Dear Karoo Community,

As we approach the end of Term 1, it is time to reflect on all the growth and achievements that have occurred over this term. Well done to all our students for working on their own goals to achieve their own personal excellence. Thank you to all our amazing Teachers and Educational Support Staff for your expertise in supporting our students everyday in their academic and social & emotional development.

Harmony Festival - What a sensational celebration!

This week our school community came together to celebrate our uniqueness, inclusivity and diversity at our Harmony Festival on Wednesday afternoon. It was a pleasure to see our school come alive with music, laughter and the sharing of culture.

The Harmony Festival began during the school day with all our students working collaboratively in their multi age house groups to explore their heritage through cultural flags, create harmony festival hands and make a wish to add to our Wishing Tree.

Our school community then gathered together at our Harmony Festival Assembly for all year levels to parade and share their cultural or orange dress to celebrate harmony day. We then experienced the sensational dancing routines from the Kita Dance Group, who not only left us amazed with their superb dance routines but also taught us a few moves too!

After 3:30pm, our school was filled with our school community exploring the cultural workshops, cultural story time, cultural games, the 'I am unique' art activity, blue screens to explore places Around the World, cultural disco, the 'Being and Belonging' Exhibition and the Sri Lankan Cultural dancers.

At our Cultural Story Time we had Archer (3M) and Hunter (5D) share their Papua New Guinea Cultural Story. It was such a pleasure to listen and watch they way in which the story was shared with such confidence and pride! Well Done!!

Thank you as well to our fantastic Wellbeing and Mandarin Captains - Layla E, Charlize K, Jack K, Indie W and Jaedan Z for their fantastic organising and running of our Harmony Festival assembly.

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Karoo PS Harmony Festival to help us to celebrate!

Real Schools Partnership

In 2024, Karoo PS will continue our partnership with 'Real Schools.' This partnership has enabled our school to elevate our whole school approach to student wellbeing and conflict resolution, and support students to be active participants in building their emotional literacy and engaging in interpersonal interactions.

To build our schools ability to support your children we utilise restorative practices and we work with our Real School Facilitator Sheila Bollard to do this. Sheila works with our staff and students in a variety of ways, from individual, to group to whole staff professional learning days, always with the focus on building understanding about our brain's development and response to different situations, and how the restorative continuum can support our response.

Please see the video below to hear from our Facilitator Sheila Bollard and the work that we are doing together to support your children.

Child Safety

In 2013, the Victorian Parliament conducted an inquiry on the Management of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Non-Government Organizations, which led to the Betrayal of Trust Report. In response, the Victorian Government implemented Child Safe Standards for entities working with children, including educational institutions.

At Karoo Primary School, our commitment to child safety is unwavering. We adhere to the Child Safe Standards, ensuring a secure environment where children's voices are valued in decisions affecting them.

Our policies, procedures, and practices prioritize the safety and well-being of all children, with particular attention to those from diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with disabilities, LGBTIQA+ students, and those in vulnerable situations such as out-of-home care.

Every member of Karoo Primary School bears the responsibility of comprehending and fulfilling their role in safeguarding the welfare of all children. Our website provides access to the latest information on Child Safe Standards, along with resources from the Commission for Children and Young People. Visit https://karoops.vic.edu.au/child-safety-and-volunteers/ for more details. At Karoo, I am the Child Safety Officer so please see me if you have any questions.

Transitions - Term 2

Transitions can be an exciting but challenging time for many of us. The questions of the unknown can make us feel unsure or worried about what can happen next. When we feel this way or when you notice your children feeling this way, it is important to acknowledge these feelings and give time to feel the feeling. This is because it is important to learn the effect that different feelings have on our body's physical response, as it helps to understand how they impact us. However, it is then also important to continue to focus on the strategies that can help us when we are feeling unsure or worried about an upcoming change.

The end of a term and the beginning of a new term is a time of transition. To support the change from one routine into another it is important to talk or put supports in place as needed for your child.

The supports can look like the following:

Conversation with your child's teacher: Discuss with your child's teacher if your child finds change and transition challenging. They will help you by putting supports in place to help, such as a conversations about the exciting learning and activities that will be happening in the next term that your child can look forward to.
Social Stories: A social story is a story focused on understanding an action or feeling that is happening to a person at that time written into a story. They can be about any topic that is required, such as safely using play equipment, the arrival of a baby sibling or transitions. Your teacher can work with you to create one for your child and then they can take it home to read about over the holidays to help them prepare for coming back to school.
Structured Routines: School holidays are a time where routines are meant to change. However, if your child requires structures or the 'known' to help them, aim to keep as many in term routines as similar as possible during the holidays. A few days before the start back at school, you can also begin to re-establish in term routines, to help set your child up for success in their first week back.
Open Dialogue: Talk with your child about any worries, acknowledge their feelings, discuss how to help, as well as talk about the exciting events that are happening at school in the next term (E.g Colour Run). This will help for them to feel that their feelings are acknowledge but to also learn to use strategies to help and to learn to look forward to the future.
Student Support Action Plan: If your child requires further support. Your classroom teacher can work with you to develop a Student Support Action Plan, which will focus on specific goals that are adjust to the needs and interests of your child to support them with their transition back to school in Term 2.

I hope that you all have a wonderful last week of Term, a brilliant Term 1 holiday and I look forward to seeing everyone around our amazing school in Term 2!

Kind Regards,

Courtney Hoffmann

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