The major focus of our Strategic Intent – Strategic Focus 2020-2023, is on Student Wellbeing. Extensive research advocates the significance of wellbeing as being core to educational outcomes. Many of our practices, such as daily meditation, mindfulness and gratefulness, work through the lens of Positive Psychology and are thus aligned to the focus on Student Wellbeing. As part of this focus, and as a result of survey data we collected last year, we will be working with our students to further enhance their social and emotional wellbeing. We plan to keep parents updated from time to time through the weekly newsletter, on the types of activities that develop social and emotional learning.
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” (Aristotle)
“Teach to the Heart and the Mind Will Follow.” (Victor Rios)
“When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.” (Dalai Lama)
The essence of these quotes resonates strongly with my personal philosophy about teaching and learning. Similarly these thoughts echo the idea of the wholistic approach we use at Somerville House. We believe that we should strive to be caring, compassionate and honest, by showing sensitivity and concern for the well-being of others.
Students Acting With Empathy
A member of the public took the time to send an email last week. I share the email with you in our newsletter, because it is an uplifting read:
Today I was at the Mater bus stop and noticed a person curled up on the concrete, completely covered in a sheet. He/she made little response when I spoke. I was concerned and went off to try to find some help from 'someone'. I was told the person was probably homeless. I went back to him and found 5 or 6 children in Somerville School uniforms had put some of their morning tea, lunch and fruit on the concrete next to him. They were so caring and respectful. One lad said to me, "At least he will have something to eat when he wakes up." Such caring children. I wished I could have thanked them more.
I don’t know the names of the students, but I do know they acted with our school value of compassion. As outlined in our Somerville House Values Framework – Compassion is explained as “we know that kindness is the key to a happy school and we want our students to show active care and advocacy for all people of the world.”
Policy for Emergency Evacuation and Lockdown
For the safety of all Somerville House students, staff and visitors, every emergency evacuation must be responded to immediately. When the evacuation tones sound, move quickly and quietly to the evacuation assembly point. Do not take personal belongings when evacuating. Junior School students will hold hands and walk in pairs to the assembly areas.
Preserving the personal safety of students and staff is paramount during a lockdown - it is necessary during an emergency lockdown for staff, students and visitors to remain in, or move, into positions of safety within classrooms and school buildings as quickly and quietly as possible.
Talking during a lockdown compromises your and others' safety, so should be avoided at all times.
Students must not use mobile telecommunication devices to communicate with anyone during a lockdown, except Emergency Services, and only if critical/emergency circumstances necessitate such action.
Mrs Kim Kiepe Principal
From the Deputy Principal
From the Deputy Principal
Watching your child struggle when they face difficulty can be challenging, and our parental instincts tell us to jump in and fix it for them, but this robs the child of valuable experiences and, ultimately, the feeling of triumph if they persevere. If your child is finding learning difficult in the classroom, changing classes is not the answer as this takes away any power the child has to solve the problem for themselves. Learning to problem-solve and work with anyone will prepare them well for life beyond school. Parents can help by working with the School to help them along the way.
Communicate with your child's teacher: Schedule a meeting with your child's teacher to discuss your concerns and understand the teacher's perspective. Ask the teacher for feedback on your child's progress, learning style, and any strategies that may be effective for your child.
Encourage your child to speak up: Encourage your child to communicate their challenges with their teacher. Empower them to express their difficulties, feelings, and concerns to their teacher respectfully. This can help the teacher better understand your child's learning style and needs.
Provide extra support at home: Simply listening to their concerns can help them process what the difficulties are. Ask them questions to help them understand what they are finding difficult and what the next steps might be. Help your child with their homework, if possible, to get them over the learning ‘hump’. Engage in educational activities that complement what your child is learning in school.
Emphasise the importance of perseverance: Teach your child the value of hard work, persistence, and resilience. Remind them that challenges are a part of life and that they can learn and grow from difficult experiences.
Mrs Jo Matherson Deputy Principal
Chaplain's Corner
Chaplain's Corner
Last week, experienced bushwalkers Alfred Zawadzki, 69, and Klaus Umland, 81, failed to return from a two-day hike through the Blue Mountains. Thankfully they were found safe within a day or two, after they reached an area with mobile phone reception and made a call to authorities for help. Even experienced bushwalkers can become lost, and authorities praised the men for having appropriate communications equipment, making it easy for them to be located.
