Weekly Homeroom Bulletin Term 1, Week 3

School events for week 3:

 School Assembly to be held on Tuesday during Home-room.
 School photos for all staff and students on Thursday 14/02.
 Stage 6 parent information session at 3pm on Thursday 14/02 in high school hall.

Reminders:
 Remember to complete a uniform check, collect attendance letters and inform the year
advisors of any issues surrounding this process.
 Take the time to connect with your class. This may be as simple as asking a student
about an event that happened in their life or about a local, national or international
event of relevance. Smile, talk, show an interest, respect, express curiosity, make the
effort and spend the time getting to know your students. Show empathy and kindness,
and model your own pro-social behaviour.

Weekly Quote

“If you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.”
Einstein

Wellbeing Focus

Positive Education

Positive education is the combination of traditional education with the study of happiness
and wellbeing using the Values in Action (VIA) classification developed by Martin Seligman.

Positive education programs usually define positive character as ‘core character strengths’
that are represented in the 6 Values in Action categories below. These positive
characteristics are external constructs that need to be nurtured (rather than being innate).
The goal of positive education is to help reveal and develop the child’s ability to effectively
engage their combination of character strengths.

Virtue of Courage
Strengths that accompany this virtue involve accomplishing goals in the face of things that
oppose it:
 Bravery
 Persistence
 Integrity
 Vitality
To simplify: The braver and more persistent we become, the more our integrity will increase
and this will result in being more courageous in character.
Virtue of Humanity
Strengths that accompany this virtue include caring and befriending others:
 Love
 Kindness
 Social intelligence
To simplify: Humanitarians approach people with respect, appreciation, and interest (social
intelligence), practices kindness through charity.
Virtue of Justice
Strengths that accompany this virtue include those that build a healthy and stable
community:
 Being an active citizen, socially responsible, loyal, and a
 Team member
 Fairness
Virtue of Leadership
To simplify: Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of the Indian independence movement in
British-ruled India. He led India to independence and helped created movements for civil
rights and freedom by being an active citizen in nonviolent disobedience. His work has been
applied worldwide for its universality.
Virtue of Temperance
Strengths that are included in this virtue are those that protect against excess:
 Forgiveness and mercy
 Humility and modesty
 Prudence
 Self-Regulation and Self-control
To Simplify: Being forgiving, merciful, humble, non-judgemental, and under control of your
behaviours and instincts will prevent you from being arrogant, selfish, or any other trait that
is excessive.
Virtue of Transcendence
Strengths that accompany this virtue includes those that forge connections to the larger
universe and provide spiritual and ethical direction:
 Appreciation of beauty and excellence
 Gratitude
 Hope
 Humour and playfulness
 Spirituality, or a sense of purpose
To simplify: The prophet Muhammad (SAW) never lost hope in humanity’s potential at a
time of widespread sins, always appreciated nature in its perfection, was frequently seen
smiling despite being poor, and lived out his intended purpose.

Mindfulness activities for students

Activity 1: Character Strength Wheel

Discuss the above Values in Action virtues with your class. Then, have students complete the
attached character wheel. Remind students that these values are not innate but they may
be good at some of them already. The values must be nurtured and will be nurtured
throughout the year.

Activity 2: Using Strengths

Discuss the following scenarios with the class and justify what character strength you would use to
assist you in the following scenarios:
 Returning an item to a store as you didn’t like it.
 Speaking to a shop manager for a job.
 On camp and the food is really awful.
 At the hairdressers and the colour goes wrong.
 You borrow an item very important to your family and lose it at the beach.

Afterwards, hold a class discussion on how using the character strength changed the dynamic and
helped the situation.

Activity 3:

 Show Forgiveness video (hyperlink) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VUCK2MZty4 and

discuss what the quote at the end of the video means in the lives of students.
 Activity 1: Building my strengths and emotions by using my character strengths
Using the word bank below, choose 6 characteristics which you believe to be your strengths OR what
you would like to build as your strength. You must choose ONLY one strength from each line. Next,
write down your chosen 6 strengths of the top supporting strengths in the character strengths wheel
below to remind you to use them every day:
 Next to each of them, write one thing you can do to show that strength.
o E.G: For kindness you could make someone’s day through a kind word, or help an
elderly person cross the road.
 Next to each of them, write one thing which you can do to ensure you don’t misuse it.
o E.G: For kindness you could perform an act of kindness only to expect something in
return.
Critical Thinker Curiosity Love of Learning Wise
Persistence Honesty Brave Being Genuine
Generosity Compassion Kindness Empathetic
Teamwork Leadership Loyalty Compassion
Forgiveness Humility
Appreciating Nature Gratitude
SALESSelf-Discipline
Optimism
Cautious
Humour