Community Wellness
Attendance
It is so great to see our first week’s attendance sitting at 93%, with our Foundation learners leading the way on an impressive 96%!
Well done and thank you for making school attendance a priority.
Our goal, schoolwide is greater than 95% and that every school day counts.
As we know, regular attendance builds routines, strengthens relationships and supports consistent learning progress. Additionally, when they are at school, learners are connected: to their peers, teachers and to their learning.
Research shows that even missing one day a fortnight adds up to four weeks of missed learning a year, that a lot of missed learning! Consistent attendance helps set our learners up for success, now and after they have left school.
Behaviour Curriculum
With our behaviour curriculum, as a community we understand that learning how to be at school is as important as learning in the classroom. The Behaviour Curriculum is a clear and consistent way to help our learners understand what's expected of them and why it matters.
We’re teaching things like – how to:
Speak kindly to one another
Move safely through our spaces
Listen respectfully and take turns
Have a go, make mistakes and learn from them
Include others and work as a team
These all link closely to what students already know around our school values of Faith, Trust and Love. These words are in our learning spaces, prayers and now in the way we explicitly teacher behaviour too.
What we’ve focussed on is that everyone is on the same page. In all spaces all staff are using our entry and exit routines and cue to attention. This reduces cognitive load for learners and expectations are clear about how to maximise learning time.
Restorative Practices
This term we kicked things off just like every term, with lots of circles! Not just for fun (but there were plenty of laughs!), but to reconnect after the holidays and re-establish those all important relationships.
In every classroom, learners and teachers have been gathering in circles to check in, share stories and rebuild trust. As part of our restorative approach, these circles play an important role in continuing to build our safe and respectful school culture.
School TV - Sleep
After our well deserved holiday break, it is important to recognise the importance of getting back into routines at home to support school attendance, but also to help maintain a healthy body and mind.
This SchoolTV topic on ‘Sleep’ brings attention to the importance of sleep and the impact of not getting enough.
In this edition you will find lots of short videos such as ‘What role does sleep play in preventative health’, ‘What environmental changes can promote better sleep’, and ‘Why is sleep so important’. There is also a range of articles and fact sheets as further reading.
Overview of this edition - Sleep
Children these days seem to be going to bed later and later. Distractions such as TV, computer games, internet, texting friends and social media are all having a negative impact on a child’s sleep time. Sleep is vital to a child’s wellbeing. When children sleep well, they are more settled, happier and ready for school the next day. Sleep also strengthens their immune systems, supports overall development and their ability to function properly on a daily basis. Children who do not get enough sleep show increased levels of aggressive behaviour, are less attentive and are much less active. Trying to catch up on sleep on weekends is not the answer and can still lead to severe sleep deprivation. Recent studies have shown that many children, especially teenagers, are missing out on vital REM sleep, which is particularly important for memory and learning.