Newsletter 89 - March 23rd 2023

Creator God, you made all things beautiful to live in harmony. May we be kind and caring and ready to reach out to one another so that our homes, our school and our world, is a place of love and peace.

 We ask this in your name. 

Amen

By Dr Jodi Richardson

It’s time for parents to have a clear understanding of wellbeing and how we can support our kids to cultivate their own.

Wellbeing – it’s a word we hear a lot these days. We understand that it’s important for our kids; but it’s not always clear exactly what it is, how we know if they’ve got it, and how we can help them to get more!

Since the Slip! Slop! Slap! campaign of the early 80s, the media has helped to spread messages about the importance of protecting our skin from the sun, regular exercise and a diet rich in nourishing wholefoods to promote and protect our own health and that of our families.

Now it’s time for us as parents to have a clear understanding of wellbeing and how we can support our kids to cultivate their own.

Put simply, our kids’ wellbeing is a combination of their physical, mental, emotional and social health. And because a range of different elements contribute to their wellbeing, there are a bunch of activities we can do with them, role model for them and teach them, to improve it.

Developing wellbeing is more than ensuring the absence of ill-health, it’s about taking action to adopt thinking and behaviour patterns that researchers have shown to foster flourishing physical and mental health.

It’s evident from the Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing that it’s never been more important for us as parents to do so. Among 4 to 11-year-olds, 1 in 100 are depressed, 7 in 100 suffer with anxiety and 8 in 100 struggle with ADHD. Add to those worrying statistics the knowledge that 1 in 4 Australian children are overweight or obese, and it’s easy to see why working on wellbeing matters.

Here are 5 practices that you can put into action to enhance your kids’ wellbeing:

Get them outside and moving

Australian kids are some of the least active in the world, with as few as 1 in 5 meeting the recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise. There’s so much we can do! Park further from school at drop off and pick up – ease the traffic congestion (cos’ we all know what school parking is like!) and increase their daily exercise at the same time; stay a while after school to let the kids play; stop at the park on the way home or head outside after bags are unpacked and have a bounce on the trampoline. Yes, I know, it’s going to take some effort, but this is what really matters – and it’s good for you too!

Create plenty of opportunities for your kids to foster positive connections with their friends, family and of course with you!

Positive social relationships not only enhance kids’ wellbeing, but are key to their future wellbeing as adults as well. Time spent with friends helps our kids to develop social skills including sharing, compromise, listening and conflict resolution.

Keep screen time to a minimum

I know, easier said than done! Kids love screens, but we’re the parents and we can work with our kids to create clear and consistent limits. Kids aged 2-5 are recommended to have one hour of screen time per day and two hours a day max for 5-12-year- olds. Assuming kids are watching appropriate material and lying on their tummies to use tablets (helps reduce neck strain), the risks of screen time largely relate to what kids are NOT doing while using them such as being active, chatting, reading, playing creatively and sleeping. Kids also need to get bored!

Help your kids develop mindfulness skills

Mindfulness is about paying attention in the present moment, letting thoughts come and go without getting caught up in them. That’s it. Sounds easy, but like any skill it takes time and practice. It gives kids’ overstimulated minds a rest! A regular mindfulness practice will also help them to regulate their attention and their emotions; and teaches them to create a lifelong practice of taking time out to become calm, content, relaxed and in the moment. I highly recommend the Smiling Mind app for age appropriate mindfulness meditations; also, a lovely mindfulness practice is to lay down with the kids, eyes closed, and take time out to breathe naturally while everyone tunes in their ‘Spidey senses’ to all of the sounds around them.

Last but not least – ensure your children get ample sleep

Primary school children need 10-12 hours per day. Often, what helps enormously is establishing clear and consistent routines including no screen time one hour before bed, a ‘wind-down’ routine which may include a bath/ shower, being read a book and then quiet reading before lights out. Taking time to chat with your children before bed or encouraging them to reflect on what they’re grateful for is also a great way to help them decompress and get a restful night’s sleep.

Thank you, Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator - Lillie Comitti 

Middle C:

With the end of term approaching, the students in Middle C have been doing lots of fantastic work and using all five of our learner superpowers in all areas of our learning.

Reading:

In reading, we have been looking at Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as our class novel. Each week we have been reading a new chapter and have been completing different learning activities based on the book. Students are thoroughly enjoying reading the novel. We even got to make our own wands in class last week which was lots of fun! (Seen below)

Writing:

We have been learning to write persuasive pieces of writing. We have been including rhetorical sentences, synonyms and emotive language in our to persuade our readers. We have been looking at the book “Click Clack Moo” as our focus to write our persuasive writing on. They may be able to use their learning to persuade you.

Maths:

Grade 3s in maths have been learning about time and subtracting two digit numbers. We are now shifting our learning towards learning about multiplication. In Grade 4 students have been continuing to learn about their multiplication facts.

Science:

In science we have been learning about living things and non-living things. Students have been working hard to currently identify the four characteristics of living things. Over the next two weeks, we will be learning to group animals according to their observable features.

Religion:

In religion this term, we have been focusing on the choices we make, and the positive and negative consequences these choices have. We have explored what it means to have a right relationship and how we can have positive relationships, as well as the main parts of the mass.

NAPLAN:

Last week the Grade 3 students completed their NAPLAN tests. All students used their resilient and risk-taker learner superpowers as they completed their four tests. It was pleasing to see all children accept the challenge and for some step out of their comfort zone.

St. Patrick’s Day:

Last Friday we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at school. We learned all about St. Patrick and why we celebrate the day. Then we read the book “How to Catch a Leprechaun” and got to make our own leprechaun traps in groups (as seen in some pictures below), using our collaborative learner superpowers. We all had lots of fun!

