• Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy holidays.
                   
  We say it every year, and it seems to be more true each time around... How quickly the year has flown! 
  
  We all seem to be busier and more rushed as each year passes, so it's all the more important to slow down for the holidays and spend some time and thought on what really matters. Family, friends. Loved ones.
  
  No matter how you say it or how you spend it, please accept our very best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a great start to the New Year.
  
  
  

• Thanks to our fantastic friends in the Western Region
                   
  We've been fortunate to have been welcomed in lots of places this year, some familiar, some new to us. To everyone in:
  Bourke, Baradine, Brewarrina, Bathurst, Cowra, Coolah, Coonabarabran, Condobolin, Dubbo, Grenfell, Goolma,
  Lightning Ridge, Orange, Raglan, 
  Trundle, Sydney, right through to Wellington, Walgett, Wanaring and all stops in between, have a fantastic Christmas.
  
  
• iKiLives - Wello and Coona. These are the schools that have been iKiSchools the longest and dare we say, are favourites. Watch Wellington and Coonabarabran in action!

•  Christmas, Holidays and New year of course! We're taking a decent break and will be back in the office on the 23rd of January. If you want to do some iKi at home you can still log on to the Learn Online for free by clicking here! 

•  We have some great ideas for next year - but we'll talk about them then! 

• Something I've noticed in my several years teaching is that when learning new things we tend to focus always on what we still can't do and therefore undervalue the distance we've come. Now is a good time to slow down and take stock, not of what we haven't yet achieved, but of what we have. 
  
  
Thanks to all the great people I've been priviliged to work with in 2011. I'm looking forward to a very exciting 2012.

• Nutritionist Erin with a Christmas Tip:
  
  Christmas and the holidays are a time when it's very easy to overindulge in the sweet and fatty foods that are everywhere. It's really easy to overindulge and end up feeling  lousy. But there are some simple steps we can take to keep some balance. Try these tips:
  
  
• Before every meal have a big drink of water.
• Fill you plate with fresh food first;- lots of salads, fruit and vegies help fill us  up and keep us feeling great.
• Never start or finish a meal with a sweet. Think about that last one. Start with savouries, salads fruits and finish with nuts, cheese, fruit. It works for me.
• Enjoy good food. 
  
  To see what Erin does every day, have a look at http://www.foodvitality.com.au/. 

• iKiFit is proud to announce that iKiTrainer Amy Stanley has taken the next step on her journey to become a school teacher, having recently accepted a job as a teachers aid in Narrabri. Amy, who has worked part time for iKiFit over the past several years, recently moved to Narrabri to be with her boyfriend.
  
  Check out Amazing Ambitious Amy!
  
  
• Have you checked out the new Learn Online player yet? There are new songs and energiser classes on the Yellow and Green Levels. We are about to put all of this content behind the secure zone - click here to subscribe for free!

• It’s a little scary how quickly the year has flown - we’re already into iKiLive Season and in no time at all it will be Christmas.
  
  It’s only a little over a week till the first iKi Concert for 2011 at St John’s Primary in Dubbo. This year we will have more students playing and singing with the band on stage and running all elements of the show. Click here to have a look at last years’ Live at St John’s.
  
  
• Watch the iKiEvents panel on the iKiFit home page to find an event near you.

• Our iKiTip this month is a new one and a message we think is important. Being thoughtful isn’t just about being nice, sometimes it’s about teaching lessons we need to learn. A bit like the concept of tough love. Click here to check it out and tell us what you think.
  
  
• A tip from this month's guest writer, Encouraging Erin!
  
  Your day is really not worth starting unless you've made sure you've had breakfast. My top tip for fuelling your day, is that you don't walk out of the house without at least a mouthful of food in your belly. If you're stuck for ideas, my favourite choices include cereal, toast, pancakes or crumpets, or even fruit, yoghurt or a glass of milk are good ideas.
  
  To be the best you can be, make sure you've had breakfast!

• Power Person Steve Hodder says very clearly something we believe in - That education is Power. 
  
  
• Wellington Primary school has been the biggest supporter of the iKiFit Program to date, assisting us in so many ways as we have developed the program. Check out some of the fantastic students at Wello on the new look Power Names pages.

• We are excited to introduce our first guest writer this month – Nutritionist Encouraging Erin! Check out her website after reading her piece in the iKiTips section.  
• Well, we are now at the point where we think we have got the website functioning well - thanks Bosweb, Mitch and everybody else who has been involved. We’d love your feedback, suggestions, advice or comments please. Please contact us with your thoughts 

• iKiFit Behaviour Management Evaluation
  A big thanks to Wellington Public School, Coonabarabran Public School, Baradine Central and CSU’s Dr Libbey Murray for their assistance in evaluating the iKiFit Program in schools. The data shows conclusively what we already knew - iKiFit empowers students and teachers and helps engage schools and communities in positives behaviours. If you’d like to read the report contact us and we’ll send you a copy.

• VC
  We are really excited to be commencing regular classes on Connect Classrooms, starting Monday 21st August. Please contact us for more information. 

• Live Life Well at School
  Progressing our partnership with GWAHS we are excited to be linking in with the Live Life Well at School Program. We’ll be doing presentations at Orange August 16 and Dubbo August 24. If you’d like more information about this program please click here.

• Workshops
  We recently ran an iKiTrainer Workshop at Cowra, with teachers and community workers from as far afield as Blayney, Eugowra, Condobolin, Wyangala Dam, Koorawatha, Woodstock and Grenfell. It was a great day and we’ll be heading down South again soon.
  
  We also did a Workshop for Mission Australia staff from throughout the Western Region. I was very impressed with their passion for helping our communities and are looking forward to working with them more in the future.

• Check out “Start Something Today”. Yes I know, it’s definitely not our best iKiTip, but it does make a good point; getting started is often the hardest part of any journey. We have tools to help you on your empowerment journey - iKiChallenge, Learn Online.
   
• We all know how hard it can be to get ourselves doing the things we need to do to have the lives we want to have. Please check out the FREE DOWNLOAD. Don’t put it off, do it today - ‘It’ll be alright tomorrow”
• School of the month vid - Brewarrina Power Positives

• Positive Pete is off to Lake Eyre next week for a well earned break. It will be a lot of time on the road but a great bonding opportunity as he’s going with family and friends. Pete is also Staff Member of the Month. To see why, just click... PETE'S POWER POSITIVE

• Thank You
  This month I simply want to take a moment to thank the people who have been so supportive over the years. In no particular order: Anthony O’Leary, Darryl Thompson, Lyndal O’Leary, Kerry Smith, Tony Spiller, Steve Hodder, Jackie Wright, Dr Libbey Murray, Wez Thompson, Nick Learg, Pauline Freeburn, Mel Hancock and of course my family and the fantastic iKiTeam. There are lots of others who have helped in many ways. You know who you are. Thanks to you all.  

What's Good for the Goose... Part III