Educate Issue 4

BY KIDDO MAG

Our Pathway to School

At St Peter’s Girls, we provide our bespoke Pathway to School, a targeted ELC-to-school experience for all ELC children during the six months prior to their commencement as Receptions at the start of a new school year or in the mid-year intake.

Based in a new flexible and dynamic learning space within our Early Leaners’ Centre, our Pathway to School is led by a qualified Early Childhood Teacher. To complement the globally-recognised learning experiences that already take place across our Centre, children are engaged

in an extended range of focused learning opportunities aimed at setting them up for a successful and positive start to school.

Fundamental capabilities that are accelerated through our Pathway to School include social, emotional and self-management skills to further develop independence, organisation and resilience. Literacy, numeracy and STEM explorations are amplified daily during rich inquiries and interwoven play activities, guided by problem-solving and creativity. Crucially, our Pathway to School places children’s wellbeing at the centre as we focus on their individual growth.

BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN PROGRESSING FROM OUR ELC TO RECEPTION AT ST PETER’S GIRLS’ SCHOOL

A strong sense of belonging in our School community from a young age as girls become familiar with School staff and the wider School environment. Close communication and handover of information shared between our ELC and Reception teachers.

The power of all-girls’ education delivered by a world-class provider of single-sex schooling.

A consistent approach to the teaching of literacy and numeracy across ELC to Year 6.

Buddy programs with girls in other year levels that create connections across our ELC - 12 School.

A high sense of aspiration as younger girls see and engage with older girls daily.

Involvement in our ELC to Reception Hat and Bag Ceremony – an exciting rite of passage celebrating our girls’ Pathway to School.

The uniforms are ironed, the school hats have been found and with any luck lunch boxes weren’t left in the bottom of a school bag at the end of Term 4. Welcome to the new school year! While the start of first term often brings with it excitement, nerves and possibly a few tears, a new school year means new beginnings, new adventures, new friendships, and new challenges. The slate is clear for our children and anything can happen from the moment they step into their new classroom for the year ahead.

With the new year also comes our next issue of EDUCATE. In this mag we take a deep dive into the indoors and outdoors of learning. Junior Landcare have given us some tips on how to educate our children on conservation, and Climbing Tree Creations have taken us through the opportunities for play in a high school environment, and what play looks like for this age group. We also take a look at the changing names and nature of learning spaces, with Dr Nathan James Crane explaining classroom typologies and the recent shift in the way designers and educators are conceptualising these spaces.

Madhavi Nawana Parker broaches the all important topic of helping our young people through exam stress, especially for our year 11s and 12s, and we find out more about First language teaching across the APY Lands in South Australia’s north-west. This important initiative from the Department of Education sees schools and communities working together to build Aṉangu students’ multilingual literacy skills for learning across the curriculum by drawing on the strong foundation of Aṉangu languages, cultures and knowledges.

Best wishes for the year ahead, and a special dose of extra good luck for those families with children starting primary school or high school for the first time this year. The next adventure starts now.

Publisher Charlotte Chambers

Editor

Olivia Williams

Content Manager

Olivia Williams

Editorial Contributors

Nathan James Crane

Simon Hutchinson

Bronny Elder

Kate Ellis

Jan Marie Macfarlane

Lyndsey Collins-Praino

Madhavi Nawana Parker

Mark Ralfe

Eilis Melino

Junior Landcare

Art Director

Bec Bendle Sales

Katie Brown katie@kiddomag.com.au

Printing

Distribution

Passing Out

For more education and family content head to kiddomag.com.au

@kiddomag

KIDDO + educate Mag Publisher

Charlotte Chambers

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SHE WILL

Within a Wilderness girl lies an unshakeable self-belief. Anywhere she wants to go, anyone she wants to be—she can, and she will. Because at every opportunity she is encouraged to celebrate her adventurous spirit in the empowering environment of Wilderness School—a world leader in girls’ education.

In her early years, a spirit of joy underpins all teaching and learning. It is here that she explores her interests by actively engaging in her education in an environment where her dispositions, experience and knowledge are enriched and respected.

Continuing through the junior, middle and senior years, dedicated and progressive educators guide her learning journey, seeing her for who she truly is and working collaboratively with global experts to wrap evidence-based academic frameworks around her unique strengths. With their support, her potential is boundless.

As she grows, so too does her understanding of the world and the respectful relationships that bind it together.

Nurtured by non-denominational Christian family values, she matures into a compassionate friend to her day and boarding peers, an esteemed member of her community and a responsible world citizen—just as generations have before her and generations will after.

She will experience obstacles.

Pioneers always do. But she is resilient, a trait learned from those who have raised her, taught her and studied alongside her.

Courageously she enters the unknown, confident she will create the life she wants to lead—both personally and professionally. This is the lifelong imprint left by Wilderness School and the underpinning of her extraordinary future.

At Wilderness, she will.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT EACH GIRL’S JOURNEY FROM ELC TO YEAR 12 TODAY wilderness.com.au

THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

In a nation-leading move, every South Australian public primary school (including reception to year 12 schools) is appointing an Autism Inclusion Teacher (AIT).

These teachers, who formally start in the role in term one of the 2023 school year, will be central in supporting best practice for autistic students*.

In South Australia, there are more than 2,500 autistic children in primary schools who receive individualised funding through the department’s Inclusive Education Support Program (IESP).

There are many more autistic students who don’t receive additional funding or who are not yet diagnosed, but who would benefit from adjustments and approaches that will support them to thrive in school.

AITs will be released into the AIT role for either one day a week or one day a fortnight, based on the number of student enrolments and the school’s Index of Educational Disadvantage.

The $28.8m Autism Inclusion Teacher initiative is designed to support students across all settings. AITs won’t teach all the autistic students in the school, nor provide a referral service, but will focus on influencing the practice of staff at their school, creating inclusive learning environments. They are being supported to develop their own skills and, in turn, grow their school’s capacity to work with autistic children and young people.

AITs will be provided with professional learning through face-to-face modules, workshops and online opportunities.

In the long run, AITs will provide support to their fellow educators on how to best support and educate students with autism and drive improved practice relating to autism that works for their school.

While the AIT is a school-based role, there may be some situations where they will work collaboratively with a co-located preschool or early learning centre, for example, when planning for the transition of an autistic learner from preschool to school.

In addition, the Department for Education will continue to fund Autism SA to provide a combination of individual services and teacher capacity building services.

The AIT roles are part of a range of improved support services to be introduced from 2023, including:

 Exploring opportunities to offer more early childhood identification and intervention services in children’s centres

 Supporting schools to sign up to an Autism Charter

 Providing more specialist staff in schools.

Emily Bourke, right (pictured here with Hannah McMillan) has been appointed Assistant Minister for Autism in South Australia in a bid to ensure people with the neurological condition are better represented.

*This item uses identity-first language throughout. We recognise there are people in the autistic community who prefer person-first language, people who prefer identity-first language and people who use the terms interchangeably.

For more information education.autism@sa.gov.au

“I am a mother of three, so I know that every parent and caregiver wants their child to reach their individual potential”

A seamless all-girls education from the Early Years through to Year 12.

Inspiring her natural curiosity inside and out.

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Our McGregor Campus houses our youngest learners from six weeks of age up to Year 6. Every student is nurtured by our educators, who help them to create connections and discover the world around them. Learning in our unique Junior Years small group model ensures that our girls grow in confidence every single day as they learn about the importance of serving others, healthy friendships and personal wellbeing, in conjunction with academic learning tailored to girls.

As each girl grows throughout her Seymour journey, so does their curiosity for the everchanging world around them. Upon moving to Barr Smith Campus from Year 7, our world class facilities and green open spaces support every passion, making our Middle and Senior Years the ideal environment for young women to thrive in, as they begin preparing for life beyond our gates.

Book a personal tour to discover more.

seymour.sa.edu.au

CLASSROOM TYPOLOGIES:

Learning Labs, Studios and Hubs, oh my!

