ITHACA_November_PRINT

Ithaca
The
easiest Sticky
Chicken Drumsticks
– perfect for Summer!
to Foster your
Child's Creativity
and Imagination
Helping kids
when they
are angry.
Brought to You BY Ithaca creek State School P&c

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Contents
10 Ways to foster your
child’s creativity and
imagination.
From The Editor
Can you believe another
school year is coming to
an end.
The easiest Sticky Chicken
Drumsticks – perfect for
Summer!
What a year it has been, fast, fun and
fabulous!!
We have a whole host of other great
articles and fantastic school content
to give you a great read this issue.
Helping kids when they are
angry.
pg 9
This issue also features a super easy
but extremly delicious and simple
Sticky Chicken Drumsticks - perfect
for Summer entertaining.
I hope that you enjoy this issue a safe
and happy holiday !
Dr Joanna McMillan shares
with us some great brain
food for kids
See you next year!
Hot Seat sits down and
chats with the lovely Mr
Richard Nash.
pg 24
pg 12
G eorgina S enes
pg 16
ABOUT OUR EDITOR
Georgina Senes has had more than
15 years as a journalist writing for
some of Australia’s leading parenting
and family Magazines including:
Australian Parents Magazine,
Pregnancy Magazine, Family Living
Magazine. As well as that she
has held editorial roles at one of
Australia’s largest niche lifestyle
publishers. As a mother of three girls
she lives and breathes parenting…
uu
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THE RICH HISTORY OF
1885 – 2015
The Foundation Years 1885 – 1914
Without any formal celebration, Ithaca Creek State School was opened on the
28th September, 1885. The school consisted of only a one room building with
a front verandah. The first head teacher was 35 years old, Robert Hardy Berry,
and he was accompanied by two assistant teachers and four pupil teachers.
A pupil teacher was one who had passed their scholarship exam, and aged
between twelve and fourteen and a half years old.
4
By December 1885 there were 188 children on the school roll. The names
of some of the families at the school in 1885 included Exley, Fulcher, Stack,
Lugg, Horsfall, Ozanne and Wakeling. You may recognise these names as
those of local streets, parks and land marks.
The school when established was in the bush, with wallabies and koalas
living among the trees for many years after it opened. The people who lived
in the general area for thousands of years were known as the Turrbal people.
Among the Turrbal people were many clans. Unfortunately we don’t know
the name of the clan who lived in the vicinity of our school. We do know
that Indigenous people gathered in the areas near the Creek at what is now
Coopers Camp Road, and it is thought at the alluvial flat that is now occupied
by the Broncos Rugby Leagues Club.
During 1887 the school building doubled in size with a room for teaching
infants. Another room was added in 1888.

Miss Maggie Abraham was a student at the school from 1897. For the 1985
Centenary she wrote a description of what school was like for her as a student.
“About 9am the bell would ring and everyone assembled at the back of the
school. We formed lines and greeted the Headmaster “Good Morning Sir” –
saluted the flag, sand the National Anthem and marched to the classroom. The
Headmaster’s name was Mr Vowles (known as Chooky Fowles).
In my day we used slated and slate pencils. To clean them we had a small round
tin with a little sponge. We also wrote with pen and ink. Sometimes the well was
too full and many a blot ended up on our copy books.
On the wall hung a Good Manners Chart which we read every day (but did not
always obey).”
Arthur Exley was our first Headmaster of the school between 1901 and 1912.
Corporal punishment was the most popular method of discipline (with the
teachers if not the pupils). This was meted out for such offences as sulking,
writing rude words on a slate and disobedience to a pupil teacher. Stealing
lunches and bringing beetles into school earned a similar punishment.
5
PG. 3

