Here is a wonderful way to support your child's learning at school - Learning Principle 6!

Learners master the essential skills in literacy and numeracy and are creative and productive users of information communication technologies.

What the parent will know and be able to do in learning environments that reflect this principle, the parents:

Value home learning as part of the everyday routine to support their child in partnership with school expectations.
Provide authentic opportunities for their child to develop their literacy and numeracy capability in the home.
Consider how technology for learning in the home can be used in a safe and healthy way.

Learning in uncertain times.

Our core business is learning...that's what we as educators study for, that's what we're passionate about, that's what drives us.

We often comment on the skills of the future and their significance for children's learning. What is an absolute right now in our changed world is that these skills are for the here and now! No longer are they just a futurist approach, but they are part of our every day at Good Shepherd/Adelaide/Australia/Globally.

As a leadership team we have made reference to the incredible compassion, creativity, collaboration, resilience and communication that we are seeing demonstrated right now, this instant. In a world where the information changes daily and therefore informs such an unknown future, these skills which underpin and drive our Learning Principles and decision making at Good Shepherd are the core of our learning. It's been a profound realisation for us!

We celebrate the journey you take with us, to support and grow confident learners for the here and now...and into the future.

We celebrate the teaching and support teams at Good Shepherd, their passion for your children to grow and succeed as learners and contributors to our community. We thank them for their tireless energy and incredible commitment to creating ongoing learning opportunities, in creative and innovative ways, now and into the unknown future months!

We are blessed.

Karen Schoff, Director Learning Innovation

Character Strengths and How they can help...

When times are tough, character strengths continue to shine. Choose to see the love, kindness, teamwork and bravery around you. Focusing on your greatest qualities, and those of others, can help you and your children feel more in control and centred during major life changes.

How can you do this? Actively look for strengths in your daily life.

There’s no doubt that you are using your strengths in brand new ways. Think about how you have used creativity, prudence, judgment and hope in the past few days. Now, continue to explore this! Research shows that using your strengths in new ways can increase happiness and boost depression. It is the way God designed us so that we can lead positive and productive lives.

Here are 2 simple ways you can continue to activate your strengths. We encourage you read each one and DO them.

Loving Kindness

Loving-Kindness practice involves directing the love God gives, toward yourself, other people and all living things. It boosts self -compassion and positive emotions.

With your children think about doing something for someone else each day. Sit down and chat as a family about what and how you would like to do this.

Three Good Things

Gratitude is one of the character strengths that is most connected with happiness. When you are going through a difficult time, the Three Good Things activity helps you focus on what is good in your life to shift your perspective and decrease negative emotions.

How to do it:

At the end of today, think back on the good things that occurred.
Write down three things that went well and why they went well.
Look for the strengths that you/others used.

Why Do It

According to science, this Three Good Things exercise can help you reflect on the good things in your life and increases the meaning in them. When you slow down to look at the details, you have a greater appreciation for the small things that matter.

Adapted from a newsletter from viacharacter.org

Bronwyn Holliday, Director Junior Primary

diary dates

Diary Dates