Principal's Report

Dear families, welcome back to Term 3 after a wet and cold holiday, which I hear is very unusual for this time of the year. My family came for a visit over the holidays and it was such a pleasure to show them around this wonderful part of the country, which we now call home.

Parents and Citizens Association:

Our P&C meeting has been postponed. We rely on their community to help with decision making in areas that align with our Annual Implementation Plan and to help with funding and supporting school events and activities. As a parent, or even a member of the P&C, it might feel like your school is ALWAYS fundraising. You may be feeling guilty for seemingly asking friends and family for donations all the time! Unfortunately, this is a common experience for school communities. You may not realise it, but community fundraising provides the finances required to fund many projects at our school and for education overall. From small donations, big changes can grow in our school – developing our students into wonderful future citizens.

Cashless School:

The school is moving toward becoming a ‘cashless’ school which means that we will hopefully by the beginning of next year, be completely ‘cashless’. Cashless applications allow schools to reduce the time, effort and expenses required to collect and chase payments from parents and students. Payments can be made online and school staff can request and record payments more efficiently.

Being a cashless school will mean that whenever you are paying money to the school it will either need to be done by EFTPOS or if you receive an invoice from the school you will have an option of paying by BPOINT. Additionally, we will not be accepting Credit Card payments over the phone, if you need to pay by EFTPOS it will need to be done in person. Any donations to the school will need to be made by Direct Deposit into the schools bank account not by cheque. We would like to phase cash out over the coming term.

Late students:

All students arriving after 9:00 should sign in at the office and be accompanied by their parents or carers.

Mental Health:

Having good mental health is key to the healthy development and wellbeing of every child. Kids need good mental health - not only to be able to deal with challenges and adapt to change, but so they can feel good about themselves, build healthy relationships with others and enjoy life. A kid’s mental health can be influenced by many things, like family circumstances, school life and life events. While children can experience mental health issues at any age, they are most at risk between the ages of 12 and 16 years.

Everyone, including children, feel sad, angry or upset at times. But if a kid feels like this most of the time, it’s a sign that they may need help. Other signs include difficulty coping, getting on with others or staying interested in activities. Kids can struggle with a range of issues as they grow up. Some of the common mental health-related issues they experience include:

relationship problems (for example family, peers)
eating or body-image issues
bullying (including cyberbullying)
abuse (physical, emotional or sexual)
feeling sad or depressed
worry or anxiety
self-harm or suicide

About 1 in 7 children and adolescents aged 4-17 have recently experienced a mental disorder in Australia. If your child, or a child you know, is having mental health issues, the best thing you can do is get them some help, before it gets worse.

There are plenty of things that can be done to improve mental health and help prevent mental health issues from developing. For example, getting enough sleep, eating well and doing regular physical activity is important for children, just as it is for adults. Long lasting and safe and secure relationships, such as with a child’s family (including extended family and carers), are considered the most influential factors in a child’s life. Mental health difficulties in children might present as frequent or intense struggles with their emotions, their thoughts, behaviours, learning or relationships.

As a parent or concerned adult, there are some simple steps you can take to support a child’s mental health. These are things like taking an active interest in the child, encouraging them to talk about what’s happening in their life and being aware of changes in their behaviour. Seek support from your doctor or other health or mental health professional if you are concerned.

If you’d like to find out more, or talk to someone, here are some organisations that can help:

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (telephone and online counselling for ages 5-25)
Lifeline 13 11 14
Call Parentline in your state or territory for counselling and support for parents and carers
eheadspace to chat online
SANE Australia (people living with a mental illness and their carers) — call 1800 18 7263
ReachOut.com (youth mental health service) — visit the website for info or use the online forum

You can also ask your family doctor for advice or consult a psychologist if you would like more information or mental health resources for kids.

Have a fabulous two weeks until our next newsletter.

Dehlia