Many education specialists and researchers agree that changing the name (and thus nature) of a space has deep psychological benefits for how students understand the expectations of their learning experience. It also has a long-term impact on the way students approach problem solving, initiative and eventually their skills once they enter the workforce. With ever growing demand for high school and university graduates to be work-ready, drawing on precedents in industry introduces students to the real-life future learning settings they will experience in the workplace.

Here’s a brief look at some of the most common new learning spaces and their connection to skills of the future:

Learning Lab

Newly designed education spaces feature a plethora of room names other than ‘classroom.’ Why? The answer is a little deeper than you may first think.

Over the last few years, in tandem with changing teaching and learning practices that are more focused on flexible learning strategies and collaboration, there has been a shift in the way designers and educators are conceptualising learning spaces. These ‘typologies’ each have distinct characteristics that lend themselves to highlight different aspects of learning.

This shift, which emphasises education as an active, social practice, rather than more passive rote approaches, demands different spatial configurations, which in turn, call for alternative names that more accurately capture the intent of these re-imagined spaces. By their nature, they also require differing spatial techniques of interacting with each other, facilitated by new furniture and architectural layouts.

This type of space is most commonly seen in STEM subject areas, where innovation, experimentation and discovery are core learning outcomes. Learning laboratories or labs have an obvious reference to science and research and draw on this to encourage students to investigate new ideas and concepts. This playful take on often more serious scientific spaces also promotes learning through investigation by informalizing laboratory spaces. The element of discovery through play is important to many future skills in areas both within and outside of STEM careers. This can be facilitated through technological integrations, movable class furniture and partnerbased learning activities.

Collaboration Studios

Perhaps the most common emerging learning space due to its broader application, Collaboration Studios suggest creative, think-tank style learning, common in design, art and marketing firms. At their core, Collaboration Studios frame a learning experience that is centred on working with others, team-building and imagination. This creative approach can help establish a confidence in learners to take low-impact risks to solve problembased tasks typical in their future careers. It also encourages students to be flexible in their thinking, agile in their responses and open to change in a rapidly transforming world. Design-wise, round tables or those that can be grouped, spatially reenforce this group-centric approach.

Student Hubs and/or Forums

These spaces are often part of library or resource centres but can also include more casual breakout study areas and community spaces for students to gather outside of formal teaching rooms. Seen now as a non-negotiable, student hubs create alternative places for social interactions to occur and for learning to continue beyond the lab or studio. It is often in these spaces that peer-topeer learning can also occur and be facilitated by alternative furniture selections like bean-bags, sofas, pods or even amphitheater-style seating, that completely dissociate students from typical chair and table settings.

While these changes on their surface may seem like a designer stunt to feign innovation, when created authentically in collaboration with educators, these new learning typologies provide opportunities to elevate the experiences of students towards new futures, whatever they may be.

Dr Nathan James Crane is a design writer and educator and is Chair of the SA/NT Council of the Design Institute of Australia.

By Dr Nathan James Crane

With ever growing demand for high school and university graduates to be work-ready, drawing on precedents in industry introduces students to the real-life future learning settings they will experience in the workplace.

Adelaide Botanic High School, Image: Sam Noonan Photography

St Raphael's School, Image: David Sievers

St Raphael's School, Image: David Sievers

Navigating NDIS

By Eilis Melino, Director of SPOT Paediatrics

What is the NDIS?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is implemented by the NDIA (National Disability insurance agency) and provides support to people with developmental delay, intellectual, physical, sensory, cognitive and psychosocial disability.

The NDIS supports more than 449,000 Australians everyday to receive much needed services and support and can be accessed by children and adults.

How do I become a participant?

7 yrs and under

 If you and/or your child meet the eligibility criteria, you can request to become an NDIS participant by completing an ‘access request’.

 Along with your ‘access request’ you will need to provide evidence of a disability or developmental delays for your child. This may be through reports from specialists and therapists.

 Developmental areas that are considered to meet access to the NDIS include: cognitive (learning), communication (speech and language), mobility (gross and fine motor), self-care skills (carry out basic needs), self management (ability to make decisions), and social interaction.

 The Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) approach is available to all children under 7 with a developmental delay or disability, this means that you might go through an ECEI partner—in SA it is Kudos—to support you to access the scheme.

 If your child is aged under 7, you can contact Kudos Services to discuss accessing the NDIS for your child.

7 yrs and over

 If your child is aged 7 and above, NDIS partners deliver Local Area Coordination (LAC) services, which includes linking you to the NDIS and to mainstream and community support in your area.

 If you are eligible for an NDIS plan, your LAC will have a conversation with you to learn about your current situation, supports, and goals to help develop your plan.

 The partners delivering LAC services to contact in SA are: Mission Australia (LAC Southern Adelaide) Feros Care (LAC Northern Adelaide & Barossa) Baptcare (LAC Easter & Western Adelaide).

 Local Area Coordinators can help you to: Understand and access the NDIS. This can include workshops or individual conversations about the NDIS.

Create a plan. A plan includes the goals you want to achieve with your funding and the dates you have your funding for before a review.

Implement your plan. Your LAC will help you to find and start receiving the services in your NDIS plan.

Your LAC can also provide assistance throughout your plan if you have any questions.

Once you have your funding

 As a parent of a participant you are responsible for selecting the therapies you would like your child to receive and for being aware of how much services cost for the entirety of your child’s plan.

 You can ask your service providers to give you a service allocation which summarises the cost of therapy based on the frequency recommended as well as factor in documentation costs. You are required to choose services that will assist in reaching your child’s goals.

 Under 7’s plans will usually last 12 months, then a review is conducted at 12 months with reports from your providers. For over 7’s, plans may be 12 months or longer, longer plans may be offered if services are established and don’t need changing or review.

 Your service providers are often a great source of information in regards to NDIS and supporting you to access the scheme.

For more information…

To complete a questionnaire and determine if your child may be eligible to apply for the NDIS: ndis.gov.au/applying-access-ndis/am-i-eligible

Many participants have experienced transformation in their lives because of access to the scheme.

 If you want to apply directly to NDIA, and not go through an ECEI partner such as Kudos, you can also do this and can request to be an NDIS participant by completing an Access Request Form. Your child’s treating therapists and specialists can help you complete the form and provide you with supporting evidence such as assessment reports

 For participants new to the scheme, understanding fund management and knowing what to do next can be overwhelming. There are 3 different ways funds can be managed. Your planner will discuss how your funds are managed when you receive your plan. Plan Managed and Self Managed funds can be used with unregistered providers. Agency Managed funds can only be used with Registered providers.

Providing evidence of a disability: ndis.gov.au/applying-access-ndis/how-apply/ information-support-your-request/providingevidence-disability-children

Follow NDIS National Disability Insurance Scheme on Facebook: facebook.com/NDISAus

The purpose of the NDIS is to provide funding for supports and services that help a person in their daily life activities, participate in the community, and achieve personal goals.

TO PLAY, OR NOT TO PLAY

Teens need play structures too

By Simon Hutchinson & Bronny Elder,

Tree Creations

In the last issue of EDUCATE, we touched on high school grounds and the provisions for play, or lack thereof. The subject piqued some interest, so we thought we’d delve into this space a little deeper, although we ourselves are learning on the go…

We know that 1 in 4 young people (15 – 24 year olds) are sedentary and that this percentage increases with age. We also know that only a quarter of those between the age of 5-14 years meet physical activity requirements (AIHW). It is well documented what the benefits of being active are for a child’s physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.

We know that the majority of physical activity for adolescents is in the form of games with rules, a valuable and popular mode of play, but not all-encompassing and definitely not for every young person.

There is research in the area of Play Therapy for adolescents and how play can be used as a therapeutic treatment for poor mental health

(Schaefer & Gallo-Lopez, 2005). The idea that play is used as an inoculant against poor mental health highlights to us what benefits play must have for mental health and general healthy emotional development, and causes us to question why it is treated more as a therapeutic tool than as a provision for healthy developing minds.

“At an age where the risks may get bigger and the consequences higher, what provisions are in place for adolescents to develop their identity?”

So what does play look like for this age group? Do we even know?

As designers and play space builders, consultation in this space is pretty interesting. When we ask what young people want to ‘do’ in a space we have to acknowledge the outside influences on adolescents in particular, how (or even, if) adolescents should play.

