Prep Awardee Recipients  

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Last Friday, our 2021 group of Peer Mediators had their day of intensive training in preparation for their important roles in working with children in the playground. Jocelyne Chirnside, program developer and trainer, was glowing of the group of Year 6s who worked with her on Friday.

So what happens next? Once agreements have been returned, the mediators will team up with a peer and venture forth into the Prep, Year 1 and 2 playgrounds. They are tasked with the responsibility of guiding the children through the process of conflict resolution when they encounter problems in the playground. They only deal with the small conflict - friendship issues, game disagreements etc. Anything major such as physical or strong verbal misconduct will be referred to an adult on duty.

Please talk about the Peer mediators - commonly known as the Bridge Builders - with your child at home. Building familiarity by talking about it means they are more likely to seek help and ultimately build their conflict resolution skills.

Bridge Builder online learning is available for Year 1, 3 and 5 students this year.  They can access this from home and parents are strongly encouraged to participate with your child in this learning.

Why only these year levels? We have had whole school immersion for some 3 years now. In order to keep the children’s interest level up and maintain their skill level, the PBL committee determined that students in those year levels undergo the full online program.

The other year levels not subscribed to the online learning will continue to receive explicit teaching on a needs basis. This includes proactive learning, as well as responsive teaching of skills.

The effect size of this program is exponentially increased with parents learning as much as they can and expecting the children to implement their skills to resolve conflict at home. To assist you, I can offer a parent information session to help you get your head around it. This session can be delivered in a face to face session or by Zoom. Please indicate your interest to participate in a Term 1 session to learn about the Bridge Builder conflict resolution program via the link below.

Social Emotional Learning for this fortnight:

  1. Recognise the value of knowledge.

What is the power of knowledge?  What personal knowledge do you have that is helpful?

Do we HAVE to know it all?  CAN we know it all?  

Some deep discussion around the dinner table will get your child thinking about how having knowledge makes them feel and how it helps them.

  2. The importance of calm mind and calm body.

Brain research states that children's brains are influenced by both their genes and their environment. Babies are born ready to learn, with around 90 percent of brain development occurring in the first five years of life. The early years are important, as how the brain grows is strongly influenced by what's happening in a child's environment and their interactions with the people around them.

https://education.nsw.gov.au/.../brain-development-in-young-children

Calm Mind, Calm Body

We all need to have a calm mind and calm body in order to be able to address conflict for a positive outcome.  We teach this as part of being a Bridge Builder.Building children’s awareness of the personal  ‘warning signs’ associated with their emotional state is a gift.  It empowers the child to recognise the signals and wait for them to pass before trying to tackle a problem.

If you can talk about this at home, and encourage your child to practise the strategies, it will be easier for them to employ the skills at school. 

SHOWCASING OUR SCHOOL

I wish to thank Karees and Alphonsa for accompanying me to a school showcase evening at Aspley Goodstart Early Childhood Centre last Wednesday evening. The children spoke eloquently and proudly about their school to parents who are in the process of determining a school for their Prep child for 2022.

Bridge Builder Training

Religious Instruction

All classes are now underway with Religious Instruction on. Thursday afternoon. The student booklets have arrived and are being distributed on paid invoices. There was a lovely buzz of excitement when the children met up with the instructors they enjoyed working with in 2019. Sadly, RI did not take place in 2020 due to you know what.

Narelle