2. Special Character - Term 4 Week 5 2016

At the moment, SCHOOL WIDE, we are focusing on RESPECT. This involves respecting ourselves (including our uniform), friends, adults, our school environment and our Special Character.

Year 4 are on Gospel this week and the theme of the Gospel is being faithful to God and seeing Jesus as a true friend who will always be there for us when we ask for help. In return we need to be a true and faithful friend as well. During the year we have been working on good relationships within our classroom. First the boys, then the girls then boys and girls. It is an ongoing process and it is working because I have full support from our parents. We are all on this journey of life together and when children see us working together, results come quickly. I am telling you this because I have been amazed at how our children are able to see some of the problems around them and know how to fix them. I asked the children for some scenarios to act out at the Thursday Mass. They suggested actual problems that have happened in our class and looked at how they have been able to solve them by themselves. We have looked at the word 'Empathy' and they know what it means. They know that what they do has an impact on others. We want our class to be a safe and happy place to learn. It takes time and LOTS of energy. But it works. I'm not saying we don't still have problems but it is a work in progress, and we are making good progress. This has been so rewarding for me as a teacher.

This is what we want to see happening in every class in our school, in our playground and in our community. We ALL need to show respect if we want people to respect us. If we show RESPECT, we will have good relationships. 

And to me good relationships is what we want for our children and ourselves.

Ann Dooley
DRS