Term 2 is always a time to really knuckle down into the learning and enjoy watching your child grow.
You may have seen the new PeaceWise posters displayed as permanent fixtures on the outside walls of the school. For those who may not know, PeaceWise is a Biblical peacemaking toolkit and program that we use in the Primary School to help students learn how to navigate conflict. PeaceWiseKids equips young people to deal with challenging relationships and conflict in healthy, constructive and life-changing ways. All courses are taught by our trained teachers using PeaceWise materials.
To teach a young person peacemaking is to literally change the course of their life for good. Their relationships—with each other, with adults and with God—will all be stronger. Students learn to recognise their responses to conflict and understand that Biblical peacemaking is based on a four-part process:
1. Putting God first (1 Corinthians 10:31)
2. Owning their part in a conflict (Matthew 7:3–5)
3. Talking it over with the other person (Galatians 6:1)
4. Making it right between them (Matthew 5:23–24)
5. It's a little like restorative justice programs, but with a Biblical worldview instead.
As always, we like to partner with you, the parents. So, when conflict occurs at home, it would be helpful for your family to follow the same process. This is why I’ve included some of the posters in this edition of the newsletter.
When a child is struggling to apologise, the "5 A’s" is a very useful tool. It might also be helpful to print out “How to Make Peace God’s Way” for display at home. Conflict is inevitable, and when children are bombarded with so many different messages, it’s hard for them to know how to respond.
Practice and reminders at home always reinforce what is being learned at school, so your support is appreciated. You can find out more at https://peacewise.org.au/ or speak with your child's homeroom teacher about the program.
At Heathdale, we pride ourselves on being countercultural for God—not conforming to the world’s ways of anger and conflict but instead finding a different way: God’s way.