Lenton Season - Week 5

Good afternoon everyone.

We are finally at the end of term and I'm sure everyone is ready for a well earned break.

On Monday our grade 3 students enjoyed a Reconciliation Retreat at Mary Mackillop Catholic Regional College. This event witnessed the culmination of the students’ preparation for this Sacrament of Healing and forgiveness. We are grateful to Miss Nicole Dudman and the senior students who make up the Youth Ministry class at Mary Mackillop College who led our students and those from St Joseph's Primary School in a day of prayer, reflection and fun activities in celebration of this sacrament.

Students from all classes played an integral role in our Holy Week Prayer Service which told the story of Jesus’ last days of life on earth. This event was enacted on the verandah and surrounding area this morning. It was great to see so many parents and friends attend and to join in the open classroom and to have lunch with the children. Congratualations to all our Easter Raffle winners.

At the start of Lent we sent home Project Compassion boxes to each family. By placing money into the box throughout Lent we help raise funds to support vulnerable communities around the world. The proceeds from our out of uniform day today will go to Caritas as well. If you forgot to return your Project Compassion box you can return them at Mass or contribute online caritas.org.au/project-compassion or by calling: 1800 024 413.

SCHOOL FEES: I wish to remind families that school fee accounts must be paid in full unless on a payment plan or have an alernative arrangement in place. Please make an appointment to see me if you are experiencing difficulties in meeting the school fee committments at this time. There are always solutions to support your family in this area.

FACEBOOK: There are new rules surrounding children safety and facebook. Due to these new regulations, St Laurence's will no longer be posting photos or names of our students on our facebook page. We will still have school specific information as per normal, but no photos and no names will be posted on this platform.

To find out more about the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age), please click on the link

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/social-media-minimum-age-and-age-assurance-trial-fact-sheet.pdf

HOT LUNCH FRIDAY: There will be no hot lunches in term 2. This is unfortunate, but, without the helpers the same people can't be expected to facilitate this every Friday. We will review again towards the end of term 2 as to whether they can go ahead in term 3.

Wishing everyone a very happy and holy Easter and a safe holiday.

SLEEP AND LEARNING

Article from the Australian Parenting Website raisingchildren.net.au

Informatin for children aged 3-18 years old.

Good-quality sleep helps your child concentrate, remember things, manage their emotions and behave in positive ways. These factors help your child to be a successful learner.

Poor sleep or not enough sleep affects concentration, memory and behaviour, making it harder for your child to learn. Children who don’t sleep well are more likely to have difficulties with learning.

Children who don’t get enough sleep have trouble concentrating during the day. If your child can’t keep their attention on what they’re trying to learn, whether it’s climbing a tree at the park or singing a song at school, it will affect their learning.

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Our brains create and strengthen different types of memory while we’re asleep.

For example, just before your child wakes in the morning,

their brain is sorting and storing memories and information from

the previous day and getting ready for the day ahead.

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Remembering things is part of learning. If your child is tired, it’s harder for your child to remember basic things like how to spell words, how to do maths calculations, or where to find information in a book etc. It’s also harder for your child to remember how to do things like playing a musical instrument.

Sleepy children tend to behave in challenging ways at preschool or school – and at home too. Children can also find it difficult to manage their emotions if they don’t get enough sleep.

For example, a sleepy or tired child might:

not cooperate in class
have difficulty following the teacher’s instructions
miss out on learning if the teacher is focusing on their behaviour
miss out on playing with other children if the other children don’t like their behaviour.

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If your child is having problems with their concentration or memory

or they’re behaving in challenging ways, checking your child’s

sleep is a good place to start. If you’re worried,

or the problems go on for more than 2-4 weeks,

talk to your GP or family health nurse.

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Many children have sleep problems.

A good place to start with sleep problems is your child’s sleep habits. Sometimes changing both daytime and night-time habits can make a big difference to your child’s sleep. For example, you might be able to adjust your child’s internal body clock with a regular bedtime routine, morning sunlight, regular exercise and a healthy diet. If these strategies don’t help to adjust your child’s body clock, it’s a good idea to talk about your child’s sleep problems with a health professional, like your GP.

It’s also worth looking at your child’s breathing during sleep. If your child often snores, stops breathing during sleep, works hard to breathe, breathes through their mouth, tosses and turns at night, or sweats a lot overnight, it might be obstructive sleep apnoea. Obstructive sleep apnoea affects the quality of a child’s sleep.

Children with low iron can have trouble settling to sleep and wake in the night. Check that your child’s diet has enough foods rich in iron.

See your GP if you think your child’s sleep problems might be related to obstructive sleep apnoea or another medical condition, or if you’re worried your child might have a persistent sleep problem.

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