Dear Parents
This has been the toughest start to a year that I can remember. The uncertainty and anticipation of what might happen has caused a lot of anxiety amongst students, teachers and parents.
As I constantly remind myself, in complex situations the truth is irrelevant, as everyone has a strong perception of their own truth. All we can do is try hard to understand and work to support each other.
To that end I would like to thank all the parents for the way that they have supported Rawlinson PS by wearing face masks in the school grounds and leaving as soon as they have dropped off their children.
Rest assured that we are prepared for any eventuality and you will be notified immediately if there is a situation at Rawlinson Primary that affects the students.
The key to any action taken at school is a positive PCR test.
I have been notified, that the Department of Education and the Health Department will not react until a school member, either student or staff, is confirmed by PCR test, as being positive while on the school grounds.
If this happens the Education Department will appoint a Consultant who will guide and advise us in the process that we need to follow. Parents will be notified immediately.
Many of the routine things that we do at school have been put on hold . Our assemblies, meetings excursions and other whole school activities are postponed, hopefully we will be back in full swing before the end of the year.
Students have been separated into year groups in the lunch area and playgrounds, there is hand sanitiser in every room, that all children are encouraged to use and the school is being extensively cleaned every afternoon.
I am looking out of my window as a mother gives her children a huge hug at the front gate, laughs and says good bye to them as they walk by themselves into school and it has put a smile on my face. This is exactly how to develop independence and resilience and it is fantastic to watch.
Resilience is the ability to ‘bounce back’ after challenges and tough times and children who are resilient can recover from setbacks and get back to living their lives more quickly. When children overcome setbacks and problems, it builds their confidence and helps them feel more capable the next time a problem comes up. To build resilience we support our children but try not to solve every minor problem or disappointment they have. We don’t predict or prevent every problem because this does not teach them to overcome small challenges and build resilience for bigger challenges. Build your child’s compassion for others. Compassion helps your child deal with disappointment, failures or mistakes by being kind to themselves and others. In turn, this helps them to move on from difficult experiences.
From my perception, at this point in time, building resilience is the most important task for schools and parents. It is a 24/7 challenge that we all need to be constantly engaged in. It is tiring and demanding, but luckily, we are resilient.
Cheers
Darryl Dedman
