Assistant Principals' Update

Learning and Teaching

Kilbreda Connect

Thank you to all families who completed the survey regarding Kilbreda Connect. The survey has now closed. Please know that we appreciate you taking the time to complete the survey and we greatly value your feedback.

The College Leadership Team will now be examining the data from your responses and exploring how we can tweak our Remote Learning model to continue to provide excellence in 'Continuity of Learning' and 'Continuity of Community' during this period.

Parent Webinar – Elevate Education

Elevate Education are Australia’s number one study skills provider and have worked with the College for a number of years to deliver sessions for our girls. We are delighted to have an opportunity to continue to partner with Elevate Education to deliver informative webinars during this period of Remote Learning.

Elevate’s study skills webinars are designed to inspire change in students and encourage them to set goals and plan the steps to achieve these goals.

The first webinar covered content related to student motivation:

• Practical strategies on boosting student motivation
• Ways to assist with student organization
• Student engagement during remote learning

Hints and Tips for Motivation

It is more important than ever that students set themselves goals whilst learning remotely. The types of goals are important. Students need to set a combination of performance goals and mastery goals to help them maintain motivation and set strategies to cope with workload.

Tip #1 – Focus on the process, not the outcome

• Set a goal for the next learning task (be specific)
• Ask for feedback from your teacher about what you will need to do to reach your goal
• Break your goal into smaller tasks
• Assign yourself deadlines to keep yourself accountable

Tip #2 – Remove fear of failure by focusing on efforts, not results

• Praise the effort that is put into tasks
• Provide encouragement when effort is being demonstrated

Tip #3 – Break the failure conditioning process

• Set smaller tasks to achieve the larger goal
• Accomplishing each task is a reason to celebrate
• Encourage steps in the journey

Tip #4 – Make all conversations and celebrations around improvement

• Celebrate the wins (achievement, effort and improvement)
• Set realistic goals, but ensure they are something to strive towards
• Keep a visual record of your results so you can see the improvement

SAVE THE DATE: Upcoming Elevate Education Webinar

Tuesday 12 May

6.00pm

This webinar will focus on ‘Time Management and Organisation’.

Please register at 

 https://www.elevatecoaching.info/parent-webinar-aus-time-management

Jane Ward

Assistant Principal:

Learning and Teaching

Wellbeing and Engagement

Our Strengths Make Us Who We Are

Research indicates that young people need explicit personal knowledge and skills in order to equip themselves to grow and indeed to flourish as capable and resilient individuals.  Our Wellbeing Wednesday program is designed to nurture our students’ individual wellbeing and contribute to the wellbeing of others.  We do this by exploring the principles of Positive Education, in particular the PERMA framework (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment) proposed by Professor Martin Seligman, and promoting our College values of Justice, Hospitality, Courage, Compassion, Hope and Wonder. 

Engagement, specifically one’s character strengths, is a major focus of our wellbeing program over the coming fortnight.  Character strengths are defined as the positive human qualities which serve as pathways for living a good life.  They are ways of thinking, feeling and behaving that come naturally and easily to a person and enable high functioning and performance.  Scientists have identified 24 character strengths of which every individual has their own unique combination.  These strengths reflect what is important to them and what they value.  Research suggests that knowing and applying your highest character strengths is the key to an individual being their best self. 

For children, just like adults, using their top (or signature) strengths feels energising, motivating and powerful.  This builds a strong sense of self-esteem, competence and wellbeing that can grow over time.  Those who know their strengths and use them frequently tend to feel happier, have higher self-esteem, and are more likely to accomplish their goals.  For an individual to be able to use their strengths effectively, it is important to have a clear idea of what they are and how they can be used.  This week, our students were encouraged to complete the Values In Action (VIA) Signature Strengths Survey and to identify their top 5 signature strengths. See survey HERE.  I would encourage families to complete this survey and to discuss their signature strengths together.  You may also wish to utilise the ‘VIA Strengths Chart:  What are your signature strengths?’ to spot strengths in others and to acknowledge and appreciate the strengths that friends and family members display. 

As a parent, focusing on our children’s strengths, positive qualities and future potential – rather than what they don’t do well – enables them to see the best in themselves and work toward becoming better.  As a family, you may also like to use the ‘Putting Your Strengths to Work’ handout to focus on a strength that you wish to develop over the coming week.   

Parenting Resource

There is a range of webinars available at present that address the wellbeing needs of young people.  I would like to draw your attention to this upcoming webinar on ‘Understanding Gaming:  From Hobby to Habit’ that is taking place on 26 May.

Happy Mothers’ Day to all.  We hope that this Sunday is a relaxing, fun-loving celebration of the value of beautiful relationships – which is what we are all about at Kilbreda College.

Stephanie Smyth

Assistant Principal:

Wellbeing and Engagement