Play is a necessary part of life, even adults play whether it be card games, dress up 40ths, sports, theatre or simply the dad who is seen building a sand-mansion long after the child has lost interest. But how do we really know what play for adolescents would look like without all the external influences and barriers?

“Playing is not ‘cool’ for adolescents unless done on their own terms” (Shaefer & Gallo-Lopez)

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Climbing

Simon and Bronny from Climbing Tree Creations

A few years ago Climbing Tree Creations ran Massive Maker Space in the Southern Parklands with various different school groups; an absolute career highlight and one which we do hope to repeat. It was essentially our Junk Loose Parts Play excursion on steroids! We dumped a shipping container of junk loose parts into the parklands and stood back and watched what the children did with it; no unnecessary adult intervention, no rules. One particular day we experienced a group of year 7s from one school interacting with a group of receptions from another school. They were not known to each other, not siblings or friends-ofsiblings and they played, they occupied the space in their own way, they interacted with children of other ages, and they created something amazing; a tree top cubby with a working pulley system. Now, we understood that the receptions may not be able to create this without the height and strength of their older peers, just as we understood the year 7s (walking in with their almost too-school-forschool demeanour) may not have played in such a way should the receptions not have been there. So, fast forward to 2022 and now our year 7s are in high school and don’t have the opportunity to play in this way. There are rarely playgrounds in their space and they are confined to the play opportunities that we adults have assigned for them.

So how do we expect adolescents to answer the question ‘what do you want to do in this space?’, how would they play if they have the freedom to choose?

In our local area we see youth building and managing dirt jumps (often demolished soon after by Council due to the issues of liability this creates) and we consider this as absolute consultation gold! Here, young people are showing us what they would like to see and do in their local areas, but this doesn’t necessarily mean we fund and build a pump/bmx track. The entire process of building, testing and changing this space is what is lost when we simply construct a space for them.

A mistake on an overpitched jump, is a lesson learnt. At an age where the risks may get bigger and the consequences higher, what provisions are in place for adolescents to develop their identity? When we are demolishing their jumps and banning the phones, what are we offering in their place?

In a period of role confusion, often thwarted autonomy and seemingly unrealistic standards, adolescents deserve opportunities to play as much as any other demographic. Whilst we do not see adventure playgrounds reaching high schools anytime soon, we hope to see a move from traditionally stark education grounds to spaces which reflect the true needs and wants of its users.

In the meantime, parkour is a pretty popular middle-ground and we are happy to work with that if it means provisions for play for our youth is supported.

climbingtree.com.au

@climbingtree_

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“Adolescents need avenues for creation of identity as they tear down parts of the old to rebuild the new. Play serves this purpose well.”

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The Prospect Early Years to Year 12 school has developed a range of cutting-edge STEM programs that provide students with hands-on learning – and, importantly, tangible links to future career options.

In 2022, Blackfriars was one of only nine South Australian schools to win a grant from the Andy Thomas Space Foundation to participate in its Mars Program. Students used 3D CAD design, electronics and coding to build a prototype of a satellite which could collect and send data to a ground station. Blackfriars went on to win the Space Communication Award at the Andy Thomas Space Foundation Showcase.

STEM Coordinator Matthew Wallace said given South Australia’s burgeoning space industry, it was

important students had an appreciation of career options in the sector.

“They always talk about the brain drain from South Australia; the really good people get poached to the eastern states or internationally,” Mr Wallace said.

“But if we’ve got something that’s internationally competitive and got that sort of reputation, then students from South Australia can aspire to something local without thinking, ‘oh, I haven’t really made it unless I go and work in New York’. I think there’s now good opportunity for students to aspire to a high-end career and not think they have to leave the state.”

STEM learning at Blackfriars starts in our Early Learning Centre (ELC). Our specialised Upper

Primary program has boys in Years 5 and 6 utilising the facilities of our landmark Aquinas Centre, pictured, featuring state-of-the-art science laboratories.

Meanwhile, Blackfriars has also introduced an annual “Maths in Industry” event to better connect students’ learning to future career options.

The brainchild of Mathematics Curriculum Leader Sam Capurso, the inaugural event saw guest speakers from a range of industries talking with groups of students about how they used maths in their professional and personal lives.

The speakers included a PhD engineering student,

an accountant and a finance broker, as well as people working in defence, mining and the State Government.

Mr Capurso said it was important students had an appreciation of the potential of their high school maths studies.

“We want our students to know why they are studying what they are studying and to be able to see where that could potentially take them in the future,” Mr Capurso said. “We look forward to continuing to introduce innovative ways to link the boys’ learning to real-life applications.”

Discover a day in the life of Blackfriars in 2023. Visit our school or co-educational Early Learning Centre on a tour this year.

Register at blackfriars.sa.edu.au/visit or contact the Registrar on 8169 3954.

When it comes to STEM learning at Blackfriars Priory School, the sky is definitely not the limit.

First language teaching

TWO WAY LEARNING

Across the APY Lands, schools and communities are working together to create opportunities for two-way or bilingual learning.

Kenmore Park Aṉangu School principal Charlie Klein says there is rich learning on Country, and when that’s brought back into the classroom it engages his students in learning in a way that has meaning for them.

“We have a strong focus on the inclusiveness of culture and language, it’s their (Aṉangu) number one value,” Mr Klein said.

“They want two-way learning. So, we still do Standard Australian English, we’re still doing maths, we’re still covering all our subject areas, but we do include learning on Country. We do two-way science using Aṉangu knowledge, where they lead the learning.

First language teaching supports bilingual literacy and learning in Aṉangu schools

Building Aṉangu students’ multilingual literacy skills for learning across the curriculum, by drawing on the strong foundation of Aṉangu languages, cultures and knowledges.

This change in perspective allows the local Aboriginal language and culture to be used as a foundation for learning.

Lois Fraser, Aṉangu Coordinator at Kenmore Park Aṉangu School confirmed that students at the school often struggle to understand English.

(APY)

A collaborative approach to bilingual learning in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara

Lands in South Australia’s north-west has been warmly embraced by schools and the local Aṉangu community.

The Strengthening Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages in Aṉangu schools project is centred around 10 Aṉangu schools in total, and focus on learning in and through the student’s first language, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara. It forms part of the Department for Education’s Aboriginal Education Strategy.

For many South Australian students, the fact that the Australian Curriculum is written and delivered in English would go unnoticed, as English is their first language.

However, for children in Aṉangu communities, the need to take the curriculum and contextualise it in their language has been identified as an important step that’s needed to support student learning.

“Teaching both languages is much better. It’s easier for them to learn more quickly. Now, they love coming to school every day. They get happy and excited,” Ms Fraser said.

“So, whilst we have explicit Pitjantjatjara lessons, it’s also inside classrooms, being used to explain to the kids concepts in other subject areas.

“When you’re involved in bilingual or two-way learning, kids see that they can learn.”

Aṉangu Educator at Kenmore Park Aṉangu School Marianne Fraser agrees that the students love going out bush to learn on Country and they feel proud upon returning to the classroom.

“They do their good work, they get happy and excited, proud. They love coming to school every day,” Ms Fraser said.

The bilingual learning approach is also showing improvements in the learning outcomes for local students.

“Last term I signed off on two kids who had A’s in science, benchmarked nationally. I’ve never done that in 40 years in remote schools,” Principal Klein said.

“The core to it is empowering Aṉangu in the learning. We go on Country every week –Aṉangu will lead that and then we bring that learning back into our school.”

palya (pull-ya) meaning hello or welcome

CELEBRATION OF LANGUAGE

In Aṉangu schools, first languages are celebrated right from birth, with young children being able to access bilingual resources and programs at the school’s family centre and preschool. As they move into school, additional strategies include placing an Aṉangu Educator in each classroom to deliver a culturally responsive pedagogy, as well as holding structured Pitjantjatjara lessons.

Chiara Cocchiarella, a teacher at Ernabella Aṉangu School who co-designs lessons with her Aṉangu colleagues, said seeing kids learning in both worlds and engaging in their lessons is very special.

