PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

From the Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff and Students,

As term three gets underway, it is clear that apparently the world as we know, and the tiny bit of it we call school, is going to be significantly different for some time.

We know humans are adaptable creatures, but periods of change and uncertainly often create anxiety in even the most robust of personalities.

During this term, many of our students and their families will be experiencing anxiety due to a range of factors brought about by the COVID19 pandemic, not least of which is the fear that they, or someone they love, contracting a possibly fatal illness.

During this time, it is important that we are all vigilant for signs of anxiety, amongst our families, students and colleagues.

There are some thing families can do to reduce the chance of children suffering severe anxiety. Avoiding unnecessary change and maintaining regular routines in the home whenever possible is a good staring point. Routines provide predictability, and predictability is a good way of lessening anxiety.

Maintaining good sleep hygiene, which fits in well with maintaining regular routines, is also very important to reduce the impacts of anxiety. We know any level of sleep deprivation or deficit has a negative impact on many areas of physical and mental well-being.

Likewise, maintaining healthy eating and exercise routines are excellent protective factors against anxiety. Please encourage your child to spend some time daily taking some exercise.

Finally, relating to family members with what psychologists call, “unconditional positive regard,” what you and I would call unconditional love, it critical. Young people not only need to be loved, but they need to know they are. In these times of stress and uncertainly, this is of paramount importance.

Let’s all continue to watch out for each-other as we get through this tricky period in our nation’s history.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Minack

Principal