In this issue

Year 1

Our days in Year 1 are always full of interesting conversations! We are learning so many things about ourselves and each other every single day! It is fantastic to see children developing friendships as the year progresses and we have spent quite a bit of time this term talking about what it means to be a good friend and how we can cooperate and show others we care.

We are stretching their ‘thinking brains’ in many areas of learning. Science lessons have been a highlight this term as they have been taking a ‘hands on’ approach to learning about physical and chemical changes. The children enjoyed working through simple experiments with various foods to discover how heating and cooling can make matter change.

In literacy, the children are becoming better writers as they add a wider range of interesting vocabulary to sentences. They have also been creating wonderful recounts. Mrs Davis and Mrs Clausen are enjoying reading about all the places children visit with their family and friends. Last week Year 1 consolidated o’clock time and had fun making clocks using paper plates. They look fantastic and were extremely useful.

Thank you for all your ongoing support in Year 1. We are looking forward to wonderful end to Term 2 and pray that you and your families stay well during the Winter months.

Mrs Clausen, Mrs Davis and Mrs Marsh

Year 4

On the 14th May, the intrepid Year 4 classes set out on an adventure!We left early in the morning, and headed to beautiful Tallebudgera Creek to meet with the camp team from CYC Burleigh.  They had a fun filled day planned for us!

• Lots of Adventuring
• Team Building Exercises
• Problem Solving Games
• Canoeing
• Beach Races
• Saltwater Shenanigans ​​​​​​​​​​​​
• LOTS of Sunscreen Applications

After a full day of sun-soaked adventures our inspired Year 4’s returned exhausted but prepared and full of anticipation for what their Year 5 Camp will have in store for them.

Mr Patane, Mr Bradshaw and Mrs Kerr

Year 5

This term in Year 5 our students have been learning about persuasive writing.  To develop their writing skills, students had various writing activities, with one task being to advertise their school.  Here’s what some of our Year 5 students came up with about PCC:

• “Morning Mrs S”. ”Hey Jayden”. ”Hah, the smell of freshly cut lawn and fresh air, man I love this fantastic, smiley and willing school. So you probably want the best for your child right? Well guess what we have amazing clubs here, to support your child’s learning as well as amazing kind staff to make learning fun!! So, call 2400 christian collage to become a student at this amazing school today!” – Jayden
• Do you like to do music but your school has nothing to do with music? Come to Parklands, you don’t just do music you learn music. Find what instrument you are comfortable with. Sing your heart out with choir, play different instruments with ‘give a go band’. – Emma
• I hear Mrs. S greeting the new kids. I hear the wonderful choir singing joyfully.  I hear Mr. Solymosi preaching at Church. I feel the keys on the clarinet as I am practicing for band. I feel awesome, as my teacher Miss Strubin helps me in mathematics. PCC is a wonderful place to take your kids if you want a wonderful school! – Elliana
• Splat goes the paint, scribe goes the pencil, zoom go the runners, la la la goes the choir, sizzle goes the pan in tuck shop cooking my lunch. Yum! Parklands Christian College is the place for me. – Callista
• Parklands has a ton of friendly staff and friends. You will never feel lonely everyone here is nice. There is also a range of sports to choose from if you are an active person. Parklands is a massive community that always has things like BBQ’s and dances. They also raise money for people in need. – Corey
• At Parklands we have a school Fete every year with performances from all the kids and there are tents with lollies! There are so many different types of lollies and they all taste sweet and yummy. At our school Fete every year, all the money we raise is sent to Cambodia to help all of the people there. There are also many rides full of fun and laughter, and so many people go to the Fete to have fun.- Chelsea
• When you are at Parklands you feel someone is there for you. The students and staff are always caring for you and the environment. The chirping birds, the rustle of the wind through the trees, the laughter of children playing and the friendly faces of the RTC. When you are at Parklands you are safe. Parklands Christian college is showing Gods amazing Love through this school.
  – Layla
• I am a new student at Parklands. I use to get bullied at school but now I feel calm and safe. The class room is a quiet and safe environment and I learn a lot in many subjects. My favourite is sport. There are lots of fun and exciting events happening too like the Fete, family bush dance, cross country, swimming, athletics and more. We have a friendly RTC lounge where children can learn and reflect on mistakes. This is my story! – Georgia

Miss Needs, Miss Strubin and Mrs Kissick

QLD Training Awards 2018 Finalists

Some fantastic news – the following three Parklands students have been chosen as finalists in the Qld Training Awards nominations for the South East Region. Congratulations to these students who have worked hard, juggling their school work and workplace commitments. Finalists will compete for top spot in their region at the regional final held on 20 July 2018 to be held at Movieworld.

