Marlie Ltd

HEAD START:
A strengths-based health and wellbeing framework for Year 6
students

Matthew Sires.
5/28/2016

HEAD START
Term 1: Self-Awareness Weekly Plan
Understanding Me: Building Confidence through an understanding of Character
WEEK
1

FOCUS
What is health and well-being?
Individual and class brainstorm to begin creation of a well-being wall
to display in class.
Describing Me
Looking at physical and personality traits and characteristics
Identifying strengths Social and Academic competencies
Using strengths to develop areas for improvement.
What am I good at? What do I need to work on?
CAMP
Focus: Trying new things, separation (being away from home),
building resilience.
Camp - Reflective Writing
How did you feel when faced with a challenge? How did you feel after
it? What changes did you experience?

VENUE
Classroom

Classroom

CAMP

Classroom

Puberty - Emotional changes

Hormones, mood swings and

Puberty - Physical Changes

Body Image during physical development.

Classroom

Movement and physical activity

Identifying and understanding the need for and positive impact of
physical activity on the mind.
This could be running, swimming, playing in the playground, walking
the dog etc.
How does it make or change how you feel?

Gym

Family/belonging/safety
Why is it important to you? Identifying self-social relationships

Classroom

Preparing for Self-management Term 2

How do your feelings affect your behaviour?

Classroom

Classroom

HEAD START
Term 2: Self-Management Weekly Plan
Taking Responsibility: Developing Competence, Controlling behaviour and Coping with change,
failure and stress.
WEEK
1

FOCUS
Reflective writing
What did you notice about yourself during the holidays? What are you
looking forward to most this term?
Self-control/regulation
Acknowledging and understanding that emotions and thoughts affect
behaviour, and why.
How can we control our impulses?
Mindfulness and Meditation: unlocking self-regulation
Practising techniques to recognise and control hyper-activity,
alertness and agitation.
Setting Goals
Building on strengths to improve other areas.
S.M.A.R.T goal setting
Motivation and Organisation
When things seem too hard, what do you? How do you overcome it?
What types of things help us to be organised? Why is being organised
important?
Explore reminder systems, using a diary, colour coding systems.
Coping with Stress
Explore some strategies given by students and brainstorm some more.
Discuss what to do when stress becomes too much to handle.
When does stress become anxiety?
Coping with Failure
Explore some strategies given by students and brainstorm some more.
Discuss the importance of failing, the need to learn from mistakes and
that failing is part of the learning process.
Introduce Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
Being Physically active
What can you do when you feel trapped/stressed/unhappy?
What are some other reasons to be physically active?
Explore the benefits on well-being of being physically active.

VENUE

Classroom

Classroom

Drama/Gym
(open space)
Classroom

Library

Classroom

Classroom

Gym

Action Plan/s
Develop personalised plan/s to use in a variety of situations when you
experience; impulsive urges, anger, stress, failure etc.

Classroom

10

Reflective writing/thinking
Writing for writers, exit slips for thinkers, discussion for talkers.

Classroom

HEAD START
Term 3: Social-Awareness Weekly Plan
Understanding others: Connecting with similarities and differences to develop empathy
WEEK

10

FOCUS
Connecting
Identifying and accepting differences and similarities.
Recognizing others feelings.
Understanding that individual and social domains are related.
Respectful Relationships
Accepting differences of cultural, religious and political belief, sexual
identity, behaviour
Respectful Relationships
Accepting differences of cultural, religious and political belief, sexual
identity, behaviour
Respectful Relationships
Group role-play presentations.
Includes information, knowledge and skills gained form previous
weeks.
Digital Citizenship
Responsible behaviour online
Digital footprint
Digital Citizenship
Creating a group/class blog or vlog to guide Week 7 presentations.
Digital Citizenship
Group multimedia presentations.
Includes information, knowledge and skills gained form previous
weeks.
Health Promotion
Explore others views about health and suggest what it might mean
for certain groups of people; for example, the elderly, people with a
disability or those from another culture
Support Family, school and community
Resources for supporting social, emotional, physical, spiritual and
mental health.
Student inquiry into foundations and programs that help the
community:
Lifeline, BeyondBlue, Headroom/space, Butterfly Foundation, RUOK
Reflective Writing
Writing for writers, exit slips for thinkers, discussion for talkers.

VENUE

Classroom

Classroom

Classroom

Classroom

ICT/Computer Lab

ICT/Computer Lab

ICT/Computer Lab

Classroom

Classroom

Classroom

HEAD START
Term 4: Self-Management Weekly Plan
Bringing it all together: Contributing Confidently and Competently in social environments.
WEEK
1

FOCUS
Building Relationships
Making new friendships and working relationships
Communication
Effective verbal and non-verbal communication.
Practice role-plays of positive and effective verbal and non-verbal
communication.
Negotiation
Active and respectful listening, acceptance of ideas and problemsolving.
Refusal and conflict management
How to cope and manage anger when told no: 3 skill steps to
accepting no.
Problem-solving conflicts using restorative justice practices.
Seeking help
Understanding that there is no shame in asking for help.
Learn and develop skills to use when asking/seeking for help.
Community Contribution
What does community mean to you?
Brainstorm how we can help the community collect cans/old
clothes.
Explore things such as the Biggest Morning Tea, Fun Runs, MS read-athon. Choose or create a way for your class to contribute to the
community.
Community Contribution
Create/develop contribution plan to implement in the last week of
term. This may be as simple as organising a free-dress day (pyjama,
sport, jeans for jeans etc.) and having a gold coin donation.

VENUE
Classroom

Classroom

Classroom

Classroom

Classroom

Classroom

Classroom

Physical Activity
Create a game/sport in a group

Gym

Physical Activity
Create a game/sport in a group

Gym

10

Reflective Writing
Writing for writers, exit slips for thinkers, discussion for talkers.

Classroom