“I think the most important thing to do when you’re working with Aṉangu Educators is to remember that you are a team and that you need to take that time to sit down and plan all learning areas together and actually let the Aṉangu Educators tell you what they want their students and their families to be learning,” Ms Cocchiarella said.

Aṉangu languages hold the Tjukurpa, the core of Aṉangu identity and culture.

Learning Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara gives Aṉangu students the chance to bring their own languages, cultures and understandings to their learning as strong foundations.

It builds literacy skills which can be transferred to Standard Australian English and learning across the curriculum.

According to Dan Bleby, the department’s Aṉangu Bilingual Education Project Officer, at the time of colonisation of Australia there were about 250 Aboriginal languages and hundreds more dialects. However, across the past 200 years that’s dropped to 12 strong languages, including the languages being taught in this project - Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara.

“We have a responsibility as a state and as a system to do what we can to maintain and strengthen [these languages], but also to see that language strong into the future for these kids and communities,” he said.

Aṉangu have always invested in education in their schools.

Since the first Aṉangu school was founded in Ernabella in 1940, school education has always been seen as a vehicle for their language and culture to be strengthened.

Graduate teachers from Adelaide often arrive in one of the 10 Aṉangu schools in South Australia’s remote north-west and far west coast ready to deliver the Australian Curriculum.

This project is beginning to show the importance of Aṉangu Educators, who live within the community bringing their Aṉangu knowledge, context and language expertise to student learning.

But more importantly, the Aṉangu Educators are central to those schools as they bring an understanding of the children and the ways that they learn.

“These Aṉangu Educators are incredibly important in helping those kids reach their full potential in education,” Mr Bleby said.

At its core, the project has focused on teaching students in a way that resonates with them.

“What that means is you’re responsive to every single child that sits in front of you,” Mr Bleby said.

“You understand that they’re not an empty vessel, that they have incredible skills, languages, cultures that they bring into your classroom.

“Recognising that you make connections with what they bring and the learning that you’re going for. In a context like Aṉangu schools that becomes even more important. Because you’re teaching on their Country, you’re teaching kids that deserve the same kind of future that any kid in the state does.

“The responsibility for educators is to be responsive to the context, to the really amazing things that those kids bring and to the importance of supporting them to keep those things strong into the future, and for perpetuity is huge. It’s not something that any of us should take lightly.”

RESOURCES

When it comes to literature and resources, the community across the APY Lands has consistently asked for their languages to be given the same value as English.

Another element of the bilingual learning initiative includes the development of Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara books and resources, including books that have been translated from Standard Australian English.

The production of several picture books is something tangible the community has grasped onto and another example of how the project is supporting learning and literacy.

DEEP ENGAGEMENT AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

When children are learning in Pitjantjatjara or Yankunytjatjara with a familiar Aṉangu Educator at the front, there is deep engagement and demonstrated learning outcomes across the board.

“Their language is respected. Their culture, their families are respected,” Principal Klein said.

“This actually gives kids a sense of wellbeing. What the kids are getting is satisfaction that they can actually do both ways. The more confident, the more happy they are, the more they learn - it’s as simple as that.”

For more information head to the Aboriginal Education Strategy initiatives and progress page:

education.sa.gov.au

“This is a big responsibility for us. We need to be able to listen to communities and understand what they want for their kids. They want their voices, languages, culture to be really powerfully presented in education,” Mr Bleby said.

BECAUSE AT ENDEAVOUR COLLEGE YOU ARE ONE IN A MILLION

We may have more than 750 students in Years 7-12, but each child in our community is treated as an individual. That’s because we have children from a rich diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and religions, each with unique abilities. Endeavour seeks to educate the whole child – academically, spiritually, physically, socially, and emotionally to enable them to thrive for decades to come.

Educating kids on landcare and conservation

Here are five simple ways from Junior Landcare to help inspire children to care for the land, their environment and our native wildlife:

Put on your nature goggles

For children to want to protect the environment, they must first love and appreciate it; and for children to love and appreciate the environment, they need to get their hands and feet stuck in it!

There are lots of different ways to help kids connect with the natural environment and engage with the world around them. As Junior Landcare Ambassador and gardening guru Costa Georgiadis says, “It’s all about little opportunities; an invitation to let curiosity and inquiry roam free and connect to the idea that nature is not something you go to, but is something all around you. Connections begin to be made that really engage children with new ways of thinking about their relationship to nature and the environment.”

From the pot plants on your balcony to the veggie scraps on your kitchen counter, these are all opportunities to encourage the next generation of Landcarers to get out, get active and make a difference in the environment around them.

“Nature is awesome – and the more you engage with it, the more you see it. It’s about getting your hands dirty and connecting with the world all around you – the more you observe and discover outside, I guarantee you, the more your children will

As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbours, we can all help children connect with nature, whether it’s going on a 5-minute walk looking for bugs, visiting your local community garden, listening for bird sounds in your own garden, or heading down to your local beach, creek or bushland. Use these moments as an opportunity to educate and inspire your kids about the world around them and the importance of looking after our environment. Ask open-ended questions like, what can you hear or see? What do you think lives here? How can we protect the animals or plants around us?

Build a bug or bee hotel

Creating insect or bee hotels are a fantastic way to provide habitat for bugs. The best part is that you can use materials you already have at home, like a cleaned-out old tin can. Simply insert banksia cones to make an easy insect home or if you have more time and resources, drill holes into bamboo sticks and then insert them into the can. Nest boxes are another great way to add habitat to your garden and are a good hands-on project to undertake as a family, but are a little more complex to set up. Contact your local landcare group for tips to get started, including the types of animals native to your area and the types of boxes they’d prefer.

want to be outdoors.”

- Junior Landcare Ambassador, Costa Georgiadis

Junior Landcare Ambassador, Costa Georgiadis

Plant a veggie garden

Growing vegetables not only allows children to see first-hand where their food comes from; it gives children a sense of great satisfaction as they water and care for their plants on their own.

The best thing is that you don’t even need a garden for kids to get started. You might have a balcony, so get some pots and soil, and ask your local plant centre what vegetables work well in pots. You can also use fruit and vegetable scraps to propagate new plants that might otherwise be tossed out - all you need is some water, a cup or container, sunlight and some trimmed scraps like carrots or spring onions. You can visit the Junior Landcare Learning Centre for step-by-step instructions to get you started!

Compost

Setting up and managing a compost system at home is a great way to involve children in minimising waste that goes into the landfill. If you have space, set up two composting bins – one that you can keep adding scraps too while the other can sit still while the waste breaks down. If you don’t have much space, it’s still easy to recycle your kitchen household scraps! You can do it on your balcony with a bokashi bucket or use a worm farm… You will get beautiful castings and worm juice, which you can then pour over your plants to help them grow!

Connect with First Nations knowledge

First Nations people have incredible knowledge and traditional practices we can learn from to take care of the land. Junior Landcare has created a series of activities with First Nations educator, Wiradjuri man Adam Shipp, to help parents and children learn more about how they can have a connection to Country. Start by encouraging children to find out whose Country they’re on and exploring a First Nations people’s language map. The activities also include exploring First Nations weather and setting up an Indigenous plant use garden.

juniorlandcare.org.au

@landcareaustralia

Head online to find more Junior Landcare learning resources!

Fun with Costa

For Costa’s easy composting recipe, bug hunt tips, or how to create a bee or bug hotel, visit Junior Landcare’s Fun with Costa playlist on YouTube!

Junior Landcare Learning Centre

Visit the learning centre for activities to try at home or school, focused on food production, waste management and recycling, biodiversity and First Nations perspectives:

juniorlandcare.org.au/learningcentre

Just for Kids Activity Sheets

For fun printable activity sheets exploring biodiversity, food production and waste management, visit juniorlandcare.org.au/just-for-kids

Words Grow Minds

WORDS: Kate Ellis

Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), results show that South Australian children are behind the national average in terms of development before they even reach school.

The critical question is why? What are we doing, or not doing that others are?

What we do know is that South Australian children and their families have fewer interactions with the organisations that are there to support them.

We also know that there has not been a clear and consistent information campaign in South Australia about the critical importance of brain development in the first years of life.

