The Importance of Personal Space

Last week, Year 3 and 4 students joined together to complete an engaging and important Health lesson. We were focusing on the idea of ‘personal space’ and what it looks, feels and sounds like. Mrs Hill read us the story ‘Personal Space Camp’ and Miss Allen taught us how to use Padlet to display the answers from our partner discussions. We used collaboration, manners, teamwork and communication skills to complete this lesson. The Year Fours were fabulous leaders and the Year Threes became Mac whizzes!

Conflict resolution role-plays in Year 1

“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict.” ~ Dorothy Thompson. 

As part of the Whole School Social Skills program, in Year One we have been learning about and exploring Resolving Conflicts. We identified that conflict is when two or more people cannot agree on something. As a class, we discussed some examples of conflict we face in day-to-day life, and some ‘fair’ ways of resolving them. We agreed upon and recorded on a poster tips for ‘Resolving Conflicts’ quickly and fairly. The children then role played some scenarios that involved conflict and how to identify and manage them effectively. They did a great job and are keen to practice the new skills they are acquiring.

Emma McHardie
Year 1 Teacher

Resolving Conflicts: learning using Padlet

In Year 5, we have spent our Term 3 Health lessons discussing conflict resolution and what techniques we can use to “bounce back” from difficult situations and live resilient lives. As a class, we decided that this is one area that we could provide a positive example for the whole school, in order to make our environment as peaceful and encouraging as possible. We discussed the characteristics of calmly resolving a conflict and what behaviours we may be able to see, hear and feel during this process. The students then individually completed a Padlet wall, where they wrote their own descriptions of resolving a conflict. They then included a photo demonstrating conflict resolution. They have worked so well on this topic for the entire term and it is so wonderful to see such harmony within the class. Feel free to have a look at our class Padlet wall using the following link http://padlet.com/wall/9w267qnxo4hx

Claire Cooper
Year 5 Teacher

"Resolving Conflicts" Answer Garden

This week we began a new whole-school social skill focus with our Sacred Heart students, which is: Resolving Conflicts. We feel this skill is very important for our students to master, especially in the playground. This week the Year 6 Class used “Answer Garden” to share words which you could use when resolving conflicts at school. Great work, Year 6!

Renee Byrne-King
Year 6 Teacher and Assistant Principal

'Praise of the Week' in Year 4

Our current whole-school social skill focus for Term 3 is 'Encouraging Others'. It has been very pleasing to see students put into action what they have been learning. Here is
what the Year 4 class have been focussing on: We have been implementing a variety of ways to encourage others in Year Four. After discussing how important it is to be positive and celebrate the achievements of others we introduced a 'Praise of the Week'. Our favourite so far has been 'Excellent, Excellent', which we say whilst doing a big X with our arms. These short and simple praises have allowed us to motivate our peers quickly and effectively. Excellent, excellent!

Charlotte Allen
Year 4 Teacher

Year 2 Being Positive Y Chart

Over the last few weeks, Sacred Heart students have been doing a wonderful job at mastering our whole school social skill -  Being Positive. Y charts were used to introduce and teach the above skill to our students. Following class discussions about what this skill looks like, sounds like and feels like, the teachers recorded the students’ answers on a Y chart. Here is an example of a Y chart, created by our Year 2 students:

Carolyn Perlini

Year 2 Teacher and Assistant Principal

Year 6 Respecting Others Y Chart

The Year 6 class, used a KAGAN ©  cooperative Learning structure to complete their Y-chart on the social skill of “Respecting Others”. Each student worked with a shoulder partner and discussed what “Respecting Others,” looked like, sounded like and felt like. We then shared our discussion with the rest of the class and created our Y-Chart on our classroom window with bright coloured post-it notes. Well done, Year 6!

By Renee Byrne-King
Year 6 Teacher and Assistant Prinicipal