Welcome to the last Week of Term One. Over the weekend we celebrated the events of Holy Week culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ Our Saviour. This story is the pinnacle of our Catholic faith and one in which we see Jesus, humble and resolute in His commitment to honouring His Father’s wishes and making the ultimate sacrifice for us. The Easter weekend is a wonderful opportunity to gather as a family, celebrate our Catholic tradition and offer our prayers of thanks for the lives we live as result of the actions of one man. I hope that you and your family had a wonderful, faith filled Easter and took the opportunity to celebrate at our Easter liturgies over the weekend. Please join us tomorrow in the piazza at Community Prayer as we celebrate the events of the Resurrection.
We are in the last week of the school term and as I reflect on what we have achieved so far this year, I am constantly reminded of the passion and commitment of our staff in working to provide a quality education and every opportunity for each child to shine. Our teachers and support staff work very hard to provide learning programs that meet the needs of every child, with wellbeing for all placed at the centre of all we do. Those of you who took the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher/s in the last two weeks would understand that each and every child matters, absolutely and the learning experience is aimed at showing positive growth for all children across all aspects of their school learning. Thank you for your support and partnership in this journey.
Tools for Healthy Friendships
Recently, Madhavi Nawana Parker from Positive Minds Australia was invited to talk to parents and carers from across the Star Program Cluster Schools on ‘Teaching your child the tools for healthy friendships’. This was the second in a series of free workshops where parents are invited to come and listen to many practical and helpful tips around social and emotional wellbeing.
Madhavi spoke about how we can help children when making friends. Some ideas included:
Having an openness to friendships and friendly greeting skills
Knowing how to approach others (through friendliness, finding common ground/similarities and by matching the emotional tone of the group)
Having and showing empathy, compassion and kindness towards others
Knowing how to have an uncomfortable conversation and problem solve assertively and independently
Offering constructive feedback and guidance.
Madhavi also provided tips on how we can teach these skills by being a good role model, talking about friendships and being an observer to your children as well as practising through role play, being encouraging and supportive. It was a very informative and practical evening with lots of great ideas as well as providing a good understanding of how you can support your child in developing their skills in making and keeping friends.
These workshops will continue to be offered in the Eastern Star cluster of schools throughout the year. They are informative and well worth your time in attending. Please be on the look-out for the next Workshop coming up in Term 2.
In closing I wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday over the next two weeks. We look forward to the children returning to school refreshed and ready for a great Term Two experience.
James Meiksans
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