There are a number of Wellbeing Workshops and Programs available for students across Semester 2, on offer in conjunction with our Allied Health partners.
Welcome to Junior School Seminar
To register your attendance for this free seminar, please click here.
We would like to invite our newest St John’s Grammar School parent community to a special evening, to welcome you to our School and to share in conversation together.
On Tuesday 13 August at 6pm in the Junior School C4C building, we will be joined by Occupational Therapists from Bud Therapies and Speech Pathologists from Roar. We are thrilled to have them share their expertise about transitioning to school and ways you can support your child and your family through this significant milestone of starting school.
Bud Therapies provides tailored integrated Occupational Therapy services for children and families, supporting participation in meaningful activities for each individual. Working with your family and your child’s networks, we create a nurturing environment with relationships at the core of our therapeutic practice. Throughout this parent/carer workshop, we will explore ways to support your child/ren through the transition to starting school and all that comes with big changes. We will share ideas around supporting big feelings, sleep, emotional regulation and every day self-care skills and motor skills.
At Roar, we put Relationships First. At the core of all that we do, is to build strong relationships with everyone that we work with, providing families with easy access to speech pathology assessment and therapy services for their children. Roar Speech works with children, their families and educators to design and implement effective therapy solutions with individualised goals. During this support evening, we will be sharing our best tips and tricks for how to support your child’s communication, literacy and social skills as they embark on their academic journey.
“Grrrrr… get off that device, now!” Parent Seminar
Wednesday 4 September, 7 – 8.30pm
Further information on how to register your attendance will be available to families shortly.
We are excited to host Mark Le Messurier in the School , as a part of our Term 3 Community Engagement sessions, in response to parent feedback about navigating technology and devices with young children.
This workshop is not a cybersafe workshop, although indirectly it is. Rather it is an opportunity to REVIEW and RESET your thinking about your child’s love for screens – video gaming, YouTube, Tik Tok and all things social media.
It is concerned with the psychology, emotion and behaviour required to get the balance right. There are no quick and easy solutions here, just sensible understandings, hard work, clever guidance, deft management and persistence.
What a brave new world you face as parents. You are the first generation to parent children growing up with technology built to be irresistible. Given that the ‘off switches’ in kids’ brains are not fully developed until they reach their mid to late twenties, it’s no wonder that the lure of screens creates a ‘perfect storm’ in so many homes and classrooms.
Let’s get practical and keep our eye on the greatest prize. This is to maintain a buoyant and connected relationship with our kids, even through the tough times. By doing so, we can chip away at teaching balance between screens, recreation, and real life. And, to do this our kids need us on their side – not against them, fighting them, being superior and putting their interest down. When we blatantly fight them, we turn their desire for screens into a crazed chase for forbidden fruit. As soon as they know you ‘hate screens’ and you’re ‘the screen police’, the battle is on, and can become seriously fierce and destructive.
Yes, yes, yes, limits on screens are necessary, but the goal and method must be about managing ‘time’ – never going to war.
Positive Minds Australia Programs
The following programs are on offer through Positive Minds Australia. For more information or to register for any of the below opportunities, please contact Madhavi Nawana Parker or Sam Taylor at Positive Minds Australia.
Mindset and social emotional wellbeing
6 week program for 13-18 year olds with Senior Psychologist, Sam Taylor.
Wednesdays at St John’s Grammar, 3pm-4pm: Wednesday 7 August – 25 September 2024.
8 week course $600.00 per person.
Contact madhavi@positivemindsaustralia.com.au and sam@positivemindsaustralia.com.au to register. Limited spaces.
Managing emotions and handling stress and anxiety is especially difficult for this age group, who are experiencing large scale changes within the structure of their brains. Add social comparison, academic and social pressure and friendship challenges, this is often when we see a peak in anxiety, stress and emotional dysregulation. Using the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) your 12-13 year old will experience an opportunity to learn crucial life skills that will support them through this vulnerable stage of development and give them the best chance to come out on top. Your child will enjoy meeting other young people, and with the guidance and support of our Psychologist, Sam Taylor, they will learn valuable skills for emotional regulation, anxiety and stress management, that increase their confidence, connection and wellbeing. This group will be especially helpful if your child experiences anxiety, emotional dysregulation and/or mindset blocks. Start Wednesday 7th Aug to 25th Sept
Right from the start
16 week school readiness program for 4-5 year olds. Building social skills and confidence with Senior Teacher, Katie O’Reilly.
From Week 2, Term 3 2024 on Wednesday afternoons TBC.
Starting School can be both an exciting and overwhelming time for many preschoolers. At Positive Minds Australia we love providing little ones with a calm and gentle space to meet other children their age, who are also preparing to start school. Our small and tailored groups provide the perfect opportunity for your child to practice new skills for independence, friendship and confidence. This program is open to all preschoolers aged 4 and 5 and is especially helpful for shy, anxious, or neurodivergent children. Our school readiness program will give your child time and space to develop new skills, to help start the transition to school with ease. Over the 16 week course, your child will meet other children of similar ages, and engage in play based activities to help them build their confidence and social emotional wellbeing.
10 week Kung Fu program for neurodivergent children, 8 and older.
Terms 3 and 4 2024 with Senior Group Facilitator, Nick Bennett.
At Positive Minds Australia your child will find their passion and develop a sense of confidence and competence, in a skill that they enjoy and grow from.
We understand that highly competitive, noisy and crowded environments can make it especially difficult for neurodivergent people to fully relax and enjoy their sport or hobby. We pride ourselves in our small group offerings, where numbers are capped, everyone can learn at their own pace and our facilitators are compassionate, supportive and neuro affirming.
The benefits of playing a sport and having a hobby are widely known and researched. Our Kung fu groups create an environment to enjoy connection with others,build confidence in yourself and others, and experience a sense of belonging, while improving fitness and coordination.
We meet weekly on a Wednesday for a 50 minute class at our Unley rooms and run by school terms. Each course is 10 weeks and your investment is $550.00 per student per term. NDIS rebates under capacity building can apply and please confirm this with your provider.