From the Head of Junior School

Navigating School Transitions

This week officially marks the halfway point of Term 1! Given that the first term of the school year is usually the longest, our students continue to rise to the challenges presented by teachers. Yet the biggest hurdle for many of our children at this time of year, the initial transition period to a new school environment or academic year, is gradually being overcome by students with the unwavering support of both Staff and parents. 

Whether it be joining Pittwater House for the first time in Pre-Kindergarten, or beginning a new learning journey as a member of the Junior School in Stage 3, these points of transition as part of your child’s overall schooling can be a big change for students, not to mention the broader family system. Whilst this time can be exciting, it can also represent a period of heightened anxiety. Like any period of transition, parents play an enormous role in helping their children adjust and cope with these changes.

Below, are a number of tips you might like to try at home in order to support your child/ren in continuing to manage the early part of the new school year and coping with any inevitable adjustments that are present during this time. 

• Familiarisation is often key to reducing stress levels. Make sure to familiarise yourself with the School and its programs and find out what resources are available to support your child. 
• Encourage your child to make connections. Talk to her/him about opportunities that exist at School and the different sports teams, co-curricular activities or clubs that they may like to consider in order to facilitate connections with different students and teachers. Parents can also model this by reaching out and connecting with other school parents themselves.
• Set achievable and specific targets together. A transition period presents a natural opportunity to set some new aims such as making different friendships, or trying an unfamiliar sport or co-curricular activity.
• Encourage organisational skills such as maintaining school belongings, utilising the diary to record homework and keeping track of important dates/events.
• Support them when they need help. Normalise any mixed feelings or mindsets of worry during this period. For example, you could share with your child how nervous/excited you felt when starting a new job. Most importantly, parents are encouraged to not be afraid to reach out to the School for additional assistance in supporting their child/ren if necessary.

Pan-European Game Information (PEGI)

As the memory of the recent extended holiday period fades and the reality of Term 1 dawns on our students, it is important to mention the video games your child may have been introduced to over the summer break, which are no doubt collecting dust now that students have homework and other school commitments to attend to of an afternoon and throughout the weekend! 

The rapid advancement of technology has made gaming a significant part of children's entertainment, but not all games are appropriate for all ages. To help with this, it is suggested that parents use the PEGI rating system when choosing games for their child to play.

The PEGI rating system is a simple tool to help parents select appropriate video games for their children. It assigns an age rating to games based on their content, such as violence and inappropriate language. The ratings range from 3 (suitable for all ages) to 18 (only for adults). In addition to the rating, content descriptors for games are also outlined to provide more information about the nature of the game itself.

It is recommended that parents have open conversations with their child/ren about the games they are playing and also set boundaries for their screen-time and gaming choices. This will hopefully assist them in making sure that gaming does not interfere with their schoolwork and overall wellbeing.

2024 NAPLAN

The annual NAPLAN assessments are due to be held for Years 3 and 5 over the next two weeks at school. Although there is often focus centred on these tests and their subsequent results, please be mindful not to place undue stress and pressure on your child/ren. All parents are reminded that NAPLAN is simply a snapshot of where your child’s skills are aligned at a specific point in time, as all learners grow and develop at different rates.

Each year, I continue to be surprised by new stories I hear of unnecessary burden and expectation placed on students regarding their NAPLAN performance. Ironically, overwhelming stress experienced by a student is only a recipe for poor performance. In the Junior School, we have a range of timely, valuable and reliable data about your child’s current academic levels across our different subject areas, as well as her/his identified next steps in their own learning journey. NAPLAN results are simply one small aspect of this collection of data!

Thank you to all our Junior School parents for the faith that you place in our Staff, recognising that we know each student in our care and appropriately provide for them to assist in reaching their potential throughout the year.

School Blazers

Parents are reminded that during Terms 2 and 3, blazers are compulsory for students in Years 1 to 6. If needed, please make a 15-minute appointment via the School Shop booking link below no later than Wednesday 20 March. Your child’s order will then be placed at the time of their fitting. Once the blazers have arrived at school you will be notified. Please note that there is no exchange or refund on blazer purchases.

School Shop Booking Link: https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/mk33r

Winter Uniform Girls K-6 

Winter uniform fittings for K to 6 girls will begin from Monday 25 March. Appointments can also be made via the same School Shop booking link highlighted above. Please allow 30-minutes per child for these fittings.

If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email or phone and I will endeavour to assist you in any way that I can.

'Starlight Foundation Super Swim'

Ms Brennan would like to highlight the efforts of Tilly and Sia (J4), who are participating in the 'Starlight Foundation Super Swim', to raise money for sick kids. The girls pledged to swim 16km in February but have smashed their goals!

The School is very proud of them and would love to see their efforts celebrated, hopefully by using the following link to help them even further https://superswim.org.au/

Thank you so much for your support!