Gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness at Merrijig PS

SCHOOLS have long recognised the importance of good mental health and wellbeing for our children, especially as students return to school at the start of term two. The emergence of programs such as the Resilience Project has created tools and resources that can make a difference at a very young age. Programs like the Resilience Project offer valuable resources, demonstrated during sessions at Merrijig Primary School led by wellbeing coordinator Kylie McCormack. The Resilience Project uses storytelling, mindfulness, and positive psychology to promote resilience, emphasising gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness (GEM). Sessions focus on connection, purpose, kindness, emotional literacy, and physical health, fostering respectful communication and creative expression of emotions among students. Weekly sessions, split between different grades, empower students to engage with these themes for an hour each week. During The Courier's recent visit, students using resources from the Resilience Project were exploring the emotion of anger and finding strategies to deal with it. Preceding this, the younger students have a set time to meditate, whether lying on the floor or eating their fruit. It is a time for calm and awareness of their bodies and feelings in that space. "Whatever the weather is like inside you, remember it changes all the time," said Ms McCormack. "If you feel stormy, remember the sun will come out tomorrow." Ms McCormack led the session by asking students what their bodies feel like when they are angry; responses included "bursting out," "a butterfly feeling," and "sick in the tummy." Then she asked, "What does it look like when you are angry?" Answers included "face will get quite red" and "get really angry, then sad". Then, this follows how anger affects the brain and the decisions we make. Students said it was "harder to learn". From here, students are encouraged to think about coping mechanisms when they feel angry or when their anger builds up. Practical responses included "tell a teacher and tell them you need to cool down", "get distracted", "take a deep breath", "cuddle your mum", "talk to someone about it", and "go play with my cars". Students then viewed an Angry Birds video about the birds really hating the pigs in the film. Eventually, the birds work with the blind pigs to create a positive outcome. Students are asked to reflect on why the birds were so angry, adding there is not always a reason. Working in pairs, they came up with their own creative responses: " In the movie, the pigs' ship crashed into his house," "got teased about his eyebrows," "jealousy," and "reached their limit." To end the session, Ms McCormack used the analogy of an iceberg, saying that anger can be like this when you can only see the tip and not what is under water. "This term the five/six students will focus on how their bodies are changing, regulating emotions, empathy and mindfulness," said Ms McCormack. "The prep four are going to work through the topics of empathy, kindness, tolerance and mindfulness." "We recognise that everyone comes to school as an individual, with their own challenges. "I feel like inclusion has improved, especially student's willingness to appreciate that everyone is unique. "Gratitude has also continued to improve." Merrijig principal Carol McCluskey is an enthusiastic advocate of the program and Ms McCormack's work with students. The school was originally part of a trial group for The Resilience Project, including Steiner, Jamieson, St Mary's and Mansfield primary schools funded for two to three years. "When it came to making choices what to spend the government's mental health funding on after that finished, Merrijig opted to continue with the project after seeing the benefits," said Ms McCluskey. "Early intervention can make a massive difference to a child from a young age and with the transition to secondary college."

Gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness at Merrijig PS

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