Happy Valley School

  

Responsibility
 Respect
 Integrity

 

  Year 6 teacher, Yvonne Ridge (white hat) works with students on stilts.

Key Points
To Improve
Your Relationships
  The following is Adapted from “Love and Survival” by Dr Dean Ornish, Random House Australia, 1998
  Identify what you are feeling. 
What you are really feeling not what you believe you ought to feel.  This can be harder than it sounds.  It takes practice.
  Say what you are feeling.
Tell the other person directly and clearly what you are feeling.  Be careful to express your feelings and not your thoughts.
  Listen carefully to what the other person is feeling.
If they express thoughts and judgements, you can avoid getting caught up in the trap of attack, withdrawal, counter attack.  You have other choices.
  Acknowledge the other person’s feelings.
It can be helpful to repeat back to the other person a summary of what you heard.

  Year 7 teacher, Meridith Gabb rolls an earth ball over some very willing Year 6 & 7 students.

 

 

 

 

 
Responsibility
 Respect
 Integrity

 


Above: Middle School Orientation day was held on Thursday 15th February

In 2001, our "Middle School" is made up of two classes of Year 6 and two classes of Year 7 students. Teachers of these classes meet regularly to plan and programme whole group activities, while there are many smaller group and individual programmes that occur class by class.


Above: Students learn that cooperation can be very useful at times.

The year begins  with the Middle School Orientation Day, incorporating group activities through "Life Be In It" games in the morning, and self development and goal setting activities in the afternoon. This is followed by a week long aquatics programme for all Years 6&7 students at Port Noarlunga.     
(See: 2001 Swimming and Aquatics)

Throughout the year, there are many activities involving the older students, encouraging them to display leadership, collaboration and participation in school programmes.  This  includes a focus on work education, transition to high school and another exciting camping experience. 

The main aims of Orientation Day are as follows:-
  • To promote leadership skills
  • To foster a sense of cooperation and team-work
  • To have fun

  • To encourage students to participate in a wider range of school programmes

  • To enable students to display leaderships skills
  • To increase self confidence in our senior students
  • To provide an opportunity for students, staff and parents to interact
  • To promote values such as honesty, respect, individual rights and responsibilities.

In addition to these important goals, 2001 Middle School Orientation Day also featured a focus on Programme Achieve, a programme that is designed to help students achieve success and emotional well-being. 

It does so by helping young people understand the relationship between thinking, feeling and behaving.  Students develop an awareness of what it is they are saying to themselves (self-talk) and how this relates to how they feel and how they act.


Above: Students involved in a game of bocce

Above: Parachute activities were a great hit

It helps students monitor their feeling (emotional thermometer).  How am I feeling?  What am I thinking (saying to myself) that may be causing this?  Is my self-talk helpful? (true?).  The student is taught the skill of ‘disputation’ i.e.. Where’s the evidence that say’s I am worthless because someone won’t play with me?  What can I say to myself that is true and will help me feel better?

Expressing feelings rather than expressing anger, is a key to success in most relationships. The key points for improving relationships are set out at left.

The staff and Year 6 and 7 students would like to thank the wonderful group of parents who so generously gave of their time to support the Middle School Orientation Day.    Thankyou !

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