Jelena and Christine act out a role play while Nicole, Aleisha, Dalena and principal Alan Dash look on. 70896 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
By Laura Wakely
A PROGRAM which takes students away from the blackboard has been given a $50,000 lease on life.
National Australia Bank (NAB) has awarded Sunshine Harvester Primary school the money to expand their program Creating Community Through Positive Education.
The program, run in association with the Ardoch Youth Foundation, began as an intervention program for student who were disengaged from learning.
Ardoch is a not for profit organisation that works nationally to improve and make accessible education for children and young people.
Teachers expanded the program across Grades 3 to 6, while continuing small groups for the children highest in need, with lessons run during lessons as well as before and after school.
Project manager Greg Donoghue, whose company thinkED helps run the program, said the activities focussed around social and emotional skills and positive thinking and include sports, sciences, arts, role playing, making videos and writing.
“It doesn’t matter what the subject is, what’s important is that we’re teaching those three skills,” Mr Donoghue said.
He said students had a boost in learning confidence as well as social skills and self-worth.
“Some of them were being bullies or getting bullied, but now … they’re confident in expressing themselves and asserting themselves without being aggressive,” he said.
“It’s very comforting to hear that.”
Mr Donoghue said the $50,000 from NAB had helped the school continue the program, which had been at risk of folding.
“We’re now able to expand it so the entire school can get it, it also allows us to train up most, if not all the staff,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic thing.”