Many of us have probably had the experience of being lost when we drive or walk into unfamiliar territory, especially in an unknown city or country. Usually we can get ourselves out of this sort of situation relatively easily. Imagine what it must be like to be really lost, in wilderness territory or out at sea, fear rising up within as you realise you have no idea how to get home after trying for a significant amount of time.
People who do psychological studies on the process of getting lost conclude that there are several stages to the process. Firstly, the lost person deceives themselves into thinking they really do know where they are, they just have to try a bit harder to find their way out. With the realization that they really are lost, the psychological and emotional factors then come to the fore, and they may start to panic. Laurence Gonzales in his book Deep Survival says "Being lost, then, is not a location; it is a transformation. It is the failure of the mind. It can happen in the woods, or it can happen in life."
Gonzales makes an interesting point. Many people may look like they are on top of things in their everyday lives, the day-to-day things that we can observe. However, we never know what is happening on the inside, and whether or not they may be quite lost in their emotional or spiritual space. This internal change happens in the same way as becoming physically lost. It is dangerous to make judgements based on external appearances.
The bushwalkers had a device that enabled them to find their way or lead others to them. Such devices (even an ‘old school’ map or compass) can give you a fixed reference point to help you start to find your way out. In life where things are constantly changing and much less is certain (relationships, employment, financial security), we also need a fixed reference point, which is dependable and that we know will never change. The only one who will NEVER let us down is Jesus, who claimed that he had come to seek the lost and bring them back to connection with their creator.
Ms Chris O'Gorman Senior Chaplain
From Student Wellbeing
The Wellbeing Barometer
It’s becoming more and more challenging to raise happy, healthy and resilient children and parenting doesn’t come with instructions. SchoolTV.Me is a wellbeing resource implemented at our school to help support you in the challenges of modern-day parenting. Parenting is a learning journey and it’s easy to feel stressed and overwhelmed.
Every family has experienced some sort of difficulty or adversity in recent times, some more than others. Mental health concerns continue to rise as evident in available statistics. Unfortunately, the blueprint for parenting is often based on our own experiences, but this is no longer fit for purpose in raising children as citizens of tomorrow. Parents and caregivers play a vital role in providing the guidance needed to support children and adolescents as they reframe their worries and focus more on the things they can control in their life.
In the Special Report this month, Schooltv.me are seeking parent participation through a short survey. The survey is designed to provide a barometer to help gauge the state of student wellbeing within our community. We invite you to take a few moments to complete the survey as this will help our school know the nature and extent of your concerns and determine how best we can support families in the months ahead. Responses remain anonymous and will only be reported on an aggregated basis. You are asked to base your responses on observations made in the last 12 months. Please click here.
In addition, we have engaged EIPulse, a weekly pulse check-in with students where we ask them to complete a 60 second survey and choose how they are feeling using a scale similar to the image here. They are also asked to respond to four randomly selected questions to gauge their feelings about school. This valuable tool allows us to identify students who are at risk and act quickly, plan interventions and map student response in real time. It allows us to identify school trends. By working together we can continue to build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers as we navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for all students. Please reflect on the information offered in Schooltv.me, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you or your child, please reach out to the school or seek professional medical advice.
Mrs Julie Brunckhorst Dean of Student Wellbeing
Ten Things To Do When You Feel Stuck
At one point or another, we all feel a little stuck. This might be magnified if you’re feeling stressed. Here’s a quick reference point of 10 things you can try when you feel stuck.
Get out of the house – even just to the backyard. If you can’t get your mind clear, sometimes stepping outside can give you a new perspective. Getting some fresh air will enliven your senses, and your brain will start to think of new things.
Start writing. Get out a good old-fashioned pen and paper and write down whatever is in your head. Once you’ve cleared out most of the distracting thoughts, the ones you want will appear.
Work on a different project. If you can’t do what’s immediately in front of you, find something else to occupy your thoughts and energy. It doesn’t really matter what it is; you are taking this action to clear your mind by temporarily putting aside whatever you’re stuck on.
Clean your desk. As you clean your desk, you not only will break a pattern of inactivity but will find things that you’ve already completed and can put away. Doing so will give you some more room to process your thoughts.
Take a deep breath. You would be surprised at how many people hold their breath when they feel tense. When you cut off the oxygen supply to your brain and body, you can’t function as well. Breathing deeply a few times can reenergize you and give you that little extra bit of clarity you need.
Take a shower. Even if it’s the middle of your day, a shower can change your perspective and help you get going. We all feel better when we get clean, and though it seems like a small step, it may be just the trick you need to get back on a positive path.
