From the Wellbeing Leader

Upcoming Swimming Lessons

Information regarding swimming lessons has been sent home. Please note the following swimming lesson times and dates:

Year 3 and 4 Swimming: Week 6 (Monday 21 November- Friday 25 November) 

9.45am-10.45am         4 Bakewell

10.45am-11.45am       4 Nicholls

11.45am-12.45pm       4 Woodward

1.00pm-2.00pm           3 Burgan and 3 Fisher

***No Wednesday swimming lesson for Year 3***

Reception- Year 2 Swimming: Week 7 (Monday 28 November- Thursday 1 December 4 days only

9.45am-10.45am         2 Tew/Huxtable and 2 Jeffery/Ashmead 

10.45am-11.45am       1 Fyffe and 1 Voigt

11.45am-12.45pm       Rec Gracey and Rec Sheedy

Please note that all Year 3-4 consent and medical forms must be returned by Thursday 17 November and all Reception-Year 2 consent and medical forms must be returned by Thursday 24 November. Speak with your child’s teacher if you require another form. 

Children’s Week 2022: what SA children say about Grownups

Last week, we recognised 2022 Children’s Week and celebrated how important the voice of a child is. Helen Connolly, the Commissioner for Children and Young People in SA began the Student Voice Postcard initiative 4 years ago where she asks primary school children to write in their own words what matters to them most.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll share what our children are saying in the space of wellbeing, COVID, looking after the planet and grownups.

Attached is the document The things that matter to children: what SA children say about grownups

Some of my takeaways are:

• A number of children shared that they want grownups to know about them individually and to show more interest in their lives. Some common responses were knowing ‘who I am’, ‘what I do’ and ‘what is going on in my life’
• Some children wanted grownups to understand the importance of their culture and languages, particularly when English is not their first language and they wanted grownups to spell and pronounce their name correctly. 
• One of the most common things was that kids want grownups to know ‘they have a voice’ and ‘they have rights’

Our Resilient Children

Resilience is the process people go through when responding to difficult times. Everyone experiences disappointments, setbacks, failures and challenges – resilient people tend to thrive as a result of these. 

There’s no doubt that COVID-19 is posing kids with a range of challenges and you don’t have to look far in the media to find an article about the impact of the pandemic on children’s mental wellbeing.

Your kids have no control over the virus itself, however, they do have control over their response to it and whether they respond in a way that will help them thrive, and not just survive.

As parents, you can help them choose their response – check out this list of things for you to do as you support and guide your kids. 

Bear in mind as you read this that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Each child’s experience of COVID-19 is different, as is their capacity to respond with resilience. Resilience is dynamic and will change depending on a child’s personal and environmental context. It’s also relative – what might be a big deal for one child might be insignificant to another.

1. Connect with your children. Spend time with them and give them your full attention – they need to feel seen and heard. Connection can take any form – chatting with them whilst you fold the laundry or a bike ride. Show them that you love and value them, and that they’re worthy of your time.
2. Notice and observe their experience. It’s easy to make assumptions about our kids’ experiences but often we can get these wrong. Noticing and observing how your child is actually responding to the pandemic, will help you to identify how best to support them.
3. Keep the lines of communication open. Take opportunities to check in with your kids and see how they’re doing. Answer their questions about Covid-19, keeping your responses factual and age-appropriate, and simple and brief when speaking with younger kids. Try and become their single source of truth. Encouraging them to talk about any worries they might have is a key part of this.
4. Teach your children to choose optimism. Optimism isn’t a trait, it’s a strategic choice. When your children tend to the helpless, or the pessimistic, gently encourage them to reframe and to choose a more optimistic perspective. 
5. Encourage plenty of unstructured play. This is a critical part of children’s ongoing growth and development and is a great alternative to gaming or other screen-based activities that you’re may want to limit. It teaches a whole range of skills, including problem-solving, creativity, turn-taking, negotiation, sharing and lots more. 

Susie Mogg, Founder of Resilience in.. https://resiliencein.com.au/ourteam 

To learn more about this wonderful initiative from Helen Connolly, please visit https://www.ccyp.com.au/

Kaylene Henderson: The Do’s and Don’ts of discipline 

Recently I was fortunate to attend a PD with Kaylene Henderson who shared her expertise in the anxiety space. She is offering a free webinar series.

'The Dos and Don'ts of Discipline' has been designed for parents seeking more information and clarity around childhood behaviour and discipline with the hope to give more parents tools and resources in and around raising their children.

Register for one or both of these incredibly informative events which will take place online, delivered straight to you.

Webinar 1: Discipline tips for under 5s: November 24th at 7:30pm AEDST Webinar 2: Managing meltdowns & tantrums: December 1 at 7:30pm AEDST 

https://campaign.careforkids.com.au/dr-k-webinar

Carly Bergen | Wellbeing Leader