6

MR RICHARD NASH
Question: Where did you grow up
and tell us about a favourite childhood
memory?
Mr Nash: My father was a railway worker, and
as such we moved often. I grew up in North
Queensland in towns like Mirriwinni. Kuranda
and Babinda, as well as Darwin. I went to 10
schools in my 12 years of formal schooling.
My fondest memories are of wandering the hills
and mountains in the Bellenden Kerr ranges.
Finding remote waterholes to swim in, packing
light and camping overnight in the jungle. In
those days, sun safety wasn't an issue and
getting sunburn 2 or 3 times a year was how
things went. Having the sunspots removed and
cancers cut out now is not quite as much fun.
Question: What did you want to be
growing up – did you always want to
be a teacher?
Mr Nash: I think I was always drawn to
teaching. However I was a furniture salesman,
a delivery van driver, started an accounting
cadetship (less than 3 months), and a bank
teller.
None of them were as engaging or as
meaningful as teaching has been.
Heard it or saw it once and I knew it. I was
distraught at the end of Year 7 when in my
final test I lost half a mark.
I then went to boarding school and found
learning to be a whole different ballgame. I had
never been taught to learn. I had no strategies
and the study supervisors were not interested in
teaching the boarders how to study.
As a Year 6 and or 7 teacher, I was always
determined to teach my students study habits
and techniques so they never felt unprepared.
In fact, feedback was that my Year 7 classes
were harder than the Year 8 classes they did
the following year. Some of those students still
talk to me.
Question: What was you favourite
subject at school and what did you like
about it?
Mr Nash: My favourite subjects at school were
English and Maths. Maths not so much in the
Senior years. I enjoy words, and I enjoy reading
- I read at least 15-20 novels a year. I listen to
many more. Science fiction, Science fantasy or
a good murder mystery is where I like to go. I
prefer the escapism of fiction rather than the
reality of a biography.
8
Question: Did you enjoy school -
where you good at school or did you a
bit naughty?
Mr Nash: I enjoyed primary school a lot -
mainly due to the fact that I learnt by 'osmosis'.
HS

RECIPE
Sticky Chicken
Drumsticks
ad
s
in
.
ill
Intro
These tasty delights are
quick to prepare and
simple to make – an
easy weeknight
dinner that the
kids will love.
Ingredients
•12 chicken drumsticks
•1/3 cup tomato sauce (can use
BBQ sauce if you prefer)
•¼ cup soy sauce
•¼ cup honey
•1½ tablespoon sesame seeds
•Sweet Chilli sauce to serve
e
re
g
r
Method
1. In a large glass bowl combine tomato sauce, soy sauce and honey. Mix well to combine.
2. Add the chicken drumsticks and mix well until all drumsticks are well coated with marinade.
Cover with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator for an hour (you can do overnight).
3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. (insert celscius symbol and remove the words).
4. Line a large baking tray with non-stick paper and place the chicken on the tray.
5. Cook the chicken for 40 minutes – turning once.
6. Remove the chicken from the oven and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Return the chicken to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.
Serves 4-6 depending on how hungry the kids are!
9

Ithaca Creek State School’s
Student Council
Ithaca Creek State School’s Student Council has been working together this year to support
student events and initiatives. The Student Council consists of two representatives from each
4/3 and 6/5 class, in addition to our Year 6 School Leaders and Miss Ramsden. The student
representatives were elected by their classes in Term 1 to take on this important position.
The role of the Student Council is to represent the voice of the students at Ithaca Creek State
School and to arrange student events such as fundraisers and discos. The council meets on
a Tuesday, at second break, to discuss various issues around the school or upcoming events.
During the year, Student Council has run three fundraisers, all raised lots of money and were
supported well by the students at Ithaca Creek. In first term the student council raised money
for the Australian Redcross Cyclone Pam Vanuatu appeal. We raised $604 for this worthy cause,
through a free dress day in which students were invited to dress as their favourite hobby. In
term two we held a pyjama day, in which students and teachers wore their pyjama’s to school,
to raise money for the Cancer Council. We raised $553. In term four, we participated in the ‘Day
for Daniel’ initiative, in which students wore red to school to raise awareness of child safety and
protection. The students of Ithaca raised $510 for the Daniel Morecombe Foundation.
Each fundraising event kept us very busy. We made posters to hang around the school, spoke
to all of the classes, prepared and presented messages to the student body on assembly and
organised the collection and counting of the money raised. The members of student council
are proud to have helped organise these fundraising events at school and hope that we have
made a difference in our community.
In addition, the Student Council also hosted
two student discos this year, in Terms 1 and
3, to raise money for student initiatives at
school. The Term 1 disco theme was “eras” in
which students dressed in clothes from their
favourite era, e.g. 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. The theme
for the Term 3 disco was “Crazy Science”. This
disco took place on the same night as our
school Art Soiree event, ARTology. Both disco
evenings were well supported, with students
coming dressed up and ready to have fun
with their friends!
10

