From the Assistant Principal
Welcome Back
Welcome back, everybody! I hope you all had a restful break. It has been a welcomed return to school, and I thank the school community for their well wishes and prayers in my absence. Thank you to Mr Murphy, who assumed the Assistant Principal duties in my absence.
Being Brave Show
On Tuesday, we were fortunate to have a performing group visit Years 1 - 6, to present the show Being Brave. This performance dealt with the concepts of change, bullying, loss, and other stressful life events. These events/changes often have a significant impact on the behaviour and well-being of students. Students may sometimes worry about what is happening around them, their families and the world, so this performance can help equip them with skills to deal with these situations. Student well-being and resilience are on our Annual Improvement Plan, which we have been working on throughout 2023, and this show was another step towards students feeling empowered to deal with the challenges that may arise throughout their lives.
2023 Talent Show
Do you have a talent that you wish to share with the school community? Later this term, we will be holding our Annual Talent Show, which will be open to all students. Auditions will be held in classrooms in a few weeks, so start practising!
Additional Lines of Communication
Further from our previous correspondence on parent and school communication, the school has stage curriculum co-ordinators who work closely with our teachers in all aspects of your child's education. These staff members are also available to assist parents with any additional concerns.
The Stage Leaders are:
- Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten): Mr Murphy
- Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2): Ms Maloney
- Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4): Mr Green
- Stage 3 (Years 5 and 6): Mrs Burrows
We are all working together to ensure that your child feels safe, happy and supported at school.
PB4L
Our school-wide focus in PB4L in Weeks 1 and 2 has been 'Be Safe.' This involves things such as moving safely around the school. When we move, we walk and stay in our line. We also keep our hands and feet to ourselves when we are walking up and down the stairs and in our class lines.
At St Francis of Assisi, we value the importance of every person feeling safe and happy in our school environment. As with anything, these are important learnings for students as they grow and develop into respectful members of our community.
Our Social and Emotional Learning focus has been on Positive Self-Talk. When we try and say one positive thing about ourselves each day or what we are grateful for, it makes us feel better about ourselves. For example, you might say, "I have completed my homework on time" or "It made me feel good to help my friend." This can change your outlook on things and increase your self-esteem.
Reminder About Wearing Hats
As the weather is getting warmer, we are reminding the students of the importance of wearing a hat while outside. Please label your child's hat and regularly check their hat in the event that they have put the wrong hat in their bag.
Appropriate Television Viewing
Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behaviour. Television programming can contain some violence. Studies on the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may:
- become "immune" or numb to the horror of violence
- begin to accept violence as a way to solve problems
- imitate the violence they observe on television, and
- identify with certain characters and victims
- become aggressive
- be easily influenced
- show immediate changes in behaviour either immediately or surface years later.
Parents can protect children from excessive TV violence in the following ways:
- pay attention to the programs their children are watching and watch some with them
- set limits on the amount of time they spend with the television; consider removing the TV set from the child's bedroom
- change the channel or turn off the TV set when offensive material comes on, with an explanation of what is wrong with the program.
The number of times children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated because it decreases time spent on more beneficial activities such as reading, playing with friends, and developing hobbies.