Wellbeing

Hi everyone, we have a fantastic Wellbeing Team with me and Sally. If you are looking for any help with any parenting worries or support your family with home or family concerns, please know that Sally is in every Monday and Wednesday, and I am here every day. I am usually on before and after school duty and Mary and I can help with any questions or queries you may have.

Thank you for being so positive and flexible during drop off and pick up times. Mary and I always enjoy a quick chat in the mornings, and it’s been a fantastic way to get to know you.

This term we have experienced many calm starts to our school day and the children quickly settle into their morning routines. We are so proud of your efforts for getting your child to school on time. Since the weather has become colder and the term has dragged on, some children have needed a little more support in the mornings and we are happy to help. Please speak to staff if you are having any troubles.

This past few weeks Sally and I have been extra busy with school uniform requests and food hampers. Please know families can email us directly and we can help with a range of things. Our community pantry can be open at any time if families can’t get to the pantry afterschool.

Learning Never Stops

During the holidays keep in mind that everyday activities can be fun learning opportunities. Pretending, creating and helping allows your child to discover new things.

Let your child’s imagination run wild! Encourage them to play dress ups or pretend to be a favourite character. Ask them tell you about it!
What meals can you and your child prepare together? Cooking teaches about healthy food, numbers and measurement, science, sharing and new words.
Read with your child every chance you get, words are everywhere! Talk about signs, food labels, and always keep a book handy. Encourage your child to draw or tell stories about things that they see around them.

Thanks everyone for a great term and we hope you have a relaxing and fun holiday break.

Alyssa Ressom- Fundraising for Cancer and the World’s Greatest Shave Event

Thank you for everyone getting behind our special fundraising event on Wednesday. It was great to see students and staff wear pink and support Alyssa Ressom. Alyssa raised over $3000 for the Pink Foundation and the World’s Greatest Shave. Thank you all for your donations. I asked Alyssa some questions to learn more about why she wanted to do the World’s greatest Shave.

“Tell us about the World’s Greatest Shave”.

Many people can raise money and awareness about people who have cancer. People can shave their head and people can come to watch so it’s a fun way to help.

“Who inspired you to do it?”

Last year I saw Jacob give his speech at the school assembly to raise money and to help sick kids at the Make a Wish Foundation. I thought he was really brave to talk to the whole school. Then, I was so happy to see all the students help to make craft to sell. They sold lots and they had a lot of fun doing it. I wanted to do something to help my Aunty Carley.

“We are interested to learn more about Aunty Carley”.

Well, Aunty Carley is a mum. She has 4 children, Tyson, Hunter, Charlie and Darcy. She is a great mum and she loves to do things with her children. She also loves cooking and she’s a really positive and happy person.

“How did you learn to be so generous?”

My mum always says, put other people first. I learnt it’s important to care about others.

“What is your first memory of an act of generosity?”

When I was little, I made a special cup for my mum. It was the first time I learnt about Mother’s Day. I remember how excited my mum was and how special she felt when she got my present.

Feedback from the Yard-School Ambassadors

I spoke to our school ambassadors about the playground now that the works are finally finished. If you don’t know, at break times the ambassadors wear yellow vests and they can help children to find friends, help when they are feeling emotional or give them a strategy or advice.

Lola - I’ve seen lots of people playing games. It’s great to see kids having fun and enjoying their time outside. One thing that I’ve been noticing, is that some people have been getting a big stick and putting it on a big log and then using it as a see saw. Some people sit on it and then some people stand on it. This is not okay!

Jemima & Layla - If you are arguing about a game, we can help you to work it out. If you have a problem and you are arguing about it, go and find someone else who might want to play your game. Remember it’s all about compromise and agree to take turns to play your game.

Basketball Court-

Lola - There have been lots of injuries where people have not been looking carefully for flying basketballs. They have been hit on their legs, on their heads and even on their face. Make sure you have your eyes peeled for the basketballs.

Jemima - You should only play on the basketball court if you are playing basketball. Oliver has said so. No chasey games!

Layla - I’ve seen people playing tag on the basketball court and that is when people start to get hurt and need to go to sick bay. If this keep happening you might even get banned from basketball court so please, don’t play tag or chasey or whatever you call it, DON’T PLAY TAG ON THE BASKETBALL COURT. Thank you.

Rocks-

Jemima - Some people are jumping across the rocks and it’s not acceptable because you could get told off by the yard duty teacher. Have fun but don’t be silly. The rocks hurt.