The organising of a disco is no small feat. The student representatives gathered information
from their classmates, planned the event, made posters, spoke on assembly, sold tickets each
morning before school, helped to decorate the venue, helped to set-up and pack-up the disco
and were rostered on to help throughout the evening, including both the junior and senior
discos. We worked together, with everyone doing their part, to host these great events! We
hope that Ithaca families enjoyed them!
An important role of the Student Council is to represent the student body. As class
representatives, we gathered ideas from our classmates about issues or concerns that students
were facing at Ithaca and discussed what we could do to help. To solve some of our concerns,
our three Student Council leaders, our President, Secretary and Treasurer, organised a meeting
with our school Principal, Mr Nash. We decided to address some other concerns by presenting
messages on assembly. After the council had decided on the important messages, we worked
in teams to prepare some short movies to play on assembly. Our student topics were linked to
our four school rules:
1. Be Safe - “The Take Five” strategy
2. Be Responsible - Doing our best at school
3. Be Respectful - A reminder to include everyone
4. Own Your Behaviour – Making good choices.
This year, our Year 6 Leaders identified an underutilised space between the hall, pool and B
block and decided they wanted to turn it into a dazzling garden. The year 5 and 6 classes
submitted some possible design ideas which included items, costs and pictures drawn to
scale. It is hoped that in this area there will be some posts decorated with our school rules
on them, be responsible, be respectful, be safe and own your behaviour, along with a garden.
Keep an eye out on this space as it continues to transform. We hope this area will turn out to
be an elegant place for the students and families of Ithaca.
A big thank-you to the students involved in Student Council this year. They gave up a minimum
of one lunch break a week to support student initiatives at school. This is a great commitment!
We wish the Student Council of 2016 a great year!
11

By: Kirrili Smout
12
1. Empathise
See the anger as distress. Be present with them
for a minute and care about them, without
immediately trying to "fix it" and without trying
to insist they calm down.
You might say things like:
• I’m really sorry you are feeling ………..
• Oh, I really wish we could change it so that you
COULD have/do/be……
• It really sucks that ………..
• I think I would probably feel ………….
too in that situation
• Oh no, how disappointing and frustrating….
• This is obviously easier to do if the child is angry
at something/someone other than yourself.
It is harder when they are angry at you: but still
possible. Sentences which might work include:
• I wish I could decide differently about that…
• It would be great if I could just let you….
• I’m so sorry you are feeling like this…
• I can see how upset you are,
I wish it was different…
In the heat of a full on tantrum….
D – distance – See if they are willing to move
physically away from the source of distress if
possible.
D – distract – Try to help them add other things
into their mind – Playstation, TV, outside play,
imagining things, coming up with ideas about
weekend, quizzes, other play etc. They will often
be very resistant to any distraction at all, so break
it into manageable bits:
“I know you still feel really angry, but I would really
like it if you would agree just to spend five minutes
outside with me on the ripstick”
“I’m not going to just forget this issue altogether,
but before we do anything I think it would be good
to take a break – just do the first level on Mario Kart
and then we can talk again”
“Come on, let’s go into the kitchen for a minute and
get a drink, I’ll make you a milo”
D - Disappear – Sometimes it can help to remove
yourself from the situation. Without an audience
it is sometimes easier for kids to calm down.
Don’t abandon – but calmly say you will be in
the next room/outside/inside for a minute and
will come back very shortly. If they seem to calm
down and then escalate again when you come
back, do the same thing again.
If kids are hurting you or someone else, calmly and
gently make it clear you will not let them do this.
Protect yourself and others by taking them away,
moving away and removing dangerous objects if
possible.
2. When they are a little calmer...
D – decide – help them take ONE small step
towards something constructive they can do if
possible. This is not about solving the problem

