Wellbeing Report
Andre Campbell
Social & Emotional Wellbeing Programs
It is great to be back at school. This term we are continuing to offer programs that will help increase our students’ resilience, self-confidence and improve their social and emotional skills. Each week, all classrooms are delivering the Respectful Relationships program. Please ask your child about their lessons and what they are learning. The more we talk about and discuss these skills, the more they become an automatic response and behaviour.
Community Pantry Open Monday, Tuesday & Friday Afternoons-Hall Foyer
We have had a great response to families accessing our community pantry. Our regular days Monday, Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 2:30pm-3:30pm, parents and carers can come along and meet Jeanette, our chaplain to pick up some food items. We have a variety of breakfast staples including long life milk, cereals, soups, rice dishes and fruit. Food Bank generously supply our Breakfast Club program and they are supplying our community pantry. All families will need to do is bring their own bags. If you know someone going through a rough patch please reach out and let the Wellbeing Team know. We have increased our order for food hamper boxes where parents can pick one up from the community pantry. The hampers are available every day of the week and parents and carers can either help themselves or contact the Wellbeing Team. We can bring them up to the kiss and drop for easy collection. There is no charge and we are thrilled that we can extend this support to our Woori community.
Also, there are many organisations across Yarra Ranges offering support and assistance. For people looking for food relief, CIRE at the Yarra Junction hub, have food parcels and they have free bread on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The Yarra Junction hub is open for food relief and they are a Centrelink Access Point. This service can be accessed by appointment where the school Welfare Team can refer families. If you are interested or know of any one you would like to recommend please contact me. They are located next to the Yarra Junction Post Office and they are open Monday-Friday: 9am-4pm.
For any enquiries please email the Wellbeing Team at-
Jeanette.Nortcliffe@education.vic.gov.au
Andre.Campbell@education.vic.gov.au
Kristy.Malcolm@education.vic.gov.au
Breakfast Club- Every Monday & Tuesday 8:15am-8:45am
Breakfast Club is up and running every Monday and Tuesday. Please try to drop your child off by 8:30am to avoid disappointment, Breakfast Club must close at 8:45am in order for the classrooms to start.
Jeanette, Sandy and our team of volunteer helpers run the program and we always love extra parents popping in to help. For anyone interested in looking to help out, either come along to Breakfast Club or email Jeanette from Wellbeing Team at-
Jeanette.Nortcliffe@education.vic.gov.au
Pantry Food Can Drive
A big thank you to the families who have donated to our pantry food can drive. If you are in a position to do so, we are continuing to accept non-perishable items to community pantry food drive. Donations can be dropped off at the school office. Items which will help families include-
- Rice & pasta
- Pasta sauce
- Tomato/BBQ sauce
- 2-Minute noodles
- Stock - liquid/cubes
- Tinned vegetables
- Cake mixes, pancake mix and jelly
- Muesli bars, biscuits and crackers
- Cooking oil
- Tea, coffee and milo
- Shampoo, conditioner, tooth paste, liquid soap, tissues and toilet paper
- Laundry liquid, paper towel, cleaning sprays, sponges and wipes
- Dog and cat food including tinned and dry
General Enquiries for Second Hand Uniform
For parents looking to purchase second hand uniform you can contact the Wellbeing Team any time, Monday through to Friday. We are happy to make up bags (providing we have the stock) if parents cannot get to the school for our sales. Please email Kristy from Wellbeing Team for assistance at-
Kristy.Malcolm@education.vic.gov.au
State School Relief
We can help families who are experiencing financial hardship to purchase school uniform. Please email Kristy from Wellbeing Team for assistance at- Kristy.Malcolm@education.vic.gov.au
Chaplain Requests
The Department of Education has made some changes to the National Student Wellbeing Program in schools. For parents and carers interested, you need to sign a consent form in order for Jeanette Nortcliffe to see your child. Jeanette.Nortcliffe@education.vic.gov.au
Fruit Available
Fruit are available in the classrooms for students to eat. Every week, Food Bank supply the school with a variety of fresh fruit including apples, oranges, pears and carrots.
Head Lice
Great job parents! We continue to have low numbers of live head lice cases in the school. We continue to ask parents to work with us to keep our reports low and to continue to treat and monitor your children’s hair. Please notify the office or tell your child’s teacher when you treat your child so lice alert notes can issued on COMPASS. Reminder-any child found with live lice will be excluded from school until they are treated.
Infectious Diseases
To help prevent and control the transmission of infectious diseases in schools, a child must be excluded from school if he or she has any of the following:
- Gastro/Diarrhoea - until there has not been a loose bowel motion or any symptoms for 48 hours
- Chicken Pox - until fully recovered and blisters have dried
- Measles - at least 7 days
- German Measles - until fully recovered and at least 4 days from the onset of rash
- Whooping Cough - four weeks
- Hand, foot and mouth - until all blisters have dried
- Hepatitis - medical certificate needed
- Impetigo “School Sores” - until treatment has commenced and sores are healed
- Ringworm - until treatment has commenced. Medical certificate may be required.
- Mumps - until fully recovered
- Scabies - medical certificate needed
Importantly, children who have been vomiting should not attend school until 48 hours after the vomiting ceases.
While these are some common diseases, please refer to the Better Health School Excursion Table* for a comprehensive list and updated information. Please contact the office if your child contracts any of these. Please refer to the Dept of Health for further information-https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/infectious-diseases/school-exclusion/school-exclusion-table
Playtime-Playing Fairly
Fair players get to play more games. A person who plays fairly and gets on with the game allows others to enjoy the game. If they enjoy the game, they’ll want to play with that person again. People who play fairly get a reputation as good people to be around. People who don’t play fairly are not chosen as people to play games with
Tips-
- Do comment on the other players’ good moves.
- Remember to wait your turn.
- Get started and pay attention.
- Have your go reasonably quickly when it’s your turn.
- Play by the rules.
- If you go out or get caught, just accept it.
Activities at Lunchtime- German Room
Monday & Tuesday-Craft Club
Thursday-Lego Club
Our activity clubs at lunchtime have been extremely popular. For children looking for something fun, make more friends and being creative they may be interested in coming to craft club or Lego club. Student can also do colouring in, hang out with friends or just make something out of the materials on hand.
In craft club, the children have been making friendship bracelets which has sparked much enthusiasm and excitement. If families have any old costume jewellery at home, we are recycling beads to give them a new life. We are still collecting cardboard rolls left over from paper towels, glad wrap packs. All donations kindly accepted!
In Lego club, we have started building the Woori supermarket. I have collected from families a large quantity of little packs from when Woollies ran the Supermarket little brick campaign. The kids appear quite keen to start this new project and I’m hoping it will generate some great conversations about health, nutrition and all other aspects about running a business.
Attendance & Absences
We encourage parents and carers to refer to COMPASS for information happening at school. Schools are required to work towards IMPROVING THE ATTENDANCE and PUNCTUALITY RATES of our students. When your child is going to be away parents and carers need to notify the school through COMPASS. This really helps us as we are able to communicate effectively with all relevant staff early in the school day.
Attendance Data
Over the time a child attends school, having 1 or 2 days absence does not seem like much but it does add up and can impact on missed learning opportunities.
