Meaning is an important part of our school’s PERMA wellbeing (Starfish) model. Within this area sits “Voice and Agency” which are integral elements of the vision of our school.
When people use their voice, agency and aspirations, they can make a difference and shape the world around them by doing things such as:
Looking after and respecting the environment
Making decisions, asking questions and reflecting on learning
Doing things that make a positive difference and
Confidently voicing ideas
This is a book about a girl called Molly Lou Melon who uses her voice to be true to herself and stand up for what she believes to be right.
Marcenia’s actions and courage ensured that her voice was heard. Her determination, drive and refusal to give up led her to achieve her dream.
“Say Something” by Peter Reynolds, because every voice matters!
In this inspiring 6 minute talk, 10 year old Maddie Cranston shares her experiences and accomplishments to inspire kids to have a voice and speak out about what they believe in. Maddie looks to inspire others to believe in themselves and realize that they have the power to make change happen. Maddie’s message is focused on the importance of children believing in themselves and using their voice and ingenuity to help bring about positive change in the world.
Researchers consider healthy relationships to be the single most important factor in happiness.
“People with strong and broad social relationships are happier, healthier and live longer. Close relationships with family and friends provide love, meaning, support and increase our feelings of self worth. Broader networks bring a sense of belonging. So taking action to strengthen our relationships and build connections is essential for happiness”.
Our connections with other people are at the heart of happiness – theirs and ours. Whether these connections are with our partners, families, friends, work colleagues, neighbours or people in our broader communities, they all contribute to our happiness. Chris Peterson, one of the founders of positive psychology puts it simply as: “Other people matter”.
Martin Seligman who created the PERMA framework for wellbeing rates relationships as one of the keys to wellbeing too.
This week we can reflect on the qualities of (or what makes) a good friend and why our friends are important to us. We can think of the ways we connect with our friends.
Within our BHPS positive statements, Relationships means; “I can accept, understand and empathise with others”.
We created this video last year during a lockdown. It is about the ways in which we can nurture our relationships. Hope you enjoy watching it!
People who are good friends recognise and understand the emotions of others so that they can figure out how others are feeling. Research has shown that empathy (noticing what other people are feeling) is associated with children who are smarter, nicer, happier and more resilient. Have you reached out to someone who may not be feeling great?
There are many great ways to connect and I bet you can all remember this song by The Wiggles!
” A Letter to Amy” shows girls and boys can be friends with each other 🙂
This clip is about our attitudes towards roles
This book is about a boy called Dennis, who is different to the other children.
Rose Meets Mr Wintergarden is another book about empathy and making connections and being kind.
Some ideas for connecting include:
Talking with family and friends via phone, Facetime or Zoom. You could even do an activity together such as baking or making something. You could set up a backyard challenge and share with your friends.
Write handwritten cards or notes to family and friends. These could be posted or dropped off in people’s mailboxes. Everyone loves receiving these! You could also send messages via text or email.
Make encouraging posters and signs and put them in your windows to support your neighbours. This can also be a fun craft project.
There are so many examples of people connecting and being kind to others in our community. We would love to hear about how you connect – feel free to share on this blog x
At Barwon Heads PS we define Engagement as making the most of learning opportunities. Engagement is the second arm of our PERMA model. This can mean tuning in to instruction and tasks and focussing on schoolwork. Being engaged can also means achieving a state of “flow”. This can happen when doing many activities including playing sport, reading and drawing/painting.
Some tips and ideas on Engagement
More about Flow
The Boy How Loved Words – How does Felix’s love of words connect to “Engagement”?
There is plenty of research that supports the importance of teaching emotional literacy to children.
Emotional Literacy is similar to the Positive Emotions arm of our PERMA Model which says: “I use many words to express emotions.”
Christine Carter writes that evidence “points to teaching kids emotional literacy as the foundation of happiness. Emotional literacy is people’s ability to read and understand emotions—to recognise, interpret, and respond constructively to their own emotions and the emotions of others. Emotional literacy is one of the most important keys to mental health and well-being.
Children who can regulate their emotions are better at soothing themselves when they are upset, which means that they experience negative emotions like fear and anger for a shorter period of time. They have fewer infectious illnesses and are better at focusing their attention. Such children understand and relate to people better, and form stronger friendships. Emotional literacy is one of the best predictors of school performance and career success, better even than IQ. This is in part because children who are being taught emotional literacy skills are better learners; they also have better relationships in the classroom. Emotional literacy fosters resilience and helps close academic achievement gaps, promoting gains in nearly every area of children’s lives—most notably happiness and school success.”
These clips are about emotions and therefore, developing emotional literacy.
This week at BHPS we will be exploring Emotional Literacy from the Respectful Relationships curriculum. Teachers will choose fun activities from this curriculum to engage in with their students.
The evidence base supporting this is research which shows that students who participate in rigorously designed and well taught social and emotional learning programs demonstrate more positive social behaviour, are less likely to engage in risky and disruptive behaviour, and show improved academic outcomes. Collaborative learning activities help students to build their social skills. Building a large vocabulary for emotions helps to increase emotional literacy, build self-awareness and empathy for others.
The Character Strengths which we use at school are another way in which emotional literacy is underpinned at BHPS.
