Dawson Park Primary School Newsletter

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

Last Wednesday afternoon we had the pleasure of having Ms. Dorina Cox as our guest speaker. Ms Cox spoke about Aboriginal culture and the importance of having strong relationships. Her talk was both informative and enjoyable. Ms Cox will work with us again on the Aboriginal Framework in term four

 Musical

Our students are very busy rehearsing for our musical and I am very impressed with their talent. Mrs Sisson, Mrs Nelson and Mrs Hilton have been working extremely hard to get it just right. On Sunday morning our very energetic staff gave up time to come to school and paint props for the musical. This is what makes our learning community so special.

Nature Playground

Work on stage two of our Nature Playground will commence in week ten we as a learning community are very excited about this.

Library

My staff have been very busy clearing out the library of old furniture and disposing of unwanted and old resources in preparation for our new furniture. I would like to acknowledge the great work of Kate Charlton, Holly Whittle, Tara Mazzucchelli and Merrilyn in bringing this about.

Sports Carnival

 This Friday we will be holding our Sports Carnival on the oval. This annual event is a highlight of the school year. In light of COVID- 19 we are very lucky to be able to host such an event. Please be aware of social distancing and adhere to all measures we have put in place. No parent will be permitted to enter the faction bays during the carnival. Your support in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Leave

For the next two weeks I will be on leave Mr. Kevin Hogg in collaboration with Mrs Aim, Miss Whittle and Mrs Raulinaitis will be looking after the school.

 

Cheers

Pauline

Hello everyone,
My name is Kevin Hogg and I am so very lucky to be the Acting Principal at Dawson Park Primary School until the 11th of September while Mrs Johnson is on leave. When not here at DPPS, I am the Deputy Principal at Canning Vale Primary School. I am looking forward to getting out and meeting all of the students and parents as I have heard so many good things about the school, so if you see me around the school grounds, please stop me to say ‘hi’ and have a chat. Some conversation starters for you are: I am a mad keen West Coast Eagles Fan; I am an absolute cricket tragic; I lived in the Kimberley for 9 years, and my wife and I have a 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son, both little ginger ninjas!

When first walking onto the school grounds, I was blown away by how beautiful the school looks, especially at this time of the year. I look forward to spending the next few weeks out and about with the kids and staff here at Dawson Park Primary School.  

Our canteen will continue to open on Friday’s only.

They will be taking online and cash orders (placed before 9am) at the window. Recess and Lunch orders must be placed by 9 am. There will be no purchasing of recess items during the recess break. Students may purchase ice-creams from the window during the lunch break.

 https://www.quickcliq.com.au

 

Parenting is one of the most challenging and demanding roles in life. It’s also one of the most important as it has such a direct influence on our children. How we parent, influences the development of important life skills and the beliefs our children develop about themselves, others and the world. Good parenting (not perfect, there’s no such thing!) requires an awareness of and engagement with one’s own inner world as well as the external work involved in nurturing and caring for our children. No small task.

Mindfulness can be enormously beneficial in helping us become more aware of our inner life as parents – of our habitual, automatic thought patterns and reactions; of the preconceived ideas we may have about our children; of our hopes, expectations and fears for them. Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our emotions before they trigger automatic, knee-jerk reactions. We get better at responding, rather than reacting. Mindfulness also helps us try to see things from our child’s point of view and see more clearly what their needs are.

Mindfulness also supports the external work of nurturing and caring for our children by helping us be more present, compassionate and patient as we parent – both with ourselves as well as with our children. It’s not about being a perfect parent but working on being more present and aware with ourselves and with our children.

More information can be found here: https://www.smilingmind.com.au/at-home

Dawson Park Primary School has implemented the Smiling Mind Program into every classroom four days a week.

Daily routines help all families get through everyday tasks. Routines can also build family bonds. A good routine caters for the needs of all family members.

Routines: the basics

Routines are how families organise themselves to get things done, spend time together and have fun. Every family has its own unique routines. Routines help family members know who should do what, when, in what order and how often.

For example, your family might have:

• daily routines for work and school mornings, bath time, bedtime, mealtimes, greetings and goodbyes
• weekly routines for housework, like washing and cleaning
• other routines involving holidays and extended family get-togethers.

Family life is often smoother with a few routines, but there’s more to routines than this.

Routines also let your children know what’s important to your family. For example, really special routines are sometimes called rituals. These can help strengthen your shared beliefs and values, and build a sense of belonging and togetherness in your family.

Maintaining normal daily routines can make it easier for children to deal with stressful events, like the birth of a new child, a divorce, the illness or death of a family member, or a move to a new city or country.Children: why routines are good for them

Some children like and need routine more than others. In general, though, routines have the following benefits for children:

Safety and belongingAn organised and predictable home environment helps children and teenagers feel safe, secure and looked after, particularly in stressful times or during difficult stages of development, like puberty.

Also, routines built around having fun or spending time together strengthen family relationships. For example, reading a story together before bed or going for a special snack after soccer practice can become a special time for you and your child to share.

Skills and responsibilityHaving chores to do in family routines helps children and teenagers develop a sense of responsibility and some basic skills like the ability to manage time. These are skills children can use for life.

And when children can do their parts of the routine with less help or supervision from you, it also helps them become more independent.

Healthy habitsRoutines can be a way of teaching younger children healthy habits, like brushing their teeth, taking medicine regularly, getting some exercise, or washing their hands after using the toilet.

This means that routines can be good for children’s health. For example, children who wash their hands more regularly might be less likely to get colds and other common illnesses. Also, routines can reduce stress, and lower stress is good for children’s immune systems.

Daily routines help set our body clocks too. For example, bedtime routines help children’s bodies ‘know’ when it’s time to sleep. This can be a big help when children reach adolescence and their body clocks start to change. 