entirely, but just taking one action towards
resolution. Control and planning helps kids
(and adults) feel better. Eg:
• “write a letter”
• “decide to stay away from X for the next day”
• “remake your own Lego tower”
• “ignore comments from Y from now on”
If they can’t decide on their own, offer them a
couple of options to choose from.
This decision making process can only be done
when a child is a little calmer, and when they
feel they have been heard and cared for. If we
rush into it too quickly, then it usually fails.
Before it happens again...
Help them express themselves in ways other
than screaming/yelling/abusing. Practice,
write down, model and get them to rehearse
sentences such as:
• I am so disappointed …
• I really wish that I could…
• It is so frustrating that….
• I am feeling angry because….
Generally, the more words/language a child has
to express themselves, the less they will need
to scream and yell.
Discuss how they might handle typical
frustrating situations which emerge. You
probably know by now at least some of what is
likely to press their buttons. Talk through these
situations, their options and ways for them
to cope.
Discuss consequences for aggressive and mean
behaviour. It is still important that kids know
limits about what is okay to do when they are
angry. At some time when everyone is calm, let
the child know that even when they are really
angry, it is not okay to swear at someone, insult
someone or use violence. Tell them that it’s
okay to be angry, but it’s not okay to be mean
or abusive. Ask them to help them suggest
some consequences for if they are abusive or
destructive. If possible these consequences
should be a natural result of their behaviour
and applied gently and compassionately. For
example, if you are swearing at me, I will have
to leave the room for a while. Which means
I won’t have time to make dessert tonight. If
you throw the toys, I will take them away for a
while so you aren’t tempted to break them. If
you hit your sister, I will have to ask you to go to
your room so you can’t hurt her. Try wherever
possible for them to be involved in deciding
on these consequences, and they must be
discussed in advance and then followed
through at the time.
This is a lifelong process of learning.
Be patient with yourself and your child.

From The Desk Of The Deputy Principal
PurPoseful Community engagement
In the many years since Ithaca Creek State School was
founded it has maintained its position in the community and
has at the present time positioned itself as a high performing
state primary school with a great deal of community
engagement.
While maintaining our traditions, we want to embrace change,
as all organisations must. At our core, is and always has been,
our School community. Every community is diverse – some
of our community have generational connections to the
school while others have recently joined our school. We all
share something in common – a belief in the importance of
educating young people and valuing the finest traditions and
aspirations in education.
Most, if not all of us have loyalty and affection for the school
and value the relationships we have with each other.
So, what does purposeful community engagement mean? It
is strengthening the engagement with our current, future
and past community members through tailored and life-long
community relations. It is about having one vision or purpose
and having a combined and concerted effort in achieving that
purpose that is important.
The creation of a new strategic plan, a process of refinement
rather than revolution, has been a rewarding experience and
we are offering our community a chance to view what we
have distilled from consultation so far and feedback into the
process. The Strategic Design for 2016-2019 will be able to
be viewed and discussed at a number of community forums
and in the foyer of the school. Please take the time to view it
and give us some feedback.
The Strategic Plan sets the direction for the Ithaca Creek
State School to deliver high quality learning and skilling
opportunities for all students to reach their full potential and
engage fully.
The strategic plan communicates our key priorities, outcomes
and measures of success.
The pillars of our Strategic plan are Emotional Wellbeing,
Academic Outcomes, Physical Environment, Teaching
Practices and School Operations and Physical and Creative.
The inclusion of writing as our focus in our strategic plan
acknowledges the importance we place on communication
and reflects our ongoing interrogation into what the specific
areas of improvement are for our particular school and the
students who attend. Of course it does not mean that writing
is the only thing we teach. It does mean, however that we can
build capacity in our teachers around writing. It does mean
that we have a narrow and deep focus that includes a focus
on resourcing, building teachers capacity to teach writing,
building students understanding and knowledge of what
makes a “good“ piece of writing an achieving their learning
goals in writing.
If we want students to learn both within and beyond the
classroom and make learning authentic then we need to take
every opportunity to further their learning in “real” ways.
14

