Wellbeing

Lego Club

The Lego social skill’s club has been running at 2nd lunch on a Tuesday and will continue into term 3. We have had a very positive response with more than 20 children coming last week. There are many benefits of participating in the club. These include:

1. LEGO’s power to help children bond: lunchtime clubs have given children the opportunity to build friendships they wouldn’t have otherwise built, and break down walls for children who are shy or have difficulties socialising with other children.
2. LEGO’s power to encourage teamwork: communication and teamwork are put to the test with each new build, allowing children to work at these important skills in a fun setting.
3. LEGO’S power to enhance learning: from lessons in design to behaviour management, there is a lot to be learned from the world’s most popular plastic bricks.
4. LEGO’S power to teach problem solving: each new build must be approached with creativity and persistence, and requires a skill set beyond simply following instructions.
5. LEGO’s power to spark ideas: let children loose on a pile of LEGO bricks and watch the ideas start flooding in.

Seasons for Growth

Seasons for Growth® is based on the belief that change and loss are part of life and grief is a normal response to these losses. Children, young people and adults need the opportunity to learn about how death, separation, divorce or other significant loss events may impact on their lives. The Seasons for Growth® programs provide an opportunity for participants to learn the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to understand and respond well to such experiences. For some children it can be learning to cope with the changes that have happened in their life which could include the birth of a new sibling, moving house or school, a close friend moving away, the transition to each new school year and new teachers, classmates and the recent changes from Covid 19. If you feel like your chil would benefit from this program or you would like some more information, please contact me rlenko@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au

Respectful Relationships

Respectful Relationships is an evidence based program we use at SFS to teach students the skills, knowledge and attitude to engage in respectful relationships with others. At SFS we are committed to action to promote gender equality. There are 8 topics included in the program which develop children’s social and emotional learning as well as teaching children about treating each other with respect regardless of race or gender. Here is the link to a great activity you might like to try at home with your children around the dinner table. According to the Respectful Relationships program research, “The biggest single preventative factor for anxiety and depressive illnesses in young people is being in a family that has 5-6 shared meals together with the television and other communication devices off.” 

BeYou 

BeYou is a resource for educators that promotes the mental health of students, staff  and families. AT SFS, we are a BeYou school. This week’s fact sheet, from the BeYou webiste is all about the important role that families play in developing a child’s social and emotional skills. For more information visit www.beyou.edu.au

Families matter.

Childhood experiences have lasting impacts

And the relationships children and young people experience directly impact their wellbeing. Those provided with social, emotional and physical support are more likely to reach their full potential and experience better health outcomes in adulthood. 

Families directly affect development and long-term wellbeing

The home environment and family functioning are the biggest influencers on development, with the learning environment the next most influential setting. 

Healthy family relationships help children and young people feel secure and loved. This state impacts their brain development and sense of self (that is, a realistic sense of their skills and abilities, and where and how they fit into the world). 

Positive relationships with family support individuals in building independence, responsibility, confidence and trust. They provide a place where these can be explored safely, where there’s guidance and room for mistakes. Families also give children and young people a model from which they learn about relationships and how to build connections throughout their lives. Children and young people who learn healthy relationship skills are more likely to experience positive peer relationships and grow up to become confident and resilient individuals.

The Resilience Project

We have been working in partnership with the Resilience Project since last year when we had the successful parent night and teacher and student workshops. For those who have not had a chance to have a look, there is also a fantastic resource for parents to work through the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy with their children. The links are as follows:

Junior Primary - Click Here

Senior Primary - Click here

Secondary - Click Here

The Resilience Project is evidence-based curriculum that has been developed by a team of teachers, psychologists and wellbeing experts using highly regarded science and research.

Rachel Lenko

Student Wellbeing Leader

rlenko@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au