Wellbeing

Listening with Your Heart and Head

Listening is a core skill for resolving differences. We are encouraging our students to manage differences with friends on their own. We are teaching students to listen to what their head says, what their heart feels and what their guts says.. It is important to empower our children to understand how to resolve their own conflicts when they can.

Say to your child when they come to you with a friendship concern:  “Oh ok what does your heart feel and what does your head say?   How can you solve this problem?”

Building resilience

When things go wrong, resilience is what helps you to cope and get through hard times. Sometimes it makes you even stronger than you were before.

What is resilience?

Resilience is the ability to cope when things go wrong.

Resilience can also be described as:

• Bouncing back after difficult times
• Dealing with challenges and still holding your head up
• Giving things a go or trying your best
• Being strong on the inside
• Being able to cope with what life throws at you and shrug it off
• Standing up for yourself
• Getting back into shape after you have been bent or stretched

What can I do when I’m facing a challenge?  You can start to build resilience by asking yourself:

• What can I do to get back on track?
• I can’t control everything, so what is in my control?
• Can I change something I’m doing to make things better?
• What can I learn from this?
• Who can help?
• How can I move forward?

For more ideas and information on how to build resilience in our children go to:   https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/building-resilience

Program Support Group (PSG) Meetings 

Program Support Group (PSG) Meetings are held each term for students who have a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP). 

A PSG meeting brings together key people to support the inclusion of your child from the time of enrolment and throughout their time in primary school. The group may include:

• You - as your child's parent or carer
• Class Teacher
• Intervention Leader 
• Learning Diversity and Wellbeing Leader
• External Support Services
• Learning Support Officer (LSO)

As a key member of the group, you can help make decisions about your child’s learning, development, and wellbeing. The classroom teacher will lead the meetings to discuss your child's progress in the classroom. The agenda for the meeting includes sharing students' successes, reviewing the Term's goals, and co creating new goals. 

Meetings will be held in 30 minute time slots, sometimes Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic School (MACS) personnel or other specialists, for example, Speech Pathologists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists may be invited to attend a PSG.  

We ask for your understanding in adhering to the allocated dates each term, as we invest in releasing the appropriate staff.  As you can see, these meetings are very important and involve the coordination of a number of staff and a substantial financial and time commitment in order to personalise the learning for your child. 

Please take note of dates coming up. If  your child has PLP then you will receive an Operoo in the next couple of weeks to choose a date and time.  

Thank you

Better Place Australia

Better Place Australia is currently funded to provide programs listed::

• Supporting Children after Separation Program (SCASP) which provides counselling to children from separated or separating families experiencing difficulties arising from the separation. This counselling ideally would involve both parents (where possible and safe to do so) working towards common goals for the child.  The parents would have an initial (separate) assessment session each and then feedback sessions when required.
• Through one of our other programs Family and Relationship Services (FARS), we can see children from intact families who are older than 10 who are experiencing relationship issues such as, friendships issues, sibling issues and family issues. Also, this service is for adults, individuals, families, and couples.

Please call for more information on 9556 5333.

Josy Reeder

Learning Diversity/Wellbeing Leader