Harmony Day:

Harmony Day has been one of the highlights of the term so far. Students all engaged in the celebrations. The Grade 3/4s learned a dance inspired by the Caribbean. In the classroom, students used their curious learner superpower as they investigated three Caribbean countries - the Bahamas, Jamaica and Haiti, and completed posters on these countries.

School Assemblies:

It is fantastic to have our  Friday school assemblies happening.  Our assemblies are led by a different class each week (see roster below) and happen each Friday afternoon starting at 2:50pm in the school hall.  Students are dismissed from the hall on this day.  We invite all our community to come along.  

Week 8: Middle C

Week 9: Junior R

Week 10: Senior M

Professional Development:

At St Patrick’s Primary School we are committed to Professional Development of our team.  At various times staff members will be working off site which may result in classroom teachers being out of the classroom.  We will endeavor to make note of this in the newsletter whenever possible.  

Week 9:

Thursday 30/03/23     Ms Maryanne Comitti Effective Mentoring Program PD  

Friday 1/4/23                 Mr Josh Cunningham University Graduation Ceremony 

St Patrick’s Primary School Learning Super powers St Patrick's Learner Superpowers  please click for further details. 

These are qualities  that successful learners use in their everyday life, self - motivated, curious, resilient, collaborative, risk-taker. We have been focussing on these qualities throughout the term and will continue to reinforce and apply these skills in the classroom and in everyday life. 

We are committed to ensuring that our whole school community has an understanding of what each super power means.  This week we will unpack our Curious learning superpower.     

Curious:   

Educationalist Ken Robinson describes curiosity as ‘the engine of achievement’ (Robinson, 2013).  But curiosity, of course, goes hand in hand with discovery.  While curiosity inspires us to find out, discovery provides the reward of finding out.  Curiosity is key to learning. In fact, studies show that, when we’re curious about a subject, we are much more likely to remember information we learned about that subject.

Give generously to Project Compassion

Spanning across the four weeks of Lent, Project Compassion brings thousands of schools, parishes and supporters together to raise funds for the most marginalised communities around the world.

This year's theme of Project Compassion is ‘For All Future Generations’, and reminds us that the good we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It is also a call for all of us to play our part in making the world a better place by working together as sisters and brothers in finding long-term solutions to global issues.

To learn how to make a real difference visit Caritas Australia website.

This Friday, March 24th, is the Feast of St Oscar Romero.

Oscar Romero was canonized as a Saint by Pope Francis on October 14, 2018.  His dedication to social justice and Catholic social teaching, particularly the preferential option of the poor.  He is the Patron Saint of Caritas International.

As we head towards the end of term and Easter, there are various opportunities we are providing for parents to contribute their valued perspective in education.

In this issue we have included the following:
Advocacy - CSPV survey for parents to share what's important to them in education

Advocacy - CSPV opportunities for parent members
Wellbeing - CSPA survey for parents to share views for a national review on classroom disruption
Curriculum - MACS invitation for parents to participate in a forum to share views on technology in education
Parent Engagement - Webinar with Anne T Henderson
Child Safety - Vaping Webinar for parents
Curriculum - Premier's Reading Challenge resources

We hope you enjoy the information we share and that you are able to publish in your school newsletters or on your school website. Please share with parents and follow us on social media so you can access other information that is relevant to you.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading and sharing our content and look forward to supporting you and the families in your school in 2023.

Click to download the email update - CSPV Connect

Regards,

Rachel Saliba
Executive Officer - Catholic School Parents Victoria

PO Box 3, East Melbourne Victoria 8002

Mob: 0419 371 876

executive@cspv.catholic.edu.au

Thankyou to our amazing St Patrick’s community for a fabulous day and night celebrating our wonderful country and it’s diversity. See a few snaps from this fabulous day.

Every Friday for Term 1 the Social Justice Team will be selling Zooper Doopers during lunchtime.  Zooper Doopers will be for sale for $1.00 each with all money raised going towards the St Vincent de Paul Sponsor a Student Program. 

Evie Gready - For the phenomenal work you’ve been putting into sounding out words and putting them back together. Keep up the great work!

Nasar Werry - For the outstanding work you’re putting into writing your numbers. Your persistence and dedication is wonderful. Keep it up Nasar.

Ace Rowe - For taking risks by showing the whole class how many tens and ones in a two-digit number. I am so proud of you!

Georgia Campbell - For your excellent work during Harmony Day. You listened to all adults and your work on our class jigsaw was very creative. Keep it up!

Jack Driscoll - For being a resilient learner and accepting challenges that have come your way. Keep up the super work Jack.

Johanna Santosh - For being a collaborative and self-motivated learner, we are very lucky to have you in our class.

Aaliyah Carlsen - For demonstrating the qualities of a self-motivated learner. Keep up your wonderful efforts.

Eleanor Erwin - For successfully explaining and using emotive words in sentences. Your ability to pull on the reader's heartstrings is very evident.

Archie Coxon - For being a curious and self-motivated learner throughout our Harmony Day celebration activities.

Jack Wadge - For being a resilient learner and giving your all during your NAPLAN tests last week.

Zach Ford - For displaying resilience and perseverance. Impressive Zach, keep it up!

Molly Ratcliffe  - For being such a caring and kind classmate. No wonder others like being around you Molly!

Mackenzie Farrell - For always seeking out feedback when you are finding a task challenging, keep striving to achieve your goals.

Laila Gready - For being a great leader in and out of the classroom, you are a wonderful role-model for your peers.

Congratulations to these students who celebrated their birthday  this week:  Nate Jantzen and Archie MacPherson