Principal's report - Kathy Canavan
Dear Parents and Carers,
ROAD SAFETY
Schools are busy places before and after school. I feel like I am preaching to the converted as most adults in our school drive safely being aware of how in a minute of carelessness everything can change. Children are unpredictable in their movements, so with this, unsafe driving is a careless mix. There is a proportion of adults in our school that in the busy-ness of their lives, are ignoring the message to drive safely around our school.
Cars are not using the roundabout and crossing the double line entering and then leaving the OSHC carpark at speed. Cars are parking over the OSHC driveway which does not allow smooth entry and exit from the OSHC carpark. Some folk are parking thoughtlessly in the vicinity of the roundabout which blocks smooth passage.
All children and families are precious to our school. In recent times, across Australia there have been major accidents during school pick up or drop off that have resulted in the maiming and deaths of children. These have made national headlines. Such things are heartbreaking for a school community and take a long time from which to recover, if ever. I am begging all adults who pick up and drop off at our school to drive remembering the fragility of life when pedestrians come into contact with cars.
RESILIENCE
Like you all I am still navigating parenthood raising two "kidults" at ages 19 and 20. We are still parenting hard at times when we probably thought we wouldn't need to! I have learned and still learning that one of the most valuable gifts we can give our children is resilience. There are significant pressure and external influences on families and children today. I reflect back on my thirty-seven years as an educator and note some of these pressures have impacted significantly on their levels of resilience and anxiety, which were not as evident even five to ten years ago.
In doing some research about why this might be so and what we might do to improve this for our learners and children, I share some of insights here in trying to make sense of this important topic for contemporary parenting and education.
Resilience isn't about shielding children from every challenge; it's about equipping them with the tools to bounce back from setbacks, adapt to change, and face adversity with confidence. As a community, we want to empower Jambo children to be strong, resourceful, and capable of thriving in all aspects of their lives.
Some potential strategies from the research for home and school:
- Encourage Problem-Solving:
* As an alternative to immediately stepping in to solve every problem, we can encourage thinking through solutions for themselves. Asking open-ended questions like, "What could you try next?" or "What are some different ways you could handle this?"
* Allowing children to experience the natural consequences of their choices, within safe boundaries, helping them to learn from their mistakes and develop a sense of responsibility.
- Foster a Growth Mindset:
* Praising effort and perseverance, rather than a focus on outcomes. Learning is a process, and mistakes are opportunities for growth. "I appreciate how hard you worked on that," or "You didn't get it right this time, but you learned a lot."
* Reframe challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.
- Build Strong Relationships:
* Create safe and supportive home and school environments where children feel loved, valued, and heard.
* Spending quality time together in families and as a school community, engaging in enjoyable activities.
* Encouragement of open communication and active listening.
- Teach Emotional Regulation:
* Help children identify and understand their emotions.
* Teaching healthy coping strategies, such as deep breathing, mindfulness, or talking about their feelings.
* Model healthy emotional expression as adults.
- Promote Independence and Responsibility:
* Providing age-appropriate responsibilities at home and school
* Encouraging them to try new things and take on challenges.
* Celebrating their successes and supporting them through their failures.
- Model resilience:
* Children learn by observing the adults around them. Showing them how we handle stress, setbacks, and challenges that are age-appropriate for them to understand can be helpful.
* Talking about our own experiences with resilience and how we overcame obstacles.
At Jamboree, we will continue to reinforce these strategies through our curriculum and pastoral care programs. We believe that by working together, we can equip our students with the resilience they need to flourish.
Have a great week,
Kathy