It can be easy to over-schedule family life. Routines have lots of benefits, but it’s also good for children and parents to have free time to play, relax or be creative.Parents: why routines are good for you

Routines take some effort to create. But once you’ve set them up, they have lots of benefits:

• Routines help you get through your daily tasks and free up time for other things.
• Regular and consistent routines can help you feel like you’re doing a good job as a parent.
• When life is busy, routines can help you feel more organised and in control, which lowers stress.
• Routines often free you from having to resolve disputes and make decisions. For example, if Sunday night is pizza night, no-one needs to argue about what’s for dinner.

If you feel you haven’t got enough time to spend with your children, you could think about whether your children could be more involved in existing routines. How could you change routines to include your children? And if there are activities you want to do but can’t find time for, can you include some of them in your family’s regular routine?

What makes a good daily routine?

There are no rules about how many or what kind of routines you should have. All families are different, and what works well for one family might not work for another.

Your routines need to be based on your individual family needs. But effective routines do share three key features:

• Well planned: in a good routine, everyone understands their roles, knows what they need to do and sees their roles as reasonable and fair. For example, your children know that they take turns with washing up and drying up each night after dinner.
• Regular: good routines become part of everyday family life. For example, you might all look forward to Sunday night barbecues with your children’s grandparents.
• Predictable: in a good routine, things happen in the same order each time. For example, you always wash school uniforms on the weekend, so you know they’ll be ready for Monday morning.

Routines for children with disabilities can be a big help. They can be even more important for children who find it hard to understand or cope with change.Toddlers and preschoolers: ideas for daily routines

For toddlers and preschoolers, you could have routines for:

• getting ready in the morning
• getting together with other children to play, perhaps at playgroup
• eating meals
• spending time playing and talking together each day
• reading books or telling stories
• having quiet time and going to bed at night.

A bedtime routine for toddlers might be brushing teeth and changing nappy, having some quiet time while reading a book, then getting into bed for a special song and kiss good night.School-age children: ideas for daily routines

For school-age children, you could have routines for:

• getting ready in the morning and going to bed at night
• tidying up toys
• getting together with other children to play, perhaps after school once or twice a week
• giving out pocket money at a regular time and day
• doing after-school activities like hobbies or sport
• doing chores – for example, setting the dinner table, unpacking the dishwasher, helping with the laundry, or caring for pets.

For school-age children, you might have a playdate routine if there are days when you don’t go to paid work. For example, on Mondays your school-age child is allowed to invite a friend over after school. When the friend goes home about 5 pm, your child tidies up before setting the table for dinner.Teenagers: ideas for daily routines

Older children and teenagers might grow out of, or start to challenge, some routines. You’ll probably need to be flexible and adapt routines as your children get older. For example, you might need to change bedtime routines or the chores that children do around the house.

For teenagers, you could have routines for:

• doing laundry or other chores like making beds and cleaning rooms
• doing homework
• doing after-school activities, including hobbies or sport.

A weekday evening routine for your teenage child might involve getting home from sports training, having a quick shower, sitting down to a family meal and then helping with the washing up and clearing away before doing an hour or so of homework.Routines for the whole family: ideas

You could have routines for:

• preparing and eating meals together
• spending family time, like regular walks after dinner or movie nights
• having family meetings, or just taking turns talking about the day
• spending special one-to-one time with parents
• catching up with extended family and friends
• taking part in special celebration days or community activities.

For more information: https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/family-life/routines-rituals-rules/family-routines

Online bullying can have a devastating impact on young people, whose online life is a key part of their identity and how they interact socially. 

Cyberbullying behaviour takes many forms, such as sending abusive messages, hurtful images or videos, nasty online gossip, excluding or humiliating others, or creating fake accounts in someone’s name to trick or humiliate them. 

I think my child is being bullied

Your child may not tell you if they are experiencing bullying behaviour online because of a fear it might make things worse for them or they may lose access to their devices and the internet. 

Signs to watch for

• being upset after using the internet or their mobile phone
• changes in personality, such as becoming more withdrawn,anxious, sad or angry 
• appearing more lonely or distressed 
• unexpected changes in friendship groups 
• a decline in their school work 
• changes in their sleep patterns 
• avoidance of school or clubs 
• a decline in their physical health 
• becoming secretive about their online activities and mobile phone use

What to do if your child is being cyberbulliedTry to resist immediately taking away their device 

Removing your child’s phone or computer could be really unhelpful. Cutting off their online access does not teach them about online safety or help build resilience. It could alienate them from their peers, and it also removes an essential tool for them to communicate and connect with friends.  

Stay calm and open — don’t panic 

You want your child to feel confident that you’re not immediately going to get upset, angry or anxious if they tell you about the situation. You want them to know they can talk to you and feel heard.

The best way to do this is make sure you have an open dialogue from the beginning. Talk to them without being judgemental or angry, and make them feel like they can come to you with anything, without fear of being punished.

Listen, think, pause

Gauge the scale of the problem. Does it exist in a peer group or is it more widespread? Is it a few remarks here and there? Or is it more serious? Empathise with your child and let them know that you understand how they feel.

How badly is it affecting your child personally? If the bullying itself is not very intense, but your child seems quite seriously affected, this could be a symptom of something larger. In this case you may need to seek help, from a school counsellor, a helpline,or an external professional.

Try not to respond immediately. Take some time to consider the best course of action. Reassure your child you are working on it and will come together again very soon to talk through some options. Let them know you are there if they feel like they need to talk in the meantime.

More information can be found at: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/big-issues/cyberbullying

Enrol your children now in VacSwim swimming lessons during the October and December/January school holidays. Get them back into the water and help them build their confidence and skills. Enrol online – visit www.education.wa.edu.au/vacswim