This month’s legend is Sue Clarke
Sue is the grandmother of India (Year 4), and Seraya (Year 2). She has been volunteering
at Tuckshop for 3 years. Sue always comes armed with delicious treats for the volunteers
for lunch. She is well known for her wonderful homebake. Her allergen-free choc patty
cakes are to die for, and always popular at Tuckshop.
Allergen-Free Choc Patty Cakes - Makes 20
2 2/3 cups gluten-free SR flour
1/3 cup Nestle Baking Cocoa
1 ¾ cups caster sugar
1 ½ cups water
2 tblsps vegetable oil
½ cup Nuttelex
Frosting
1 cup Nuttalex
3 cups pure icing sugar, shifted
1 tblsp hot water
Food colouring, to tint
Dollar Sweets hundreds and
thousands to decorate
1. Line muffin pans with 20 paper cases (1/3 cup capacity)
2. Place flour, cocoa, sugar, water, oil and Nuttelex in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low
until combined. Increase speed and beat for 2 min, or until slightly thickened
3. Divide mixture evenly among paper cases.
4. Cook in a moderate over (180C) for 20 minutes, or until cooked when tested. Stand in pan for 5
minutes then cool on a wire rack.
5. To make frosting, place Nuttelex in the small bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in icing sugar. Add water. Beat until smooth. Tint with colouring.
6. Pipe or spread frosting over cakes. Sprinkle with hundreds and thousands.
Getting involved in Tuckshop
Our tuckshop depends on parent volunteers to run smoothly, in fact, to run at all! It’s a
great opportunity to meet other parents while helping out AND it’s a lot of fun... not to
mention the thrill your child gets when someone they know is working at tuckshop. Why
not sign up with a friend? It’s only once per month and you don’t have to be Nigella.
Not into customer service, you can assist by baking at home. We even provide a selection
of easy homebake recipes for you to follow on the school website.
Please consider donating your time in this simple and fun way and contact Sharon Ley,
Tuckshop Convenor sharonley@yahoo.com

