SCHOOL UNIFORM CHANGE OVER

Due to the unseasonable weather, we have decided to allow students to wear either full summer uniform or full winter uniform. This is totally optional but we ask that both uniforms be worn neat and tidy until the end of the term. All students are required to be in full summer uniform beginning Term 4 Week 1.

We ask parents and students to support us in the following:

**No coloured scrunchies or hair accessories - The only colour to be worn is green or scrunchies made from the fabric of our uniform.

**No other earrings apart from simple gold/silver studs or sleepers. Save other decorative earrings for the weekends and holidays.

**No excessive jewellery - only a watch is to be worn. Other jewellery can be worn on weekends.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

COMPASS PARENT PORTAL

Compass is St Nicholas School's new Student Information system. This will be this system that the school will use to communicate with parents and guardians on a regular basis. We need to have 100% of parents and guardians registered in this system.

At this point in time, we have only 43% of our parent body logged on. Please see below as to how you can access the portal.

On Monday 31st August parents and guardians were sent a Parent Portal Compass login and temporary password by email. This email guides parents to login to their parent portal. Parents and carers will only be able to access their own student's details and information.

Compass Parent Portal

Parents will initially be able to view their child’s attendance and provide reasons as to why their child is absent or late to school. When Compass is fully operational parents and guardians will be able to use the Parent Portal to: -

Book your Parent/Student/Teacher conferences
View up-to-date class and school attendance information
Approve past absences for your child
Enter upcoming absences for your child
Access your child's Student Semester Reports
Download, print and approve upcoming excursions
Update your registered email and mobile number (used for SMS alerts)
Access information regarding upcoming events and news.

We ask that all parents make an effort to join the Parent Portal and when completing online information (eg. student absence), give as much detail for our office staff to be fully informed. The Parent Portal will certainly make your life easier.

Compass Information

If you are a parent and you do not receive your email please contact the school.
If you follow the instructions in the email and you are unsuccessful logging into Compass please contact the school.
Both parents and guardians of the students will receive an individual Compass login and passwords. For security purposes, please DO NOT share Compass logins and passwords with your family.
It is very important that you DO NOT share your login details with your children. When the school decides to introduce the students to Compass they will give the students their own login and password details to access the student Compass portal.

We look forward to communicating with you through the Compass Parent Portal. Any questions please contact the school office.

COMMUNICATION WITH SCHOOL

Our office is open between 8.00am and 4.00pm each day. For any queries, the most efficient way of contacting our staff during this time is via email.

admin@stnicholastamworth.catholic.edu.au

jgrady@arm.catholic.edu.au

SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS

All parents need to be aware, our supervision of students

does not begin until 8.15am each day.

We are increasingly concerned that children are being dropped off and left on their own, unsupervised by parents before this time - often up to half an hour earlier. This is not a safe or acceptable practice. Currently, students are expected to come in and sit in the Holy Family Courtyard unsupervised and wait. We cannot be responsible for any accident or potentially harmful incidents occurring. Please organise alternative care for your child if your child requires supervision before 8.15am.

PREVENTING PARENT BURNOUT

Below is an article by Michael Grose founder of Parenting Ideas, and one of Australia’s leading parenting educators.

The longevity of the COVID pandemic is an enormous challenge to many of us. Our capacity to adapt to acutely stressful situations such as natural disasters has been severely depleted by the long-term nature of the pandemic. Our surge capacity, an adaptation mechanism that helps us survive short-term difficulties, is not designed to get us through long term disasters such as the pandemic.

There is no handbook for functioning in a pandemic however it’s apparent that we need to accept that life will probably be different for some time. Putting in place strategies that maintain our personal wellbeing is now a priority.

Ironically, many of us are denied self-care activities as a result of the pandemic. For many people coffee with friends, a massage or a visit to the gym are the types of self care activities that are now out of reach, so flexibility and resourcefulness is needed.

Here’s some researched-based strategies to practice at home that will help develop feelings of equilibrium and calm.

Take some deep breaths

Benefits

Neuroscience shows us how breathing shifts the brain into different states. Short, sharp breaths send a message to the brain that we are moving, even though we may be sitting in a chair. Conversely, slow, rhythmic breathing tells the brain that we’re calm and feeling good. It’s the quickest way to engage the body’s relaxation response.

Implementation tips

Make regular deep breathing part of your day. Choose a time of the day that suits you to practise and stick to it. Consider linking deep breathing to regular activity such as before the start of the day, during lunchtimes, or when you take a daily walk.

Create mindful moments

Benefits

The human mind is restless, wandering all over the place. This is exhausting, particularly for anxious personality types. Mindfulness is a simple way to make your wandering mind rest and settle into the present, closing the fight or flight response in our amygdala, the part of the brain which plays an important role in emotion and behaviour.

Implementation tips

Mindfulness can be practised anywhere, anytime, such as when we’re eating lunch, taking a walk or sitting in a chair at home. It can be done in short two to five minute sessions, which means it can be squeezed in between many regular commitments.

Get moving

Benefits

Exercise is a healthy way to improve mood, relieve tension and prepare for sleep. Endorphins, the feel-good chemicals that increase feelings of wellbeing, are released which explains why many people get hooked on running, walking and other forms of movement.

Implementation tips

Exercise can easily be set aside when life pressures mount, unless it’s embedded in your lifestyle. A Penn State University study found 30 minutes of exercise a day has a significantly measurable impact on a person’s effectiveness and wellbeing. The study’s founders recommend that people make use of hidden moments such as power walking from place to place, standing and moving around more, turning wait time into movement and stretching time, and getting up ten minutes earlier to exercise and set the movement tone for the day. These are simple measures that every person can do regardless of how busy they are.

Find green

Benefits

Science supports the impact of green time on our mental health. Researchers have found a direct correlation between time spent in natural environments and a lowering of cortisol levels, the stress hormone that helps maintain our anxious states. The human brain was designed to cope with outdoor living, so it feels most comfortable in that environment.

Implementation tips

Visiting the bush or beach may be out for now but a daily walk in a park, garden, or backyard will bring similar wellbeing benefits. Bring some green inside with some indoor plants strategically placed at home. Regular green time is a wonderful natural remedy for anxiety and stress and a natural antidote for many of the mental health problems caused by increased screen time.

Closing

If you’re already practicing self-care then set aside any feelings of guilt and simply enjoy the calm it brings. If looking after yourself has never been a high priority then now is a great time to start. Begin with small steps – pick one or two activities and build from there. The key is to make these wellbeing treats habit-forming behaviours so that they become a regular part of your daily life.

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