PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Hello Swan Reach,
Thank you to all who were able to join us for assembly last week. The SRC role played a touching true story about a how a boy, named Shay, with an intellectual and physical disability, was welcomed to play a BIG part in a game of baseball. The story has a number of versions and the following link, leads to the one used at assembly: https://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_shay.shtml
Shay’s story is profoundly touching and beautifully illustrates the power of kindness, empathy, and inclusion. The boys’ decision from both teams to prioritise Shay's joy and participation over winning the game highlights the essence of sportspersonship and humanity.
The story conveys powerful messages about the impact of kindness, empathy, and the importance of embracing every moment with gratitude and mindfulness.
- Gratitude: Shay's father felt immense gratitude for the kindness shown to his son, recognising how the boys' selflessness brought happiness to Shay's life. This gratitude highlights the significance of appreciating the small, compassionate gestures that can make a lasting impact.
- Empathy: The boys in the story showed deep empathy by putting themselves in Shay's shoes, understanding his desire to feel included, and allowing him to experience the joy of playing baseball. Their actions demonstrate how empathy can create meaningful and positive experiences for others.
- Mindfulness: The boys’ decision to let Shay play was an example of mindfulness—being fully present in the moment and prioritising human connection over competition. By focusing on what truly mattered, they created a special memory for Shay and everyone involved.
This story resonates well with our Resilience Project GEM learning and serves as an inspiration to always choose empathy and to recognise the incredible difference that a simple act of kindness can make in someone’s life.
Shay’s story also reflects the deep bond between a father and son, where the father’s hope for his son’s happiness and belonging is met by the kindness of others. The boys’ actions went beyond the game—they created a memory for Shay and his family that would last forever.
Happy Father’s and Significant Male Day to all men making positive differences for our next generations. Thankyou.
Kind regards,
Mr John Robertson
Principal
THE RESILIENCE PROJECT (TRP)
Snapshot 6: Gratitude 2
Some benefits of practising gratitude are:
- After 21 days, you start to scan the world for positives
- After 42 days you become:
- More optimistic, energised & focused
- Less likely to get sick
- You will sleep better
- Anxiety and depression decreases
A few quick and simple ways to practise being grateful are:
- Journaling; each night write down 3 things that went well for you that day or purchase a gratitude journal with gratitude prompts
- Write a gratitude letter to someone special, telling them why you are grateful they are in your life
- Have a family discussion on the way home from school or around the dinner table about the things that went well that day or made you smile
You can purchase 21-day, 6-month, and family journals from The Resilience Project website if that is something you’re interested in.
https://theresilienceproject.com.au/shop/
2024 Parent survey – Sample Newsletter content
The annual parent survey is underway and closes midnight Sunday 8 September. For more information please visit the department’s website.
This survey aims to get your views on:
- what we’re doing well
- where we can improve
- what’s important to you as a parent/carer.
Your answers won't identify you or your child and only collated feedback is provided to our school.
You should have already received a link to the survey via email or SMS. Reminder emails are currently being sent to you unless you have completed a survey or have unsubscribed.
Please take the time to complete the survey, this is valuable information for our school. If you cannot find the previously sent link, then please use this one:
education.ParentSurvey@sa.gov.au>
Dear Parent/ carer
We're excited to announce that the 2024 Preschool Parent Survey will be available from Monday 2 September to midnight Friday 4 October.
The Preschool Parent Survey is an annual, voluntary survey that gathers feedback from parents and carers of preschool-aged children. It aims to help preschools understand how parent’s feel about their child’s preschool experience.
This survey contains questions that are specific to aspects of your preschool. However, the survey may also be completed by parents who have a child who attends other programs and services of the preschool, including for example, occasional care, rural care, and long day care.
Your feedback is invaluable to us as we continuously strive to enhance our preschool program and ensure the best experiences for our children.
To participate in the survey, please find attached a flyer outlining the instructions on how to access the survey. Your opinions are essential in helping us understand your perspectives and needs.
Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated, and we eagerly anticipate your responses.
Kind regards
Mr John Robertson
Principal