Bob Marshman​​ Trainee of the Year

Sponsored by BUSY At Work

Name: Tahlya Anderson   (2017 graduate)
Qualification: Certificate III in Individual Support
Training provider: TAFE Queensland
Group training organisation: The Maxima Group Incorporated
Host employer: Logan Hospital

Name: Oliver Lee   (2017 graduate)
Qualification: Certificate III in Individual Support
Training provider: TAFE Queensland
Group training organisation: The Maxima Group Incorporated
Host employer: Logan Hospital

Aborigi​nal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year

Sponsored by Australian Industry Trade College

Name: Aaryn Dejong
Qualification: Certificate III in Hospitality
Training provider: Prestige Service Training
Group training organisation: Prestige Service Training
Host employer: Coffee Club Jimboomba
School: Parklands Christian College

Thank you for a wonderful and enjoyable Term 2.

We have experienced many exciting and lovely events this term that have filled our Parkland’s experience with joy, fun and wonder – Profile Evening, Cross Country, Naplan, Yr 4 Camp Day, Team Games Day, incursions, excursions and normal school lessons.

NAPLAN Testing

I must say the students seemed to be very well prepared, settled, calm and eager to write the tests this year. Some even commented they were, “Keen to see how well they are doing academically this year!” Thank you very much to the Year 3 and Year 5 parents for assisting us in explaining the value and purpose of the testing as well as ensuring our students got a good night’s sleep, healthy breakfast and plenty of water during that testing week. A very BIG ‘Thank you’ also needs to go to the wonderful Yr 3 and 5 staff (Mrs. Abbot, Mr. Kennedy and Miss Strubin, Miss Needs) for the awesome work they have done to prepare the students this year for the tests! We now look forward to receiving the student reports and results later in the year.

Uniforms

Can we please ask that you assist us in ensuring the students are correctly dressed in the right uniform each day. We are experiencing students wearing their sport uniforms when not required and have also noticed that some students are starting to mix and match their track suit and jumper tops or even wearing non-school jumpers. If unsure about uniform items or correct uniform requirements, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher, the RTC, uniform store or check our website for photos and details. Please ensure that ALL uniform items, water bottles and LUNCH box items are clearly labeled with your child’s name.

PCC House Shirts

These House Polo Shirts are available to purchase from the Uniform Shop.

The sizing and prices are as follows and have now been added to our PCC online Uniform Store:
Kids sizes 4 – 16  $25 each
Adults sizes S, M, L & XL  $28 each

Reports

All students will be receiving an ‘End of Semester Report’ in the post at the conclusion of this term. This report will confirm what your child’s teacher informed you of at the Profile Preview Afternoon or Profile Night or has given you feedback on, as to how your child has progressed this term.

On Wednesday 25th July, we have our Primary P/T Interviews up in the Function Room, where you can book an interview to discuss your child’s report with their class teacher. Be on the lookout for more information and booking times and procedures!

Talking about the end of term – we only have a few more weeks of school left then we break up for the Winter Holidays on Friday 22^nd June and return for term 3 on Monday 16^th July.

How to read a report card?

Reports cards can be long and confusing with school jargon throughout them.

Here I will explain:

1. How to read one.
2. How to involve you child.
3. How to praise your child to gain the most future benefit.
4. How to reward your child.

What is important amongst all the educational jargon?

You are looking for two things as you read each of the subject reports. This will help you establish what your child’s strengths are and whether they are working to the best of their ability. Before looking for the A’s, B’s to E’s in the achievement section, read the Comment/s. Does the teacher say that your child is working to the best of their ability? Feedback from teachers is the key to improvement as it tells you and your child what they need to be working on – a way forward. Reports cards are one way of doing this.

Secondly, look at ‘Conduct’ statements as to how they are presenting / conducting themselves in all area of schooling.

How to involve your child in reading the report card?

The best thing to do is ask questions and get them to come up with how they think they went in the subject/term/semester. How did you think you went? Which results are you pleased with? What do you think was the cause of the result in this subject?

