Wellbeing

All children at OLW participate in 'Wellbeing'.

The Smiling Mind Mindfulness Program caters for ages P-6.  This program has been designed to equip educators with a framework and tools to support student wellbeing.
​It will be aiming to help students develop social and emotional skills to thrive in this modern and somewhat complex world.
 
This program aligns with the Australian Curriculum - PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CAPABILITIES: Self-Awareness, Self- Management, Social Awareness and Social Management. The topics covered include: Awareness, Attention, The Senses, Savouring, Movement, Recognising and Managing Emotions, Self-compassion and Optimism.
 
Why is OLW doing this? What are the benefits to my child?

Some facts…

​​1 in 7 primary aged children and 1 in 4 secondary aged children are experiencing mental health problems 

  • ​This statistic suggests that we have around 49 children at school experiencing mental health problems -today.

  • We want to do more to help.​

Wellbeing and learning can't be separated. One supports the other. 

  • Wellbeing affects how children think, learn and engage. Mindfulness can help with wellbeing, bringing about strong improvements in attention.

1 in 5 Australian students are disengaged at school

  • This statistic suggests that we could have around 68 children at school disengaged with learning.

  • ​We want to increase engagement which increases academic performance and to increases career achievement later in life.

Mindfulness is a skill for life.

  • ​Mindfulness is about focusing attention on the here and now, rather than thinking about the past or worrying about the future.

  • We want to set young people up for the future and their career.

(Source: https://www.smilingmind.com.au/mindfulness-in-education)

We hope the children share their learnings with you and embrace the strategies at home. Recent research suggests that it is when mindfulness becomes a regular occurrence, big changes can be felt in the way our brain functions, therefore a big difference in the way we feel.

Something you can do as parents to support your child's well-being journey is to download THE SMILING MIND app. It is a free app and provides so many different meditations suited to the specific ages. There are even programs for the mums and dads!

As we are all aware, mental health difficulties are becoming more and more prevalent in our society today. Therefore, implementing mindfulness strategies as well as the explicit teaching of these concepts will be hugely beneficial to the well-being of students at OLW.

Practicing mindfulness strengthens areas of the brain that control executive function (prefrontal cortex and hippocampus) therefore leads to better attention, memory, regulation of emotions and self-awareness. Regular practice has also shown to positively affecting immune system, switches off excessive inflammation and cortisol (stress hormone) to the brain.


Anna Worland is our Wellbeing teacher this year.​
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