The SA Early Years Taskforce was formed to change both these facts. Over 35 government, council, not for profit and early childhood services united in our goal to improve South Australian children’s early development have launched the Words Grow Minds Campaign.

The Words Grow Minds campaign translates neuroscience and early childhood development research into clear and accessible language for parents and caregivers.

It emphasises the importance of brain development in the first three years and highlights how parental engagement can aid this development.

The animated friendly characters on the tv ad and catchy song on the radio not only delight children but also help parents and caregivers understand that every time they interact with their child, they are helping grow their mind and shape their lifetime. They have already hit the airwaves in Mount Gambier and will launch in Whyalla in early 2023.

The most exciting and powerful thing about this project is that it is about more than advertising. It is about building a ground up community campaign across all the different organisations in the Taskforce. The real secret weapon is utilising the trusted service providers that families already have strong relationships with. They have each undertaken the same Words Grow Minds professional development sessions, are each promoting other available early childhood services and are distributing a carefully compiled resource pack containing everything required for families to quite literally help their child’s brain develop through simple activities.

Results in our pilot locations will be carefully measured and evaluated. Did the campaign increase understanding of the importance of early childhood brain development? Has there been an increase in attendance at vital services like child development checks? It is hoped these results will help shape the future of early years campaign activity across South Australia.

We are driven by one goal, working to turn these AEDC statistics around and change the course of children’s lives for the better.

For more information

wordsgrowminds.com.au

@wordsgrowminds

Our Early Learning Centre is the first step in a Christ-centred education pathway.

Immersed in our Brooklyn Park Campus, your child will have:

• Learning from a Christian worldview

• Highly qualifed Christian educators

• Excellent facilities including a new third room and sheltered outdoor play spaces

To register for a Principal’s Tour and find out more visit our website.

emmauscc.sa.edu.au

Start your child’s future on a firm faith foundation.

Inspiring Hearts.

Inspiring Minds.

HELPING YOUR TEEN COPE WITH YEAR 11 AND 12

By Madhavi Nawana Parker Director of Positive Minds Australia

Year 11 and 12 are big ones on the academic calendar. Think back to when you were there. Were you worried? Were you overwhelmed? Probably. Our children have had an especially tough couple of years leading up. More reliance on devices, loads of uncertainty and now, as they start 2023, more unknowns lie ahead. The next year or two are big ones for your family. The best thing you can do is love and look after yourselves and each other, stay connected and try to be the calm in the storm. This is not always easy, given emotions are contagious.

Here are ways to make the ride a little smoother.

1. Focus on their strengths What is good and right about them? Develop their confidence by pointing out their strengths (teenagers are often so caught up in the comparison trap, they do not realise how well they are doing). Your confidence in them, builds their confidence in themselves. The more confident they are, the better they will cope with stress.

2. Remember the 5:1 ratio. For every piece of constructive feedback, make sure there are five doses of encouragement and optimism in their abilities.

3. Help them keep things in perspective – their whole life does not depend on their marks in year 11 and 12. There are many pathways to reach academic and work goals these days. There is also choice and opportunity to make changes along the way. When you are a teenager, you are vulnerable to catastrophising and globalising every challenge and year 11 and 12 are no exception. Hear your child out, let them off load their worries, but try hard not to join the chaos and over reassure or lecture. Active and reflective listening is a powerful way to help them empty their heart and move forward. When parents get too involved in reassuring and problem-solving, this can increase teenager anxiety.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS

Soraya has just finished Year 12 and has shared this top tip for parents from a teen point of view.

Please remind us to take breaks. Knock on our door, say ‘hi.’ Ask us how we are. Sometimes we think taking a break means we will fall behind. A drive, a walk, a favourite song, a board game with you, a cuddle, a visit from our pets, a snack, a hug, or a funny story can all help us feel less lonely while studying. Think of a break that is irresistible, so we will say yes to that break.

- Soraya Nawana Parker, age 17

4. Understand what makes it harder and what would make it easier for them to cope with the challenges ahead. Depending on who they are, there will be plenty of things making it hard to handle stress. If they are struggling to keep up, ask if it will help to do a time audit to identify time wasters that are adding to their stress. I can tell you most of the time wasters will be on devices and this is always a sensitive topic for teenagers. Make sure you start with Empathy and Compassion when you do approach this topic, so you are not coming down on them heavily. Try asking, ‘It must be tough keeping up with your friends on socials, while juggling your workload.’ Instead of ‘get off your phone, you’re wasting time.’ Keep communicating and ask what they think, instead of doing all the thinking. Questions like, ‘Do you think it would help to figure out what the time sinkers are to make it really hard to stay focused?’

Help them understand that sleep, exercise, drinking enough water, good nutrition and connection with friends and family are all ways to make it easier to manage stress.

5. Cut them some slack. A lot of cooped up time studying can bring out the worst in everyone.

It is important to move with grace through blowups, to not show up to every argument you are invited to, and to not hold grudges and continue disagreements. Everyone is doing the best they can to make it through and everyone will manage stress better when there is less conflict in the house.

6. Help them find something they can control, and let them control it. In moments of overwhelm, help them control their little corner of the world. Organising bookshelves, purging closets, rearranging bedroom furniture and decorate can help to anchor and ground them when they are feeling stressed.

7. Encourage pastimes to engage in a state of flow. Our emotional brain is very receptive to the creative arts, and it is a direct portal for release of feeling. Help them find something that is creative (sculpting, drawing, dancing, music, singing, playing).

8. Find lightness and humour in each day. Laugh, play, and read or watch funny things together. Send emails and text messages that are loving. Happy relationships provide the best foundation for coping with life’s challenges and laughter helps a lot too.

9. Remind them this is temporary. It seems during intense study that it will never end. It is terrifying to think of the road stretching ahead of us. Remind your child that although this is very challenging and difficult, it is a season of life and it will pass.

positivemindsaustralia.com.au

@postitivemindsaustralia

RAISING MONEY $AVVY KIDS

In his brand new book, Barefoot Kids, Scott Pape, the Barefoot Investor, does all the hard work of teaching your kids how to be money savvy.

This game changing guide book for primary school-aged kids holds the secret to raising smart, resilient, kind and hard-working kids who will grow up knowing how to manage their money. We chat with Scott Pape about Barefoot Kids.

4. They don’t have the same hang ups as adults. Kids are blank slates when it comes to money. The concrete hasn’t set on their behaviours, so they have the ability to build their confidence and wealthy habits from the get-go. That’s probably the thing that excites me more than anything.

Explain why you think Australia needs a financial revolution and why it needs to start with our kids?

Whether we like it or not, money colours our entire life. The fact that we don’t teach kids the basics, means many kids end up repeating the same mistakes their parents made.

We’re the richest nation on earth, according to the latest wealth report from Credit Suisse. However, we also have some of the highest levels of household debts in the world. We are the lucky country, but for how much longer?

Montessori makes sense

The Hills Montessori School has been operating in the Adelaide Hills for over 45 years, fostering the curiosity of children in its educational programs. With Open Day coming up at both the Middle School and the Primary School, visitors can see first-hand the opportunities the school offers children through a Montessori education.

What do you consider to be the best thing parents can do for their children financially?

Give them my book! So, I know that sounds totally obnoxious, but hear me out: Every parent has tried to talk to their kid about money. Every parent has done pocket money. Every parent has seen it fizzle out, and then resorted to nagging, scolding, and bribing.

My book is kind of unique: it talks directly to kids, and invites them to roll up their sleeves and go on an EPIC money adventure where they call the shots.

The book features inspiring stories of children who are more financially savvy than most parents. What are some of the biggest takeaways you learnt from these children?

The biggest one is just how much FUN these kids are having. Their enthusiasm is totally infectious. Parents tell me they get swept up in it too, because they see how much fun their kids are having.

1. It builds confidence like nothing else. The Barefoot Kids tell me they feel older and more confident because they’re actually proving to themselves how smart they are.

2. It’s a myth that kids don’t like working, or learning, or getting outside and doing stuff.

These kids come up with their own ideas. It not only builds their creativity, but also their resilience when things don’t go to plan.

