Assistant Principal's Report

This week we welcomed another new staff member to our team, Ebony Barber. Ebony will be teaching 1A on Thursday and Friday for the rest of the year. We thank Nuala Martin for her work and for stepping in for Ebony for the first couple of weeks of Term 2.

ANZAC Day

Anzac Day commemorates the day the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp (ANZAC) landed on the shores of Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, during World War I. I would like to acknowledge and congratulate our CSPS Drum Corps who marched in the Anzac Day Parade. It was amazing! You did us proud as you represented our school beautifully. Thank you to Sandy Hood and all our parents and students for your support and commitment. Our students looked very smart in their new uniforms.

The last rehearsal before Anzac Day!

Professional Learning

Our teachers participate in professional learning at least twice a week. Since last year, our teachers have worked under the guidance and expertise of Stephanie Sim and David Mackay to continue to develop and refine our mathematics approach, on the path to becoming experts in mathematics teaching and learning. Our teachers were asked to take their learning back into the classroom and put in practice their new knowledge, strategies and to experiment with some different lesson delivery/approaches. Last week the staff were comfortable to be vulnerable, which is necessary for learning to occur (for both adults and children). Our teachers were asked to present their learning and reflections to their colleagues. I am consistently proud of the dedication and commitment our teachers show each and every day! It was another proud moment.

Wellbeing - Stress Management

Facing stressors is a fact of life, for children and for adults. These strategies can help keep stress in check:

• Sleep well – experts recommend 9-12 hours of sleep a night for 6 to 12 year olds
• Write about it – research has shown that expressing oneself in writing can help reduce mental distress and improve wellbeing. Writing about positive feelings has been proven to ease symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Exercise – physical activity is essential as a stress reliever for people of all ages
• Learn Mindfulness
• Talk it out – using a trusted adult to discuss stressful situations can help children put things in perspective and find solutions
• Make time for fun and quiet – kids need time to do what brings them joy. Some children are happy to bounce from one activity to another, some children need more down time. It is essential that we find the healthy balance between favourite activities and free time.
• Get outside – spending time in nature is an effective way to relieve stress and improve overall wellbeing. Researchers have found that people who live in areas with more green space have less depression, anxiety and stress.

How can parents help?

• Model healthy coping strategies
• Let kids be problem-solvers (refer to my last newsletter article for more information and strategies)
• Promote media literacy (limit screen time)
• Combat negative thinking 

Here is an activity for Prep students:

Please see link to access activities for students in other year levels.

parents-wellbeing-activities-primary.pdf (education.vic.gov.au)

We look forward to the Mother’s Day Breakfast and the luncheon next week. Thank you to the PA for all your work with these events.

With the cooler weather ahead of us, please ensure that all your children’s belongings such as jackets, jumpers etc are clearly labelled! If you are missing any pieces of clothing, please have a look at the growing pile of lost property we have at the school.

Georgia Despotellis

Assistant Principal