Junior School

What You Focus On Grows 

Humans are hardwired to focus on negative events; what isn’t working, what went wrong and what are the upcoming threats or stressors. This may come as little surprise to parents/carers as when we ask our children “How was your day?”, we are often met with a problem or negative experience! 

This negativity bias can often impact on how we think, feel and behave. The good news is that we can help our children to overcome this bias by encouraging them to intentionally direct their attention to the positive events and feelings they experience. By focusing on what went well in a given situation, we can savour the good and help to retrain our brain to look for the positives in the future.

Some potential tips for overcoming this negativity bias that you might like to try at home include:

• talking to your son about their changing brain, and discuss the notion that ‘what you focus on grows’ 
   
• spending time reflecting with your son on three things that went well in their day and why. Encourage him to write these down in a journal or even on their device. You may wish to also use this opportunity to highlight any strengths that your son displayed along the way (e.g., being brave in a class presentation or showing kindness towards a friend).

Celebration of Learning

Next week, the Junior School will be hosting an exciting new initiative for parents/carers. On Thursday 8 September, all Year 5 classes will host a ‘Celebration of Learning’ event for parents/carers to enjoy. All Year 6 classes will host their own ‘Celebration of Learning’ event on Friday 9 September. Both events will begin at 2:40 PM and conclude at 3:40 PM. 

Parents and carers are warmly invited to attend the particular grade event their son is taking part in and are asked to visit the relevant Junior School classroom just before 2:40 PM on the day. During the session, students will present different samples of work across chosen Key Learning Areas. The boys will also have several questions prepared beforehand for parents/carers to ask them about in order to promote further discussion. 

Parents/carers are also asked to please take the time to view the work that other students are presenting, rather than solely focusing on their own son as some students will not have parents/carers present. Any students who need to leave school at 3:10 PM to catch public transport will be allowed to do so. We look forward to hosting parents/carers next week for our inaugural ‘Celebration of Learning’ experiences!

As always, if you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email (glenn.stephenson@spc.nsw.edu.au) or phone (8705 9247) and I will endeavour to assist you in any way that I can.

May God bless you,

Glenn Stephenson 

Director of Junior School

Book Week Parade 2022

Finally, after two tumultuous years, our annual Book Parade returned to normal. The Junior School came alive with all manner of creatures, emerging from trains, buses and automobiles. Students had let their imaginations run free! 

There were ‘Oompa Loompas’, ‘Where’s Wallys’, ‘Harry Potters’ and ‘Gangsta Grannies’ around every corner. The boys were especially inspired by the brilliant works of Roald Dahl, Emily Rodda, David Walliams, Dr Suess and J.K Rowling.

The following students were ‘Highly Commended’ for their efforts.

Congratulations to all students who participated in the parade, and we encourage everyone to start planning for 2023! 

Helen Gibson

Westcourt Teacher Librarian