Informer Term 1 - Week 5

From Our Principal ...

Dear Families,

I don’t think I would be alone in saying that the past four weeks have been particularly busy.  The routine of school, sport, after school activities and family life keeps us all occupied and at times chasing our tails. With the busy lives we lead, it can be very difficult to keep everything on track.

The following is a report from a ‘Principal’s Digest’ magazine. It is a timely reminder of the rest our kids need. 

Sleep problems are some of the most common issues faced by parents with growing children. This hot topic has been prepared to help parents and carers understand the issues associated with sleep as well as providing some useful tips on assisting children and young people to improve their sleeping habits.

Importance of sleep:

Getting the right amount of sleep is important for a child's developing body. Parents can help by ensuring that good sleeping habits are practised at home. Good sleeping habits are essential requirements to achieve optimal development and wellbeing of a child. Ideally, depending on age and overall health, children and young people may need between eight to 16 hours of sleep every day.

In particular: babies from one week old to 24 months need between 13 to around 16 hours of sleep everyday, three to nine year-olds need 10 to 12 hours, and 10 to 18 year-olds need eight to just below 10 hours of sleep each day.

Differences between children and teenagers:

Different children have different needs at certain stages of their lives. During childhood, children on average get about 10 hours of sleep at night. By the time they reach adolescence, the number of sleep hours is reduced significantly. This is normally due to some physiological changes and other socio-cultural reasons generally experienced at this time. Teenagers often develop a natural tendency to stay up late at night and wake up much later in the morning. This can be more obvious during school nights, when they may feel more alert in the evening and find it difficult to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

The onset of sleep problems and the symptoms to look out for:

Sleep problems occur when someone's ability to get to sleep, or to stay asleep, is impeded significantly.  The symptoms of sleep disturbance for children and young people vary and also may change over time. These include: sleepwalking, experiencing nightmares (or night terrors), frequently waking up in the middle of the night, bedwetting, teeth grinding, daytime sleeping or falling asleep at inappropriate times, unwillingness to go to sleep and in some cases gasping or snorting while asleep.

Some general causes of sleep problems:

The causes of sleep problems may vary from child to child and are influenced by factors such as the child's age, general health, and home environment. Some of the commonly-known causes include: physical growth dietary deficiencies and unhealthy eating habits, stressful home environment, low mood, some medications, engaging in over-stimulating activities close to bed time, stress (e.g. exam-stress for school aged-children), uncomfortable bed, pillow disturbances, changes in the environment (e.g. sudden drop in temperature, noise, transitioning from a small bed to a larger one, changing bedrooms, moving homes, etc), absence of routine at home (e.g. different bedtimes every night etc), physical illness and/or mental health problems.

And it is not just our kids. After helping raise five of our own kids, including a set of twins, as with any parent, the reality of sleep deprivation is real. If we want to be at our best both physically and mentally, we all need to prioritise good sleep.

Have a great week and hug your kids.

Regards,
Jamie Emerick
Principal.

Students Attending Parent Teacher Interviews

If your child is attending your Parent Teacher Interview, they must wait quietly outside the classroom where the interview is taking place, reading a book or doing their homework.

Due to insurance purposes and safety requirements, NO student is allowed on playgrounds, playing handball, on the oval or walking around the school during Parent Teacher Interviews.

Year 3-6 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Code of Practice

Each year, age-appropriate ICT Codes of Practice are distributed to all students. Teachers will provide students with relevant and appropriate information about the ICT Codes of Practice during class this week.

A paper copy of the Year 3-6 ICT Code of Practice will be handed out this week to Year 3-6 students and will brought home by your child.

In class, students with their class teacher will discuss the content and expectations within the ICT Code of Practice and we ask parents to also go through the document with their child at home.

Please note that the Year 3-6 ICT Code of Practice, once read, needs to be signed by both the student and their parent/caregiver and returned to the class teacher by Friday 7 March. The Code of Practice can also be found on Parent Lounge.

After School Pick Up Arrangements

To avoid disruption to classroom teaching and learning, please make after school pickup arrangements with your child prior to dropping them off at school in the morning.

Please do not rely on Seesaw or emailing your child’s teacher during school hours as a method of communication, as some days, due to the busy nature of teaching, your child's teacher may not have time to read their Seesaw or email messages during the school day.

We do understand that emergencies arise. Under these circumstances, please contact the school office to relay a message to your child.

Thank you for your understanding.

Shrove Tuesday: 4 March 2025

Stations of the Cross: All Welcome

Prep 2026 Sibling Enrolments: ENROL NOW

Port Curtis School Sport

Capricornia School Sport

St John's Way Awardees ...

Students who have embodied faith, dignity and integrity within our school.

We view our school as one body, with many parts, each in its own way contributing to our common mission

(1 Corinthians 12: 12-26)

Tuckshop Volunteers Needed

Can you spare 30 minutes or 3 hours on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning to volunteer in our tuckshop - anytime from 8am to 2pm?

Our lovely tuckshop staff will provide training. Volunteers need to have completed our school Volunteer Induction Session.

Please call the office if you are able to help out. 

Volunteer Tuckshop Roster

Tuckshop Ordering Information & Menu

Our tuckshop operates every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (first and second breaks).

The following information will ensure the efficient ordering of tuckshop for your child/ren:

• Tuckshop must be ordered online via QuickCliq www.quickcliq.com.au  Orders will not be accepted at the Tuckshop or Office.
• Orders must be placed by 8:10am. Tuckshop can be ordered weeks in advance. Simply click on the day/s that tuckshop is required.
• QuickCliq operates very slowly at very busy times i.e. close to 8:10am.  During these times the system may boot you off and require you to log back in. Late orders put a lot of pressure on our tuckshop staff and volunteer helpers.
• If you miss the ordering cut off time, your order will be transferred to the following day.  You will be notified of this on the screen.
• Parents MUST check confirmation email to ensure the order has been processed for the correct food on the correct day.

If you have any problems with the online ordering system please contact QuickCliq via 1300 11 66 37, or email: support@quickcliq.com.au

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