Wellbeing Week 2021.
It’s OK not to be OK. This is the simple message we have shared during Wellbeing Week. Talking about feelings and worries is an important part of our provision as we work to ensure everyone excels.
This week, throughout Wellbeing Week we have encouraged students of all ages to make space for themselves and their own wellbeing, physical and mental. Iwona Krasa (Education Research and Innovation Lead: Wellbeing) has ensured each student has access to a carefully curated library of activities available through Seesaw. The aim is to encourage children of all ages to work collaboratively with their families and teachers and share their thoughts and feelings.
House Captains asked students to consider the wellbeing of their close family members during the weekly House Challenge, students were introduced to Guided Visualisations, encouraged to access books and stories relating to mindfulness, shown how to control their breathing with simple techniques, encouraged to access stories away from screens, asked to fill a ‘Worry Jar’, inspired to create wellbeing-themed art projects, and reflect on what they love about themselves.
The main challenge of holding a Wellbeing Week is to ensure that it is not ‘tokenistic’ and that it leads to real change because of open discussions. Wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do at ISB: only happy children achieve well at school and succeed.
The provision within the House & Wellbeing folders on Seesaw will remain in place for students and families to access in the weeks to come. We will also continue to add to our activity libraries to ensure there is something for everyone.
Maintaining meaningful community links is very important, further exaggerated as a result of the current situation. After the fantastic community Yoga event this week, we were delighted to welcome students from Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 as they joined our weekly Assembly. We were also joined by the Secondary Leadership Team who introduced the Mental Health Youth Champions. It was fantastic to maintain links with students who have recently transitioned into Secondary.
It was also wonderful this week to hear from staff about how they manage their own wellbeing. If nothing else, I hope that this week has served to ensure students of all ages are completely removed from any stigma relating to mental health and wellbeing.
Thank you for your continued support as we continue our learning journey uninterrupted.
Mr Michael Everett | Head of Primary