Positive Education

We all know that hanging out with friends, catching up with family members, or even chatting with an acquaintance, can be incredibly beneficial to your health and overall wellbeing. Having a social network of friends with whom one can spend time is noted to have significant mental health benefits. This is evident by experiencing an improved mood, such as joy and happiness.

Although we find ourselves in lockdown for the second time where hanging out with friends and family is incredibly restricted. However, just because we have to physically distance from one another, this doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on emotionally connecting with your favourite people. Below are a few ideas listed ways that you can keep connected and maintain your wellbeing.

Please remember that your child will also be feeling isolated from their friends and from the extended family and some of the ideas below may assist each and everyone’s wellbeing.

Some suggestions are:

Call your friends.
Set up a group text with your family.
Set up a video call / face time call with your family.
Send an occasional funny meme, cute video, and good news to each other.
Bond over a TV show.
Add doses of spontaneity to your day
Write a letter or a postcard to someone, especially someone who is by themselves. Let them know you are thinking of them.
Eat dinner as a whole family and discuss what were the positive things that happened during your day. Did someone make you laugh? Did someone make you some food that was really tasty? Did someone perform an act of kindness? Talk about these things rather than the challenging parts of the day. This is not to discount these challenging moments, it is to recognise that good things happen and are not easy to recognise due to our negativity bias.
Put up a sign in your window to say hi to your neighbours or people walking past.
Take some time out for yourself through meditation / mindfulness moments, take a bath, read a book, find a quiet space and do something you really enjoy.
Do an online course. Learn how to play the guitar, knit or crochet, make a macramé plant holder.

Each edition of the newsletter we would like to share with you a story of kindness which has occurred within our community. If you experience someone’s kindness or hear of any acts of kindness, please contact Emily Murcott (Emily.murcott@education.vic.gov.au) so we can share these stories with the school community. Following is a beautiful start to the Kindness Corner.

Wow! The feeling you get when you are the receiver of kind acts is heart-warming and puts a smile from ear-to-ear. You feel loved and appreciated. This is what has occurred just recently at Mullum Primary School.

Last week someone, who wishes to remain anonymous, provided our school with 20 brand new iPads and has paid for a 12-month lease of 60 Chromebooks for our students to use. What an incredible act of kindness. So many of our students will have the opportunity to use these devices for their learning.

Here is what some staff have to say:

“The extra iPads means students will be able to publish their writing more often, create videos, code in Scratch and find pictures to help them understand our topics”

“The donation of the extra iPads and lease of Chromebooks for our students, is extremely generous. It means that our children can access their learning with new, efficient devices. This allows for easier internet access, quicker computer response times and greater ease when completing tasks online. Your donation is very much appreciated – Thank you!”

“The extra devices mean that all students have equal access to learning during remote learning without having to share with parents and siblings. Last time some experienced great difficulty completing tasks as their older devices limited their access to websites and functions”.

“It is a wonderful, generous donation that will benefit all students at Mullum. Access to quality technology is important, and as we have learnt in 2020, students surprise us every day with their knowledge and ability to adapt and put new skills into practice. Thank you!”