Hi, PPN family. It was so good to be back and hear the students say good morning at Assembly on Monday. I was away for some extra leave for the first couple of weeks, and I must say I missed the warmth and enthusiasm our school family brings. I have loved catching up on WOW news and Mother’s Day fun from last week. There are other highlights to look forward to in the next week or so with Miss Pfeiffer taking a team to the SAPSASSA Cross Country event on Friday, and our Autumn Playdate for preschoolers next Monday.

I was reading a piece out of the Bible recently that really got me thinking. It is, in fact, the shortest verse in the Christian scriptures. It only has two words. “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) As I read, I looked for further context for this two-word sentence. The story that the words occur in is when Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died and Jesus sees the pain this has caused in Lazarus’ sister Mary. The Bible records that Jesus was “deeply moved in his spirit” by Mary’s pain and so he wept. I began considering what it is that I shed tears over, or what I am deeply moved by. Things like pain experienced by those I care very much about, injustices served on people, a lack of care, concern or love shown by people to others. There will be some reading this who have grown up being told or modelled that such depth of feeling or response is weakness. In my experience the very opposite is true. The strength it takes to be deeply moved by hurt or injustice is considerable. I read recently that “Without our tears, our hearts have few options but to harden.” (Eliand, 2024)

Why am I sharing with you on this topic? These are really important thoughts for us to consider, but also for our children to process. Emotional development and understanding in our children have become increasingly researched and valued in recent years. Many studies have taken place as we gain understanding into how children develop and how we can best help our kids grow. Helping our students with skills for seeing the perspective of others, sharing, contributing, and playing well in a group, being willing to go without so others may benefit, are all vital proficiencies for our children to learn and grow in. They have huge importance in the playground, classroom and at home. We also know that the are skills that will stand them in good stead for future family life as well as in their work lives.

There are many really good resources around for helping our kids develop these abilities. I would encourage you to take some time to read how you can best support your child/ren in their growth, and then put a couple of strategies in place. Here are three links that might get you started in your reading.

School-age development | Raising Children Network

https://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html https://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/social-emotional-development/

I hope you also find opportunity to model the importance of being “deeply moved” with compassion and in response to injustice and hurt just as Jesus was.

Have a great week with our kids.

Mark B