16

17

F
Our award winning tuckshop celebrated Tuckshop Day on with balloons, banner and
lots of well wishes from students and staff.
Since the beginning of the year Tuckshop has delivered 16 325 online orders to Ithaca
children - and we still have a month to go!
This translates to about 30 000 items so far, most of the food prepared in Tuck by our 32
volunteers or at home by our 19 homebakers.
A big thank you to all our helpers for delivering delicious, healthy food with a friendly
smile.
Additionally (and atypically for many primary schools) all this Tuckshopping raises more
than $20k each year for our school.
We love serving our Creeky kids; you are always such friendly and appreciative customers!
Well done Ithaca - Thank you!
Volunteers are always welcome and needed, contact Sharon (sharonley@yahoo.com)
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL
pedagogical framework is a set of broad principles
(not classroom actions) based on significant research
that guides the quality delivery of the school
curriculum.
At Ithaca Creek, our underlying guide for all frameworks,
teaching-learning programs, capital and minor works and
decisions is: Is what we are doing giving every student an
equitable opportunity to be the best they can?
Ithaca Creek’s pedagogical framework is based primarily on
research conducted by six different individual/groups. (Marzano’s
ASoT; Fisher and Frey’s Gradual Release of Responsibility;
; Davidson’s Essential Classroom Management Skills and
Classroom Profiling; Hattie’s Visible Learning; Giorcelli’s
Inclusivity ; Reggio Emilia developmental play models)
We have not taken one person’s perspective and then forced that
model onto Ithaca Creek teachers and students.
Rather we examined a number of philosophies and practices and
selected aspects of each that we believed support our teachers
and students in the teaching and learning styles.
First of all it is necessary to understand that good teaching is
good teaching and regardless of the teaching model chosen,
many behaviours and processes of good teaching will be similar
in all models. (Just like the features that make a luxury car are not
identical in all luxury cars, however, we are able to identify these
similar features feature in each form of luxury car.)
Robert Marzano and his researchers have packaged a way of
using all the recognised effective teaching behaviours into a
model called The Art and Science of Teaching (ASoT). As a staff,
we believe that this model best reflects what happens at Ithaca
Creek.
The ASoT model are based on 10 Design questions:
• What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student
progress, and celebrate success?
• What will I do to establish or maintain classroom rules and procedures?
• What will I do to recognise and acknowledge adherence and lack of
adherence to classroom rules and procedures?
• What will I do to establish and maintain effective relationships with
students?
• What will I do to communicate high expectations for all students?
• What will I do to develop effective lessons organized into a cohesive unit?
• What will I do to engage students?
• What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge?
• What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding
of new knowledge?
• What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new
knowledge?
The ‘red border’ are four actions that are always in play, are
constantly requiring attention and key to successful outcomes for
the teacher and the student.
• Student Engagement
• Teacher/student relationship
• High expectations (behaviour and academic)
• Adherence to rules and procedures (constant
enforcement / consequences).
It is important that a positive relationship exists between
the teacher and their students – one of mutual respect,
understanding and compassion. The students wants to know
and feel that the teacher is interested in them as individuals and
as learners and will provide the necessary support and guidance
to be a successful learner. The teacher is to provide lessons
that engage and challenge the student, models consistency of
application and effort, and to demonstrate an understanding of
their students.
Clear, understood, discussed expectations which are constantly
and consistently reinforced, modelled and acknowledged allows
everyone to understand the ‘base’ from which each individual
operates.
The ‘green centre’ are areas that require a lot of time at the
beginning of the year and then re-visiting throughout the year.
These feed into and out of the ‘red border’.
At the beginning of the year, classroom and school expectations
are discussed and agreed and practices and discussed and
referred to and tweaked and referred to and applied. Teachers
and students discuss what each expectation ‘looks like’ in the
classroom and the playground. They discuss the positive and
negative consequences of their actions and behaviours
Once the red and the green are balanced, then the ‘blue zone’
comes into play enabling teachers and students to move beyond
the ordinary and moving into extension activities, ‘thinkingoutside-the
box’ activities and activities that allow the students
to learn who they are and allows them to try and sometimes fail
within a safe and supported environment.
All of the theory, the frameworks, the reason for coming to Ithaca
Creek, is directed at ensuring that we are Giving every
student an equitable opportunity to be the best
they can.
19

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21

The Ithaca Creek State School OSHC community has recently started sponsoring a
child, Aayusha Chand, through World Vision Australia.
The idea for a sponsorship came from amongst our very own OSHC educators,
who saw it not only as a positive thing to do but also as a very personal way to
promote student awareness about the lives of other children in the world. The
OSHC Management Committee was impressed, and in turn took up the idea with
the P&C Association, which gave the proposal its blessing.
In many respects, getting approval for the project was the easy part. Then came
the work of developing a program of fundraising activities, putting financial
governance arrangements in place, opening a dedicated bank account and
getting the ball rolling! One of the key features of the sponsorship model is that
it is to be totally self-sustaining – in other words, it will not be supported out of
OSHC fee revenue or other P&C money.
Fund-raising responsibility for the sponsorship lies with the OSHC educators
themselves, and our acting Assistant Coordinator, Bec Phillips, in particular.
“We need to raise $48 every month to keep the sponsorship going. So, it’s a big
commitment on our part, but we think it’s really worthwhile, and we’re hugely
excited. We have lots of ideas about how to raise money, and when we’re not
actively doing something there’s a piggy-bank on the Parents’ Table at OSHC for
spare change donations!”
Aayusha comes from a remote rural area in western Nepal that is home to about
113,000 people. It’s a farming area, but regular droughts on the one hand and
seasonal flooding on the other make it very hard for families to meet their food
and income needs.
“It’s really a life of basic subsistence, and very hard for everyone,” says Bec. In fact,
conditions are so hard that many adults leave the district to seek work overseas as
foreign guest workers, meaning family members are separated from each other
for long periods of time.
On top of all that, local health services are limited, and poor hygiene contributes
to the spread of illness and disease, while schools lack both facilities and teaching
resources. The most vulnerable children often drop out to start working or to get
married.
22

