Gulgos

From the Principal's Desk

Uniform Review

Last Term the P&C sent out a survey to obtain your views on our current school uniform and areas that could be changed.  Over sixty parents responded to the survey.  The P&C discussed the results of the survey at last week's meeting, and will now seek more feedback from parents, in particular to do with the formal school uniform. The P&C will be looking for feedback on the changes next week.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is this Saturday.  I've sent out a request for Year 6 students to accompany me at the service.  I understand that not all students will be able to attend due to other commitments.  Formal school uniform should be worn.

Staying Safe Online

Online bullying – or cyberbullying – is engaging in bullying behaviour using technology, such as the internet or mobile devices. Online bullying is different from other forms of bullying.

  • It is more likely to happen outside school.
  • Harmful material can be shared quickly and long after the first incident.
  • It can happen anytime, day or night.
  • It is more difficult for children to defend themselves or get away.

Online bullying might include:

  • Sending abusive text messages and emails;
  • Posting hurtful or threatening material on social media like Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, or on gaming sites;
  • Imitating or excluding others online;
  • Inappropriate comments on pictures of others.

There are a number of key ways to keep your child safe online:

  • Remind your child to tell a trusted adult if they are bullied online;
  • Tell your child not to share their passwords with others;
  • Remind your child to only give their mobile number or personal information to trusted friends;
  • Talk with your child and understand the ways in which they are using the internet and their mobile phone;
  • Find out the age restrictions for the sites and applications your child wants to use;
  • Depending on the age of your child, set up your own accounts and ‘friend’ your child.  By doing this, you can understand how the site’s privacy settings work, see what your child posts online and how your child responds to posts made by others;
  • Make sure that your child’s account settings are set to ‘private’ to control who sees their information;
  • Know how to block unwanted users;
  • Encourage your child to only be friends online with people they know in day-to-day life;
  • Remind your child to think carefully before they post comments, or upload or send images online.

It is important that schools and families work together to resolve issues of school-related online bullying. Encourage your child to tell a trusted adult at the school or notify the school yourself by contacting the office or class teacher.

Sportsmanship 

Sportsmanship mainly refers to the virtues of fairness, resilience, courage, and persistence, and it is about treating others and being treated fairly, maintaining self-control if dealing with others, and respect for both authority and opponents. 

 

Most arguments during playtime at Martin's Gully is generally associated with sportsmanship, or lack of it.  As a result some days we may have to remove students from the playground, or even ask a group of students that they cannot play that sport for a number of days.

 

Teachers do not have the time to "referee" the games at recess and lunch times, and just like it was when you went to school, it relies on students playing fairly with each other.  I will be taking a zero tolerance towards poor sportsmanship and will start contacting parents when it happens at school.

 

Sportsmanship starts outside the school, at home playing in the backyard, or during after school/weekend sport.  You as the parent have the greatest impact on instilling the values of good sportsmanship on your child.  We hope then that they bring those values in to school games.

 

PAX Word of the Fortnight: Weeks 5 and 6 

                              TRANQUIL

Tranquil means without noise or excitement; calm; steady; peaceful.

For example: We enjoyed a tranquil evening by the lake.

 

  • Feeling tranquil also means feeling calm. When we are scared, nervous, angry or upset, it can be hard to calm down. 
  • Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP1hRu3HROw 
  • Mindfulness Activity: Think about or write down a place you imagine in your mind that makes you feel happy. There are no right or wrong answers, it could be anywhere, somewhere you have been before, a fantasy land full of clouds, or even your bedroom. 

Every Day Matters

Missing a day here or there may not seem like much, but absences add up and can negatively impact your child’s learning and wellbeing. When your child misses one day a week that’s 40 days of school and 8 weeks of learning in one year. Over an entire school journey this adds up to 2.5 years of lost learning.

 

Set your child up for success at school.  Good attendance is key to your child being able to fulfil their potential and make good progress in school. #EveryDayMatters 

 

 

Let's do this together. 

 

 

Ian Reeves

Principal