Praise

Process centred praise is more effective than praising intelligence e.g. “You are smart” develops a fixed mindset whereas praising effort develops a growth mindset (Dweck, 2010). Kids who get too much praise are less likely to take risks, are highly sensitive to failure and are more likely to give up when faced with a challenge. Check whether your child has a fixed or growth mindset http://mindsetonline.com

Rewards

We need our kids to do things and be self-directed, not because they will get into trouble or get a reward. “If they are focused on the outcomes (stickers, money, rewards) this leads to a loss of interest in process and an unhealthy need for approval of others” (Sue Roffey, www.wellbeingaustralia.com.au/wba/). We need to focus on intrinsic rewards such as life satisfaction, autonomy, task persistence, positive social relationships, a love of learning and better performances.

• Think about starting to remove extrinsic rewards for results.
• Let kids have a say in what they do and the rules so that they can learn to make social choices appropriate for their age– autonomy not control.
• Praise the process of effort and doing well, not ability.

Praise their:

• Effort and persistence
• planning & organization
• engagement in learning
• seeking help & feedback
• problem solving
• decision making

Have a wonderful break and school holiday spent with family and friends.

Subject to changes – please check the College Calendar on the College website for more detailed and up to date information on the above.

Our students are busy with their final assessment items for the semester, and we are very proud of how hard our students (and teachers!) work to give their best effort.  It’s been a busy term once again with not just curriculum progress but also various other opportunities as incursions and excursions as well as our many clubs and tutorials.  Through all this, it is heartwarming to hear of students doing acts of kindness and sharing encouraging words with each other.  Even the smiles and “hello” that are shared as we all pass each other around campus are an encouraging indicator of the warm climate and caring atmosphere within our Secondary College, bringing a healthy balance to the academic pressures.  It’s also been encouraging to see an excellent standard of uniform from most students as we transitioned to our winter uniform.  A few reminders, with the overarching principle being that when a student is wearing our Parklands uniform they must be in full and complete uniform, regardless of the location or time of day:

• Jumper:  The College has a uniform sport jacket and uniform academic jumper.  These are the only jumpers to be worn with our uniform, and must match the relevant uniform (eg only the academic jumper is to be worn with the academic uniform).  If your child finds the academic jumper itchy (please note that it does not contain wool to minimise this issue), then I suggest they wear a long sleeve shirt underneath (which can then be removed with the jumper at break time).  If there is an exceptional circumstance, please provide your child with a plain jumper and a note and they can arrange a one-day pass from RTC before school and can wear the jumper during the early hours of the day then remove it when it warms up.  This should only be in exceptional circumstances though.
• Hair: must be a minimum of blade two.  Please advise the barber of this as the fade out trend can result in a breach of this.
• Uniform policy: Our Secondary uniform policy can be found on our website at https://parklands.qld.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/SECONDARY-Uniform-Policy.pdf

Extended Absence

We recommend that family holidays be taken during school holidays whenever possible, but we also realise that sometimes unique opportunities become available to families and that a student may need to miss a significant amount of school.  In this instance, where a student will be absent for 10 days or more, the family is required to apply for exemption to the Principal.  This form (“Application for exemption for a child or young person enrolled at Parklands Christian College”) can be provided by the relevant Coordinator (Senior School Coordinator – Mrs Bec Wallis; Middle School Coordinator – Mr Colin Elvery) or from Student Services.  On completion of the form, it is to be submitted to the Principal via Administration.  Parents/carers will then be informed of the outcome, our staff will make a note, and your child will then liaise with the relevant coordinator to make arrangements for catching up on missed work, completing assessment, etc.

Early Departure

In the interest of ensuring the safety of all our students, it is our process for parents to go to Student Services to sign out their child, if they are leaving the College early on a particular day.  All communication between student and parent during the school day must go through Student Services to ensure clear communication and appropriate supervision of students.

Logan City Council KRANK School Holiday Program

Beat school holiday boredom by checking out the FREE and low cost activities on offer for 5-17 year olds in the KRANK school holiday program by visiting www.logan.qld.gov.au/krank

Starlettes 6-12 years old Promotional Flyer

The Brisbane Roar

The Brisbane Roar are bringing their Roar Active Program to the following ever popular indoor locations. This is an ideal way to gain extra skills and game awareness while having FUN

BRISBANE INDOOR CLINICS

2nd 3rd 4th July- Brisbane City Indoor Sports Centre, Newmarket -9:00am – 12:00pm
2nd 3rd 4th July- Brisbane City Indoor Sports Centre, Coorparoo –  9:00am – 12:00pm
9th 10th 11th July- Morayfield Indoor Leisure Centre. Morayfield – 9am-12pm

Wonderful clinics for children to learn new skills while having FUN playing our beautiful game in a safe environment.