In the midst of all of this lives our sponsor child, Aayusha Chand – a seven-year-old
girl who likes playing soccer.
Bec says the choice of country was straightforward. Nepal is easily recognisable
to all of us, perched in the Himalayas and host to the world’s tallest peak, Mount
Everest. And it was only in April this year that a powerful earthquake struck the
country north west of the capital, Kathmandu, devastating many settlements in
the impoverished nation and killing over 9,000 people.
An important factor that influenced the choice of sponsor child was the unfortunate
reality that, as a girl, Aayusha faces the prospect of further disadvantage because
the traditional customs of her country tend to discriminate against women. “So,
we’ve really made a choice to try to make a difference to someone who represents
the most disadvantaged segment of Nepalese society,” says Bec.
The funds raised will help both Aayusha and her community, too. Through World
Vision, Aayusha has already had a chance to express her hopes: “Because of you, I’ll
have a chance to go to school, get access to healthcare, clean water and enough
food, and so will my family.”
“To make this happen, we will have to keep up our fundraising efforts from month
to month,” says Bec.
Bec’s first big project was the Yatala Pie Drive, which ran during the first two weeks
of this term. “It was a good start, but we can’t rest on our laurels. So, for only $4.00 –
the price of a cup of coffee – we’ve got a special souvenir for all our OSHC families.
It’s a beautiful 2016 Calendar featuring your children’s artwork.”
The Calendar will be available for purchase from early December.
Thanks everyone!
Art work to be featured in our 2016 Calendar
23
PG. 3

14 Practical Ways to Instill
Gratitude in Our Children
By Anna Partridge
We are parenting our children in a totally different era to
the one we grew up in.
There is more "stuff" now than we ever had. There
is more luxury now than we ever saw. There is more
opportunity to experience life and we are lucky enough
to embrace it with our kids. But at what cost? As children
when we were growing up, we just had gratitude
because our experiences, possessions and opportunities
were limited. So in a world of abundant opportunity and
access to "stuff," how do we instill this sense of gratitude
in our children?
The definition of gratitude is the quality of being
thankful and a readiness to show appreciation for and to
return kindness. It is not just having good manners and
saying thank you, it runs deeper. It is a real intention of
acknowledging that what you have received is treasured
and appreciated.
The opposite of gratitude is entitlement and it is
constantly said that we are living through the "age of
entitlement," where our teenagers and young adults
expect everything handed to them on a silver platter.
Why do we even want to raise grateful
kids? According to gratitude expert, Robert
Emmons when things are going well, gratitude
allows us to celebrate and magnify the
goodness. However, when things are going
badly, this is when gratitude really kicks in.
"In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the
power to energize. In the face of brokenness,
gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of
despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope.
In other words, gratitude can help us cope with
hard times," said Robert Emmons.
Emmons's research shows that when children,
between the ages of 10 to 19, practice
gratitude they feel a greater life satisfaction,
more positive emotion, have higher levels of
optimism and feel better about life and school.
More importantly, it helps our children build
resilience -- the skill most needed to bounce
back from adverse situations or stress.
So how do we instill a sense of gratitude in our
children? Here are 14 practical ways....
1. Find the favorite part of the day. --- When you
are all together as a family, usually at the dinner
table at night, go around the table and ask, "What
is your favorite part of the day?" This allows your
children to look for the positives in their day, rather
than the negatives. As they get older, you can
change this to, "What are you grateful for?"
2. Keep a gratitude jar. -- At some stage each
day, have your children write down or draw what
they are grateful for. Put it in the jar each day and
at the end of the month or end of the year or in a
particularly rocky time, pull them out to read as a
family.
3. Don't buy everything your children ask for.
-- Even is you can afford it, don't buy your children
what they ask for always. Get them to save their
own money or wait until a birthday. This teaches
delayed gratification and allows your child to be
more grateful for what they receive.