Barefoot Kids is published by HarperCollins, RRP $29.99

The Hills Montessori School is an independent school located in a bush setting with two campuses, the primary campus in Aldgate and middle school campus in Stirling. The Yultiwirra campus in Aldgate provides education from birth up to 12 years of age. It comprises an early learning Infant Program from ages 0 to 3 years; Preschool from ages 3 to 5 years; and primary programs from Reception to Year 6. The Reception program is unique in that it has an intake of students each term throughout the year so children can begin their school journey when they are developmentally ready. The Wairoa campus in Stirling, caters for middle school students in its Adolescent Program, Years 7 to Year 9. Of particular interest is Preschool, designed for families who are looking for an environment that will give their child a quality start to their learning in a nurturing environment. The curriculum has an emphasis on early literacy and numeracy skills, as well as experiences in geography, history, biology, art and physical education. The ‘practical life curriculum’ helps children develop concentration and independence in activities such as food preparation, cleaning and looking after the natural world. Students have access to a beautifully renovated outdoor bush play area with native

gardens, places to climb and explore, or for quieter time children can enjoy calming nooks and peaceful seating areas.

When students reach the age of 4.5 years, they have the opportunity to join the Extended Day Preschool program. This is an extension of our preschool program and is focused on promoting collaboration between teachers, families and students to facilitate a smooth transition from preschool to primary school.

Open Days at both campuses are an excellent way to get to know students, parents, teachers and heads of school, as well as experience the community’s sense of collaboration and cooperation.

montessori.sa.edu.au

Join us on one of our OPEN DAYS!

Bookings are essential

TERM 1

MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS 7-9

Tuesday 14 February 9.30am-11am

INFANT, PRESCHOOL & PRIMARY

Tuesday 14 March 10am-12pm

Wairoa Campus 142 Mt Barker Rd, Stirling

Yultiwirra Campus 12 Anderson Rd, Aldgate 8339 6842

enquiries@montessori.sa.edu.au

Sport

What to do when things go wrong

tall their kids will get or how much longer they will grow. As a rough rule in girls, it’s about 1.5 years after their period starts and otherwise around 3 years after the last increase in the size of the shoes.

If your child is potentially seriously injured or is ill, DO NOT drive them to the hospital. Accidents can happen when a distracted parent is half watching the road, half watching the little one in the back seat and speeding at the same time. It is hard knowing the ramping issues at the moment but only transport your child if you can promise yourself and everyone who loves you that you can calmly and safely get to the hospital without endangering the person you are trying to help or anyone else on the road.

What to do if the child…

running sports training courses for all ages and skill levels and are a really useful resource. Hand therapists can make custom splints that can support the joint and often can be used when playing but check with your sporting association first.

Finger dislocation. It looks gross but don’t panic. Even if the finger goes back in it needs an x-ray. Occasionally there is a fracture through the joint that may need a surgeon to look at it.

By Dr Mark Ralfe

Sport is good for children. It’s good for adults too, but good life habits can and should start early. It’s great for mental health, encouraging good social networks and hopefully setting up good habits for life.

Just over 40% of children under 15 play organised sports with swimming, soccer and gymnastics heading up the top 3 of sports according to 2021 data from the federal government.

Some differences between children compared to older humans is that the weakest points on the growing skeleton are the cartilage growth plates (the epiphysis or epiphyseal plate) on the end of long bones - responsible for the lengthening of the bones and the tendon/ growth plate interface (the apophysis). These can cause non-adult types of fractures (SalterHarris type) through the growth plates and acute or chronic overuse apophyseal injuries e.g. Osgood-Schlatter lumps below the knees. During adolescence when the growth spurt starts, the limbs get longer and heavier, and the growth plates thicken and get relatively weak. As a slight aside, parents often ask how

Has a serious injury. What counts as serious? If the child is in a lot of pain, not moving or may have a spinal injury - keep calm (if you can). Ring for an ambulance, keep talking to your child and keep them warm. If they stop breathing, start CPR. One of the best pieces of advice I received from a paramedic on a training course was, if you think someone needs CPR, do CPR. If they don’t need it they will wake up, push you away or give some obvious sign they don’t need it.

Falls over and may have broken their arm

Gently support the arm in their shirt or pop a sling on (you’ve done a first aid course, right?). GPs can check to see if they need an x-ray, but sports clinics are well placed to get quick x-rays if needed and there are private as well as public Emergency Departments. Don’t give the child anything to eat or drink in case surgery is needed in the next few hours.

Finger Sprains. Very painful. Keep it elevated, cold packs around it for 15 minutes 3-4 times a day for 2 days and strap it up. Often buddy strapping for 2 to 3 weeks when training and playing is really helpful. The South Australian Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) hold regular simple strapping courses for parents and caregivers. SASMA also is responsible for

Knocks a tooth out. Wash any dirt off it gently, do not scrub it and transport it to an emergency dentist in milk. If the child is old enough to cope with the concept, keep the tooth in their mouth. If you can’t find the tooth, the child may have inhaled (not good) or swallowed it. The toothless child needs to have a chest x-ray to check it hasn’t lodged in part of a lung.

Knocked their head. Concussions are getting more of the press they deserve. Only a small number of kids with a concussion are knocked out and it can present with a small headache or just “not feeling right” after a whack to the head or the body that’s shaken the head. Seeing your GP or a sports doctor as soon as possible is really important. Often the child needs some time off school, a learning plan for the teachers and a slow return to sports after getting back to school. Australian guidelines state those under 18 years old need a minimum of 14 days from the time of injury to a restart of full training (not playing). Twenty to thirty per cent of children have prolonged symptoms after 4 weeks that need specialised follow-up.

Ankle sprains. Children can break through the growth plate near the ankle rather than sprain a ligament. Often the growth plate is the weakest point if the ankle rolls. If the player can’t walk 4 steps normally and is very sore on the bones behind the ankle then they need to get an x-ray.

Psychologically burned out. There seem to be more and more teenagers coming through the door being incredibly stressed and under

a lot of pressure to be elite. This pressure can come out in many ways, often in recurrent soft tissue injuries, depression, eating disorders or their performance drops or stalls. Pressure can come internally, with perfectionist tendencies for example or externally, from parents and or coaches. Sports should be fun. This isn’t from me. This is from international and national coaches who I’ve had the privilege to work with and who have guided athletes to the highest levels. My observation is that it’s impossible to get the hours of practice and performance needed under your belt unless you are enjoying what you are doing - whether it’s your job or your sport.

Sport is great for children. It is usually very safe and although there are occasional injuries the benefits of exercise, learning new skills and having fun far outweigh any potential negatives.

P.S. Exercise with others having fun is great for parents too. Whether we like it or not we are role models for our children. Seeing adults take time to exercise and enjoy it, is an essential part of childrens life learning. When our family lived in Balaklava for a year it was wonderful to see the kids play then Mum and Dad putting boots on later in the day playing footy and netball after the younger ones were finished. In the city this is harder to emulate but not impossible. We had a great time as a family going to a beginner hip hop dance class with my daughter Ellen being my dance buddy. She is much better at remembering at the steps than myself. Be well.

Dr Mark Ralfe is a Sports Medicine GP with a Diploma in Child Health. Mark has worked for the AFL, Cricket Australia, Rugby Australia and FFA who works at Wakefield Sports and Exercise Clinic, Adelaide Wakefield

Make a breakthrough at AFL Max

AUSTRALIA’S FIRST MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS CAMP FOR KIDS

The Breakthrough Foundation and AFL Max’s James Podsiadly have partnered to create Australia’s first overnight mental health camp for kids. The unique program, a 24hr camp set at AFL Max, sees students work their way through AFL Max’s Four Quarters of mental health, combining theoretical and practical learning utilising Max’s state-of-the-art and fun facility.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AT AFL MAX

The overnight camp at AFL Max aims to maximise mental health awareness through fun, conversation and learning. Designed for students in years 5-8, Camp Breakthrough is centered around empowering students to care for their own mental health and learning how to recognise and support it in others.

James Podsiadly, ex-AFL player, coach and AFL Max CEO says Camp Breakthrough was created to help share the load with schools and teachers.

