Grade 6+7 SEL Workshop

This has been a term of continued self-growth and awareness for the children. The SEL workshop this term revised the themes of the past two terms, with the school values of Respect and Kindness as the focus.

Respect for self, others, and the environment is very much part of the fabric of who we are as a school. Kindness can, and does, manifest in so many areas of life. We are reminded that a thoughtless comment or action, whether delivered intentionally or not, can potentially have a negative, long-lasting impact. The same is true of a thoughtful or kind action, of course. While the responsibility to act and speak with respect and kindness is a given, it is also necessary to develop and practice the ability to protect oneself and to take one’s power back, in the words of Mrs. Osler. The importance of ‘No!’ cannot be emphasised enough…

Following the ‘No!’ theme, Pantasaurus Rex was introduced to the children, as was the PANTS program, developed by the NSPCC (National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children) in Great Britain. The PANTS program has been adopted by the school, and will serve to help all children feel safe, and, indeed, to be safer. More information on this will follow in due course.

Peppered with a few videos (Derek Redman’s dramatic 400m race at the Barcelona Olympics, and the Death Crawl scene from ‘Facing the Giants’), some poster making, and time for mini-plays, the workshop was soon over. Our senior cohort left empowered and motivated, and are sure to continue to make a positive impact in our school and beyond.