News From Mr Smith
Dear School Community Members,
Parent Resources:
From time to time, families seek support, advice and guidance on multiple aspects of their child’s development. This includes, “how can I help my child write better” or “how much screen time should I allow my child?” While there is a vast array of resources available, the ‘Generation Next’ website is full of information and support on a range of topics. Some of the most recent ‘stories’ include:
- Anxiety in Children
- Protecting Young Minds Online
- Internet Addiction – Is it Real?
The growing loneliness in young people
For families interested, the website is:
School Values – Responsible Ronnie:
As we continue to work on embedding and nurturing our school values into ‘life’ at Mano, I encourage families to continue the promotion of our values at home. Responsibility is being dependable, making good choices, and taking accountability for your actions. A responsible person looks out for the well-being of others and understands we all have a part to play in making our school a better place. Our students will continue to learn, through explicit lessons and role playing, about ‘responsibility’ and how being responsible will enhance and enrich their life. We look forward to the support of our community in promoting our values.
Attendance - Late arrival to School:
We continue to promote the importance of attendance at school. In the spirit of maximising the opportunities and experiences at school, regularly being late to school can have similar impacts as regular absences. Research shows when a student is late to school, their learning is compromised, and the learning of the class is interrupted.I hope that the following statistics from our school highlight the importance of students arriving to school on time:
- In the month of July, we had an average of 11 students late to school each day
In the month of July, our Grade 4 and Grade 5 students made up 32% of late arrivals
Whilst I acknowledge there are many genuine reasons why a student may be late to school, it is vital these occasions are kept to a minimum to ensure each student is set up for success at the beginning of each day. When a child is late to school, they often miss:
- the outline of the day. When students are familiar with the plan for the day, their confidence and self-esteem increase, and anxiety is minimized.
the explicit instruction from the teacher for the first lesson. This instruction includes the “teaching” (learning intention) of the concept or topic and the instructions for the task (success criteria). Without this information, students are significantly disadvantaged.
Families are encouraged to contact their child’s teacher, Mrs Geary or myself if they are needing some support to ensure their children are arriving to school on time.
Gr 6 Camp:
Congratulations to our Grade 6 Learning Community on their camp last week to Cave Hill Creek. Highlights from our students and staff include the Bike Riding, Canoeing, Giants Ladder and the opportunity to strengthen their friendships. The camp coordinator contacted me to congratulate our school on the behaviour and maturity of our students, and the care, attention to detail and sense of fun from our staff. Thank you to Mr Urquhart, Mr Fleming, Ms Schuster, Cyndee and Nikita (Educational Support Officer) and Kamahl Simmons (parent) for providing a wonderful program of activities for our Grade 6 students.
Thank you for supporting our school and have a great week.
Christian Smith