Gatton State School

“I will mind my language”

Nowadays it is normal to hear even very young children swear. It’s not only common to hear it on the streets and at home but on occasions it is being heard in the school grounds.  This increase in children using obscene language is due to a variety of factors, such as TV shows, older siblings swearing but moreover because it is simply becoming more normal and less taboo for many people. However, swearing is still widely considered inappropriate in professional situations and this includes in the classroom. Essentially, the purpose of school is to teach children how to be functioning human beings, both in the workplace and in their personal lives. 

As a PBL school, we are focusing on this behaviour closely and redirecting student’s language.

 Remember swearing at school is never okay.

What to do about swearing: immediate action

Speak to your child about their choice of words, rather than ignoring their behaviour. Your child might or might not fully understand a swear word’s meaning. However, school-age children do understand that words can hurt or offend others. Your reaction will influence whether your child swears again. Stay calm and explain clearly that the word your child used is not OK. You could also explain that the word might hurt other people’s feelings. This will go a long way towards preventing future swearing.  School-age children can develop a better understanding of the word by providing them with a short explanation.  If you think your child might have some understanding of the word, you can ask them to clarify it.  Then use general terms to explain why it’s inappropriate.

It’s a good idea for the adults in your home to discuss and agree on acceptable language, and discuss this with your child. If your family has rules about swearing, it’ll be easier to point out when your child is using unacceptable language.  Explain to your child that some words that are acceptable at home might not be acceptable at school or other settings.  Different places have different rules.  If you want your children to avoid swearing, you and the other adults in your home need model the desired behaviour.

Praise your child when you notice them dealing more appropriately with anger or frustration. For example, if your child tells you that a playmate was using swear words to tease him, praise your child for walking away from the situation and not using those words himself.  Be aware of what your child watches, listens to and plays with. That means supervising and checking the ratings on TV, movies and other multimedia and music. It’s also a good idea to have the TV, computers and other devices in a part of the house where you can easily see them.

PREP 2021 – Enrol now

Do you have a child or know of anyone who is born between, July 1 2015 and June 30 2016?

Gatton State School is now accepting enrolments for Prep 2021. Please contact the office if you would like any further information or would like to make a time to meet with the Deputy Principal to talk about prep for your child next year. Enrolment forms and information packs are available now. We look forward to meeting you and your children to start their exciting school journey with us.

Have you ever wondered what a Chappy does or what use we are in a school?  The Department of Educations’ Role Statement says that a “state school chaplain is to provide social, emotional and spiritual support to students, staff and parents.  The role of the chaplain will reflect the specific needs of the students attending the school.” If you are wondering what ‘spiritual support’ means, the Role Statement describes it as “providing an additional dimension to the school’s care, guidance and support of students with spiritual/religious needs.”  I am happy to support each and every student at Gatton in whatever area they may need it.

Last year, chaplains on average, spent 47% of their time supporting children socially, emotionally and spiritually.  This is done by having individual conversations with the students or through running specific programs targeted at a topic (resilience, friendship or bullying for example). Programs are only run with parent consent, so keep an eye out for permission slips.  If your child wants to have a regular chat with me, this also needs to have parent/guardian consent – do you remember signing a form to say your children could talk to a chaplain? If you are unsure, please phone our lovely office ladies to confirm this.  The most often discussed topics are:

• Friendship and peer issues

School behaviour
Bullying (face-to-face and cyberbullying)
Family breakdown/parental separation
Mental health issues

Chaplains also contribute to the overall wellbeing strategies and educational goals of the school. Part of this wellbeing is providing breakfast club – this is running 3 days a week at the moment on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  Thank you to the parents who have given permission for your children to help out, I greatly appreciate that as it gives me a chance to get to know your children better too.

Chappies spend a further 17% of their time helping with educational support in the classrooms and 15% role modelling and mentoring.

I am available to talk to you if you need it too, as a Chappy is here for the whole school community – students, parents, staff and the greater community of Gatton.

Chappy Ness

Despite rain delaying our Senior Carnival, we were still able to hold our Junior Carnival as planned.

Junior school carnival: The carnival events were held on the top oval.  In the morning and middle sessions, the Prep to year 2 children competed in three track events including a sprint, relay and 200m races.  There were many close races during the morning with some possible champions of the future showing what they could do. A special thank you goes to the house captains, vice-captains and school captains who helped with marshalling throughout the entire event.  

Congratulations to the mighty Stars team who picked up the trophy at the end of the day.