Wellbeing Report
Andre Campbell
Hi everyone, we have a fantastic Wellbeing Team with me and Sally. If you are looking for any help with any parenting worries or support your family with home or family concerns, please know that Sally is in every Monday and Wednesday, and I am here every day. I am usually on before and after school duty and Mary and I can help with any questions or queries you may have.
For term 4, I have booked the Australian Smile Group to run the dental program for all students in the school. This is a mobile dental service, where they will provide dental checkups, preventive and general treatment. The Australian Smile Group operate under the Medicare funded child dental benefit schedule (CDBS), ensuring zero out-of-pocket costs for parents and carers.
For 2 weeks, we will have 2 dental vans set up in the staff car park. The dental care consultation will be taught in a fun way so that your kids can make it a habit and not to fear dental checkups and treatment. Students who need fillings or other treatment will have their work done on site in one of the vans.
Dental Program Term 4: 7th Oct - 18th Oct 2024.
Don’t forget our second-hand uniform sale next Wednesday 14th August from 2:15pm onwards. If parents are looking to purchase school uniform, we sell second hand school uniforms. Please keep in mind, parents can email the Wellbeing Team for requests for second hand uniform. We do make up bags for children to take home and then parents can decide which items to keep.
Thank you to those parents for the donations of spare clothing. We regularly assist children with toileting accidents, and we are desperate for socks, undies and track suit pants in all sizes. We try hard to avoid asking parents to come down to change their child so any donations will help out enormously. Also, provide your child with a change of underwear in their bag.
I’m also still accepting donations to help support our activities at break times. If you have any jigsaws, craft supplies including wool or Lego which you no longer need we will happily have them.
When families are feeling financial strain and hardship we can apply to State School Relief for school uniform, underwear, socks and school shoes and runners. Keep in mind that State School Relief can also help families replace eyeglasses. Students can get one free voucher per year which is particularly handy when a child breaks or loses their glasses.
For any enquiries, please email the Wellbeing Team at:
Andre.Campbell@education.vic.gov.au
Sally.Marshall@education.vic.gov.au
Wellbeing Service Support
Uniting Child & Family Wellbeing Program, Wednesdays
On Wednesdays, we have Alissa Bayliff from the Family Wellbeing program at Uniting in the school. Alissa is happy to talk to parents about any potential concerns or behaviours with their children. Also, Alissa can support families with parenting strategies and service referrals including family services and online resources for parents. The referral process is straight forward, and Uniting can engage within a reasonable time.
Parents can email Alissa directly at alissa.bayliff@vt.uniting.org or contact the Wellbeing Team and we will take you through the steps.
Head Lice
This fortnight, we have had only 2 reports of live head lice in the school. We ask parents to work with us to keep our reports low and to continue to treat and monitor your children’s hair. Please notify the office or tell your child’s teacher when you treat your child so lice alert notes can be issued on COMPASS.
Reminder-any child found with live lice will be excluded from school until they are treated.
Playtime- Negotiating
Teaching children the art of negotiating is a valuable skill. They will learn that you are more likely to get what you want and keep friends if the other person gets something in return. Point out they are maintaining good relationships with other children and preventing possible conflict.
- Decide what you want.
- Think about what the other person might want in return.
- Pick a good time to ask.
- Use a friendly voice.
- If the other person won’t agree to what you want, accept that. You won’t always get what you want.
- Keep your side of the bargain.
Ask your child how they have managed challenges this week and discuss the decisions they made-did it help them or hurt them?
Kids love listening to your stories about how you handled friendship issues. We may not always think of sharing our experiences, but kids really "lock into" our lessons learned. They love seeing their parent more human as they can really gravitate and learn from your own solutions to friendship problem. As always, if you need any support around friendship issues please come in and see me.
Infectious Diseases
To help prevent and control the transmission of infectious diseases in schools, a child must be excluded from school if he or she has any of the following:
- Gastro/Diarrhoea - until there has not been a loose bowel motion or any symptoms for 48 hours
- Chicken Pox - until fully recovered and blisters have dried
- Measles - at least 7 days
- German Measles - until fully recovered and at least 4 days from the onset of rash
- Whooping Cough - four weeks
- Hand, foot and mouth - until all blisters have dried
- Hepatitis - medical certificate needed
- Impetigo “School Sores” - until treatment has commenced and sores are healed
- Ringworm - until treatment has commenced. Medical certificate may be required.
- Mumps - until fully recovered
- Scabies - medical certificate needed
Importantly, children who have been vomiting should not attend school until 48 hours after the vomiting ceases.
