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Building a Bridge Between School and Home
Building a Bridge Between School and Home
As the designer of the "Mindfulness in Life" programme, I created the website to introduce a systemic mindfulness approach tailored for H-Farm International School community. My goal was to contribute to the community as both a researcher and a parent, while encouraging stronger school-home partnerships. This initiative encourages the shared practice of mindfulness, helping children develop essential emotional and social skills by connecting schools and families in a meaningful way. The programme is based on in-school synergies, by leveraging the creativity of high school students to develop resources for younger students as part of their IBDP CAS projects. It also relies on the expertise and facilities available within schools, such as IT teachers, a Well-being Coordinator, and printing services, to facilitate its successful implementation.
The programme reflects my belief in the importance of a holistic and systemic approach to mindfulness, addressing the challenges faced by international school families, including frequent relocations, cultural differences, and acculturative stress. By promoting collaboration between schools and families, the "Mindfulness in Life" programme strengthens family relationships, enhances the sense of community, and makes mindfulness practices more accessible. This approach not only supports children’s socio-emotional learning but also fosters their overall well-being in a sustainable way, ensuring that both families and schools play an active role in creating positive environments for children to thrive.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the incredible team of collaborators who have contributed to this project. Your dedication, expertise, and support have been invaluable.
Mr. Emiliano Cori (Head of H-Farm International School and Head of Secondary)
Mr. Anthony Hamblin (Primary Principal/Head of PYP)
Mr. Giles Isbell (Head of MYP 4-5)
Ms. Lucy Hermon (Primary Well-being Coordinator)
Ms. Cristina Mocanu (CAS Coordinator)
Mr. Amr Helmy Mahmoud (IBDP IT Teacher)
Margherita Della Torre (IBDP CAS Student)
Isabel Dalis Dixon (IBDP CAS Student)
Thank you all for your unwavering commitment and contributions. This project would not have been possible without your collective efforts.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What do we mean by 'family' in this programme? Families come in different shapes and sizes: See this Todd Parr video about this. However, this programme is designed for families with 7-11 year old children, who can practice together.
Is this programme religious? No, this programme is entirely secular (non religious) and rooted in evidence-based psychological scholarly research.
Can I do the practices on days that differ from the given calendar? You are free to catch up with the practices in your own time, if you miss one. However, we'd be grateful if you could stick to the calendar.
What if I skip one or more practices? It's OK, you will be asked to mention your level of participation at the end of the programme's survey.
Do all participating children need to be 7-11 year old? No, you are welcome to practice with younger/older children too, as long as you have a child who is participating in the programme who is 7-11 years old. The children's surveys are intended to be filled in by 7-11 year-old children.
Who needs to fill in the surveys? All participants to the programme can fill in the surveys (children need to be 7-11 years old). At least one parent/caregiver should fill in the parents' surveys.
Dr. Silvia Natale biography
Dr. Silvia Natale biography
Silvia Natale is a PhD researcher in the fields of Positive Psychology and Positive Education at The Education University of Hong Kong. She is committed to research pathways that improve the well-being of children, their teachers, and their parents. Her current areas of interest include Mindfulness programs for families; the role of schools in facilitating Mindfulness practice for students, teachers and parents; and understanding and removing barriers to mindfulness for children with a neurodiversity, such as ADHD or ASD.
Silvia holds a Bachelor Degree in Science at the Polytechnic University of Milan, a PGCE at the University of Sunderland and a Master in Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University. Before starting her PhD, Silvia worked for 15 years as a teacher and team leader in international schools, for five years as a researcher in the field of positive education and for four years as an Education Consultant.
She is passionate about bridging research and practice, empowering individuals to access evidence-based interventions. For example, research shows that the cultivation of kindness at school is directly correlated with students' sense of belonging, happiness, and positive emotions. Based on this, she designed a Kindness Oriented Social Emotional Learning curriculum, as part of a team of researchers, for implementation in secondary Schools.
As an educator, she has been an enthusiastic implementer of international courses of studies, that develop multicultural students holistically into balanced, capable, and virtuous citizens of the world. Her additional roles in Higher Education still centre around guiding and empowering individuals to grow. It is in the rapport with people, in sharing her knowledge and expertise to prompt inspired learning and positive societal impact, that she finds her inspiration for growth.
For any further questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Silvia Natale at drsilvianatale@gmail.com
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