“We know there is a lot of pressure on schools, teachers and curriculums to cover it all when it comes to wellbeing and mental health. The camp exists to bolster students’ learning and understanding in this space, beyond the typical classroom setting”

“This camp offers a space for students to learn and understand mental health in its various forms and hopefully arm them with the knowledge and skills they need to help navigate it themselves and support others.”

Camp Breakthrough has also received a $150k grant over the next three years from Variety – the Children’s Charity of South Australia, which will enable disadvantaged schools and students to access the unique camp.

Joining AFL Max’s popular suite of camps and education offerings, it is expected Camp Breakthrough will quickly become one of the most popular overnight camps for South Australian schools.

WHAT CAN KIDS EXPECT AT CAMP BREAKTHROUGH?

The 24hr camp, set at AFL Max, sees the students work their way through AFL Max’s Four Quarters of mental health.

Q1: Recognise – What is and isn’t mental health and wellbeing.

Q2: Self – Caring for my mental health by staying healthy.

Q3: Awareness – Develop a better awareness within ourselves.

Q4: Together – How to be there for others. Students finish the first day with dinner at AFL Max, followed by a movie on the big screen as they tuck into their sleeping bags on the indoor field for the night.

“Max’s facilities also allow the kids to enjoy themselves. It is all about active learning and having fun together – we find students resonate best with this approach, particularly when it comes to such important life learning” said Podsiadly.

To learn more about Camp Breakthrough: aflmax.com.au/camp-max

Breakfast: The most important meal of the day for kids!

By Jan Marie Macfarlane, Clinical Nutritionist

We’ve all experienced the effects of not eating; fatigue, brain fog and irritability are a few common ones that come to mind.

So why is breakfast so important?

Blood sugar balancing is an incredibly important part of eating breakfast, our blood sugar levels contribute to the uncomfortable feelings mentioned above, as well as a host of others. Our blood sugars are at their lowest first thing in the morning (after fasting through the night). And what we do in the first few hours after waking to help stabilise them is crucial.

How do we keep blood sugars balanced?

 Eat a balanced breakfast, preferably within an hour of waking.

 Balance each meal and snack with protein, good fats and fibre. This helps balance the blood sugar impact, giving a longer running and smoother energy release.

 Eat regular balanced meals and snacks 3-4 hrs apart throughout the day.

 Minimise processed foods, and high carbohydrate meals ie. processed cereals, bakery goods.

How can breakfast affect children while at school?

Countless studies show that when children have eaten a balanced breakfast, snacks and foods throughout the day, they not only have better concentration and learning outcomes, they also have improved social interactions, increased energy, better emotional regulation, and physical performance. Overall, breakfast provides an essential platform for a child to feel well in mind and body, they deserve this start to the day!

Benefits of a balanced breakfast

 Provides essential nutrients. Each day our body requires a broad range of essential nutrients, all essential for growth, brain development, immunity, and overall good health.

 Increases attention span and learning ability, improving engagement in school activities.

 Positively affects on-task behaviour in classrooms.

 Improves social interactions and relationships.

 Increased energy to meet physical demands throughout the day.

 Increased mental wellbeing.

 Educating healthy eating practices in childhood help carry through to adulthood practices.

So, what should our kids be eating for breakfast?

A balanced breakfast really can be both quick and simple to prepare. In the busy morning rush it’s easy to skip breakfast or opt for an option that may be lacking in nutrients or a non-sustainable energy source. Here are some tips for making your breakfast count!

 Aim to fit in as many nutrients as possible with any meal. If you can add in a piece of fruit or vegetable, do it! For example, if you’re making a chocolate smoothie, sneak in a handful of baby spinach or avocado - it’s surprisingly easy to hide!

 Fibre, good essential fatty acids, and an added source of protein can all help ensure a longer lasting, balanced energy to help sustain kids throughout the morning.

Try these breakfast ideas:

 Easy egg-only omelettes or boiled eggs with a piece of fruit.

 Smoothies with berries, or cacao as healthy chocolate milkshake alternative.

 Pancakes: substituting flour for oats and adding banana instead of sugar gives you a balanced, quick and yummy breakfast.

BERRY GOOD BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

With the right blend of ingredients, a smoothie can be a nutritional powerhouse—full of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and protein.

Prep: 5 mins | serves:1

Ingredients

1/2 cup of blueberries, strawberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 frozen (peeled) or fresh banana

1/4 avocado

1 cup of coconut water, filtered water, almond milk or milk of choice

1 serve of natural pea/rice protein powder. Raw Amazonia, Bondi Protein or Keep it Cleaner plant protein

Method

Blend all the ingredients together until combined, enjoy!

DOS AND DON'TS OF A GOOD BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

DON’T:

 Add fruit juice. The liquid component of a smoothie is important as it’s what helps blend the ingredients. Fruit juice is a popular choice, but it can load your smoothie with sugar.

 Reach straight for kale. Yes, we want to consider adding greens to our smoothie, but if you start with a very bitter green like kale, you may be tempted to add too much sugar.

 Add sugar to your smoothies. Avoid adding sugar to your smoothie, whether it comes from canned fruit or flavoured yogurt. Sugar won’t satiate hunger, and you’re likely to crash later in the day.

DO:

 Use Greek yogurt or coconut milk. Plain low-fat Greek yogurt and light coconut milk are optimal choices for creating healthy, creamy smoothies. Greek yogurt provides a boost of protein, while light coconut milk adds a hit of rich flavor and creamy texture.

 Start with spinach. Masking the flavour of spinach is simpler, and once you’ve acquired a taste for greens, you might like to branch out to kale or parsley.

 Sweeten smoothies naturally. Fresh or frozen fruits should naturally sweeten your smoothie, but if you need an extra dose, try adding dates.

STEM in schools

STEM is an area that educators are increasingly focused on when looking for more effective and meaningful ways to connect with and engage students. Find out how schools across the state are approaching STEM in their classrooms.

ST PETER’S WOODLANDS

STEM opportunities at St Peter’s Woodlands are engaging, relevant, significant and challenging learning experiences.

The St Peter’s Woodlands Year 2 students observed and explored the lifecycle of chickens where they were responsible for taking care of twelve hatchlings.

Situated in the corner of the classroom were twelve eggs nestled in an incubator. Students tended to them daily, ensuring the eggs were kept at the right temperature. When the chicks hatched, it was clear how invested the students were and it was wonderful to see the students put their learnings into real time observations.

Sophie from Glenelg Vet visited to show the Year 2 students how to identify which of our chickens were roosters or hens. The children identified two roosters and 6 hens with the roosters going to live on a farm and our 6 hens now residing in our school chicken run. They provide our canteen with fresh eggs daily.

39 Partridge St, Glenelg spw.sa.edu.au

ST MARY’S COLLEGE

St Mary’s College embraces the exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to encourage young women to pursue studies, careers, and vocations in their chosen STEM fields.

The Women in STEM program delivered at St Mary’s is intertwined within all curriculum areas to establish STEM as a core ingredient to students’ development and learning.

Students are offered many STEM experiences, such as programming drones, building and coding robotic cars, creating scaled-down models with a 3D printer, etching designs with a laser cutter, soldering electronic games, and much more. With a newly opened STEM centre, St Mary’s students seek inspiration from the extraordinary female STEM icons that cover the walls, such as Marie Curie, who discovered Radium and Patricia Bath, who invented laser eye surgery.

St Mary’s offers the perfect environment to support budding entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers. Led by an enthusiastic team, steadily introducing more innovative ways to conduct practices in STEM, their program aims to develop and foster passion in STEM through scientific experimentation, guest speakers, forums and more.

253 Franklin Street, Adelaide stmarys.sa.edu.au

WILDERNESS SCHOOL

Technology education at Wilderness School is taking a new and innovative approach to teaching Year 7 students about the future of food security. Using CoSpaces EDU, VR technology and a project developed by Lumination, students are able to fully immerse themselves in the topic by creating and coding virtual "Future Farms."

