Year 6 create magical moments
In the words of Italian novelist, Cesare Pavese, “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” And Year 6 certainly created some very special moments on their Retreat Days.
On Wednesday and Friday of last week, Year 6 took two days out from the hurly burly of normal school life to practice meditation, mindfulness, balance and harmony. The Retreat Days marked the end of their ‘Who We Are’ Unit of Inquiry with students exploring concepts such as self-awareness, self-regulation, awareness of others, relationship skills and wise decision-making, all of which are linked to the 韩国AV Pastoral Care Framework and Social and Emotional Learning.
The Year 6 students have also been studying the PYP Approaches to Learning – thinking skills; communication skills; research skills; social skills and self-management skills - as part of this Unit of Inquiry, which has really helped to shape their perspective. As Mrs Froggatt pointed out, “This has helped the girls prepare for their student-led conferences, enabling them to speak with confidence and clarity about who they are and how they learn, as well as enabling them to set future learning goals.”
With physical health and wellbeing at the heart of their Retreat Days, the activities were chosen to help Year 6 relax their bodies, quieten their minds, and cultivate awareness – both of themselves and others.
There were yoga sessions, aqua aerobics and active outdoor games, which got their heart rates up and burned off plenty of excess energy.
And then there was ‘nature bathing’, which involved outdoor Tai Chi sessions and meditation. Forget about head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes! This was all about the amygdala, hippocampus and pre-frontal cortex - think mindful breathing, self-reflection and self-awareness!
This was followed by an afternoon of friendship-bracelet-making, which was a fantastic opportunity for the students to bond, listen to music and get creative together. The students then watched the Inside Out film, a comedy-adventure set inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl. The film, which is a powerful depiction of a young girl's pain, focuses on the sorts of problems that young girls encounter in real life, making it a brave film, as well as a beautiful one. It was another great way for Year 6 to reflect on some of the ideas and concepts they’d been exploring as part of this Unit of Inquiry.
Drumming has been used therapeutically since ancient times. It’s been in religious rituals, ceremonies, sporting events and as a means of communication. According to research, drumming accelerates physical healing and boosts the immune system, and has also been shown to reduce tension, anxiety and stress. On Friday, Year 6 kicked off their Retreat Day with a drumming session, which had everyone laughing and smiling.
A Science of Wellbeing workshop led by Life Coach, Emily Wilks, helped students to better understand how good self-esteem can affect their approach to life and learning. By overcoming self-doubt, uncertainty or indeed any of the challenges and limitations they impose on themselves, students can embrace whatever life throws at them with confidence.
Triple sport professional athlete, Chloe Dalton OAM also spoke to Year 6 about her career and how she has fought her way back from major setbacks. She played in the Women’s National Basketball League for the Sydney Flames, she won an Olympic gold medal at Rio in 2016 with the Australian Rugby Sevens and transitioned to playing AFLW for Carlton Blues in the 2019/2020 seasons before returning to Sydney where she is currently training for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She is returning to AFLW for the 2022 season. Chloe has suffered many injuries, she broke her left arm multiple times, and she explained how this has helped her to develop grit, determination and resilience. She told the girls to do things that make them happy, and that change can be scary, but it teaches you lots of new things. Most importantly, said Chloe, girls can do anything!
Earlier in the week, Year 6 also heard from Sophie Delezio who has overcome tremendous personal hardship, including suffering third-degree burns to most of her body in an accident when she was two years old. Despite the challenges she has faced, Sophie exudes confidence and positivity, and has just returned from a stint overseas, where she was studying sociology and international relations at the University of London. The students were very excited to learn that Sophie was the feature of Anh Do’s Brush With Fame this week.
The Year 6 teachers were impressed with the emotional maturity displayed by the students in the thoughtful and intelligent questions they asked Chloe and Sophie. As Mrs Froggatt said, “We felt so proud of them all.”
As part of their final task for this Unit of Inquiry, the students are studying an inspirational person of their choice. They will write an information report about their chosen person and write a personal letter to them. Hosting both Chloe and Sophie gave the students real-life examples of two very inspirational women.
Year 6’s Retreat Days were a great antidote to the business of normal day-to-day life. A huge thank you to all the Year 6 teachers for their hard work in bringing it all together.