Call a good friend. Hearing the voice of someone you care about and spending a few minutes getting involved in their world can give you a new outlook on yours. Making this positive emotional connection may be exactly what you need to get moving again.
Move your body. Dance, get up and walk around the room, pick up your clothes, or do some exercise. Get those endorphins circulating through your brain.
Read. Someone else’s words of wisdom can give you some new ideas. Reading can also help you relax and recharge your mental batteries.
Say something nice and encouraging to yourself. What would you say to a friend in this situation? Self-compassion will get you a lot further than self-loathing.
We all get stuck in our thoughts and actions from time to time. The key is not to let it continue any longer than necessary. The sooner you can free your thoughts, the better you will feel. Then you can focus on doing what matters.
Miss Sarah Winkleman Student Counsellor - Psychologist
Junior School
Junior School News
What is a leader? What skills, characteristics or traits does a leader have?
This week we are focusing on leadership, with an emphasis on everyone demonstrating and learning leadership skills. We have tasked the students with being a leader of learning, play, groups, and activities. Students learn leadership skills by collaborating, sharing, setting goals, motivating, and empowering others. Leadership is a life skill and can be developed on the sports field, in the classroom, during play and social interactions here at school. Shining a spotlight on these skills will support the girls’ character development, as they grow and embrace their learning journey. Michelle Obama urges, ‘Don’t be afraid, be focused, be determined, be hopeful, be empowered’. With this in mind, girls should set their goals, aim high and be prepared to embrace new opportunities.
Halogen Young Leaders Day
Last Monday, our Year 6 and Year 9 School Captains and House Captains attended the National Young Leaders Day at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The students enjoyed hearing the leadership stories of guest speakers Anthony ‘Harries’ Carroll from Bondi Rescue, Bryson Klein from Ninja Warrior, Hilary Rogers, author of Girltopia, Zac Power and Dragon Girl and Gretel Bueta from the Firebirds and Diamonds Netball teams. Leadership qualities such as bravery, persistence, collaboration, and creativity inspired our students to further develop their leadership qualities and share these with the Junior School on assembly. The students concluded their assembly by doing a random draw for a signed copy of the book Dragon Girl, along with their final message ‘Leaders are Readers.’
Last week, it was a delight to see so many girls pop into my office with work they were proud of. Prep C presented me with a beautiful necklace as they explored the letter ‘N,’ it matched my outfit perfectly. Girls in Years 2 and 3 have done some excellent recount writing and I was impressed with Maddie and Naomi’s Snowy Landscape story. They had a stunning opener, ‘The vast, cold, frosty landscape had melted snow that dripped over it like a freezing blanket’ - impressive description from our Year 5 students. Whilst Year 5 have been busy with their narratives, they have also been experimenting with ‘matter’, learning about volume, mass, and density. They had great fun making sense of these concepts with different sized balloons - a wonderful introduction to physics.
Who does not love a teddy bears’ picnic?
The Prep girls had a lovely time at the Teddy Bears' Picnic during the week when they learned about the letters T and P. They made their own invitation, paper party hat and food. Prep students have also been taking home a teddy story sack based on "The Everywhere Bear" by Julia Donaldson. Research indicates that when students are immersed in their learning, it is deeper, richer, and more meaningful, which leads to greater mastery of learning.
Congratulations goes to Alexis T (5B), who won the metro tennis competition on Sunday. This is a wonderful achievement.
Well done, Alexis!
International Mother Language Day
Tuesday 21 February was ‘International Mother Language Day’. The day was created by the UN in 1999 to raise awareness of language, cultural diversity, and multilingualism around the world.
‘Bilingual Buddies’ was held at morning tea to bring together students across the Junior school who share a common home language. Older students worked with younger friends to make wristbands to celebrate the day. Bilingual Buddies will be held every Tuesday at morning tea for bilingual students.
Environment Initiatives Update
Our Junior School Environment Initiatives are up and running! Our newly appointed Environment Monitors have been eagerly auditing classrooms and planning future events.
Our Containers for Change program will be running throughout the year. Each Wednesday, containers can be dropped at the Turning Circle or directly to the collection bags outside each year's level. The Somerville House Junior School code to be used when depositing containers at your local depot is C10455175. Students can bring the depot receipt on Wednesdays to the Turning Circle or their classroom teacher. They will then go into the termly raffle to win a great prize!
