Principal

Aaron Cox

Principal

We have had a great start to the year by our students. The calmness around the school would indicate that it already feels like Term 2. Our students are very settled. Our Preps are amazing and on first impressions they are the most settled Preps I have seen in many years. Year 2 students are demonstrating a positive mindset about their play resources this term and our Year 6s are enthusiastically looking forward to their leadership roles and exploring the benefits of being in their final year of school.

Renewing Our Culture of Thinking - A place to shine

Developing a culture of thinking and resilience in young children is essential because they lay the foundation for their future success and well-being. Children who learn to think critically and bounce back from setbacks are more likely to lead fulfilling lives and be able to overcome life's challenges. Kingswood’s ethos is that we lay the foundations of success. 

Thinking skills help children understand their surroundings and supports them to make informed observations and decisions. A child who has learned to think for themselves is more likely to make good choices, solve problems, and find creative solutions to complex issues. On the other hand, a child who has not developed these skills may struggle to understand new concepts and find it difficult to adapt to new situations or ask others to do the heavy lifting of thinking for them.

Resilience, on the other hand, is the ability to bounce back from adversity. Children who are resilient are more likely to recover quickly from setbacks and move forward with confidence. This is important because life is full of challenges, and having the resilience to face them head-on is essential for success. Kingswood’s data currently has our children placed below the state average for being resilient. It is collectively the responsibility of all adults to shift these results to show our children are armed with the strategies and skills to bounce back from perceived and actual adversity. We are embracing a renewed focus on our Habits of Mind at school to provide students with 16 research-based thinking dispositions that will help children when they are being challenged. 

All adults play a crucial role in supporting the development of a culture of thinking and resilience in our children. Here are some ways we can do this:

1. Encourage independence: Let children solve problems and make decisions on their own, while still being there to support and guide them. This helps them develop critical thinking skills.
2. Model resilience: Children learn from what they see. If an adult demonstrates resilience when faced with challenges, the child is more likely to develop this trait as well, this is particularly so when adults model a positive mindset. This also means the opposite is true and if we constantly intervene or promote negative talk on their behalf, we are exasperating their sense of helplessness. 
3. Encourage effort and persistence: Children need to learn that success often comes from trying and failing, and then trying again. Encourage them to keep going, even when faced with obstacles.
4. Promote positive self-talk: Help children develop a growth mindset by encouraging them to view challenges as opportunities for growth and learning.
5. Celebrate progress and achievements: Celebrating small successes can help children develop a sense of accomplishment and increase their self-confidence.
6. Foster a love of learning: Encourage children to explore new ideas and develop their interests, which can help them develop critical thinking skills and a lifelong love of learning.
7. Provide a supportive environment: A supportive and nurturing environment is crucial for children's well-being and development.

In conclusion, developing a strong culture of thinking to ask questions and be curious about their world whilst demonstrating resilience sets them up for a successful life. It’s time we remove some of the bubble wrap, not add more. 

Kiss and Go Zone in Front of the School - We are here for the students

Just a reminder our Kiss and Go zone is not a parking zone before or after school, it is a pick up and drop off area only. If you feel the need to leave your car for any reason then please park somewhere else in the street and walk back to school. Our entire school community relies on everyone playing their part in this zone for it to be effective. 

Additionally, for everyone’s safety no parent should be crossing the road, especially with a child in tow, when the manned crossing is right there. I have already had drivers contact the school to tell me about near misses and it was only week one! Sorry for being blunt, but if nothing else is going to get you to model the right behaviour in our community think about your reputation amongst other parents and that you will be forever known as the parent that caused your child unnecessary harm because you were determined to do your own thing, not to even mention the sense of guilt that you will have to live with forever. The safety of our children should never be put at risk. Using the crossing is not a burden in comparison to the alternative.

St Kilda Mums - Connected to community

We had several boxes of left-over materials (pencils, texts, markers, rubbers and rulers) which we donated to our local Keysborough/Dingley Rotary Club who in turn handed them over to a very worthy charity called St Kilda mums. If you would like more information or would like to donate anything you may have to this charity, please refer to their website https://www.stkildamums.org/

School Council - Lead the way

If you would like to support the entire school community, please consider joining Kingswood Primary School Council. The role of School Council is to provide governance oversight at Kingswood. This includes sharing ideas for school improvement, looking at and approving policies, creating interest in the school within the community and being a sounding board to the principal who makes all operational decisions. Nomination forms can be found on Compass and nominations close early next week. 

Student Accident Insurance and Ambulance Victoria Cover

Parents are reminded that the Department of Education and Training does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents, guardians, or students, who do not have accident insurance/ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the case of ambulance transport as well as any other transport costs.