Cumberland

    Ms Karen McArdle

Semester 1 Class Captains

The students of Cumberland learn about leadership in a number of ways:

• By being a good role model.
• By taking responsibility
• Being committed

We all have different ideas about leadership but there are common elements in all forms of leadership - that is being trustworthy, being a role model for others, accepting responsibility, and putting in a lot of hard work, time and effort. These are the qualities students look for when making the choices for their leaders.

Congratulations to our elected leaders:

3A - Aurelia N and Owen M

3H - Antonia Y and Joshua C

4C - Stefanie R and Harry D

4P - Chloe W and Darcy C

5K - Tanisha S and Ethan Y

5M - Sophie L and Alexander H

6A - Talia H and Matthew P

6K - Jessica S and Rohan K

The Best Version of You

This year, the goal for Cumberland students is to be the best version of themselves.  I have asked the students to think about how they want to be known or portrayed to others. This version is the version I want them to think about. It starts with how we look and then moves to how we behave, work and communicate.

Best Dressed Class Award

This has been introduced by the Cumberland School Captains to encourage students to look their best. The focus of the award will be on the following. All students have:

• Correct, clean and neat uniform
• Blazers / Hats
• Correct socks and clean shoes
• Neat hair - off face

Girls:

• If hair is longer than the collar it has to be tied up
• Ribbon in hair (bottle Green/Navy)
• No hair dye or streaks
• Correct earrings – plain studs/sleepers

Boys:

• Haircut – not to stand out
• Minimum of blade 2
• No hair dye or streaks

I ask all parents to support us in this endeavour.

Perseverance - An Important Skill!

Perseverance can be defined as “persistance in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success”. This is one of the most important skills we need to develop in our children, as it applies to aspects of our lives.

At school, students need it to learn. We need to tell our children that learning is a struggle. I related my learning experience of trying to ride a skateboard for the first time. It didn’t end well – there were grazes, blood, bruises and tears!  The first lessons I learnt (the hard way) was not to try a skateboard for the first time on a slope and not to lean back once on it – a lesson I still remember to this day!

All too often, children expect learning to be easy – but often it is not and it doesn’t come easily. If we teach them it will be hard at first and sometimes a little scary, but bit by bit, it will become easier until we are competent or reach a mastery level – just like the process they went through in riding a bike. At first it was a little scary and mum and day had to teach them and hold on, but bit by bit they got used to it and could ride it with training wheels. Eventually these came off and they were competent – reaching their desired goal!

Telling children that learning can be difficult  and experiencing difficulty is normal. It helps them and prepares them for times when they have to struggle and demonstrate perseverance to get there. The main aim is for them to really try  and to persevere before asking for help. We want our children to be independent, capable adults, and persevering with tasks and problems now helps them gain  and develop skills to do so.