Principal News
RAP Leaders
On Tuesday this week I took our student RAP (Reconciliation Action Plan) leaders over to the Eltham North Adventure Playground to participate in the launch of Nillumbik Council’s first RAP. This was a wonderful opportunity for some of our First Nations peoples to connect to culture and Wurundjeri country. They were able to participate in a smoking ceremony and listen to yidaki and sticks. A new commissioned artwork was shared, and this is on display at the council offices.
HOOPTIME
On Monday our year 6 students participated in Hoop Time. All our teams played well with our Future Stars winning their grand final. Thank you to Jarrod and Charlotte for coaching our students. Thank you to our parent helpers that made this event possible. I know that I say it a lot but events like these rely on the support of family helpers and we are very grateful for your support.
Early collection of children
If you arrive early during to the day to collect your children, we will ask you to sign out your child from the office, collect the sign out pass and then direct you to collect your child from their classroom. We do this to reduce the number of children moving around the school. This is to ensure the safety of all children and reduces the number of students moving around the school when they should be in classrooms.
A Reminder About Bike Safety
We have recently had some instances of students touching or interfering with other students’ bikes during the school day. We ask families to please remind their children that, once bikes are secured in the bike racks, they should be left untouched until the end of the day. Students should never touch or interfere with a bike that does not belong to them, as this may damage someone else’s property or create a safety concern. If your child rides their bike to school, please ensure they have an appropriate lock and understand how to secure their bike correctly in the designated bike rack. This messaging will also be reinforced at school by classroom teachers. Thank you for helping us remind students to respect the belongings of others and use our bike storage areas appropriately.
Life Education Parent Survey
A company called Clear Horizon is helping Life Ed to learn more about how their program makes an impact – and they need your help. We are looking for parents and students to take part in this study to help Life Ed understand more about the effectiveness of their work. This will help them to make changes to improve
their service and help to encourage additional support to continue delivering the program. You are eligible if you have a child between year 5 and 8 who has participated in the Life Ed/Healthy Harold Program. Find out more here
R U OK? — The Power of Checking In and Listening
Next Thursday we will be acknowledging R U OK? Day. This is a wonderful opportunity for our school community to pause and think about the importance of looking out for one another. While R U OK? Day is held on one special day each year, checking in with our friends, family and classmates is something we can do every day.
Sometimes, a person might be having a difficult day without us knowing. They may be worried, lonely, frustrated, sad or simply not feeling like themselves. A simple “Are you OK?” can let someone know that we care and that they don't have to face things alone.
The importance of checking in
For children, learning to notice how others are feeling is an important part of developing empathy and positive relationships.
We can encourage children to look for little signs that someone might need some extra support — perhaps a friend is quieter than usual, isn't joining in a game, looks upset or seems different from their usual self.
Checking in doesn't mean we have to fix someone's problems. Often, the most helpful thing we can do is listen.
Wishing everyone a great first weekend of Spring!