St Benedict's Catholic School Shaw eNewsletter

Hi everyone,

Before School Arrivals

Please note that we are having too many children arriving at school before 8.00am when a teacher is on duty to provide supervision. This week we have had up to 30 children here before 8.00am who are left unsupervised. While this may not cause you too much discomfort knowing school is a safe place, it is causing behavioral issues with children irritating each other, especially siblings. This is unfair to our staff who are immediately bombarded with issues to solve and it is unfair to families who pay to use the Before School Care Service. Please avoid sending your children to school before 8.00am unless you are using the Before School Care Service where children are supervised.

Carpark

Please remember to drive carefully and thoughtfully, especially during peak times at drop off and pick up. We do not want to see any of the near misses turn into a tragedy. Children are impulsive even with their parents walking nearby. Please also note that our carpark gardens are not toilets and we are very happy for children and toddlers to use our school toilets at the end of the day. Let’s maintain a little decorum please?

Student Behaviour

I have had to speak to the students each day this week about a number poor behaviour choices happening across the school. I believe that as we approach the end of term and with the heat spiking that the children are getting quite tired and bothered (as we do as adults too :)) but I am reminding the students about being responsible for recognising their feelings and making positive choices about their words and actions. Tiredness and heat are reasons for how we feel, not for how we behave. If you could please reiterate this with your children at home as well, I’m sure it shall bode much better for a positive end of term.

2020 Planning

Over the last couple of weeks, our teachers have been meeting in their teaching cohorts for 2020 to plan the learning and teaching approaches for the coming year. It has been an exciting time, meeting our new staff and discussing our evolving ideas about the learning experiences our students need. Having some fresh faces creates an opportunity for more varied ideas. Over the next couple of weeks, we will start to transition some students to prepare them for the coming change with a new class, new teacher and a new classroom but all students will participate in our Step Up Day on Tuesday 3 December so every student has had some information to prepare them going forward.

Holidays and Technology Use

With holidays fast approaching, it is time to consider how your children will spend their time. Holidays are a valuable time to relax and unwind and to engage in some activities that bring us joy. For children, actually for lots of us, this can mean technology. It can however take over our downtime and overuse can actually have a negative impact on our wellbeing. Please read the attached articles from Michale Grose’s Parenting ideas website as I think there could be some helpful hints to guide you through this extended break.

Enjoys a very restful weekend and have a fabulous week ahead.

Cheers

Penny