A message from Tami-Jo
It has been another busy term and we are slowly seeing most things return to normal. We have had a very successful Year 7 camp to Narmbool Lodge and Sustainability Centre, excursions are happening across the school and our Years 5-7 students are participating in interschool sport. Whilst there have been challenges with staffing shortages due to illness and an industry wide shortage of teachers; we have managed to keep our programs running with fidelity. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their resilience and perseverance this semester and to thank the community for supporting us.
Reports
Our Semester One reports will be published to families this week. The Semester Report is an indicator of how your child has progressed over the last six months at school. It is a snapshot of their academic achievement but not necessarily a comprehensive picture of their learning progress, effort or knowledge. That can be quite complex.
Children grow and develop at different rates. While their developmental pathways may differ, most pass a set of predictable milestones along the way. It is normal for children to experience developmental spurts and slow spots in different areas over time. Children have different rates of retention and skill development and are able to use and apply what they have learnt with differing degrees of success and depth. They learn in different ways and respond to different techniques. Some children will achieve some concepts quickly whilst others will take longer and this rate of learning doesn’t always stay the same.
At DCC, we support the development of confident learners. This is enabled through all of us celebrating learning by talking to students about their achievements, discussing what they felt successful with and what they felt challenged by.
There is the opportunity to speak to teachers about their growth during parent/teacher interviews in Term 3 however you are encouraged to communicate with the teacher throughout the year about any concerns or updates. The Goals and Achievements published on Compass each term give you a regular insight into your child’s progress.
We also encourage you to attend the Celebration of Learning afternoons at the end of each term so your child can share their learning and particular pieces of work with you. You can celebrate their growth and set goals for the following term together. Whilst it is a celebration, it is also a valuable learning opportunity for the children to articulate their growth, challenges and the strategies they have used. This helps build motivation and connection.
Celebrations of Learning
Thank you to all of those families who attended the Celebrations of Learning this week. It is such a valuable opportunity for you to engage with your child about their learning and for them to see how you value it. The skills learnt through such an experience grow over time and we look forward to the students growing into articulate, motivated and informed participants in and directors of their own learning.
The STEM/Science teachers also opened up their rooms to share the student’s design work. The thinking around some of this work is incredible. I have included photos here of the Year 1 designs and discussion around making sustainable house sports uniforms. They have researched the house names, materials and their properties and designs that would be considered attractive- big concepts for six and seven year olds!
How to support your child
There has been a lot of talk about the challenges faced by children returning to school after two years of interruption from COVID lockdown and remote learning. Many parents have asked how they can help support their child to become more resilient, persevere for longer, interact with their peers positively and regulate their emotions confidently. Below are some ideas or suggestions. They are not by any means an exhaustive list but conversation starters. Please see us if you would like any specific help. The relationship between school and home is paramount in supporting all children.
- Celebrate making mistakes; they are an important part of learning. Helping children understand that struggling is part of the process and something to embrace, not be worried about, is also vital. Being challenged is how we improve.
- Supporting your child solve their own problems is also crucial. Everyone needs to develop a toolbox of strategies to use to solve their own problems. Ask your child to suggest some ways of solving the problem and choosing what they might do and then checking in with them to see how they did. If their strategy didn’t work, ask them why they think it didn’t work and what they could do differently. It is about changing the mindset from having someone solve my problems for me to- I can solve them myself. Of course, there are situations where we suggest you come to us for support as the problem may be too complex for a child to solve.
- The only thing I can control in a situation is how I react/behave myself. This is another important lesson for everyone. Many things are going to happen around children that they cannot control such as children teasing them, not playing with them, finding a task difficult, losing a competition or game to name a few. Helping them understand that they cannot control all those things, but they can control how they react or behave is important- they take deep breathes when they are angry or frustrated, they ask for help when they have tried something themselves first, they ask someone else to play with them etc. Parents can help children come up with options of how to react or behave in a variety of situations and this helps them build their toolbox.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need help supporting your child.
Traffic
The number of incidents and ‘near misses’ continues to rise. The stop and drop space at the front of the school is just that, not a place to park and walk your child to class. This area is designated o parents can quickly drop off their children, continue their journey and keep traffic moving.
If you are going to park your car and walk your child to class, be respectful and make sure you are in a designated car park. There are a number of neighbours to the school who are very angry about people parking over their driveways and are taking photos and alerting the council.
In order to ensure that all children are safe, make sure you take the time to talk to your child about traffic safety, where to cross the road, to look both ways and not to walk our behind cars without looking.
This is also important if your child is walking or riding to school. Please make sure they travel on a safe route to school and that they are aware of and following the road rules.
All children riding bikes or scooters MUST be wearing a helmet.
Panda Badges
Many of the students have been working to earn panda badges for their behaviour and effort both in the classroom and in the playground throughout the term. Most of the students have exchanged their badges for a reward or experience of some type this week. We have had an excursion to the park, a disco and hot chocolate with the principal. The conversation with some of the Preps over hot chocolate was very animated and endearing.
Child Safe Policy
Our child safe policy has been updated, approved by school council and can be found on our website with all of our other policies.
Lockdowns/ Evacuations
As a school, we practice lockdown and evacuation procedures regularly to ensure that staff and students are aware of what to do in particular emergency situations. Last week we had a practice lockdown and it is always pleasing to see the improvements that are made each time we go through this process. Children become more familiar with each different process and we iron out any issues and streamline our procedures.
Eid al-Adha
For those celebrating the Feast of Sacrifice on July 10th, we hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with your family.
Happy Holidays
We would like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday. It is a time to rest, recharge and to spend some quality time together. We look forward to seeing you all return on Monday July 11th.
