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Informer - Term 3 Week 1

From Our Principal...

Dear Families

I don’t think that there would be any of us that doesn’t want to improve some element of our own lives. Each of us has goals, aspirations or weaknesses that we are aware of and want to improve.

I spoke to our kids today and, while not trying to wish time away, reminded them that there is only 19 school weeks left in the year. Time is short and we all know the things we need to improve on. As parents with our own kids, we used to focus our children on this at this time of the year. “We are half way through the year, what do you want to work on to help you grow as a learner”?, is a very powerful conversation to have as a family. As I said on assembly, “what are you planning to focus on”?, is a great starting point.

A principal I used to work with was known for saying, “Hope is not a strategy for improvement”. All the research would suggest that people who make plans are more likely to achieve goals than those who just attempt tasks. As I said, it is a powerful conversation to involve our children in their learning. What are my weaknesses or areas for growth and how do I plan to do better? It can be a remarkable turnaround when we have something to actually focus on to assist our growth. Plans don’t need to be reams of paper, just a goal and how am I going to do something different to achieve it.

In the world of learning, there is a school of thought that would say that 24 successful repetitions are needed to achieve 80% competency in a given task.

Change does not happen overnight. Long term change or growth is a process that requires nurturing and support. If nothing else, it is a great chance to sit and talk with your kids.

Welcome back to Term Three, best of luck to our challenge Cup teams in Yeppoon this week.

Have a great week and hug your kids.

Jamie Emerick
Principal

Library News...

This week in our Library we celebrate all Grandparents!!! Please visit, sit, and enjoy a book or two!

Last week we acknowledged Friendship Day, which was on Sunday, 30^th July. We were also busy with Commonwealth Games dot-to-dots and colouring sheets. Our representing athletes are certainly hardworking, dedicated and tireless people, aren’t they??

This term, our students are also enjoying guessing ’What Country am I’? So far, we have had Germany, Bolivia, and Estonia. I believe I am making the challenge far, far too easy …so be prepared for some harder to find counties on the face of our amazing Earth!!!

Grandparents Day

P & F Meeting - TODAY

Our next P & F Meeting is TODAY at 5:30pm in the staffroom.

ALL WELCOME!

St John's Got Talent

Nominations close this Friday. Forms available from the office.

Heats will begin on Tuesday 26 July and continue into the following week. A timetable of heats will be displayed around the school as of Friday 22 July 3pm.

Library News...

This week in our Library we celebrate NAIDOC Week with activities during first break and books to read showcasing the fine authors, poets, and artists of our First Nations People!

This term in our Library our competition is no longer a “What am I?” This term it is a “Where am I?” where the children are to correctly guess the country on display.

We are also continuing with many activities on offer for students during first break being monitored by our amazing Year Six Leaders.

OSHC Assistant Position Vacant

DRAKES FUNDRAISER for ST. JOSEPH'S CATHEDRAL

Dear Parent / Guardian,

Cathollic Education has always been a strong supporter of this fundraiser for which I thank you. As you read this message the donation has passed $50,000. Drakes have introduced an APP. Keep using your KEYTAG or download the APP using the App Store or Google Play.. The APP has some interesting features and prizes to be won.

St Vinnies Winter Appeal

Please consider donating unwanted blankets, quilts or doonas as the weather begins to cool.

Also any canned food to be distributed to families would be wonderful such as stews and soups.

Please drop off to the front office when you can 😊

Child Safety Curriculum

Last term we started working through the Child Safety Curriculum with all students in Prep to Year Six during Health lessons. These lessons will continue into early Term Three. The curriculum is based on principles of best practice in child safety education and centres around three key messages: Recognise, React and Report. Through a series of lessons, students will learn to recognise, react and report when they are unsafe or find themselves in situations that can have a significant detrimental effect on their physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing.

Information about the Child Safety Curriculum can be found at www.education.qld.gov.au/child-safety-curriculum. I urge families to log on and read through this, in particular the terms that will be used in these lessons.

Recognise

The first key safety message of the curriculum is recognise. Recognise is about being aware of your environment.

Children, young people and adults can all learn to take notice of what is happening around them to help keep themselves safe. Everyone can use clues, such as the things we see, hear, smell or feel to help protect us from harm and keep ourselves safe. Clues can be simple things that warn us about a danger, e.g. hearing a fire alarm or seeing smoke, that prompt us to react. We can also use clues to prepare for potentially unsafe situations, e.g. if we are walking alone at night, then we try to use a well-lit route and avoid secluded lanes or parks.

When we recognise that there might be a safety problem we can take steps to move away or reduce the risk or develop strategies that can help keep us safe. For instance, if you are in a busy environment such as the Ekka or a local event where there are big crowds, you might consider what you and your child could do if you became separated. Strategies could include: going to a highly visible pre-determined meeting spot; writing your phone number on a card and placing it in your child’s pocket; identifying who your child could approach if they become lost, e.g. police, staff at a booth.

React

The second safety message is react.

When children recognise that they are in an unsafe situation, we encourage them to think about what they could do to be safe again. They will have opportunities to think about ways to react using real-life scenarios. Our students will also learn that breaking the rules (e.g. saying no to an adult who is behaving inappropriately) is sometimes necessary so that they can become safe again.

Please take the time to talk with your children about what they have been learning about safety and, in particular, the ways they could react if they are unsafe to make themselves safe again. Talking with your child about ways to stay safe will help them to develop life-long safety skills.

Report

The third safety message is report.

This means that when children or young people have been in a situation that is unsafe that they are taught to report what has happened to an adult. Even if a child has been able to make themselves safe, it is vital that they still report what has happened. Adults need to know about unsafe situations so that some action can be taken to help the child be safe again or ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Students involved in the Child Safety Curriculum will be encouraged to make a list of adult safety helpers. These are adults the children and young people nominate whom they can talk to when they are feeling unsafe or have experienced an unsafe situation or feel they are at risk of something that may cause them harm. This list will include a selection of adults who live in and outside the home.

Report also includes telling an adult about unsafe or inappropriate incidents which may occur when children or young people are online. This might occur when surfing the net or using social media sites like Facebook and twitter, and can include cyberbullying, viewing or receiving inappropriate images or messages or communicating with unknown contacts.

It is important that the key safety messages of the Child Safety Curriculum: Recognise, React and Report are reinforced, both at school and home. I encourage you, wherever possible, to talk with your child about safety to help them stay safe now and in the future.