CLASS SPOTLIGHT! This Week in 3Gr... This week in 3GR, we have been learning the writing strategy ‘Show, Don’t Tell’. This is a technique that writers use to create a clear picture in the reader’s mind. It makes the story much more interesting and allows the reader to fully understand how a character feels. On Thursday, we wrote how our characters were feeling. Parent Homework: Can you identify how our characters are feeling? Authors Can you idenfy how our characters are feeling? Caius He pumped his fist in the air and cheered. He had a big smile on his face. He is feeling _______________. Lucas B, Lucas N and Max His body was shaking and his heart was beang fast. He was feeling _____________. Timothy, Ethan and KyKy ‘If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand mes’ said Ray and he put his hands on his face. Ray was feeling _____________. Phoebe and Jamiee Mum put her hands on her hips and yelled at the girls. Mum was feeling ______________. Aurora, Emma, Heidi and Tryneee They couldn’t stop bouncing up and down. They couldn’t stand sll. They talked very quickly. They had smiles on their faces. They were feeling _________________. Isla and Allana Her eyes widened and her body shook. She slowly walked backwards. She didn’t know what to do. She was feeling _____________. Zavier The boy was wide-mouthed and wide-eyed. He was feeling _____________. John, Malakai, Blade and Trae Her eyes filled with tears. She was feeling _____________. He fell off the Adventure Playground. He began to cry. He was feeling ________________. Dear Parents and Caregivers, WHAT IS MINDFULNESS? Mindfulness is a whole body-mind state of awareness that involves ‘tuning in’ to the present moment, with openness and curiosity, instead of ‘tuning out’ from experience. Mindfulness is a state of being fully awake to life – being aware and undistracted in the present moment. Mindfulness can be developed through formal sitting meditation practices, or through informal everyday mind- fulness activities that use the senses to anchor the attention: such as mindful walking, listening to music, eating or conversation. Mindfulness is a clinically proven tool to support wellbeing and mental health by reducing stress and al- lowing life to be experienced more fully. Ellen Langer and team, a world- renowned mindfulness researcher found that children not only prefer to interact with mindful adults, but actually devalue themselves following interactions with mindless adults (Langer, Cohen & Djikic, 2010). THE BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS AND CHILDREN Research shows that mindfulness training increases connectivity in the frontal lobe of the brain, which is linked to improved attention, memory processing and decision making abilities. Mindfulness has been shown to improve empathy or the ability to understand what another person is thinking or feeling, which im- proves children’s awareness of others and helps them to build positive relation- ships. MINDFULNESS AND CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH Mindfulness training has been to shown to reduce the severity of depression, anxiety and ADHD in children. Mindfulness builds resilience by giving children skills to help them to cope better with stress, as well as engage more fully with themselves and the world. MINDFULNESS FOR PARENTS The best thing parents can do to help their children become more mindful is to commit to some regular mindfulness practises themselves! The more present and mindful you are with your children, the more happy, mindful and resilient they will be. Mindfulness training can assist parents to remain in the present moment and engage more fully when interacting with their children. Research shows that parents and carers who practice being mindful around their children contribute to improving their child’s sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Dedicate a window of time each week to mindfully play with your child or children by doing such activities as mindful cooking, mindful dinner-time, even mindful teeth brushing! Principal’s Message IPSWICH NORTH STATE SCHOOL 01 JUNE 2018 TERM 2, WEEK 7 EACH WEEK MONDAY Breakfast Club Religious Instruction TUESDAY Breakfast Club Instrumental Music WEDNESDAY Breakfast Club Music Health THURSDAY Breakfast Club Tuckshop PE FRIDAY Breakfast Club Parade Tuckshop Interschool Sport IMPORTANT DATES 08 JUNE Book Club Due! 21 JUNE Sports Day 26 JUNE Rewards Day! 29 JUNE Last Day of Term 2