As our Junior School families will be aware, across both campuses we have introduced a number of programs and strategies to encourage the development of resilience in our children. Resilience can be defined simply as the ability to “bounce back” from difficult situations.  

The introduction of these programs reflects a more widely held concern regarding the ability of young people to cope with the changes and difficult situations that we will all face. Colleges in America have coined the phrase the "Teacup Generation" to describe the students from Generation Y who shatter as soon as something goes wrong. Separated from parents for the first time, these students are lost without constant parental support.

In addition, rates of depression and anxiety among young people have been steadily increasing. Today five to eight times as many high school and college students meet the criteria for diagnosis of major depression and/or an anxiety disorder as was true half a century or more ago.

One thing we know about anxiety and depression is that they correlate significantly with people's sense of control or lack of control over their own lives. People who believe that they are in charge of their own fate are less likely to become anxious or depressed than are those who believe that they are victims of circumstances beyond their control. The data indicate that young people's belief that they have control over their own destinies has declined sharply over the decades.

Our students and their teachers have been using a multi-coloured Catastrophe Scale as a tool to help them work out what is a minor worry and what is a serious issue.  The Scale is designed to help children keep things in perspective and to deal with issues and events in an appropriate, positive and proactive way.

By enabling our children to accept and deal with the fact that they may not always win at games, they may not always receive awards, they may not constantly get their own way in activities or indeed they may not always be chosen for special tasks or roles, our staff are building the resilience to help them cope with life beyond school.

With encouragement and input of staff and the awareness and support of the parents, the children have been able to practise applying the Catastrophe Scale to a variety of scenarios.  As a result, these students are now more able to categorise different types of concerns, determine the most helpful course of reaction and action, and identify who else (if anyone) needs to be brought on board to assist them in dealing with the issue at hand, thereby developing that important sense of control.

Source http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201001/the-dramatic-rise-anxiety-and-depression-in-children-and-adolescents-is-it

Under the Working with Children Act 2005 (the Act), people who engage in paid or voluntary child-related work need a valid Working With Children (WCC) Check.   As a school we have a responsibility to ensure that all those who work with our children have passed this check. For this reason, all parents and community members who volunteer at our school in any capacity whether in the classroom, on the sports field or assisting with camps or excursions are required to have a current WWCC.  We are always grateful for the support of parents and other adults and do not wish to dissuade our volunteers, but the care of our students must always be our highest priority. If you currently hold a WWCC, please provide the details to the relevant Head of School so that your details can be registered.  For those who do not yet have a WWCC, the application forms are available at all Australia Post outlets and checks for volunteers are free.

I thank you for your understanding in this matter.

As many would be aware, our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students will sit the annual NAPLAN tests. NAPLAN is not a test of content. Instead, it tests skills in literacy and numeracy that are developed over time through the school curriculum.

The NAPLAN tests identify whether all students have the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for their learning. Students are assessed using common national tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy.

As a school, we do not support excessive test preparation. Whilst it is essential that students are familiar with the layout and expectations of the tests and the sort of questions that they may be asked, we do not “teach to the tests”. Instead, we are confident that the high quality of our teaching and programs will enable students to perform at their best and to demonstrate what they know and can do. I have heard of some students and families becoming quite distressed by the mere thought of sitting the tests with the consequent impact on sleep patterns and general happiness.  All that we ask of our students is that they do their best. The results of the tests are one source of information about a child’s progress but we must remember that it is simply one test on one day. The results will be reviewed in the context of all that we know about a child and his or her learning.

The aggregate data is carefully analysed by the Executive and teaching staff and is used to inform decisions about teaching and learning priorities and to help identify the strengths and needs of a particular cohort.

(source http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/the-tests.html)