Principal's Message
Student Absences
The last couple of weeks have certainly seen an increase in students missing school due to colds and flu. My own children have been hit by this also, with my husband juggling caring for them whilst also being on nightshift. Our community is very responsible in keeping students home when they are unwell and we thank you for that, helps us to avoid the inevitable spread! In order to ensure our attendance data is accurate, we now have some allocated staff, mostly Fiona or Sonia to calling families of students with unexplained absences at recess time to check in. If you are able to get onto Compass and provide a reason for your child’s absence we greatly appreciate it, otherwise we will be in touch to check in you are all ok and to confirm the reason for the absence.
Student Wellbeing Programs
Paul and Sonia are making great headway with our Student Wellbeing focus. We have some great small-group programs launching soon around further building our student’s self-confidence, understanding of themselves as individuals and also their ability to work well in teams. Our fortnightly PIVOT surveys are continuing where we ask students questions like:
How have you been feeling this week?
Do you ask for help when you need it?
Do you feel like you belong at school?
Is school a safe place for you?
How are you going with sleep?
How are you going with school work?
How are you going this week with friends?
How are you going this week with health?
Interestingly in the last round of surveys 21/73 Year 3-6 student suggested that getting enough sleep was tricky, almost a third of our senior students. Here is some information below parents may find helpful around children and sleep:
School-age children: When and How much they sleep from www.raisingchildren.net.au
Children aged 5-11 years need 9-11 hours of sleep a night.
Primary school-age children are usually tired after school and might look forward to bedtime from about 7.30 pm.
Positive bedtime routines for school-age children
Bedtime routines help school-age children fall asleep. At this age, your child might be more independent with things like brushing their teeth, but they’ll probably still enjoy quiet play, reading, gentle chat and cuddles with you as part of their bedtime routine.
Even as your child becomes more independent or starts to have a later bedtime, it’s still a good idea for them to have a bedtime routine.
Here’s an example of a bedtime routine for a school-age child:
- Your child does homework before dinner if they can, so that they can relax before bed.
- Your child has a bath or shower.
- Your child spends time doing relaxing things like drawing, listening to music or playing a game. Your child is likely to get to sleep more quickly if they avoid screens in the hour before bed.
- You and your child share a story in bed. You can read to your child or ask your child to read to you.
- You and your child have a cuddle and a kiss goodnight.
- You or your child turns out the light.
Our student wellbeing officers follow up with students who indicate they are feeling poorly about friendships or belonging at school and our teachers follow up with students who respond with negative or neutral feelings about school work.
If you have any concerns about your child’s wellbeing or think they would benefit from a chat with our Wellbeing Officers you are welcome to refer them here: https://tinyurl.com/WELLBEINGLPPS
UFLI Success
Our end of term assessments have brought to our attention to see some exciting growth in our Prep – Year 2 students reading abilities this semester. You may remember that this year our Junior School staff undertook some professional development in the systematic phonics program UFLI.
UFLI Phonics is a comprehensive literacy program designed to enhance children's reading and spelling skills through systematic phonics instruction. By breaking down words into their individual sounds and teaching the corresponding letter patterns, UFLI Phonics equips children with the foundational skills needed to decode words and become proficient readers. This approach not only improves reading fluency but also enhances spelling and writing abilities. With UFLI Phonics, parents can feel confident that their children are receiving evidence-based instruction that lays a strong foundation for lifelong literacy success. Great job Junior School staff, students and families who have assisted us by completing home practice!
Paint and Sip
A big thank you to our Parents and Friends Association who organised a ‘Paint and Sip’ evening last weekend as a bit of a belated Mother’s Day celebration. Thank you too to those who bought tickets to the event and came along to support our school. Whilst we didn’t make significant funds from the event, the investment in our school community and building relationships is just as important.
Keep an eye out for Student Semester Reports and Parent Teacher Interviews
Please be aware that our teaching staff are currently completing student assessment and reporting in preparation for the reports to be sent out to you all electronically via Compass on Tuesday 18th June.
Please also note that Parent Teacher Interviews will run on the afternoon/evening of Thursday 20th June. A notification will be sent out on Compass in the next day or so to allow parents to sign up for their preferred time.
Crossing Update
Thank you to the parents who have got in touch with us to discuss concerns regarding the school crossing on Warburton Hwy. School Council has forwarded a letter to Yarra Ranges Council and Cr Jim Child regarding the crossing and its supervision. The issue is now with Senor management and I’m sure we will see an improvement in the service provided to our community.
Virtual Tour
See you around our place,
Laura Caddy
Principal