Dear School Community,
Late Arrivals
Thank you for your patience while we iron out the kinks in our third party software-automated sms text messaging for absences and late arrivals. We know it has been frustrating for staff and families too.
It is important that children arrive at school in time to commence the day’s activities. Students are expected to be punctual out of respect for other members of the class.
All parents/caregivers must ensure that their children arrive at school on time. Classes commence at 9.00 am so all children should be at school before the 9:00 am bell rings. It can be very disruptive if your child continually arrives late for class.
Parents bringing children to school after the commencement of class MUST phone the office and the child/ren must attend the office for a late note, which is then handed to the classroom teacher. Some interesting facts regarding absences and lateness to school.
Did you know...
- If your child is regularly late they miss huge amounts of learning time, regular lateness has the same impact as absenteeism.
- Missing one day a week from school from Kindergarten to Year 10 means missing two years and one term of schooling.
- There is direct correlation between attendance and achievement.
- Frequent absences make it difficult for teachers who have to continually re-teach information skills.
- Being 15 minutes late to school twice a week equals to missing 5 hours a term and 20 hours a year of missed schooling.
- Patterns of attendance/absence are set up in the early years of schooling.
- Being absent five days a term from Kindergarten to Year 10 adds up to more than one year of missing schooling.
- Poor attendance makes it difficult to students to from positive relationships with their peers.
Emotional Well-Being
Semester One has been incredibly challenging for the whole world including our school community. Thank you to our staff, students and families for all the work and support you have provided during the COVID-19 pandemic to lessen the anxiety of our students.
As students enter this new world of online learning, never has online safety been so important. There could be technology and time challenges, particularly for anyone now working from home or caring for others as well. At times, just getting by may be difficult enough.
The eSafetyCommissioner’s website explains which apps our young people are using which are recommended for children over the age of 13 years old. The link to this information is include below;
https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide
The importance of being an ‘up-stander’
This term we have an incredibly disturbing issue amongst some of our Year 6 students. They are ’coercing’ and bullying other students by saying “snitches get stitches”. This is prison terminology used when another inmate tells the truth.
It takes courage to be an up-stander. Up-standers are kids who do something that prevents or reduces the bullying they see, or comes to the aid of another child who is being bullied by showing them kindness. Moving from being a bystander to becoming an upstander may not happen overnight.
It may start with becoming more aware of the bullying behaviour and how it is affecting the lives of the victims. Upstanders begin to feel a sense of anger about the injustice they are witnessing and able to see the pain the victim experiences and take action.
Qualities of an Upstander
- Courageous - Telling a friend who is bullying to stop is hard. They may be mad at you. But at least you won't feel guilt for being silent and allowing the bullying to continue. And you will be doing your friend a huge favour in the end by helping them stop really hurtful behaviour.
- Action-oriented - Doing something that does not support the bullying behaviour can be a really small intervention with big results! Three words - "That is bullying" - can cause others to recognise the problem.
- Assertive - Telling a friend how their behaviour makes you feel and how it affects others requires being able to use your voice.
- Compassionate - Upstanders have the gift of compassion. They recognise when someone is hurt and take steps to help.
- Leader - Upstanders are leaders in their social group, helping others to recognise ways to get along and be supportive to others.
Bullying is an ongoing or repeated misuse of power in relationships, with the intention to cause deliberate (on purpose) psychological harm. Bullying behaviours can be verbal, physical or social.
Bullying can happen anywhere – at home, school, online, with friends, in a group, on the bus or at school. This includes verbal, physical, social and cyber-bullying. Bullying can be very hurtful and cause lots of pain. The whole school community will work together to keep our student’s emotional, social and physical well being our number one priority.
Term 3 COVID-19 Arrangements
For visitors to the school site who are not delivering a service, schools must ensure existing school protocols for visitors to the school site are followed, including signing the visitor sheet at the school office and requesting they follow good hygiene and distancing practices.
We will be following the same procedures we already have in place to keep our students and staff safe. Family members are reminded to practice social distancing and good hygiene procedures while waiting at the gates for their child.
Volunteers
Our canteen and banking will resume in Term 3 however our wonderful volunteers will be entering the school from the Ashley street emergency access gate. Parents/carers will only be able to hand in their child’s lunch order money through this gate.
Banking money will be handed in to their child’s classroom teacher who will then send two students to the mini-hall where our volunteers will be set up to complete the banking process.
Our volunteers WILL NOT have access to the school grounds and are restricted to the canteen and mini-hall area only. This is in alignment with DoE procedures to keep our staff and students safe.
On behalf of the staff from Marks Point Public School, we hope everyone has a restful winter break. We look forward to having a wonderful Semester Two.
Kindest regards,
Sharne Turpin
Principal