While these are some common diseases, please refer to the Better Health School Exclusion Table for a comprehensive list and updated information. Please contact the office if your child contracts any of these. Please refer to the Dept of Health for further information:
Activity Clubs
Monday to Thursday
Recess: Wool Craft & Jigsaws
Monday & Thursday Lunchtime:
in the library, Lego Club.
Tuesday & Wednesday Lunchtime:
in the open learning space outside the specialist rooms, Craft Club including Diamond Art.
The kids really enjoy coming along and having fun at either recess or lunch. If your child is looking to make more friends, please remind them to come at either recess or lunchtime.
Attendance & Absences
We encourage parents and carers to refer to COMPASS for information happening at school. Schools are required to work towards IMPROVING THE ATTENDANCE and PUNCTUALITY RATES of our students. When your child is going to be away parents and carers need to notify the school through COMPASS. This really helps us as we are able to communicate effectively with all relevant staff early in the school day.
Attendance Data-It’s Cool to be at School!
This past fortnight we have celebrated 5 out of 7 students who came to school on their special day. When your child comes to school and it’s their birthday, we are bringing the buzz to make their day even more special. When they arrive at school in the mornings, we are presenting them with a special birthday sticker badge. I must say the kids are really loving this!
Over the time a child attends school, having 1- or 2-days absence does not seem like much but it does add up and can impact on missed learning opportunities.
Primary Wellbeing
Andre Campbell
Chaplain Chat- It’s Okay to Be Bored
Many years ago, I ran a youth group, most of the grade 5 and 6 students from the local primary school attended and we had a great time. Over the years, I heard a lot of stories from the youth about how boring it was to be at home and how much more fun it was to be at youth group.
So, one of the topics I spoke to them about during talk time was ‘It’s okay to be bored’. I told those kids that we are not born to be entertained all the time. Now, as a parent I often find myself saying the same thing to my own kids. It’s hard for kids to see that truth as a reality when all the adults in their life are constantly setting them up with entertainment, it’s even more challenging now then back in my youth group days with the development of more technology.
Now days all I see are adults not allowing themselves to be bored. There are not many people who wait in a doctor’s office or at a bus stop without a phone in front of their face, with modelling like this it is difficult to help children understand that they don’t need constant entertainment, they actually need a break from it.
Being bored if viewed in a different light could be good for our wellbeing, it is an opportunity to stop the business, to rest the mind and to take a look around and being in the moment. Parents can model this by sitting still in what would usually be considered a boring time. Try waiting for something without pulling out the phone. Show your kids what it is like to just sit still and be content in the moment.
Kids will always say they are bored at some point, even if they are surrounded by a gadget/toy/book – infested bedroom. The other day my daughter told me she was bored at a funeral! I had to explain to her that we were not there for her, it was about saying goodbye to our friend and I repeated, we are not meant to be entertained all the time.
If the kids do keep badgering here are some ideas to help you fill that space:
- Encourage kids to get creative.
- Do something for someone else – a task on the chore chart or 3 kind things for someone else in the family.
- Clean up their bedroom.
- Exercise or go outside.
- Ask them to figure out what they could do.
- Give them a time limit and make space in your day to spend time with them when that time limit is up.
Helping kids to see when they are bored that they have an opportunity will empower them to do something they wouldn’t normally do, it encourages them to think for themselves and to take responsibility for their own life and choices.
Breakfast Club Monday & Wednesday 8:15am-8:45am
If your child is in need of breakfast, please encourage them to stop by to pick up some food so there are no hungry tummies in the classrooms.
Milo Monday’s
On Monday for the remainder of term 3 the Grade 6 leaders and I will be running Milo Mondays from the canteen. Serving warm Milo including Lactose Free milk at 50 cents a cup.
Kids of Gold Camp
Kids of Gold have sent through some information about their camp that is coming up in October. For interested parents and carers, please check out the following link. If you would like further information, please contact me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNtEUNFf4VI
Food Pantry
The food pantry is now on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons between 2:30 and 3:30pm. Please note the pantry will close early on Monday’s. We have a range of foods, including gluten and lactose free items and on Wednesday’s we have fresh carrots and fruit, apples/oranges/pears.
If you are in need of a pantry top up, please stop by and pick something up. We also have food hampers available that parents and carers are free to access from the entry near the pantry. These boxes have a range of food staples and weigh 11.6kg, so please prepare for that if you intend on taking one home.
Chaplaincy
Sally Marshall – Chaplain: is happy to catch up with your child if you feel they need that extra emotional support during school hours.
Sally is available on Monday and Wednesday’s and can be contacted via email
sally.marshall@education.vic.gov.au
or by phone call 5964 7258.