NDIS and protective time for learning

As a school, we need to continue to focus on the delivery of the Australian Curriculum, and teaching and learning forms an integral part of our role as schools. A student needs to access 25 hours of teaching and learning time every week.

I am reaching out to our school community to firstly, consider the preparation of students lunches by our staff. In cases where staff need to warm lunches up for a child, this activity takes away valuable teaching and learning time from other students. If you are able to provide your child’s lunch in a thermos flask this would be highly appreciated.

Secondly, some of the NDIS therapists who visit our school are removing students from classrooms to work individually with them. These students miss valuable teaching and learning time. Additionally, in cases where NDIS therapists work in the classroom with a student, their presence causes a disruption to the overall program delivery of the teachers.

If you require a NDIS therapist to provide therapy on our schools premises, they will be able to work with students from 1 pm onwards. In many cases, families bring their child to school after they attended the therapy sessions. The latter is less disruptive to the overall smooth running of the school, but students do miss out on valuable learning time. We therefore, kindly ask that you reconsider the time when NDIS therapists provide therapy to your child.

End of school day

We have noticed that more students are being picked up earlier than 3pm. The school hours are 9 am - 3 pm. Could I ask that you please collect your child from 3 pm onwards. Earlier pick up times erode valuable teaching and learning time for your child. It may not sound like much but if you collect your child 10 minutes earlier every day, this equates to 50 minutes a week, which equates to 33 hours per year. We will also be in discussion with the taxi services that they need to tighten up their pick up times.

As a general rule of thumb; the pick-up lane around the circle is for families to use when they pick up their child from 3:00 onwards and it’s not an area to ‘wait’ for your child to come through the gate. Adults who are waiting in their cars in this lane should not leave their cars, as this interferes with the general flow of traffic. If you are arriving earlier than 3:00 pm please use the designated parking bays in front of the school to collect your child from the gates.

October is Mental Health month in Queensland

The states focus on Mental Health recognises the importance of taking time to engage in activities which boost our mental health and encourages help-seeking behaviours, when needed. Research shows there are six simple actions we can take to improve our moods, build resilience, and boost wellbeing. These simple actions are from the Queensland Government’s Dear Mind initiative and are based on the internationally recognised Wheel of Wellbeing.

Regularly practicing these actions is beneficial for everyone:

Get healthy - being active and eating well is good for your mind as well as your body

Keep learning - learning new things can make you more confident as well as being fun

Show kindness - practising small acts of kindness, volunteering time, or simply helping a friend in need can help you feel more satisfied with life

Connect - spending time with other people is important to everyone’s mental wellbeing

Take notice - paying more attention to the present and the world around you helps relieve stress and to enjoy the moment

Embrace nature - connecting with the outdoors and taking care of the planet is the best recipe for world wellbeing

Showing our school value of Care

We live in such a crazy world and sometimes a simple act of Care (kindness) can go a long way. Looking for simple ways to show kindness to others doesn’t have to be overcomplicated. In fact, how to show Care (kindness) is easier than you think. There are many different ways for you to spread a little sunshine. The way you decide on how to show Care (kindness) will inevitably be up to you, but the results with be the same. You will be spreading joy, love, and lifting spirits! And guess what? We could all use that right about now. Research tells us that performing an act of Care (kindness) triggers the release of a chemical called oxytocin. This stimulates the area of your brain associated with social connection and trust, which makes you feel good. Showing gratitude can improve your self-esteem, enhance empathy, reduce aggression and even help you sleep better.

As a school community I hope that we will be showing our school value of CARE to ourselves, our children and others. Let’s start off with using encouraging words as often as we can and give somebody the benefit of doubt. I would love for our school community to be ‘living and breathing’ CARE for each other.

Have a lovely week everybody.

Kind regards,

Dehlia

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