Margaret River Primary School

Brain

At each year level we learn a little more about what our brain needs.  We study Learning Environment at the start of each year. We are switched-on learners. We know that we need to drink lots of water, eat brain food, exercise at least twenty minutes per day, and avoid switch-offs like the wrong lighting, wrong food, and stress.

We have our John Joseph posters in every classroom:  

  Learning in the Emotional Rooms    The Learning Brain

We bring water bottles and brain food into class.  We work on understanding how stress affects us, and how to deal with it.  The Bounce Back Resiliency program, by Helen McGrath and Toni Noble, is in every classroom:

Bad times don't last.  Things always get better.

Other people can help you, if you talk to them.

Unhelpful thinking makes you feel more upset.

Nobody is perfect - not you and not others.

Concentrate on the good bits, no matter how small.  Laugh every day

Everybody experiences sadness, hurt, failure, rejection and setbacks sometimes.

Blame fairly - how much was due to you, to others, or to bad luck.

Accept the things you can't change, but try to change what you can first.

Catastrophising exaggerates your worries.  Don't believe the worst.

Keep things in perspective.  It's not the end of the world.  It's only a part of your life.