Welcome back from the Easter term break!

I hope you had a restful and rejuvenating time with your loved ones.

At Park Ridge Primary School, we believe that families are an essential part of the education process, and we appreciate your support and involvement.

In the coming weeks we will share information regarding our upcoming Education Week activities. This evening is a great opportunity for you to see firsthand what your child is learning and how they are growing. We have planned an open evening that will showcase the diversity and richness of our school community. We also hope that the changes we have made to our student reports, based on your feedback from a survey in Term 1, and will support enhance the connection between home and school - more information to follow in future newsletters.

We believe that education is a lifelong journey, and we can achieve more when we work together. By being actively involved in your child's education, you not only help them succeed academically but also demonstrate the value of learning and inspire them to pursue their dreams.

We understand that everyone's situation is unique, and you may have other commitments, but we encourage you to find a way to be involved in whatever way you can. Whether it's volunteering at school events, attending parent-teacher meetings, or participating in working bees, your involvement is greatly appreciated and has a positive impact on our students and school community.

We hope you are as excited as we are about the upcoming Education Week events and the opportunity to be more involved in our school. Let's continue to work together to create a vibrant and thriving learning environment for our students.

ANZAC Day at Park Ridge Primary School

ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that is observed on the 25th of April every year. It marks the anniversary of the first military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War I. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and this day is dedicated to honoring the courage and sacrifice of those who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

ANZAC Day is not just about remembering the past; it is also about recognizing the values that our ANZAC soldiers embodied, such as courage, mateship, and sacrifice. These values are still relevant today and serve as an inspiration for all of us. ANZAC Day gives us an opportunity to honor and thank our veterans and serving members of the Australian Defence Force for their selfless service and dedication to our country.

At Park Ridge Primary School, our Year 6 students are providing lessons for our younger students highlighting the significance and honouring the ANZAC spirit.

Staying Safe with Technology

As my own children are reaching an age in which they are developing their own independence, a question which is regularly raised in my household is 'When is the right time for them to have a phone?' Whilst I don't believe there is such a definitive answer based on age, it has brought about a great conversation starter with my eldest about being online and connecting with others in a digital space. I have attached a parent flyer from the eSafety Commission to support parents as they navigate this space. Whilst the flyer references smartphones as the technology, I believe it can apply to all methods of online access whether it be laptops, tablets or gaming platforms.

The following questions, taken from the flyer would be a great starting point with regards to whether or not they are 'ready' to have such devices:

Does my child have a good sense of responsibility?
Are they able to stick to the rules?
Do they show a good understanding of actions and consequences?
Do they come to me or another trusted adult when they are distressed or encounter problems?

With online platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat increasing in popularity over the last few years, I have also attached a flyer which may help you navigate this space in effort to keep our community safe in this increasingly digital age.

Developing Optimistic Students

Optimistic students look at the world as glass half full. They ride the ups and downs of life in their stride. Teachers and families need to work together to develop resilience and optimistic students. Martin Seligman, a leading world renowned psychologist, believes parents can improve the optimism levels of their children by asking the following three questions to the children when they get home from school.

What did you do really well today?
What did you really enjoy today?
What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

These are much better questions than:

Did anyone bully you today?
Did you get into trouble today?
Did anyone play with you today?

Over time, Seligman observed and increase in the levels of optimism in these students who were asked the positive questions. As a ‘positive education’ school we are continually working with our students to develop their skills in this area.

Raising Concerns

From time to time, all students will experience a situation at school in which may upset them. As the adult, we support them, offer strategies and console them where needed. It is also important that, as the adult, we work through these instances with the school. Approaching another parent about school yard issues, from my experience, never solves any problems. In fact it generally makes the situation worse. Our approach here at Park Ridge Primary School is to raise any issues or concerns your child may be having with your child’s classroom teacher, and where needed, with Mrs Chalmers, Mr Garvey or myself. Discussing your concerns with your child’s classroom teacher should always be your first step. Once we are aware, we can work with you in finding an agreeable solution for your concern. We appreciate our wonderful school community in ensuring we continue to have this approach here at Park Ridge Primary School.

Reporting Student Absences

If students are not sick or unwell, they need to be at school. The Department of Education has mandated that all schools must report to parents when their child has not attended school on the day of an unexplained absence. There is a clear link between high number school absences and low academic performance. Student absences are monitored monthly by Mrs Chalmers and myself, and we are contacting parents to discuss unexplained student absences.

Also, it is important for parents to ensure that students are at school before the 8:45am bell - this is another strong reason why we have our classrooms open at 8:35am. This means that students are in classrooms and are ready to learn at 8:45 am. It becomes quite frustrating for teachers when students miss the initial instructions for the lesson and these instructions have to be repeated.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Please feel free to pop in for a chat with either Carrie, Brendan or I, should you wish to discuss anything.

Take care,

Mr. Dale Blythman

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