BRISBANE ROAR ACTIVE WORLD CUP DAYS

July 5th Caloundra Indoor Stadium 9am-12pm
July 12th Brisbane City Indoor Sports 9am-12pm

The World Cup day involves no coaching or drills just match play. We get the children into teams with their friends and they represent a country –
It’s a simple concept but all children just love game play – the 3 hours is pretty intensive with round robin group games and then finals resulting in multiple games with little time off the pitch.
We pump out of the music and let the players weave their magic and have FUN

To view and register these clinics please go to www.roaractive.com.au  and select Holiday Programs.

Tell your friends, places will be limited and we hope you can join us for some Football fun with our Brisbane Roar Coaching Team.

Met West Cross Country

On Friday June 1st we had 5 students represent the Southern District at the Regional Met West Carnival. The students competed against 4 other districts within our Metropolitan West Region. Well done to Callum Dagg (7th) and Hudson Hunt (9th) for making the reserve team for the State Carnival later in the year. We commend the athletes for doing extra training on the Monday and Friday morning sessions run by Mr Lewis and Mr Gilmour, and also outside school hours.

Well done to the students on a great effort.

CSSAQ Primary Team Games

An awesome day of competition was seen on Monday the 28^th at the CSSAQ Team Games. Parklands had two boys Soccer teams and one girls Netball team compete against other Christian schools. All students gave their best and represented Parklands with pride. Congratulations to Miss Strubins’ Senior Netball Team who won their final against Muller 3-2. Well done girls.

Upcoming Dates

• 21/6 13+over Athletics Carnival
• 22/6 12+under Athletics Carnival
• Term 3 Mondays Busy Beats Program

Sporting achievement outside school

Emily Fotek

In term 2 we had Emily Fotek (Yr6)  compete at a National Gymnastics event in Canberra. She represented QLD in both individual and team events. Emily competed hard and came away with a 2nd overall in her floor routine and her QLD Team won the competition. Well done to Emily on a great result.

Isabelle Podlick

Isabelle Podlick (Yr 8) competed in the 2018 Queensland Artistic Roller Skating State Championships held over the May long weekend and achieved some outstanding results!

She skated in 4 events and took home 2 Gold medals and 1 Silver medal in her individual events plus 1 Gold medal for a team event:

• Juvenile Freeskating – 1^st Place (2018 State Champion)
• Open Short Freeskating – 1^st Place (2018 State Champion)
• Juvenile Figures – 2nd Place
• Freshman Precision Team – 1^st Place (2018 State Champion Team)

Isabelle is the 2018 Queensland State Champion for International Juvenile Girls Freeskating and she will now represent Queensland in all of the above events at this year’s Australian Championships in Perth from 7^th July to 13^th July.

This year will be Isabelle’s 6th year as a competitive artistic roller skater and she is the only International level Juvenile freeskater competing in 2 freeskating programs (Short and Long programs) on the Queensland Team at this year’s Australian Championships.

She is very excited to be travelling to Perth and this will be her third trip away interstate to compete – she has previously travelled to Adelaide (2015) and Melbourne (2016).

Isabelle is very dedicated to her sport and trains very hard, spending up to 13.5 hours skating each week.  She is currently perfecting her double jumps (2 full rotations and landing on one foot), and hopes to perform these jumps by the competition.

Congratulations, Isabelle! We wish you all the best at the Australian Championships!

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…”

Zech. 4:10

Give It A Go! Band Programme

For those who follow the Parklands Facebook page, you will have seen photos last Friday of our first ever Parklands Concert Band rehearsal! Nearly 50 students gathered excitedly in the Function Room at 7:30am on Friday 1st June – probably the coldest day so far this year – to bring everyone together with their instruments and play together as a band. After finding everyone a seat we warmed up with a hearty rendition of “Hot Cross Buns”, and then proceeded to work through our first band piece, “Power Rock”. What a sound!

All the students did an exceptional job, and everyone had a wonderful time playing together. At the end of the rehearsal Mr Warden recorded the finished product for posterity; hopefully we can look back in 12 months and hear the progress made!

Term 3 levies are now due

Parents are asked to please make these payments promptly.

