Parkhill Primary School Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers

End of week 10 and heading towards the end of term. Things continue to feel very different this year with no Fun, Food and Carols, morning tea celebrations look different and other key events being modified to meet current restrictions. However it is still a beautiful time of the year! A time of mixed emotions and change. People are moving on to other ventures and starting to think about the new year. I always like to think of change as an opportunity, a way of embracing something new, learning something different and an exciting time of unknown things to come. 

It is a time of celebration and one where many memories are re-lived. The Y6 group are busy preparing for their graduation and talking about their memories of Parkhill, and sharing their excitement as well as their thoughts about next year.  

It was just wonderful to see our incoming Foundation students in school this week during move up day.

PARKHILL AWARDS ASSEMBLY:

This year our awards assembly will look a little different. After careful consideration, discussion and consultation with the students in our upper school we have made a few changes. This year we will be awarding the following awards through the school:

Academic Endeavour - one recipient per year level

Academic Excellence - one recipient per year level

LOTE - one recipient from the lower school (F-3) and one recipient from the upper school (4-6)

Visual Arts - one recipient from the lower school (F-3) and one recipient from the upper school (4-6)

Performing Arts  - one recipient from the lower school (F-3) and one recipient from the upper school (4-6)

Physical Education - one recipient from the lower school (F-3) and one recipient from the upper school (4-6)

Scientist of the Year - one recipient from the lower school (F-3) and one recipient from the upper school (4-6)

Citizenship Award - Y6 recipients

Young Writers - award recipients

There will also be an honourable mention to our 2020 School Captains.

Note: The awards assembly will be recorded and a link will be sent to recipient families to enjoy.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING:

Emotional literacy (often referred to as emotional intelligence) is our ability to recognise, understand and appropriately express our emotions. It is also the ability to recognise the emotions of others and to respond to them appropriately. Emotional literacy is a key component of both self-awareness and social awareness.

Emotional literacy is a key skill which underpins:

• Self-awareness – Being able to identify and recognise your emotions

• Self-management – Being able to exert self-control and manage stress and challenge

• Social awareness – Being aware of others’ needs and having empathy for others

• Relationship skills – Being able to communicate and relate well with others

• Responsible decision-making – Being able to problem-solve and accept responsibility

  
  

How do we teach emotional literacy?

The Building Resilience Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lesson materials use a range of individual and group activities to help students to:

• Learn to recognise and describe their emotions

• Discuss and practise how to express their emotions appropriately

• Think about the consequences of expressing emotions inappropriately

• Reflect on their own emotional responses to a variety of situations 

• Learn new ways to manage and regulate their emotions

• Practise effective communication skills and learn to moderate their emotional responses when expressing their needs, wants and opinions

What can you do with your children?

Positive and negative emotions

• Ask your child to draw the outline of a body and to write the words for some positive and negative emotions around the outside

• Encourage them to talk about where in their bodies they might feel the different emotions and add these to the drawing: e.g. nervous-sweaty palms, excited/afraid tension in the tummy, pride-a big smile (this can help your child to recognise their stress signals and encourage them to talk with you about these)

  
  

A roller coaster of emotions

• In the course of a day we feel a range of emotions. The metaphor of the roller coaster can be used to help children and young people understand emotional intensity and the way experiences can lead to or trigger positive or negative emotions

• Drawing a roller coaster diagram showing the high and low points of a day helps children recognise events and situations that lead to varying emotional responses

• Draw the roller coaster that represents your own day and share it with your child and then encourage them to try drawing one of their own

Reminders: 

• Awards Assembly will be held on Wednesday 

• Free Dress Fri-Yay every Friday until the end of term 4 

• 2019 Annual Report to the Community is available on our website: https://parkhillps.vic.edu.au/

• Community Essential Agreement: https://parkhillps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Parkhill-Primary-School-Essential-Agreement.pdf

Please reach out if you need support, help or have any feedback at all to offer elaine.brady@education.vic.gov.au

Elaine Brady

Principal

Tuesday 15 December  - Last day for Flexibuzz Lunch Orders for 2020

Wednesday 16 December - Awards Ceremony Online & Y6 Graduation

Thursday 17 December - Big Day In - Y6 Students only

Friday 18 December - Last day Term 4 - 1.30pm Finish

Thursday 28 January - First day Term 1 2021

F/1C - Andy P

F/1S - Mao N

F/1M - Scarlett L

2/3B - Rebecca L

2/3L - Patrick C

2/3T - Alex K

4/5D - Luxe R

4/5H - Christos P

4/5O - Madison G

5/6C - Issac A & Kate M

5/6G - Amy N

Policy committee had a lightning fast meeting this week and reviewed two policies: Bullying Prevention and Child Safety.

The Bullying Prevention policy is part of our suite of policies within the Parkhill Community Essential Agreement and defines what bullying is and isn’t, as well as outlining how incidents that occur between students are managed. The Child Safety policy enshrines our Child Safety Statement of Commitment and communicates our approach and implementation of child safe principles.

Don’t forget that you can join the policy committee at any time - we welcome anyone to our humble committee and would love the help!

You can find all policies on the school website at https://parkhillps.vic.edu.au/information/#policies

Thank you to those families who have already paid next year’s Essential Student Learning Items and Voluntary Contributions!

There are a number of ways these can be paid:

• You can come into the office with your form and payment (we have copies of the form if you do not have one)
• You can ring the office and pay via credit card/EFTPOS over the phone (your details are entered straight into the EFTPOS machine and are not written down)
• You can pay via BPay (your individual BPay information is on your BPay letter you received when your child first started school, or on the bottom of your statement. If you no longer have either of these, you can also ring/email the office and we will provide it for you).

If you choose to pay via BPay, can you please email jo.ravida@education.vic.gov.au what you are paying for – this can be a scan or photo of the fee schedule or it can just be a brief written description in the email.

Receipts will be sent home via your child.

Please ring or email me if you require further information.

Jo Ravida

Business Manager  

Over the last week or two I’ve noticed a theme cropping up online and in real life. I’ve seen many people across our city mention they’ve been quite anxious in the last week or two. I’ve read news articles alluding to how weird (and uncomfortable) it was to arrive at Sydney airport and see people not wearing masks and openly embracing. But perhaps it wasn’t until a lecture I saw online by one of the experts where I realised we don’t have to be over this yet.

 It’s normal after a protracted period of being concerned about our health and safety for some of that to carry over. It’s normal for our little people to struggle re-integrating themselves into the social aspects of school when they’ve lived without it for weeks on end. It’s normal as adults to feel overwhelmed at all of the social interactions we may suddenly find ourselves bombarded with. We stopped. We slowed down and switched gears. We pivoted again, and again to make life work, searching for solid ground when there was none. Some of us worked incredibly hard on the frontline and still are working hard to clear the backlog.

I realise at this point I might sound a bit like a broken record! But I want every one of us to realise that we are still very much in the recovery phase and it makes sense not to be feeling 100% ok. So, especially as this unusual year draws to a close, be gentle with yourselves and, as much as you’re able, get some sleep, eat well, exercise, do something to take your mind off your troubles and as always seek help when needed.

Suzanne Carmody

Chaplain