Be Sure to Keep Your Bucket Full
Once again, a very warm welcome to our new Prep families. We are thrilled to have you joining our community. I hope that everyone enjoyed a special Christmas and New Year period with family and friends.
Many factors contribute to a thriving and fulfilling life. However, research shows that positive relationships have an outsized influence on our health and happiness.
In order to support our sons, family, and generally ‘be there’ for those around us, we need to start with self-care.
A vital part of self-care are ‘strong relationships.’
The Harvard Study of Adult Development (Waldinger and Schulz) is a remarkable scientific endeavour that began in 1938 and continues to this day. For more than eight decades, the study has followed the same people and their families, asking thousands of questions and taking hundreds of measurements—from brain scans to blood tests—in order to discover what truly constitutes a good life. What makes a life meaningful and fulfilling?
After years of studying these lives, strong relationships stand out for their impact on physical health, mental health, and longevity.
“Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.”
The Mosman Prep Community is defined by its open and trusting relationships, deep connections, partnerships, and the sense of belonging we all share. We are committed to prioritising and maximising wellbeing, trusting relationships and a caring community.
The staff at Mosman Prep resumed the new school year by meeting together for a Wellbeing Day, which featured teacher and wellbeing speaker Daniela Falecki.
As we considered the importance of a wellbeing action plan for each individual, positive relationships were again highlighted as an essential factor for developing our core internal resources and social and emotional skills. By regularly tending to the quality of our relationships, we are better able to show up for others, including the children and young people in our lives as both teachers and as parents.
Simply put, living in the midst of warm relationships is protective of both body and mind. For children, the concept of protection and safety is a particularly important one. Life can be extraordinarily hard at times, but warm connected relationships protect against stress and the hardships of life, enabling children to develop grit, persistence and determination.
“Other people are the best antidote to the ‘downs’ in life and the single most reliable ‘up’.” (Seligman 2011).
At Mosman Prep, we aspire for every person in our community to be healthy in all dimensions of life. Our comprehensive approach is built on the knowledge that as individuals we learn and grow best when we are safe, healthy and connected. Supported by our School Values, our wellbeing framework sits at the heart of our ‘Strategic Directions: Towards 2028’, aiming to ‘promote positive and productive relationships within an inclusive learning community’.
It will be exciting to witness the strengthening of existing relationships and the forging of new ones which will be a feature at Mosman Prep in 2023, and the subsequent positive impact this will have on the development of our boys.
Peter Grimes | Headmaster
References:
The Good Life (2023) Waldinger and Schulz
Daniela Falecki – www.teacher-wellbeing.com.au