4. Embrace the "gratitude teachable
moments." -- These are the moments when you
can remind your child how they can be grateful
(not why they should!). It might be when you
see a rainbow together or have a spontaneous
play date -- remind them to be grateful for the
moment they have shared and the beauty they
saw or enjoyment they had.
5. Be a role model for gratitude. -- Show your
own gratitude for what you receive and talk to
your children about it. Show that it is often more
important to give, rather than receive.
6. Make "thank you" a sincere word, not just
a learned word. -- From the age of 10 months,
we can teach our children to say 'ta' and get into
the habit of manners. However from the age of
3 or 4 onwards, talk to your children about what
'thank you' actually means and why they are
saying it.
7. Show your kids how other people live.
-- A family who lives a comfortable life in the
eastern suburbs of Sydney takes their children
on holidays with the intention to show them
how other people live. When they went to India
and Thailand they visited orphanages and slums
to see it firsthand. However, you can show your
kids closer to home. Visit a homeless shelter or
a school that is in a poorer area or visit a rural
or indigenous community. Meet the families
or children and then look for the teachable
moments.
8. Don't go overboard in giving presents.
-- In a world full of "stuff," it is easy to get to a
birthday or Christmas and overload our children
with presents. Our children don't need lots of
presents to have a special time on these days
and they will often only play with a few things
and leave the other toys.
9. Open the card before the present. -- It is a
strict rule in our family that when you receive a
present, you always open the card first. Then it
becomes more about who is giving the present,
rather than what you are receiving.
10. Send a thank you card to a teacher or coach.
-- When the season ends or the school year is over or
just because, have your children write a thank you note
to their teacher or a coach with reasons why they are
grateful for what that person has done for them.
11. Show love with "presence, not presents." -- The
commodity of "time" is the most precious thing you
can give your children. They don't need lots of stuff
and presents. If you go away, don't come back with
presents, come back with an hour of cuddles or an
hour of talking.
Graham Long, a pastor from the Wayside Chapel, tells
a great story of how he would always bring a sweetie
or small gift home from work each night for his small
son. This one night he had had a busy day and forgot
the gift. His son riffled through his pockets and found
nothing. His son had a huge tantrum and all he had to
offer was love.
12. Keep a gratitude journal together (or a count
your blessings journal). -- From the age of about 10,
you and your child or children could keep a Gratitude
Journal together. Each night, write down 3 things you
are grateful for from the day and talk about it.
13. Encourage your kids to help out without being
asked. -- If you encourage your kids to see something
around the house and help out with it, without being
asked, this will become a habit to cultivate in society
when they are older.
14. Teach the difference between "necessity" and
a "luxury." -- This is the same as teaching our children
the difference between a "need" and a "want." When
you are next in the supermarket with your children and
they start asking for different items to put in the trolley
-- classify the item as a 'need' or a 'want' and discuss
how the want will enhance their day.
About Anna:
Anna Partridge is a certified
Positive Discipline Parent
Educator, a school teacher and a
mother to three highly spirited,
beautiful children. She loves
nothing more than helping
parents raise resilient and
confident children, build strong and connected family
relationships and strive for calm, fun and happy families.
http://annapartridge.com/
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