Assistant Principal's Report

The Colour Run was a huge success and an event that the students (and adults) will remember for a long time. The weather was just glorious and the sea of white was an indicator that everyone was ready to get messy and colourful! The surprise addition of the visit from the fire fighters provided much joy for our students as they loved getting squirted by the hose and provided some relief from the heat. There is a further report on the Colour Run in this newsletter with the inclusion of more photos.

We facilitated our third Prep Transition session this week and ran Market Information Stalls. Our new Prep families were able to wander around the hall and ask questions and learn about some of the ways that they can get involved in our school and to learn more about some of the extra curricular activities that their child might engage with throughout their time at primary school.

The Kinder children have settled very smoothly and are enjoying the transition sessions. They, and their parents, are making lots of friends and connections and catch ups at the local park have been organised. 

As I made my way through the different Prep rooms and observe the sessions, I am impressed with the Kinder children’s readiness to begin school, their cutting and colouring skills and their ability to listen and follow instructions.

The last session, Orientation, will be held on Thursday 30th November. This will be the time where the students will learn which class they will be in and who their teacher for 2024 will be. An exciting time for all!

Wellbeing – Self-Regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to manage one’s behaviour and their reactions to feelings and things happening around them.

It includes the ability to:

• Control behaviour associated with strong emotions, such as anger, excitement, frustration, etc
• Calm down 
• Focus on tasks
• Control impulses
• Exhibit behaviours that assist in building positive relationships

Self-regulation is important as it helps children to:

• Learn at school 
• Behave in socially acceptable ways
• Make friends and keep them
• Become more independent

Some practical ways to help your child learn and practise self-regulation include:

• Work on your child’s skills to understand and manage emotions (the use of books is a great way to teach about emotions)
• Use calming down strategies, e.g. try these five steps:
  • notice the emotion 
  • name the emotion 
  • pause
  • support your child while they calm down
  • address the issue
• Plan for challenging situations and provide strategies
• Praise your child when they show self-regulation, e.g. I liked the way you waited for your turn
• Model self-regulation

At our school, we use the Zones of Regulation as our approach to support the development of self-regulation in children. All the different ways children feel are categorised into four coloured zones. 

The Four Zones are:

Blue Zone – sad, bored, tired, sick (low state of alertness and down feelings)

Green Zone – happy, calm, proud, focussed (a calm state)

Yellow Zone – worried, stressed, excited, frustrated (elevated emotions)

Red Zone – overexcited, panicked, angry, terrified (intense emotions)

Georgia Despotellis

Assistant Principal