Cheyenne Mason