Hey there!
We're so proud of all of the amazing things that your children achieve and the teachers deliver in our amazing little school and we love to talk all about them in our fortnightly newsletter. But, we've noticed that it's not being read quite as much as we would like. So, we're trialing a new format that can easily be read on your phone or computer and we really hope it gets more of you reading and staying informed about all of the amazing things that happen here. We'd love your feedback so please let us know if you have any thoughts on the matter.
| Tuesday 2nd April 5:30pm | Information/Social Night |
| Friday 5th April 2:30pm | Last Day - Early Finish |
| Monday 22nd April | Easter Monday - No School |
| Tuesday 23rd April | Start Term Two |
| Thursday 25th April | Anzac Day - No School |
| Saturday 27th April | School Working Bee |
| Friday 7th June | Curriculum Day - No School |
| Monday 10th June | Queen's Birthday - No School |
We've now got all of these dates, plus LOADS more synced to the SkoolBag App. If you haven't already got it downloaded, click here.
As we near the end of Term One I find we've been having a lot of discussions at school around what we've achieved and what we're looking forward to achieving this year.
The students are settled in their classrooms and the teachers are in the groove of things in their new grades, our bands are in session and the students are learning more about themselves and their classmates every day. The teachers have been learning a lot as well, with Felicity, Carla and I extending our knowledge at Feuerstein Method Training last week, and Chan and Hayden in the city doing the same this week. We've been broadening our school network as well and look forward to the educational, social and professional opportunities that will come from continuing to build our relationships with the local schools in our area.
We are all so lucky to each play our parts in this beautiful school and we each play a vital and fortunate part in helping to create strong, resilient, energetic young children that, upon leaving our little STAPS, will be ready and raring to take on their next set of life goals, be it in the classroom, the sporting field or even on stage!
We have a lot of great new plans that we'll be starting in Term Two and we can't wait to tell you all about them next week at our Information Night!!
Thoughtful - Kind - Being your Best - Proactive - Resilient - Connected
As part of our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support Journey, we have lead discussions with staff and students to find out what values we hold dear and wish to promote in our school. The values above reflect the discussions that we've had thus far and now, we'd like to hear from you! We'll have an activity set up next Tuesday night that will allow you to share your opinion with us. We hope to create some values that will not simply reflect what we want for our classrooms but our wider community as well!
Late Arrivals
We all run late sometimes. For your child, arriving late to school occasionally won't cause major disruption. Inevitably, children will feel sick or tired some mornings, or other situations will prevent them from being on time. But chronic lateness eventually takes its toll on a child's overall educational experience. According to the national initiative Attendance Works, missing just 10 percent of the school year in the early grades causes many students to struggle in primary school, and lateness in later grades is associated with increased failure and dropout rates. Fortunately, you can help prevent tardiness from becoming frequent enough to negatively impact their child's school life. For more information on the importance of getting to school on time, please click here.
School Fees
You will all be receiving a reminder notice this week about School Fees. These payments are really important as they pay for the classroom requisites that your child needs in the classroom. If you need to organise a payment plan, please pop in and see Michelle in the Office on Monday, Wednesday or Friday.
We’re so proud of the students that earned awards last week. Their behaviour and attitudes within the school yard are to be celebrated by all! Well Done to Sam, Eli, Lumi, Milly, Jango, Rahni, Tom, Adele and Jett.
Dear Parents,
Starting next term, there will be changes to our OSHC fee structure.
Unfortunately, after exploring all options, we have discovered that we are no longer eligible to receive any funding for our OSHC program. In order to continue to provide this essential service, we are left with no choice but to increase our fees.
As of April 23rd, fees will be as follows:
- Annual Registration Fee $10 / family.
- Before School $18 / session.
- After School $27 / session.
Please note that bookings for before and after school care require 24 hours notice. Bookings made with less than 24 hours notice will incur a $5 casual fee per session.
A 'no show' will incur a $15 fee.
A 'late collection fee' of $1 per minute per child will be charged from 6pm.
Please see Hayley, Liv or Mel B if you have any queries.
This week in OSHC we continued our Harry Potter craft making. Students continued to make their special wands while others began making their monster/spell books! Everyone got to select their favourite colour combinations and create a crazy fluffy book of their own. To do this we learned how to felt using a felting needle and wool. Take a look at how amazing their books turned out!
This term the 2/3/4 students have been lucky enough to practise meditation and mindfulness over 4 sessions with wonderful Bec! We have just loved having Bec come in as a parent expert to share her knowledge and thank her so much for her time. Below are some of the benefits of mindfulness in schools.
Solid scientific evidence suggests that mindfulness interventions improve attention, self-control, emotional resilience, memory and immune response.
Attention
Strengthens our "mental muscle" for bringing focus back where we want it, when we want it.
Emotional Regulation
Observing our emotions helps us recognize when they occur, to see their transient nature, and to change how we respond to them.
Adaptability
Becoming aware of our patterns enables us to gradually change habitual behaviours wisely.
Compassion
Awareness of our own thoughts, emotions, and senses grows our understanding of what other people are experiencing.
Calming
Breathing and other mindfulness practices relax the body and mind, giving access to peace independent of external circumstances.
Resilience
Seeing things objectively reduces the amount of narrative we add to the world's natural ups and downs, giving us greater balance.
A huge thank you to Nat Stock for organising a special celebration for Harmony Day last week.
Each child brought a special plate of food to eat from somewhere around the world and it was lovely to see such a broad range of exotic cuisines laid out on the table. Thanks to the parents who joined us on the day. We loved spending the time with you.
