CHILDREN NEED TO WORK IN TEAMS

Now that we are consistently back at school, without the fear of shutting down or heading back to remote learning, it has been interesting to see how our little people in Foundation and Grade 1 have handled their year. It is fair to say all of our students have now stepped back into main stream schooling, but our older students have all experienced what I call the “norms of school life.” They have spent time at school learning the basics of being inclusive, sharing and working in teams.

For our Foundation and Grade 1 classes, it’s been a little different. A lot of children in these grade levels missed or had significantly interrupted kinder years. Children from these grade levels spent significant time at home, in a space that was basically about them and them alone. Working in teams or sharing was not really a do-able option for many.

One of the first skills children learn in school is the ability to work in groups. Teamwork offers many different advantages to children, especially as they grow older and need to complete schoolwork and eventually find a career that involves working with groups to accomplish a common goal.

Teamwork requires children to cooperate with each other, and children who learn these skills are also on their way to establishing solid skills in problem-solving, communication, listening, creativity, and self-esteem.

How parents introduce teamwork

While children often learn to work in teams and groups at school, they can also learn these skills at home. You can facilitate children learning crucial skills by finding teachable moments.

Often, children learn skills simply by playing with their peers in an unstructured environment. It is important that children have the opportunity to free play with their friends and siblings.

Sharing is one of the bases for teamwork. Children often learn to share by playing with siblings, but they can also learn this skill in any social situation. You can model sharing behaviors in front of your child.

Children can also learn empathy at home. Empathy is a skill that requires your child not only to be kind, but also to listen intently to the needs of others. Modelling these behaviors is helpful, as is discussing your feelings with each other. Many books are also written to help children understand the concept of empathy.

Conflict resolution skills are also critical for building teamwork. Conflict resolution involves listening to other people's feelings, speaking directly with others, and finding ways to solve problems. Children often learn these skills with friends and siblings, and you can step in to provide a template for resolving these issues too.

If your child has screen time at home, you might want to focus on sharing movies and TV shows that have a positive message. Many shows are created with promoting ideas like teamwork in mind.

How Preschool Introduces Teamwork

Children in preschool will sometimes work in pairs and small groups to finish projects. Projects could include anything from arts and crafts to completing puzzles. You should always discuss your child's school's plan for emphasizing the role of teamwork as a life skill.

Sports are also helpful for building teamwork skills. Physical activity allows children to exercise their bodies and their minds, building emotional connections. Preschool can emphasize the need for students to learn how to be cooperative, not competitive.

In very young children, one of the best teamwork activities is to learn how to build groups. For example, teachers might ask their students to act like one of two animals. The children will pretend to be this animal and try to find a partner or group. Games like Follow the Leader also promote the skill of teamwork and team-building.

Art can also bring groups together. Children learn how to build art projects together. Perhaps one student uses yellow, another uses blue, and another uses red. The goal is to work together to complete one piece of art with each child contributing.

How to Find a School that Promotes Teamwork

Many parents think to ask a preschool about the literary and mathematical skills their child will learn, which is smart. Unfortunately, many people forget to ask about citizenship skills. Make a point to discuss the different activities your child will participate in to become a better learner.

NEW STAFF FOR 2023

We are pleased to announce that we have several new staff joining the St Ita’s team in 2023.

Miss Meg Wiedermann is returning to St Ita’s after 12 months working within the education department. Current grade 5-6 teacher, Miss Hannah Collocott will be rejoining our staff again for the 2023 school year. Ms. Ines Moita will be join our Foundation team after several year’s leadership work at St Patrick’s Pakenham. 

We also welcome back from maternity leave Mrs Monique Kiezenberg, Nicola Ablett and Jess Winterton who are all taking on more class teaching time next year. 

We welcome all our new and returning staff to our school community.

SCHOOL SUMMER UNIFORM

A reminder to all parents that children should now be wearing full summer uniform and the expectation is that students have all black shoes, not runners with white or coloured logos. If your child has grown out of their school shoes could you please send a note to your child’s class teacher and please replace them within a couple of days.

HEAD LICE AT SCHOOL

As we have come into the warmer months we have had some cases of headlice within different levels at our school.

To stop a severe outbreak could all student with shoulder length or longer hair please use a hair tie as outlined in our summer uniform policy, and could we ask all students to refrain from sharing hats.

WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH TO POSITIVE BEHAVIORS AWARD

Commencing from our next assembly, we will be replacing the Student of the Week Award with the Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviours (WSAPB) Award. Children who consistently display Teamwork, Resilience, Respect, Inclusiveness and Compassion in their daily schooling will be nominated by the teachers and peers and the School Executive will select 1-2 students each assembly to be the recipient.