Jumbunna 4th March 2021

22


A Message from Ken and Lisa

Visitors during the school day

All visitors (including parents) to the school during the school day must report to the office to sign in. If you need to drop off items or speak with you child, please report to the office first. Parents and visitors should not be entering into classrooms during the day without reporting to the office first. This is for the safety of all students as well as to prevent disruptions to the learning of your child and the others in the class. We thank you in advance for your cooperation with this matter.

Bikes left in the bike shed

We have had a number of student bikes being left in the bike shed after school. Please ensure your child collects their bike prior to the 3:45pm bell. When our teachers finish yard duty at 3:45pm, they will bring any bikes left in the bike shed inside so they are secure.

Attendance

‘Every day counts’

It is important that students attend school every day unless they are unwell. Particularly after a disruptive 2020, attendance this year is even more vital. If your child misses school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school.

A reminder that if you know that your child will be absent from school in advance, to please notify us as soon as you can. If your child is going to be absent from school for 5 or more days, it is department policy that an absence learning plan is provided for your child to complete whilst away. This can take some time for the class teacher to prepare for your child. Therefore, we request that you inform us in writing at least three days in advance to allow time for the class teacher to prepare the absence learning plan and provide this to your child prior to their absence. Completed absence learning plans should be returned to your child’s teacher when they return to school.

Supporting boys in upper primary school

by Maggie Dent

The upper primary school years are the start of big physical changes and boys can struggle more than girls. Even though some of our boys are growing physically, this time can be challenging, unpredictable and full of big emotions and awkwardness.

Some anxiety can also occur as the end of primary school approaches and some boys can fight with their physiology. Parents need to be mindful to recognise that for many pubescent boys, every day at school feels like going into a war zone because it is so unpredictable.

The following ideas will help to guide you through this time.

Have realistic expectations

Create a calm, predictable environment to counteract the stress many boys may experience. Parents can do this by avoiding asking too many questions and placing too much pressure especially around homework. Especially avoid criticism, nagging and lecturing — they won’t improve anything.

Keep things light

Boys appreciate lightness and humour, especially when they may be struggling with anxiety or worry. Maybe you could find some funny, goofy cat or dog videos to show them or share some funny experiences that might trigger the beautiful happy neurochemicals in their brain. Be a bit ridiculous – intentionally.

Share developmental changes

Have brief conversations with your son about the coming brain changes, especially pruning, which is a ‘trimming down’ process in the teenage brain where irrelevant/unused mental connections from childhood are lost. These conversations can help him understand why he may be struggling with organisation and be forgetting things that he used to remember. Once he knows there is a reason, he’ll tend to manage it better — indeed many boys are relieved! Help your son to work out ways to remember important stuff.

Make home a welcome base for his friends

Ensure that you make your home a welcome base for his friends, regardless of gender. The hunger to ‘hang out together’ is still strong even for our digital natives, and they will always turn up to a place where they are welcome and where there is a familiar space to gather. It’s really good to give your son’s mates the message that ‘our door is always open for you’.  We never know when a family conflict becomes too painful for a boy or that just having some calm down time is what the whole family may need.

Stoke his spark

Help you son identify his passion whether sport, games or music that will keep him engaged in the years ahead. Disengagement is very common among boys in early to middle secondary school and those who have an interest they love and are capable at, tend to struggle less. In primary school boys should sample many activities so that they can discover their real interests.

Help manage anxiety

Many boys experience anxiety as they move toward adolescence and the end of the primary school years. Some boys display anxiety through silliness, inappropriate behaviour, an increase in aggression (often toward siblings), disrespectful language towards parents, changes in eating patterns and struggles with sleep. If you have ongoing concerns check in with your son’s teacher and seek help.

Practise kindness

Even though this sounds counterintuitive if you are experiencing some hot moments with your pre pubescent or pubescent son, kindness especially in small unexpected ways has enormous power. Many boys struggle with low self-worth and when they muck up they struggle even more with feeling acceptable and loved.

Above all, reassure your son often that you love him fiercely and unconditionally, no matter what.

regards

Ken & Lisa



Every Day Counts

Primary School Attendance

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things are school every day – missing school puts them behind.

Why it’s important

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day.

If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school.

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.

Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.

Getting in early

Attendance patterns are established early – a child regularly missing days in kindergarten or in the early years of school will often continue to miss classes in the later years, and receive lower test scores than their classmates. It’s vital that students go to school every day – even in the early years of primary school.

What we can do

The main reasons for absence are:

Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and setting good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference.

It's vital that holidays are planned during school holidays where possible, and not during the term if it can be avoided.

Day off” – Think twice before letting your child have a “day off” as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts. “

Truancy – This is when students choose not to go to school without their parent’s permission. There can be many reasons for truancy. The best way to address this is for schools and parents to work together.

 If for any reason your child must miss school, there are things you can do with your school to ensure they don’t fall behind:

  • Speak with your classroom teacher and find out what work your child needs to do to keep up.
  • Develop an absence learning plan with your teacher and ensure your child completes the plan.

Remember, every day counts. If your child must miss school, speak with your classroom teacher as early as possible.

Openly communicating with your child's school about all absences is a good way to prevent attendance issues being escalated to a School Attendance Officer. A School Attendance Officer is a Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Regional Director who has authority to follow up attendance issues. Attendance issues that are escalated can lead to an Infringement Notice. If you’re having attendance issues with your child, please let your classroom teacher know so we can work together to get your child to school every day.

 

 



Bonbeach Primary School P&F








Dates to remember

Term 1 2021


Sun 14/3          Farmers' Market Yr 1/2
Fri 19/3            Inter-school sport lightning premiership
Thur 1/4           Last day of Term 1 - students dismissed at 2:30pm
Sun 11/4          Farmers' Market Prep

Term 2 2021

Mon 19/4         Term 2 begins at 9am
Tues 20/4         Grade 5/6 Camp
Wed 21/4         Grade 5/6 Camp
Thurs 22/4       Grade 5/6 Camp
Fri 23/4           Grade 5/6 Camp
Tues 4/5          District Cross Country
Sun 9/5           Farmers' Market Yr 5/6
Fri 21/5           Curriculum Day - student free day
Mon 7/6           Grade 1/2 Swimming Lessons
Tues 8/6          Grade 1/2 Swimming Lessons
Wed 9/6           Grade 1/2 Swimming Lessons
Thurs 10/6       Grade 1/2 Swimming Lessons
Fri 11/6           Grade 1/2 Swimming Lessons
Tues 15/6         Grade 1/2 Swimming Lessons
Wed 16/6         Grade 1/2 Swimming Lessons
Thurs 17/6       Grade 1/2 Swimming Lessons
Sun 13/6          Farmers' Market Yr 3/4
Fri 25/6            Last day of Term 2 - students dismissed 2:30pm
Sun 11/7          Farmers' Market Yr 1/2

Term 3 2021

Sun 8/8          Farmers' Market Yr Prep
Fri 3/9             District Athletics
Sun 12/9         Farmers' Market Year 5/6

Term 4 2021

Sun 10/10       Farmers' Market  Pre-School
14/11             Farmers' Marke   TBC
12/12             Farmers' Market  TBC
    

Student of the Week

PDJ       Mikaila L
PKM      Haru W
 
PMW     Ledger B

JBT        Evie W
JKB        Josh M 
JKM       Will H
JST        Frankie M     
JTC       Christos P 

MBJ       Alexander B
MCF       Josh H

MEI       Harrison S    
MFR       Hayler S
MSM      Tamika D
   

SJH        Sienna H
SNM      Mia S

Indonesian      JKB
PE                    Mia S



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