Top playground

Penny - People have been using the top playground a lot because it’s special and new. But there has been a very long line for the slide and then people push in the line and this upsets people. People rush to have a turn and they forget to wait until the person has finished going down the slide. Then they go down and crash into the person who was having a happy and fun time. This is not okay, be patient and wait your turn.

Down ball

Layla - There have been lots of arguments when people won’t go out in the play. We have tried different things to fix this. The king sometimes makes it unfair and then replay/redo sometimes doesn’t work. Remember, it’s a game and it should be fun.

Sandpit

Lola - Kids have been having lots of fun in the sandpit but they have been not careful because they keep knocking other people’s creation down. This is not okay. Please say sorry and help them rebuild it.

Football

Penny - People have been playing football and they have been tackling each other, arguing and not getting along. People who like to play other games aren’t watching out for the footy games and then they get a ball to the head. Please watch where you are playing and stay away from the ball.

Head Lice

This term it’s been fantastic that we have had only small number of head lice in the school. We 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.

Community Pantry Accepts Donations

If parents wish to donate any non-perishable items to our pantry, we are really grateful. The Welfare Team prepare hampers for families in need. We kindly ask our school community, if you are in a position to do so, donations can be dropped off at the school office or placed into our Community Pantry. Items which will help families include-

Rice & pasta
Pasta sauce
Tomato/BBQ sauce
2-minute noodles
Stock - liquid/cubes
Tinned vegetables
Cake mixes, pancake mix and jelly
Muesli bars, biscuits and crackers
Cooking oil
Tea, coffee and milo
Shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, liquid soap, tissues and toilet paper
Laundry liquid, paper towel, cleaning sprays, sponges and wipes
Dog and cat food including tinned and dry

Attendance Data-It’s Cool to be at School!

This past fortnight we have celebrated 11 out of 14 students who came to school on their special day. When your child comes to school and it’s their birthday, we are bringing the buzz to make their day even more special. When they arrive at school in the mornings, we are presenting them with a lovely birthday sticker badge. I must say the kids are really loving this!

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.

Chaplain Chat

Budgeting:

This week on the budgeting journey I will share with you some tips about keeping the costs down when shopping.

Say ‘no’ to the kids – If your children always are asking for something new and expect to receive something every time you shop, they build a habit of spending. Saying ‘no’ will not only save you money this week it will help them build an understanding around money and the importance of saving.

Say ‘no’ to yourself – Have a think about the items you want buy. Will it be useful in the future? Is it necessary today? Sometimes the things we want today are not necessarily what we need, and we are better off without it. Sometimes we need to say no for now, but that may not need to be forever.

Buy Bulk - Plenty of everyday food can be bought in bulk at a lower cost. I regularly visit the SPC factory in Bayswater and stock up on foods that have a long shelf life. This not only saves money at the checkout each week it also saves the hassle of running out of something. The best way to do this is to know your prices. Check the price you pay at the supermarket and compare it to the cost of buying bulk.

Buy on Sale – Sometimes things come up on sale, you may not need it now but if it’s something you always use pop it in the trolley and store it until it is needed. My recent bargain was a kilo of bacon, the label said ‘was $23.41 now $7.02’ that’s a deal, in the freezer it goes. Kids shoes, they always grow out of them, if I find a good pair at a good price I buy the next size too. Saves on postage and when they surprise me with the ‘my shoes are too small’ statement, ta da! A new pair awaits. Thanks, my past self.

Buy second hand- Many everyday items can be bought second hand, clothes, furniture, electrical. I prefer to find good quality second hand rather than buying cheap new items.

Save up to buy the good stuff- Hard rubbish time showcases the amount of cheap furniture and white-goods that people buy that don’t last. If you need to buy a new item save up to do it, the benefit of owning something that is made to last is far better than the hassle of replacing that item every few years and putting the old one on the nature-strip.

Think before you buy. Having more around your home can cause stress and add extra work to your day. If you buy something you will need to look after it, find place to store it or maintain it. This can be a problem for some people, the feeling of responsibility towards things that need attention around the home can cause those thoughts in the back of your mind ‘I still haven’t done ….’ If we think about what we are committing to before we make the purchase, we may be able to put our minds at ease with less to do and more money saved.

Chaplaincy

Sally Marshall – Chaplain: is happy to catch up with your child if you feel they need that extra emotional support during school hours. Sally is available on Monday and Wednesday’s and can be contacted via email

sally.marshall@education.vic.gov.au

or by phone call 5964 7258.

Basketball

With Mitch