PBL: Our focus in ES1 was Relationships and No Bullying!

Key messages included: Getting along with others and making friends will make you happier.

Everyone feels shy or lonely sometimes.

Sometimes friendships change.

It takes hard work to learn how to get along with other people and be a good friend.

Social skills help us get along well and make friends.

If you want to have a good friend, you have to be a good friend.

It's ok to have more than one friend.

It's ok to disagree as long as you don't hurt others.

You can’t sort out things until you are boss of your angry feelings.

What bullying is and isn't.

Bullying is wrong. Bullying is never okay.

Bullying is everyone's problem.

Put-downs are not okay.

Think for yourself. Don't take part in bullying. We will continue looking at key themes in this area in Term 4, including:

It's not okay to bully someone when you stop being friends

There are things you can do if someone bullies you.

Telling a teacher is not the same as dobbing.

Be a friend. Activities which helped to develop that special feeling included: Practicing being able to talk to someone when we feel shy. Creating our own personal ‘Worry Dolls’, after reading Silly Billy. Seth: “I felt shy when I first came to school but then I met you all and I didn’t feel shy anymore”. We’re still using the bucket filler idea in everyday contexts for Bounce Back and are looking for ways to fill each other's buckets.

Stage 1

In Bounce Back lessons students investigate what they

are good at. This includes character strengths such as;

being fair, honest, trustworthy, loyal or kind. We discuss

how being organised is an important part of success.

Mistakes are an important part of the process, and

students are reminded that mistakes mean they are

learning.

The Bounce Back program is a great addition to our

focus areas in PBL – Positive Behaviour for Learning.

Stage One students are learning great skills about being

Safe, Respectful and Responsible Learners at CVPS.

Stage One Teachers.

Students in Stage One are thoroughly enjoying their

Bounce Back lessons! For the first three weeks of Term

Four, we are looking at the topic of Being Safe. In week

one, we talked about being safe and explained that put-

downs are not ok. Students have brainstormed ideas

about how we can make our classes and our school a “No

put down zone”. We discussed how bullying is everyone’s

problem, and how bullying spoils things for everyone.

Students are encouraged to think for themselves and

make sure we don’t take part in bullying – even as a

bystander, we can do something to help.

For the next five weeks we will look at the topic of

Success. We will talk about what it is to be a STAR.

S – Stick with it and don’t give up.

T – Think about yourself. What are you good at?

How do you know?

A – Always make a plan.

R – Remember to try hard, work hard and have a go.

Bounce Back

Throughout the year, students in Years Three and

Four have been participating in the Bounce Back

program. Both teachers and students have found the

program to be worthwhile. Through a range of

teaching and learning activities, students have been

able to express their ideas and thoughts when dealing

with a variety of social situations. Role-play activities

have proven to be a very useful learning tool, with

students able to articulate their thoughts and ideas in

the classroom environment.

Students have worked as individuals, with partners, in small groups and as a whole class to work through

a range of different scenarios.

In Term 4, students in Years Three and Four will be learning about the following topics:

In Weeks 1 to 4 students will study the topic called ‘Being Safe’ which focuses on bullying.

Main concepts to be covered include:

Bullying – What is bullying?

Students will learn about the harm that bullying causes and if that someone is being bullied, it is not their

fault.

Why do some children bully others?

Students will learn what to do if they are being bullied or cyberbullied.

In Weeks 5 to 9, students will complete a unit of work called ‘Success’

– CHAMP.

Students will learn to;

Train their brain for success and think like a CHAMP

Challenge themselves, set a goal and make a plan.

Always look for, and use, their strengths.

Manage their time and be organised.

We are looking forward to continuing the program in 2019 and as the

program operates on an odd and even year cycle students will be covering new concepts and ideas.

In Term 3, Stage 3 explored RELATIONSHIPS.

In this unit students further developed an understanding

of effective social skills for :

Getting to know others

Building and maintaining friendships

Managing disagreements

Being a good leader

Students participated in a circle discussion

and group activity where they were required

to apply co-operative learning skills.

The key messages of the learning were:

Good relationships are one of the keys to

happiness

Getting along well with others makes you

feel happier and more confident

It isn’t always easy to get along well with

others and to make friends

Managing conflict well is an especially

important relationship skill

Keep your eye on the goal of good

friendships

Good leaders have good relationship skills