Details are as follows:
$120 to be paid:
1. In person at Administration
2. By credit card over the phone
3. Direct Deposit

Parklands Christian College
BSB: 034115
Account no: 169944
Reference: <surname & initial> GIAG

Choirs

Primary Choirs

The Junior Choir are busy as always, getting ready for their Fete performances early in Term 3. These little ones rehearse early on a Wednesday morning, with much enthusiasm despite the cold!

Our Senior Choir are also preparing for their Fete performance, but in addition they are busy getting ready for their entry in the Beenleigh Eisteddfod in the same week. This will be an exciting opportunity for our students to perform in public, but also a chance for them to see and hear many other school choirs. Much can be learned from observing others, so this will be a valuable learning opportunity.

Secondary Choir

The Secondary Choir is going from strength to strength, with a strong core of students attending weekly. This choir is making a beautiful sound and we very much look forward to their first performance at the College Fete in Term 3, followed soon after by another performance at Arts Gala.

Some of these things are indeed small beginnings, but what a mighty oak tree grows from a tiny acorn! We are very excited about these developments in the musical life of our College, and pray that the Lord will continue to guide us and our students as we walk this journey with them.

Reading

The study of English comprises of many areas including, speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar and punctuation. It is the teaching and embedding of communication and literacy skills, enabling interaction and exploration of God’s created world. The Australian Curriculum states “The study of English is central to the learning and development of all young Australians. It helps create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and … individuals learn to analyse, understand, communicate and build relationships with others and with the world around them”.

Reading is an essential part of this study and influences many areas of school life. It is therefore, paramount that we do our very best to provide students with the skills and desire to become good readers. At Parklands we are committed to making continuous improvements in what and how we teach all areas of the curriculum and this year we are focussing our attention on how to bring the joy of reading to life in our Primary College.

The teaching of Reading is a partnership between home and school and is included in many areas within life. As parents, we start the love of reading from a very early age as we read bed time stories to our children. We continue to grow reading curiosity as we walk around shops, create shopping lists, read signs and introduce our little ones to the wonder of the world they live in. All of these interactions occur before children even reach school age and this love of reading should continue as they embark on the journey of formal education.

As teachers we do our very best to continue this love of reading by using books in every aspect of the curriculum. With new technology we use programs, videos and digital books to create an enthusiasm around the art of learning to read. The development of phonological awareness and the learning of synthetic phonics is foundational to the art of decoding words and cracking the code of reading.

We have some exciting READING ventures coming throughout the year.

This term we introduced Scholastic Book Club to not only enable students to purchase books for themselves but also allow us to buy new books for our classrooms. A big thank you to Mrs Abott who is coordinating this program for us. We have already earnt $500 that we will spend on classroom libraries.

Next Term we are excited to introduce new Australian Decodable Readers into the Prep homework program. We will be having a morning tea on Tuesday the 19th of this month if you would like more information about these books. Decodable Readers Australia state “the secret of getting kids to read is to give them books they CAN actually read”. These beginner books, with a range of Australian animal characters, will allow students to use the phonics they are learning to crack the code of reading. We hope that parents and students will find these books funny and engaging.

We also have an emphasis on book week coming up in August. Thank you to Miss Strubin for coordinating an Author to come and read to the students and games and activities that she has planned for Library time. Children will also be encouraged to dress up as their favourite character or Author. Please stay tuned for more information about this event.

Finally, we are in the process of exploring new reading programs to support the already fabulous job we do in reading throughout lower primary. It will great to see the continued growth in this area as we gradually bring in new pedagogy and resources throughout the rest of the year, which help to make reading easy, fun and enjoyable.

Thank you and Happy Reading!

Mrs Daley
Director of Primary Studies

School Days only

School Fees

Are deducted from your bank account on the 17th unless received by the 10th of each month.

Please ensure funds are in your account one (1) business day before the 17th of the month.

Our Bank Account details are as follows:

BSB: 034115
Account Number: 169944

Please use your surname and initials as reference e.g. ‘J&C Smith’

Term Direct Debit Deduction Dates

• 17th February
• 17th April
• 17th July
• 17th September

Note: Direct Debits that reject from your account due to insufficient funds will incur a $10.00 fee and loss of discount. An additional late fee of $20 will apply to invoices outstanding at the end of the month.

