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1368 days ago

Lynda Knight de Blois Principal Glenview Primary School

Rhondda Sweetman from Plimmerton Rotary

Glenview is a primary school in Cannons Creek, and like many other Porirua schools, it is small, with a roll of 100, and it is in decile 1.

Principal Lynda Knight de Blois talked to the club this week, focussing on new thinking in the teaching of traumatised and stressed students. This is especially relevant to Glenview, because it has students who are refugees from Myanmar and Syria, many of whom have very troubled backgrounds.

The rest of the school roll is made up of a multitude of ethnicities from around the Pacific and around the world, and the school’s multicultural staff reflects this.

Spurred by the work of US researcher Dr. Bruce Perry, who wrote a best-seller titled ’The boy who was raised as a dog’, Linda has created an environment at the school which is sensitive to the needs of traumatised children.

Linda explained the workings of the human brain, which she noted is not designed for 'modern life’. Babies in the womb become accustomed to a warm, calm, and safe environment, and if children are subjected to trauma or stress it disrupts their brain development and learning ability.

It is possible to counter stress and trauma at school by providing a safe and calm space, and by certain kinds of activity which are rhythmic and calming, such as music, singing and dance, and breathing exercises.

This strategy is working well; children are calmer and happier, as are the teaching staff, and relationships with families have improved, too.

This was a most interesting talk given by a dedicated principal working at a difficult educational coalface.

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More messages from your neighbours
3 days ago

Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.

John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!

As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!

John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.

Share your question below now ⬇️

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4 days ago

Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.

When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?

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Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
  • 82.7% Yes
    82.7% Complete
  • 14.7% No
    14.7% Complete
  • 2.6% Other - I'll share below
    2.6% Complete
1747 votes
16 hours ago

Riddle Alert! Who’s Up for Some Brain-Busting Fun?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

4-letter word, always done tomorrow,
We’re out of tea, the ultimate sorrow!
Without the eye, you owe me some money,
No sugar no nectar no sweetness no honey,
4-letter word, if by chance you choose,
You can never win, you can only lose!
What is the 4-letter word?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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