Positive Futures News
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
TERM 3
Now that we are in Week 4 we have seen a number of groups either deliver their Community Action project and/or put planning into place to deliver their project later in the term.
Some groups will be running events to celebrate RUOK? Day, creating awareness campaigns about health issues, sharing positivity, beautifying parts of the school, fundraising for charities and many more.
Here is an example of a project delivered by Mr James and his Positive Futures Class.
7J's Positive Change - Community Action Project
As part of the school wide 'Positive Futures' Community Action Project to facilitate positive change in the EDSC community, 7J chose to increase the sporting equipment that is made available to both Middle and Senior School students for use at lunchtimes.
In the planning phase of the project, much discussion was had in regards to the benefits of having equipment readily available for students - especially when endeavouring to meet the Australian Physical Activity and Exercise Guidelines for people aged 5 to 17 years of age (https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians). Lots of emphasis was placed on the need to increase physical activity opportunities wherever possible, especially after the last two years of remote learning and lockdowns.
All members of the class contributed to the labelling, distribution and preparation of equipment - after negotiating budget and purchasing of equipment with Mr James. The aim was to ensure that students have increased access to equipment for the remainder of 2022, but have some additional resources to 'top up' for the start of 2023.
This now means that students across the College can access more equipment to use at recess and lunchtimes through their relevant sub-schools.
Well done, 7J!
We look forward to sharing other Positive Change projects with our school community over the next few months
Respectful Relationships Week will be taking place in Week 7 this term and in Positive Futures classes we will be undertaking activities focused on respecting ourselves and others in Week 5 and Week 7.
In addition, our Year 12 students will have visit from the Red Cross Blood Bank, Year 10’s will do some work in the area of Consent Education and in the last few sessions, all students be focusing on accomplishment and legacy at EDSC.
So exciting times ahead for our program!!!
Positive Futures Podcast of the Week
The Imperfects Podcast – The Resilience Project
Teaming up with one of Australia’s most successful comedians, Ryan Shelton, and his very talented brother Josh van Cuylenburg, Hugh has put together a podcast which is all about how perfectly imperfect we all are. Constantly comparing ourselves to others can not only be exhausting, but extremely harmful. However, when we share our struggles, we start to realise that everyone, no matter how successful, has something they are battling with.
In this podcast, Hugh, Josh and Ryan chat to a variety of interesting people who bravely share their struggles and imperfections, and we all learn some valuable take-aways we can apply to our own imperfect lives.
The Imperfects has three different formats: an interview, the Vulnerabili(tea) House, and, the Academy of Imperfection.
You can listen to The Imperfects Podcast on Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Music and IHeart Radio.
Rebecca James
Student Engagement and Connection Learning Specialist