The Resilience Project

Introducing Our New School Mural

At the beginning of the term, we asked our Year 6 students to put their heads together to design our new school mural.  Students were asked to design an eye-catching and original artwork that promotes the three GEM strategies (Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness).

The Year 6 students were then asked to shortlist their favourite designs.  Congratulations to the following shortlisted applicants (left to right, top to bottom): 

Maddie S15                                             Sheryl S41                                Gemma & Kaylee S17

Emma & Grace S43                              Lina S17                                     Steph S17

A school-wide vote (teachers, learning support staff and students) was held to select our winner.

A special congratulations to Abdul, Rassam and Zayde from S39 for their innovative design.  What a tremendous display of teamwork!

We are so proud of our students at Pakenham Springs Primary School and are incredibly grateful to have such talent amongst us.  Thank you to all students for their time and effort in helping us to make this mural something truly special.

Construction will commence in Term 3 so be sure to keep your eyes peeled!

Kendall Wilkie

Year One Teacher

Resilience Project Sub-Leader

Facilitating Positive Conversations

With National Reconciliation Week beginning on the 27th of May and running until the 3rd of June, we are thrilled to share some resources that have been developed towards facilitating positive conversations at home.

The notion of family in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures is closely tied to themes of connectedness and kinship. 

In this setting, family structures are pivotal to identity formation, understanding one’s own spiritual and cultural belonging, and assists in establishing strong links with the community.  Ultimately, family and kinship are a cohesive force that binds Aboriginal people together.

Check out this video to find out more about the kinship system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNtPcW4t1PY

To facilitate more positive conversations as a family, the below questions have been developed to help families practise the GEM principles daily within a conversation. They are a great way to build deeper connections as your family shares a meal either in the morning, afternoon, or evening or at a time that works best.

Here are some great GEM CHAT questions and ideas to get you started;

● Remember someone who has done something kind for you recently.  What did they do for you?  How did this make you feel?

● What is your perspective?  Can you put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand their point of view?

● Who is someone you know who may be experiencing some difficulty currently?  What could we do for them as a family?

● What is something kind you are going to do for someone today?

Head to TRP@HOME for a range of extra ideas, resources and activities that you can do to check-in and support the mental health of everyone in your home!