Discounts Available

• Monthly 2%
• Term 5%
• Annual 8%

The Friendlies

Our annual Bush Dance was a huge success, with close to 300 people kicking up their heels on the dance floor to Beefa’s Bush Band. The night was filled with the sound of laughter from everyone having so much fun. It was a wonderful opportunity for so many families to meet each other.

It is always fantastic to have Michelle and Sandra from the Browns Plains Coffee Club, Village Square, who are always so supportive of all our events. A big thank you to all our Friendlies team along with the three Year 10 active volunteers who set everything up and helped on the night. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported our school. Each and every one of you helped to make the night the wonderful night it was! These events wouldn’t be possible without all of your support.

Our next meeting is at Jimboomba Macca’s, Friday 8^th June at 6.45pm. If you would like any further information you can email Angie Marsh, friendlies@parklands.qld.edu.au

Keep Smiling,
The Friendlies

Senior News

We are coming to the end of a very busy  semester which has been filled with many memorable moments, both in and out of the classroom, and has included a range of exciting excursions across many subjects; through to major sporting events such as Cross Country and Brisbane Christian Schools competitions. Senior students have also participated in Elevate Education seminars and attended the annual Careers Expo at the Brisbane Convention Centre.  All in all it has been a semester filled with rich learning experiences and we are very proud of our Seniors.

Throughout this term, Year 10 students have participated in SETPlan sessions to assist them in thinking through decisions regarding their futures. Mrs Hudson and I continue to work very closely with the senior students and aim to individualise each senior student’s learning pathway to meet their goals and expectations for senior school. We are continuing to enjoy getting to know all the Year 10 families in individual family meetings, where we are discussing options for Senior College and beyond in person.  We are open to meeting with Senior College families at any time the need arises, please contact us through Student Services or via email, if we can be of further assistance.

At present, seniors are commencing their semester exams. It has been a jam-packed semester. Our prayers and blessings are with all students as they finalise their assessment. We pray they each have a wonderful and well-deserved winter holiday break to relax and recharge with family and friends over this time.

Be Present – Every Day Counts

Attendance is such an important factor in school success. Studies show that from the early years, students who attend school regularly perform better in school than peers who are frequently absent. Chronic absence, regardless of the reason, is identified as an important early warning sign that a student is at risk for school failure and early dropout. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days. Many factors can contribute to student absenteeism including valid reasons such as health issues.

At PCC, we really value attendance. In Senior College, students sign the Senior Learning Agreement form, which states: If I am absent at any time, a suitable explanation will be given to the Head of Secondary accompanied by a note from parents; otherwise my enrolment may be withdrawn. If I do not attend an exam or am absent on the day an assignment is due, I understand that a medical certificate is needed, as outlined in the Senior College Assessment Policy.

The Queensland Curriculum Assessment Authority (QCAA), whom we align with, allows 10 days of unexplained absence per year, after which a student can be at risk of not graduating that year level. We encourage all students to possess a 90% or greater attendance record for the school year, or to provide medical documentation, as required, when absent. We wish to promote healthy attendance rates so that each child can achieve all that God wants them to be.

School refusal by the child can be very difficult. We encourage parents and carers to respond to their child’s refusal to attend school by seeking support from school staff, as there are ways to help turn this behaviour around. Schools and parents working collaboratively can help resolve this with appropriate support and time to find what will work for your child or adolescent.

Did you know?

Missing 2 days a month, you miss 10% of the school year.

The more absences you have, the more negative the impact on academic success.

Even being late matters. Being late by 15 minutes a day results in missing two weeks of education during the school year.

Richest Blessings,
Mrs Rebecca Wallis
Coordinator of Senior College

Understanding Our Brains – part 1

Being “stuck” in one’s discomfort can be explained by understanding the triune brain and how neural looping occurs. Paul MacLean’s (1990) model of the triune brain, refers to three distinct parts of the brain, the reptilian complex, the limbic system or paleomammallian complex and the neo cortex or neomamillian complex (Rossouw, 2017; Montgomery, 2013).

The reptilian complex is fully developed at birth and governs the physiological aspects of survival by increasing blood flow to this section of the brain (Montgomery, 2013). This section of the brain is often thought of as the primitive brain or responsive brain; it is referred to as the survival brain (Montgomery, 2013).

The limbic system is partially developed at birth and needs ques from the environment as it develops to make it operational (Montgomery, 2013). The limbic system actually refers to a cluster of systems which regulate emotions including the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus (Montgomery, 2013). This system is much more responsive to developing memories that result from negative experiences than from positive experiences; it is referred to as the emotional brain or impulsive brain (Montgomery, 2013).