In these virtual environments, students learn about the importance of autonomous farm machinery, vertical farming, climate-controlled greenhouses, and even the potential for incorporating edible insects into our diets. These interactive experiences allow students to explore and understand the challenges and solutions surrounding food security in a hands-on and engaging way.

Using cutting-edge technology, Wilderness School is helping to prepare its students for the future by providing a comprehensive and interactive education on this important topic. By learning about the various technologies and practices that will play a key role in the future of agriculture, students are able to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges facing our food systems and the steps we can take to address them.

30 Hawkers Road, Medindie wilderness.com.au

ST DOMINIC’S PRIORY

For 140 years, St Dominic's Priory College has been guided by the pioneering vision of its foundress to provide an excellent standard of education to the young women of tomorrow.

As a Transition to Year 12 school, the College leverages its city fringe location and singlecampus construct to tailor curriculum extension experiences that are progressive, robust and interconnected; St Dominic's girls get to step into a laboratory early – whether onsite designing and creating CO2 powered dragsters, coding and using CAD software or via activities offered by tertiary providers nearby such as Adelaide University’s Ingenuity STEM project.

Empowered by the freedoms and opportunities of learning in an all-girls environment, students consistently perform well in STEM. From Year 12 Merits in the Sciences, Maths and Technologies subjects each year; to competing in the state and national finals of Engineering and Chemistry events; to applying and being selected for the likes of Space Camp and the National Youth Science Forum… St Dominic's girls are boundaryless as they pursue their interests in traditionally maledominated fields.

139 Molesworth St, North Adelaide stdominics.sa.edu.au

ST ANDREW’S SCHOOL

Many children entering primary school today will end up working in a job that doesn’t yet exist. With this in mind, St Andrew’s School designed a new twostorey future focussed facility, Tarrkarri, featuring flexible learning spaces, including a dedicated STEM centre, known as The Collaboratory, to better equip children with the tools needed for a successful future tomorrow.

This state of the art, student centred learning environment, offers children from ELC through to Year 6, the opportunity to innovate, collaborate, design and manage projects based on real world problems. From spheros, robotics, drones, 3D printers and more, The Collaboratory provides a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to learning, allowing children to develop key skills in critical thinking and problem-solving.

22 Smith Street, Walkerville | standrews.sa.edu.au

SEYMOUR COLLEGE

Seymour College knows how to intrinsically engage their students in STEM. In 2016 in HBR, Susan S. Silbey explained that women “want to be socially responsible, solv[ing] major problems and making a difference...” Seymour harnesses this across the STEM curriculum.

Year 7s created models after learning about the Parker Solar Probe. Using household materials, students emulated the probe’s heat-shield, designed to reflect heat and light and keep the internal electronics cool. Floodlights represented the sun and students tested their heat-shields using real-time Pasco Temperature Probes.

Year 5 students participated in the STEM program at the Adelaide 500, taking part in simulator and pit stop challenges, opening their minds to the motorsport industry.

Seymour’s Junior Years ‘See More News’ team presented at the student lead Didgi Do conference depicting the behind the scenes work they do filming with drones, editing and producing weekly news reels for their school community.

546 Portrush Rd, Glen Osmond seymour.sa.edu.au

ENDEAVOUR COLLEGE

At Endeavour College the ever-developing Innovation Zone is a supported space where students can work at any time on their coursework or on personal ideas. Students are encouraged to use a design thinking approach to consider innovative ways to solve some of the problems they find. It’s basically a place where STEM comes to life.

For example, Year 8 Science classes take their learning about Energy to the next level to prototype, test, and re-test their hypotheses on what is the best windmill blade shape to maximise energy production. Students discuss what they know of energy and forces and the factors that will impact the energy production of windmill blades then go about designing their optimum blade using CAD design and laser cutters, then test and analyse the impact of the variables. Most importantly, they then readjust their thinking, re-design, re-cut, and then re-test until they have reached what they consider to be the most effective blade shape.

85 Mawson Lakes Blvd, Mawson Lakes endeavour.edu.au

Celebrating

YEAR 12 RESULTS

Inside the teen brain: A work in progress

By Assoc. Prof. Lyndsey Collins-Praino, Head of the Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory in the School of Biomedicine at the University of Adelaide

When does the teen brain mature?

10:45pm and continuing until 8am. This means that an earlier bedtime is unlikely to be the answer, with teens unable to fall asleep until melatonin levels rise. Instead, later school start times, allowing teens to sleep until at least 8am, may be beneficial. Finally, it is important to note that, given how plastic the brain is during this period, it is also more vulnerable to the effects of stress. In fact, the onset of several mental disorders, including schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, may occur in adolescence.

As the mother of two little ones, aged 5 and under, it’s hard not to envy my friends who are the parents of teenagers. I covet their full nights of sleep, their uninterrupted toilet time, and the fact that they reach the end of their day without feeling completely touched out. Then I listen to their stories about the issues they face daily with their teens, navigating concerns around bullying, peer pressure, internet safety and struggles for independence, and I realise that perhaps watching Bluey for what feels like the zillionth time isn’t so bad after all.

The mystery of the teen brain

The teen brain can certainly feel like a mysterywhat exactly is going on inside the head of your now not so little one? Neuroscience is shedding light on this, thanks in large part to advances in neuroimaging techniques, such as MRI. From studies that track children and adolescents over time, we know that the brain follows a typical

pattern of development, reaching its peak size at 10.5 in girls and 14.5 in boys. From here, brain size declines slightly throughout our late teens and twenties, as unused or unneeded connections between brain cells are removed to improve efficiency (similar to the pruning of a plant). However, just because the brain finishes growing in early adolescence doesn’t mean that it is finished maturing at this point. In fact, compared to other species, brain maturation takes significantly longer in humans. This prolonged period of development, particularly for regions like the prefrontal cortex, may have allowed for the evolution of complex cognitive functions in humans. The volume of white matter, which connects brain structures to one another, increases 1-2% per year throughout adolescence. This has several consequences, allowing for faster brain signal transmission, enhanced brain plasticity and increased connectivity between brain structures. Together, this allows for better information processing, as well as improvements in language, reading and cognitive function, throughout adolescence.

Most notable are changes that occur in the prefrontal cortex during this period. The prefrontal cortex is important for “executive function,” which is our ability to plan, split attention, prioritise tasks, regulate emotions and inhibit impulses. Studies have revealed that brain circuits within the prefrontal cortex aren’t fully mature until well into our mid- or even late twenties. As this region matures, individuals become less reliant on brain structures associated with emotion and reward, which mature earlier, and instead increasingly draw upon circuits associated with rational executive function. This explains why teens may engage more in risky behaviours, without thinking through potential consequences, or may struggle with longterm planning and prioritising tasks. As prefrontal circuits mature, these behaviours tend to as well. Given that the teen brain is still actively developing, it is primed to learn and adapt. Presenting teens with challenging activities—academically, physically, and creatively—will help to harness the power of this plasticity, with subsequent positive effects for brain development.

Sleep patterns for teens

Adequate sleep is also critical during this period, with experts recommending 8-10 hours of sleep per night from 13-18 years of age. Concerningly, few teens achieve this. This may be because sleep/ wake patterns differ in teens compared to adults or children, with secretion of the sleep promoting hormone melatonin not beginning until about

The teenage years are undoubtedly a time of changing relationships and new challenges, as teens increase their independence. But the next time that your teen has you at your wits end, remember: their brain is still very much a work in progress!

Associate Professor Lyndsey Collins-Praino is the Head of the Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory (CANDL) in the School of Biomedicine at the University of Adelaide. She is also the founder of BrainChild, which offers informative lectures and hands-on activities to parents, caregivers, and educators, focused on exploring the brain changes that occur in each stage of child development and how this manifests as specific behaviours. Ultimately, the focus is on how to navigate challenges and maximise children’s potential during each stage.

For more information:

lyndsey.collins-praino@adelaide.edu.au

“Studies have revealed that brain circuits within the prefrontal cortex aren’t fully mature until well into our mid- or even late twenties”

"Encouraging mindfulness practices and communication during this time may help teens to better manage stress and promote resilience"

“Given that the teen brain is still actively developing, it is primed to learn and adapt”