In mainstream classes last week, we looked at Growth Mindset. Intelligence can be developed, the brain is malleable, and doing challenging work is the best way to make the brain stronger and smarter. Carol S. Dweck is a leading American Psychologist whose research on Mindset and Motivation has influenced education for many decades. The article The Perils and Promises of Praise by Carol S. Dweck (link here) discusses the ways to praise students to assist their motivation.

The school will be hosting interviews with all families and students in Week 9 to discuss growth goals. It would be helpful for students to discuss their personal goal with their families. We use the SMART goals model: Goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound. 

In the Support unit, students continued to explore the concept of Respect including how students can show respect to all people and the positive outcomes respect produces, for example, forming friendships. Some ways students can show respect is to say thankyou, please and sorry, as well as being kind and listening to others. Please recognise when your child practices respect in their words or actions and highlight how they are being respectful.

On Monday this week, all students participated in Clean Up Australia - the Canterbury PS version. Students learned why it is important to keep our school and the broader environment clean, and what we can do to avoid environmental damage. Positive environmental messages and behaviours learnt in childhood can have long term impacts on the way children and their families interact with the environment and the choices they make. Litter is sometimes left in the playground, intentionally and accidentally. Understanding why this is not okay is important. Please have discussions with your child around what they are now doing at school to minimise rubbish and what they can do at home too.

Ways discussed with children on how we can all solve our rubbish issue at school are:

• Sitting under the dots or shapes COLA to eat.
• Put rubbish in the bin or back in our lunch box.
• Check our area is clean before leaving to play.
• Return to the dots COLA to eat snacks from the canteen.
• Close lunch boxes and bags and put them in our class lunch tub so the birds cannot open them.
• Remind our friends if they forget
• Put it in the bin NOW, not later. Often we forget or it can fall out of our pocket.
• Let the teacher know if you see someone litter.
• Reduce the amount of rubbish we bring.

Meghan Ryan
PBL Committee Member