FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents
Welcome back to Term 2 and as usual, the pace is building as the assessment times get closer. NAPLAN is on the horizon 14th – 24th May, followed by Semester 1 Examination period 29th – 31st May.
An area of concern that is raised in the Media and is evident in many schools is the lack of resilience of our youth and the impact of technology on lifestyle and family life. Dr Rangan Chatterjee, author of the Stress Solution offers advice to parents.
Our brains respond to the information around us, so resilience can be taught, modelled and nurtured at any age.
Resilience comes from relationships; children need nurturing. It’s not a magical inner strength that helps kids through tough times; instead, it’s the reliable presence of one, supportive relationship, be it parent, teacher, relative or family friend. It’s quality, not quantity that counts. If you’re on your phone at the dinner table, you’re teaching them it’s OK to always be distracted. And that they are not important enough for your sole attention
Lack of good-quality sleep is a huge driver for stress: it has a negative effect on memory, concentration, cognitive function, and decision-making.
One of the fastest ways to improve sleep is to limit screen time before bed. Issue a household ban on devices at least an hour before bedtime. Turn off the wifi.
Exercise will increase children’s resilience. It actually strengthens the brain. Regular physical activity teaches our stress-response system to recover more efficiently. Put on the radio before dinner and dance around in the kitchen. Join your kids doing squats, star jumps, bear crawls or frog hops. Walk the dog together or go for a family bicycle ride.
Resilience means understanding you can’t always have what you want as soon as you want it. It’s an important concept to pass on in the age of Amazon Prime, Spotify, Netflix and Uber. Psychology teaches us that people who can accept delayed gratification lead happier, healthier lives. Without the ability to defer pleasure and reward, our kids are losing an important skill for their wellbeing.
One of the best ways to teach it? Playing board games. These require impulse control, turn-taking, and mental flexibility. They exercise the prefrontal cortex, the rational part of the brain involved in decision-making, emotional regulation and, yes, resilience. Board games are also a good way for you to model resilience by being a good loser.
Nutrition has a significant impact on mental health. Good-quality food changes the composition of our gut bugs, which helps send calm signals to the brain. Poor-quality, highly processed food sends stress signals instead. A diverse diet, rich in fibre, will lead to greater diversity in our gut bugs, which in turn will help make us more resilient, and anxiety and depression less likely.
Instead of pestering your children with questions such as, “How was school?” and, “What did you do today?”, teach them to reframe their day.
Everyone must answer three questions:
1) What did someone do today to make you happy?
2) What did you do to make someone else happy?
3) What have you learned today?
This simple exercise helps us find the positive in every day. It teaches gratitude, nurtures optimism, and recognises kindness.
God Bless