A special mention to Annabelle L (2A) and Arya P (2C) for consistently bringing in containers. They have already contributed almost 400 containers between them just this term! An outstanding effort!
Due to the money raised from our Containers for Change program, each classroom was lucky enough to receive a class plant pet over a year ago. After our initial auditing, we realised that some are looking a bit worse for wear (or did not make it through!) After consulting our resident plant expert, Teacher Aide Ms Valentine, this term, we will be replacing any plants with her suggestions.
We look forward to working with you to help make Somerville even GREENER!
Clinical Psychologist, Judith Locke has shared the following article with the Somerville House community, entitled ‘Help your child cope with tricky feelings.’ It is thought provoking and a worthwhile read. As parents often our default position is to protect our children from experiencing upset. However, the article highlights the importance of dealing with, validating and working through emotions and experiences. Later in the year, Judith will be running a series of workshops to support your understanding of your child's development, these will be age specific with more details to follow.
Help your child cope with tricky feelings.
Judith Locke, Clinical Psychologist
So, your child comes home from school, upset that they didn’t get on the team. Or missed out on an effort award. Or didn’t get in the camp group with their best friend.
There they are standing in front of you crying or visibly upset and it’s breaking your heart. What do you do?
Like most parents, it will be extremely upsetting to see your child disappointed. That’s likely to make you want to make them feel better by changing the outcome. You might call the school and try to encourage them to alter their decision or even demand it.
Some parents might go a little lower key and work very quickly to make their child feel better - buying them a sweet treat, praising them immediately by placing some doubt on the validity of the decision, or letting their child have the day off school the next day.
Some parents might be so uncomfortable about their child feeling this emotion that they might try to remove the feeling, by denying it. These parents might tell their child they shouldn’t be so upset, to make them move on quickly. All these actions are perfectly understandable as a caring response from a loving parent who is trying to do what they see is the best for their child.
Psychologists believe that some parents are more prone to these types of actions because of their ‘meta-emotion’, a term by John Gottman to describe feelings about feelings. It’s of interest because if parents feel that occasional anger or sadness in their child is a terrible thing, they are likely to do everything in their power to make it go away - very quickly. But it is not always the best action. Indeed, if it is done every time, your child gets upset then you risk them never learning how to cope with tricky feelings or events. That’s because you take away all difficulty and they never learn how to deal with challenge. When they are adults, that might make them more likely to take out the credit card when feeling a little melancholy, head to the donut store when bored, or lash out when they feel unsure of what is coming next in a situation.
If you always deny them the chance to feel those emotions, then they are less likely to be able to pinpoint what is bothering them and learn how to overcome or cope with it.
So, what is the better way to deal with their tricky feelings?
Gottman came up with a technique called Emotion Coaching. This is a method where parents put effort into noticing their children’s feelings. If they see children upset, worried or sad, rather than immediately taking away those tricky reactions, they should name the feeling, validate their right to feel that way and possibly normalise their responses to a tricky or frustrating event. It is important to be neutral in this and not to show your child that their feeling makes you uncomfortable at all.
This is going to eventually make them feel better, because they will understand their emotional or physical reactions, feel understood, and take comfort in the fact that it is a normal response. I know that’s not going to take away the feeling – but remember you are in this for their long-term good. Teaching them to cope is going to make them better equipped to manage situations - this time and the next time as life invariably presents its ups and downs to your child. That’s going to make you feel a lot better about their future. Takeaway for parents
Something disappointing happened at school? Here’s what to do.
Note the way they are behaving and remember not all sadness comes across that way. They might show anger or be nonchalant. Talk about the ways they might be feeling by naming the emotion and validating their right to feel disappointment or upset because of what happened. Show no discomfort in the fact that they feel that way and avoid telling them that their feelings make you feel a certain way. In this, you given them permission to feel without worrying about its impact on you. Support them. Show love through presence rather than presents in this moment. That will help them through it rather than bypass it completely.
Dr Judith Locke is a Clinical Psychologist and child wellbeing specialist who presents sessions for parents and teachers at schools around Australia, New Zealand and internationally. For more of Judith’s work read her parenting books, The Bonsai Child or The Bonsai Student. You can also follow her Facebook page Confident and Capable.
We welcome Mr Damian Mitchell who has joined our Junior School staff as Teacher - Learning Development. Mr Mitchell will work closely with classroom teachers to support students across Years 4, 5 and 6 as needed in maximising ongoing learning.
