Megan Franklyn

Assistant Principal

World Teachers’ Day

World Teachers’ Day was celebrated at Kingswood on the 25th of October with a special ice-cream sundae treat! We want to say a huge thank you to all our teaching staff who go above and beyond to make a positive difference in the lives of their students. We hope that today they feel particularly appreciated for all that they do and have a day that is as amazing as they are!

Assembly Routines and Expectations

This year has been the first year that we have been able to go back to whole school assemblies for a long time. We have been really impressed with how the students have settled into the routines and expectations during this time, however, have decided to make term 4 a real push towards what we want to see for the whole of 2025.

As a result, we have created, taught and practised some simple expectations for how our assemblies run, what our student leaders say and how the students respond. There are also expectations for teachers and how they supervise their classes.

An important feature of our routines is that children who are receiving Habits of Mind certificates will already have been celebrated by their peers in their classroom prior to assembly, meaning that there should be no need for clapping or cheering during the assembly. Children will use the auslan clapping which looks a little like jazz hands. If you could support us and our teachers by clapping in the auslan way too, that would be greatly appreciated!

Before and After School Yard Supervision

Just a reminder that in line with our school policy, supervision by Kingswood staff begins at 8.45am. No students should be at school without a parent supervising them prior to this time and supervision ends at 3.35pm. Students should be going to Team Kids, our out of hours care providers, if parents are unable to pick children up by this time. Thank you for your support in keeping our children safe.

SLAW (Student Learning and Wellbeing Subcommittee)

Even though it is almost the end of the year, just a reminder that any interested parent can participate in our SLAW meeting. We meet about twice a term on a Wednesday afternoon at 3.45pm in the staffroom or you can jump in via WebEx.

At our last meeting, Sharon Lomas explained the process behind our class creation for 2025 which we do using computer software called Class Creator. Teachers consider friendships, academic progress and social and emotional needs. The specialist teachers also look over the draft classes and provide recommendations, as do the inclusion team. Then finally, the school leadership review the classes, consult with teachers over any final changes and then assign teachers to the classes based on the needs of the students. It is a comprehensive process that we believe has improved our creation of balanced classes over the last few years.

We also had some conversation over the roll out of the Victorian curriculum 2.0 at Kingswood and our student leadership program.

Drinking water

Just a reminder that as the warmer weather starts to creep in it is really important that children are drinking enough water throughout the day to stay hydrated. We have drinking taps around the school and most classroom have spaces where children can place their water bottles from home which they have regular access to throughout the day.

Dr Jodi Richardson – Australian Principal’s Federation Conference

Last Friday, Aaron Cox, Sharon Lomas and I went to the APF Conference where we had a great day of learning and also the pleasure of listening to Dr Jodi Richardson.

Dr Jodi has a podcast all about anxiety called ‘Well, hello anxiety’ and has appeared on tv and radio throughout Melbourne. She gave us some great tips and reminders that I thought I’d share a few of, that can apply to anyone experiencing anxiety and stress. She highlighted the importance of sleep and good quality sleep where our temperature is regulated - this cannot be underestimated. She taught us a few different breathing techniques including cyclic sighing where you take a deep breath in, then take another sip of air before exhaling out of your nose and repeating 4-5 times. This can be really calming and soothing.

She also shared that we need to recognise our own triggers and while we may not be able to avoid them, acknowledging them and the emotions that they create in us can help us to then use one of our strategies to soothe ourselves. And finally prioritising practising gratitude and recognising what and who we are grateful for.

TeamKids

Kristine

Director of Service