Wellbeing Report 

Welcome Back! 

Welcome back everyone and we hope you enjoyed a relaxing break. This term we have many events planned and we look forward to supporting your child’s learning and development. 

Magpie Nesting Season 

It’s coming up to that time of the year where magpies are nesting their young. For students either walking or riding their bikes and scooters to school I’d like to encourage parents to talk about magpies swooping with your children about any personal worries and support them with solutions in case any are fearful. In previous years I have heard some epic tales of bravery where children have avoided being hit and they have lived to tell the tale! 

Save the dates-2023 Prep Transition

Children enrolled for Prep next year are invited to be a part of the transition program. 

2023 Glasses for Kids Program Preps-Grade 3

This week we have been told that the 'Glasses for Kids' program is being rolled out in Term 1, 2023.  All students in Prep through to Grade 3 will the opportunity to have their eyes tested and they will be eligible to receive a free (bulk-billed to Medicare) comprehensive eye examination, which will be conducted at here at school. A qualified optometrist from Student Eye Care will undertake the eye examinations and if needed, glasses will be dispensed for free (paid by State School Relief). The glasses will be sent directly to the school.  Parental consent will be required for students to participate in the program.

The eye testing is part of a state-wide schedule largely dependent on the availability of optometrists and they expect up to 30,000 students will be given the opportunity to potentially be seen.  

An information sheet for parents which outlines the key details about the program will be sent home in Term 1. A consent form and a brief eye health questionnaire will also be sent home and these should be returned to school, completed and signed, to enable children to been screened.  For parents and carers looking for more information, please speak to me.

Head Lice 

Already this week I’ve had a case of live head lice in the school. We continue to 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 issued on COMPASS.  Reminder-any child found with live lice will be excluded from school until they are treated. 

Health Alert-Chicken Pox 

This week we had cases of chicken pox in the junior and middle school. The symptoms of chickenpox can include: 

• Low-grade fever .
• General discomfort, illness or lack of well being (malaise) .
• Intensely itchy skin rash – appears as small blisters surrounded by irregularly- shaped patches of inflamed skin. The blisters first form on the body and later on the head and limbs. They usually burst and develop crusts after about five days .
• Ulcers may develop in certain areas, including the mouth and genitals. 

For schools and children’s services centre exclusions do apply. For chickenpox, the time from infection to the appearance of the rash (incubation period) is around 14 to 16 days. A few days before the appearance of the rash, the person may feel feverish and have a sore throat and headache. The skin may be marked for some months after the rash has cleared. Any student with a case of chickenpox is to remain at home until all the blisters have dried up, possibly 5 days after the rash appears. 

For more information, please go the Royal Children’s Hospital website or-

 https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Chickenpox_Varicella/

https://www.health.vic.gov.au/infectious-diseases/school-exclusion-table

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. We encourage all parents to call the office when your child is going to be away and 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 

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.

Breakfast Club

Every Monday & Tuesday 8:15am-8:45am 

Breakfast Club is up and running every Monday and Tuesday. Please try to drop your child off by 8:30am to avoid disappointment, Breakfast Club must close at 8:45am in order for the classrooms to start. 

State School Relief

We can help families who are experiencing financial hardship to purchase school uniform. Please see the Wellbeing Team for assistance. 

Don’t forget about second Hand Uniform!

Thank you to the many families who continue to purchase second hand uniform. We currently have a lot of school jumpers and summer dresses in stock and Jeanette and I can help you out when our Community Pantry is open. Parents and carers can purchase items from $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00. All monies raised are invested back into the school and the welfare programs which support our students.  Please keep those clothing donations coming!

2022 Free Happy Families Membership

I’m thrilled to announce 109 families have signed up and if you have not registered yet, it’s not too late.  Here is a quick tip video from Dr Justin Coulson on developing a positive mindset.   If you find this tip useful and would like to see more of Justin's parenting tips and strategies, don't forget that our school is subscribed to Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families School Membership. 

The membership offers: 

• monthly live webinars with Justin.
• quick tip videos.
• weekly inspirational emails.
• video library which is the full back catalogue of all of Justin's parenting webinars (such as Little People, Big Feelings, Helping your Child Manage Anxiety, Building Resilience and many many more).

All of these resources are based on positive psychology methodologies to support children and get them to thrive.  If you are yet to sign up, please do so here. 

Community Pantry Hall Foyer Open Monday & Tuesday 2:30pm