Finally, this week, on Friday 3 March it is Clean Up Australia Day, our Eco Monitors and Junior School students will be working with Mrs Reynish, Ms Turner, and staff to ‘clean’ up our school. Girls are welcome to bring gloves and litter pickers from home to help on Friday.
Have a wonderful week!
Mrs Susan Clarke Head of Junior School
Junior School Pastoral Care
Checking Your Wellbeing Pulse
"The wellbeing of today’s youth has never been more challenging." - Dr Michael Carr-Gregg – Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Author and Broadcaster
After its successful introduction in 2022, we are pleased to be subscribing to the Educator Impact (EI) Pulse Wellbeing App for students in Years 3 to 6. EI Pulse is used to track and support student wellbeing by providing a weekly check-in with students and enabling them to request help when they need it. Each week students are asked a small number of questions and rank their wellbeing on a 5-point scale.
Over the course of each term, EI Pulse gathers information about how students are feeling in relation to a range of factors that may impact on their wellbeing. These are based on the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) framework below.
The collective data derived from the student check-ins can in turn be used by our teachers to ensure that our pastoral care programs are addressing the protective factors to optimise student wellbeing.
I encourage all members of our school community to prioritise wellbeing as we face the challenges of 21st Century living. I draw your attention to the Parent and Student Help Resources in SomerLink which provides a wealth of information about how we can support wellbeing.
Mr Tim Smetham Assistant Head of Junior School - Pastoral Care and Administration
Early Learning Centre News
We're excited to share with you the latest update from Pre-Prep T!
Throughout the term each class participates in a sustainability project. Pre-Prep T have been taking care of our worm farm and learning all about what worms eat and how to collect the worm juice for the garden. This project sparked further interest in different types of garden animals and the children have been exploring the fascinating world of insects. This week they received a special delivery - three chrysalises!
The children have been learning about the life cycle of insects, from the egg to the larva, pupa, and adult stages. They have also been examining different types of insects, their characteristics, and habitats through play-based learning experiences.
The chrysalises provide opportunities for the children to see the later stages of a caterpillar lifecycle close up. The children have been making careful observations every day, noting any changes and developments. It won't be long before they witness the transformation of the chrysalises into beautiful butterflies.
This experience has sparked curiosity and excitement in the children, encouraging them to ask questions and engage in further research. They have been creating artwork and models of insects, using a variety of materials and techniques. The children have also had access to a range of information books to help find the answers to their questions.
We are impressed by their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn, and we are confident that this experience will provide them with a foundation for a lifelong love of learning.
Ms Mariana McIver Director of Pre-Prep - Early Learning Centre
Senior School
Senior Years Choral Festival 2023
Click here to find out more about the upcoming Senior Years Choral Festival 2023.
Co-Curricular Programs
Sports News
AFL
Day three of Senior AFL was another successful event! Somerville House Opens had a great win over Ipswich Girls Grammar, 36-0, with Ava See, Cate Cairns and Isabella Wheeler having fantastic games.
Our Senior team had a great contest against Moreton Bay College, going down by just three goals. Rosie R (11C), Ella M (11C) and Claudia P (11C) put on a fantastic performance.
Well done to both teams!
Water Polo
Somerville House Water Polo had another successful weekend in the pool at the BWPI competition. Nine of our teams have now made it through to the Quarterfinals this weekend.
We wish them the best of luck heading into this round and hope they make it through to Semi-finals.
Good luck Somerville!
Mr Andrew McCabe Director of Sport
Artwork of the Week
Artwork of the Week
Year One students have been responding to ‘action words’ with line, colour and shape to create a sense of movement in their artworks. They used collage and opaque Posca pens to create the sensation of their bodies floating, climbing, running, hopping, falling, spinning or dancing. They practised the movements first to observe the position of their limbs, hair etc. And they considered how the air would be moving around their bodies as they moved. In class we examined how artists portray the human figure and how meaning can be implied through the manipulation of shape, line and colour.
Community
Walk & Talk - Friday 3 March
The P&F welcome parents and daughters to come along for a Walk & Talk on Friday 3 March 2023.
The walk will start at 6.30am from Gate 8 on Graham Street, going along the river and returning to the School at 7.00am for a coffee or tea and sausage sizzle, ending by 7.30am.
Please click here to register and we look forward to walking and talking with you!
OGA Old Girls Who Are Current Parents Function
Click here to find out more about the upcoming OGA Old Girls Who Are Current Parents Function.