5-8 Community News

Dear Parents and Caregivers, 

Welcome back from the two-week holiday! I hope you enjoyed some sunshine and family time. We are impressed with how smoothly everyone transitioned back to school routines. 

Last Thursday, we held iPad Information Sessions for families of Year 5 and 6. Our data shows that students are significantly affected by screen time, especially at night. We are concerned about students using apps like Snapchat, which has a legal age limit of 13, not 10, due to the impact of these apps and the content they can access. 

Students in Year 5-8 have begun their termly novel reading, occurring four days a week, to improve fluency, expression, and comprehension. It is impressive to see students engaged in reading, whether aloud or in small groups. Some students have already brought homework home linked to their novels. Please monitor and discuss their homework with them. 

In TA this fortnight, The Resilience Project and lessons from the Respectful Relationships curriculum focus on promoting positive self-talk and acknowledging strengths prior to their goal setting. Students reviewed their semester reports before setting their goals for the term.  

We also introduced our Welcome Circle to our students which is aimed at developing stronger relationships with the students.

Each morning, we take the time to share our experiences on the day/night whilst sharing our announcements and participating in a range of getting to know each other activities.

We continue to teach our students how we want their behaviour to look in our class spaces. At the beginning of each day, we create daily expectations with the students by having the students name the expectations they expect from us as their educators whilst also, ensuring that they can understand the reasons why we set expectations as a group. This ensures that we are all on the same page when it comes to supporting one another. 

We also want the students to think about their help seeking and conflict resolution strategies to use if they are finding situations difficult. Some of these strategies are really useful and can be used to support children to make positive and respectful choices. We are trying really hard to ensure that if the students have received support from one teacher, that they continue to use this support as opposed to seeking a different response from a different teacher.

Lunchtime activities will resume next week with indoor options suitable for colder weather. Additionally, Tech Club meets on Tuesdays in the Partnerships space, and the Library is open for quieter activities. The Rec Reserve remains accessible for students interested in playing a full game of football. 

Lastly, please ensure students wear the correct uniform. If they are out of uniform, provide a note to their TA teacher. Shirts under school t-shirts are not permitted. With colder months approaching, visit Workwear Connect in Kyabram for school jumpers or jackets. College beanies and scarves are available from the College Office. 

Best regards,

Corey Carver and Anthony Poppa

5-8 Community Leaders