From the Primary School

Emma Clemens – Deputy Head of Primary

Happiness

During Term 3 I wrote about the science of happiness based on ‘The How of Happiness’ by Sonja Lyubomirsky. The science of happiness is part of a growing body of research called ‘positive psychology’. The premise of the science of happiness is that we can develop a positive state of mind to live a happy and rewarding life. This is my final article in this four part series.

Part 1: What determines happiness
Part 2: Practising gratitude and positive thinking, Investing in social connections
Part 3: Managing stress and hardship
Part 4: Committing to your goals, Taking care of your body and your soul

Sonja Lyubomirsky suggests there are five strategies that can be used to change you and your child’s happiness levels using intentional activity. In today’s article I will address the fourth and fifth strategies.

Practising gratitude and positive thinking

Investing in social connections
Managing stress and hardship
Committing to your goals
Taking care of your body and your soul

Committing to goals

Those who strive towards achieving a project or accomplishment of personal significance display higher levels of happiness than those without clearly defined aspirations. Goals provide a sense of purpose, structure and control. They also elevate self-esteem and confidence. Goals also enable us to cope with trials and difficulties and encourage us to connect and engage with others. Intrinsic goals are personally driven and individually rewarding. When you are intrinsically motivated you have a greater sense of satisfaction and meaning. There is also a sense of authenticity in that the goal is very personal. Approach goals are directed towards a desirable outcome such as increasing your reading or developing greater fitness. Avoidance goals are less effective and focus on avoiding an outcome.

Home application

How can you encourage your child to set goals that are personally significant and meaningful? Help your child to focus on intrinsically motivating and approach goals. Initially children can have difficulty identifying a list of goals. It can be advantageous to have children write a personal mission statement where they picture themselves at their Bat or Bar Mitzvah or finishing school and think what they would like to be known for. Children should also consider the value beneath the goal. It can be hard to find motivation to ‘do more homework’. Therefore, identifying the underlying value of ‘being my best learner’ is more motivating. Use your child’s goals to motivate and encourage them, so that they become self-fulfilling prophecies. As a child begins to succeed in a goal they will be more motivated to set further goals. Breaking a goal into smaller achievable steps is also advantageous in increasing motivation.

Taking care of your body and soul

Happiness is a significant derivative of taking care of your body and soul. The psychological benefits of physical activity are staggering. Physical activity reduces weight, fatigue, stress, depression, anxiety and risk of disease. It also increases confidence, enhances sleep and protects against cognitive deficiencies. The sense of self-esteem and mastery in physical activity also gives a sense of control and achievement. Physical activity offers opportunity for ‘flow’ as a positive distraction that mediates daily worries and concerns.

Mindfulness and meditation are also beneficial for dealing with stress, pain and discomfort in life. “Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment.” (John Kabat-Zinn). Acting with positivity is another way to take care of your body and soul. It can be helpful to focus on physical manifestations of happiness such as smiling, using open body language or speaking with an upbeat voice tone.

Home application

Can you identify opportunities to increase your child’s physical activity? Find times for your child to run around the oval, do star jumps and squats or simply go for a walk around the block. Can you incorporate mindfulness activities into your daily routine to encourage your child to nourish positive thoughts and increase happiness? A happiness or gratitude journal is a wonderful strategy to mindfully focus on positive emotions. There are also many mindfulness breathing practices that you can use with your child to provide opportunities for them to become more present and aware so that their response to adversity is not reactive, but rather proactive and intentional. Finally, are you modelling positive physical manifestations of happiness to your child? Become aware of your body language and whether it’s open and positive in order to impart happiness to your child.

Alice Milner – Year 5OC

Congratulations Alice Milner

Two weeks ago I wrote about Alice Milner to congratulate her on the NSW State Award in the National History Challenge. Alice prepared a museum exhibit which showcased research about a family member who was a soldier in the Australian Army and sadly died in Afghanistan. Alice attended the award ceremony on Thursday 19 October. At the ceremony we discovered that the competition was open to Primary and High School students. Therefore, Alice had come first out of all the participants up to Year 12. This is an incredible achievement and a wonderful testimony to Alice’s hard work on this history project. Thank you to Sophie Poisel who has encouraged and mentored Alice through this project.

Gymnastics

Last Thursday, 16 Primary students competed at the IPSHA Gymnastics Competition at Sydney Gymnastics and Aquatic Centre. They performed at a very high standard and are to be congratulated on their results. In the girls’ team competition Emanuel received first place in Level 1 and Level 2. In the boy’s team competition Emanuel received first place in Level 2. In the Level 3 individual competition Raphael Harpaz and Julian Baruch won first place on all 6 apparatus. In the Level 4 individual competition Joshua Gordon also placed well. Please see the article written by Sharon Fairfax for a full report. Thank you to Stuart Taylor and Sharon Fairfax for accompanying the students and supporting them in this endeavour.

Knowing Me Knowing You

Last Thursday the Year 5 students shared a wonderful showcase of learning at their ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ evening. Each student had been researching about a person of eminence or significance who they found inspiring. This research task culminated in a speech where students presented about their person of eminence, taking on their persona and speaking from their perspective. Each student then had a display in the MPH where they presented about their person of eminence but also drew comparisons wit han autobiography of their own life. Year 5 students are to be congratulated on the high standard of work and the incredible dedication they have shown throughout the term leading up to this event. Thank you also to Tanya Jeckeln, Sophie Poisel and Gabi Wynhausen for their wonderful work with the students preparing them for the showcase.

Night of Instrumental Music

This exciting event will showcase some of the School’s many instrumental music ensembles. It will celebrate the journey of learning a musical instrument by featuring musicians of all ages and abilities. For our Year 3 Instrumental Program (IP) students it will be their first School performance on their new instrument.

The concert is a compulsory activity for all members of the ensembles listed below, for all Infants String Program students and for all students in Years 3 to 6. Performers are only required to attend the section of the concert in which they are performing (details of attendance requirements are below). But everyone is warmly encouraged to join the audience to watch the other half of the concert.

The first half of the concert (6.00 pm – 7.20 pm) will showcase our Years 3 to 6 Instrument Program (IP) ensembles, our Year K-2 Infants String Program (ISP) instrumentalists, and our middle school extra-curricular instrumental ensembles. Primary School students should arrive at 5.30 pm and are welcome to leave at 7.20 pm at the end of the first half of the concert.

The second half of the concert (7.35 pm – 8.20 pm) will showcase our senior school extra-curricular instrumental ensembles, and parents and students are warmly welcomed to stay and watch. Full details will have been emailed to all parents of performers this week.

IP information session

The details below are for parents and carers of Emanuel students in Year 2 in 2017 and students who are new to Emanuel School in Years 3-6 in 2018.

As you may be aware, when students commence Year 3 at Emanuel School, they begin learning how to play a musical instrument in our Years 3 to 6 Instrumental Program (IP) as a compulsory component of their weekly music education.

An IP information morning will be held at Emanuel School in the Millie Phillips Theatre on Tuesday 7 November at 7.30 am. The session will conclude by 8.10 am.

During this session we will outline the structure of the Instrumental Program and the process by which instruments are allocated to students. There will also be student demonstration performances on each of the instruments available to our 2018 beginner students, and parents will have the opportunity to meet the Instrumental Program Co-ordinator and ask questions about the program.