St Francis de Sales Catholic Primary School Lynbrook Newsletter

Wellbeing

Harmony day

Harmony Week celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.​ The theme for Harmony day and week this year is “Everyone Belongs”. We will be celebrating Harmony Day at SFS on Monday 21st March, 2022. The children are asked to come dressed in orange (the colour for Harmony day) or dress in clothes or colours to represent their cultural background. This might be a traditional costume or other clothes that represent the culture (e.g. the colours of the flag). The teachers will focus on the importance of the message of Harmony day at school on this day. 

 

National day of action against Bullying

Friday 18 March 2022 is the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA). Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative celebrates 12 years of action, connecting schools and communities to find workable solutions to prevent bullying. The theme for 2022 is Kindness Culture. By building Kindness Culture together, we can promote inclusion, respect and community belonging for all students in schools across Australia. For more information and resources visit https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/preventing-bullying/national-day-of-action-against-bullying-and-violence

Seasons for Growth 

I am still looking for children who would benefit from participating in the Seasons for Growth program. This is for children in Years 1 to 6 who have had an experience of loss or change that has impacted on them. For more information or to notify me if you would like your child to participate in the program, please contact me rlenko@sfslynbrrok.catholic.edu.au

BeYou

BeYou is a resource for educators that promotes the positive mental health of all members of the school community, students, teachers, parents and the wider school community. This week’s fact sheet taken from the BeYou website is all about how to promote positive brain development.

Positive brain development in early childhood

In your daily interactions with children, you help them develop their brain architecture.

There are several ways in which early childhood educators can positively influence brain development in babies and children: 

Create safe and supportive environments for optimal wellbeing and development.

  • Provide a safe and secure environment, where people are treated with care and respect.
  • Provide warm and responsive care to children’s physical and emotional needs.
  • Build strong, positive relationships by showing an interest in a child’s thoughts, feelings and experiences.
  • Be inclusive of diverse cultures, personalities and interests. 

Develop broader organisational and community strategies that support wellbeing.

  • Regularly reflect on how the service supports children’s wellbeing and how this could be improved.
  • Undertake professional development on a range of topics related to children’s mental health, wellbeing and development.
  • Raise awareness of the importance of the early years for positive lifelong outcomes among colleagues, families and the community.

Help children learn social and emotional skills and manage their own behaviour.

  • Provide opportunities for children to learn about their emotions and the emotions of others.
  • Help them manage their behaviour by being clear about rules or expectations and guiding them to manage strong emotions like anger or frustration. 
  • Acknowledge children’s strengths and plan activities that cater to their development, interests, culture and preferences.

The Resilience Project

At SFS we are proud to be partners with the Resilience Project. The 4 key principles we teach the children to help build their Resilience are Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy. There will be a parent webinar online with the team at the Resilience Project on Wednesday 23rd March from 7pm. I encourage all parents to attend this webinar, even if you have been to previous parent information nights. There will be more information and a link to this closer to the date. If you would like to know more about the Resilience Project, please visit this link. https://theresilienceproject.com.au/

There is also the TPR at home link on this website where you will find activities and ideas to help build your children’s resilience at home. 

If you have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please do not hesitate to contact me. rlenko@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au

 

Positive Quote for the Day

rlenko@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au

Rachel Lenko

Student Wellbeing Leader