WELCOME TO THIS EDITION – Seven weeks are now behind us and we are getting to the ‘business end’ of the term. I have noticed great enthusiasm and attitude with the students over the term with their attitude and behaviour. The kids are well and truly immersed within our high behaviour and learning expectations and this has shown with pleasing reading data and a sustained attitude in behaviour expectations. I would like to thank staff, parents and students for your support and the superb achievements made. It shows the community working together can achieve GREAT things at our great school.
RED TRACK SUCCESS – Congratulations to our Red Track team who claimed 2nd place for the Boys, Girls and Aggregate ….awesome effort! Our team has been training hard and were well prepared for the event and this showed with some amazing displays of athleticism. Well done to Mrs Francis and the rest of our school support team who have given their time to help our team’s success….you did us proud…..Go Weir !!!!
LUNCHES – What kids bring to school to eat for lunches is of HIGH importance. We are all time poor however it takes the same time to put an apple or banana in a lunchbox as it does a packet of chips or a sugary snack. The perfect lunch is sandwich, yoghurt, fruit, nuts or salad. Please also remind your children if they have forgotten their lunch they are to get a sandwich from the office and not to take or ask for other student’s food.
BREAKFAST CLUB – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and unfortunately 1 in every 5 students have little or no ‘brekky’ before coming to school. We have a breakfast club that is run most mornings by our wonderful local church group and staff so please remind your children that if they have missed their morning meal to visit ‘breakfast club’ which operates from 8am each day. Remember empty bellies makes it tough for kids to learn…….Brekky builds brains !!!!
END OF SEMESTER REPORT CARDS - Report cards are due in week 11 and teachers have been busy assessing and putting in long hours writing report cards. Please remember that a ‘C’ on a report card means the student is working and achieving at the required year level expectation. Report cards will be distributed the final Wednesday of this term. Please contact administration if you have any questions regarding the reporting process.
THE FOUR R’s OF EDUCATION - Traditionally there have been three R’s in education; reading, writing and ‘rithmetic. While I am sure that many people would agree these are extremely important, in fact essential to a great education, there is one R that is equally important and yet often not referred to; relationships.
School is about preparing children for an enriching and active life. This life comes from being part of and contributing to a community; whether that is the classroom community, school community or the wider community. Relationships are the ‘glue’ that bond us together, give us a sense of identity and provide us support and encouragement. While for many students forming friendships (relationships) comes naturally, for others it is equally as difficult. If children feel good about themselves and have positive relationships, research shows that it increases their ‘school connectedness’ and makes them feel better and more engaged at school. This can then result in better learning outcomes. Relationships can have a powerful effect on student happiness, well-being and learning outcomes.
Another related ‘R’ word often mentioned these days is resilience; how people can cope with or bounce back from difficult life events or circumstances. Research suggests that for young people, this ‘R’ also depends on relationships, because an ongoing, strong relationship with school, friends and significant adults can increase resilience.
Teaching about relationships is a valid part of the curriculum, and honing skills in such an area, are an important determinant of success in life. Weir State School offers the following programs, expectations and values to assist our young people in their individual success:
- Student support programs and differentiated learning
- Chaplaincy programs that build self esteem and connectedness
- Clear and defined behaviour expectations and consequences
- School specialists in the form of guidance, relationship and learning support
- Committed and nurturing teachers that understand and assist in building the emotional and academic requirements of the students
- Administration that strongly believes open communication and parent relationships and paramount to student success in both academic and social areas
THIS WEEKS PROVERB – “ A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step…”
Have a great week and GO THE COWBOYS
Mr B - Principal