The last part of the brain to develop is the neo cortex; at birth it is undeveloped and largely unoperational (Montgomery, 2013). The neo cortex is fully developed at approximately 24 years old. The neo cortex is responsible for executive function and has the ability to down-regulate other functions; it is referred to as the smart brain (Montgomery, 2013).

In its simplest form the development of neural pathways is encouraged or discouraged due to environmental stimuli which may be considered either safe or unsafe. In a safe environment the survival brain and impulsive brain remains calm, as a result the smart brain can fire effectively and make decisions, evaluate situations and environmental stimuli, make sense of experiences and categorise these effectively allowing the person to make adjustments and positive choices about their life (Montgomery, 2013). Alternatively, in an unsafe environment, the impulsive brain is triggered and as a result blood flow becomes concentrated on the amydalic system within the limbic system thereby decreasing the blood flow to the prefrontal cortex and resulting in an inability to think due to up-regulated stress (Robinson, 2014). When this happens the smart brain is basically ‘off grid’ and needs to be reengaged before executive functions can occur which allow the person to make positive choices about their outcomes.

As mentioned earlier the memories stored in the limbic system are more enhanced by negative experiences than positive ones (Rossouw, 2017). The experience of becoming stuck is a reflection of neural looping in which the limbic system relies on these negative memories.  In brief, neural looping occurs when the amygdala sparks the hippocampus; in other words, when the impulsive brain fires up the memory centre it activates a loop which stimulates the impulsive brain (emotional centre) further (Robinson, 2014). As a result of this process reoccurring the person becomes stuck in their experiences and consequent behavioural reactions.

In order to explain this principal Donald Hebb founded the notion that ‘neurons that fire together, wire together’, contending that repetition creates neutral pathways which reinforce behaviour regardless of whether it is positive or negative (Cozolino, 2010). This suggests that once a loop is created the person may become stuck in that repeated behavioural response (Cozolino, 2010). However, Michael Merzenich, as described by Henson & Rossouw (2013) by contrast suggests that the same can be true for ‘neurons that fire apart, wire apart’, thus asserting that the loop or experience of being stuck can be suitably broken through changing the neural pathway, much like a circuit breaker.

Melissa Glenwright (2014) provides an excellent metaphor to understand how persons become stuck and unstuck through neural looping. Using the metaphor of a highway Glenwright (2014) explains that through repetition a specific path or neural connection becomes stronger; the stronger it becomes the more likely the person will take the same path in the future eventually creating a ‘superhighway’. In order to break this cycle, the person needs to start creating a new pathway or ‘road’. At first this may be an off-road track, but via a process of repetition the track will eventually become a road and slowly develop into a superhighway itself, thus increasing the likelihood that the person will choose that pathway in the future (Glenwright, 2014). The old highway will eventually break down from disuse in the form of glial cells (Glenwright, 2014).

This metaphor brings to mind a similar concept, though theologically referring to salvation, described in Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV, 2011), “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” It could be surmised that breaking old neural loops (habits/behaviours) and using the debris to create new neural loops could result in the person becoming ‘unstuck’; further this is a difficult task and requires a deliberate change, support and repetition.

References

Cozolino, L. (2010). The neuroscience of psychotherapy: healing the social brain (2nd Ed.). New York: WWW Norton & Company.

Glenwright, M. (2014). How Samantha used neuroscience to build a pathway out of social anxiety disorder. In Rossouw, P.J. (Ed.). (2014). Neuropsychotherapy: theoretical underpinnings and clinical applications (p.p. 353-369). USA: Mediros Pty Ltd.

Henson, C. & Rossouw, P.J. (2013). BrainWise Leadership: Practical neuroscience to survive and thrive at work. Sydney: Learning Quest.

Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). (2011). Biblica Inc.

MacLean, Paul D. (1990). The triune brain in evolution: role in paleocerebral functions. New York: Plenum Press.

Montgomery, A. (2013). Neurobiology essentials for clinicians: what every therapist needs to know. New York: WWW Norton & Company.

Robinson, N. (2014). Christine: An adolescent and social anxiety disorder. In Rossouw, P.J. (Ed.). (2014). Neuropsychotherapy: theoretical underpinnings and clinical applications (pp. 73-90). USA: Mediros Pty Ltd.