Lismore South Public School Newsletter

In Week 8 we joined schools across the state to recognise the integral work our non-teaching staff do in supporting our school community. The combined staff from Goonellabah PS and Lismore South PS enjoyed a special morning tea. From our school administrative staff and general assistant to our student learning support officers, our non-teaching staff are the backbone of our school.  We appreciate all that they do in keeping our school running and supporting our students, staff and families. This year is even more special while two schools working harmoniously together. An amazing committed team making it work! 

It was a privilege to attend the Performing Arts Festival at the Whitebrook Theatre recently, showcasing the talented students in our local public schools. We were so proud of our children’s commitment to weekly rehearsals and performing confidently on the big stage. Thank you to Mrs Titcume and Mrs Brown who worked with our performance troupe to prepare for the special performance. 

Have a wonderful week!

Regards,

Larissa Polak

The office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner has some great advice and resources to assist parents to navigate the challenging social media world and the inevitable question “are they old enough?” 

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/are-they-old-enough#social-media

From time to time the school is asked to deal with issues of students behaving inappropriately on social media. Using the age guidelines of 13+ for most common forms of social media platforms, no student in our school should have an Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or Twitter account. Because of this the school deals with social media issues in the following way;

1. Advise parents/carers to take a screen shot of the inappropriate material.

2. Block the sender

3. Make a report to the relevant social media platform

4. Make a report to the eSafety Commissioner https://www.esafety.gov.au/complaints-and-reporting

5. Delete the social media account, as the child involved is younger than the recommended age. If conflict between students, arising from social media, occurs at school we follow our school consequence pathway. 

In Week 7 Brainstorm productions performed their anti-bullying show titled ‘The H team’.  The production told an adventure story that inspires students to take responsibility for their own behaviour and wellbeing. Struggling with low self-esteem, the main characters succumb to bullying and excessive screen time. They must learn to critically evaluate the media, stand up to bullying and make good decisions. The H Team fosters teamwork, impulse control, and resilience, to create healthy and harmonious school communities. We encourage you to speak with your child about the visiting performance. 

An intensive learn to swim program will be held in Weeks 3 and 4 of Term 4, for students in Years 2-6.  Permission note and details will be sent home in the near future.

We are getting ready for our Kindergarten Transition Program which will start early next term with 5 special visits for preschoolers ready to start school in 2023. If you know anyone who is in our area who is ready for Kindergarten next year, please get them to contact us so we can share all the details with them. 

All parents and carers are encouraged to attend the P & C Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday, 14th September, at 5.30pm at Lismore Heights Bowling Club, where election of office bearers will take place.  A General Meeting will follow the AGM.

Please contact the P & C Committee via email to register your interest in attending lismoresouthpublicschoolpandc@gmail.com 

This week we celebrated Child Protection Week and have been focusing on teaching our children protective strategies. This can be as simple as recognising safe and unsafe behaviours, knowing who they can trust and empowering children to ask for help when needed by having open conversations with trusted adults. Having open conversations and teaching your child protective strategies is an important skill for all children to learn. We encourage our families to start those conversations at home if you haven't already and being proactive in teaching our children protective behaviours.  This week your child will be coming home with an artwork that shows the 5 people who your child feels they can trust. This will be an excellent conversation starter to get the ball rolling. 

This week we were fortunate to receive a very thoughtful gift. An adorable set of little teddies that have become an instant hit in the classroom and are bringing joy and comfort to our preschoolers. Thank you so much for thinking of us.  

A friendly reminder to please pack a hat and set of spare clothes each day for those 'just in case' moments. At preschool we love to engage in play based exploration and experimentation with paint, water, sand and mud!

If your child is unwell, please do not send them to school. That includes if your child had vomiting or diarrhoea the night before, they must not attend for at least 24 hours after symptoms have eased. If they are coughing or have any flu-like symptoms they must not attend. If children come to school and are obviously unwell, you will be contacted to pick them up.