Welcome back to Term 3. It has been a great start to the term with classes settled and ready to learn. I anticipate a great term with lots of learning and skills being developed. Part of the skills being developed also include the way in which we communicate and socialise with each other. We will continue our work on using kind language and actions. This is part of the way in which we work at Austins Ferry and forms part of our values – the value of respect.
Not all learning occurs in the the classroom. This term is no different with the Year 3-5 students (and some Year 6 students) participating in The Swim and Water Safety Programme at Oceana Fitness Centre. The benefit of this programme is that it helps our students become competent and confident in the water and to learn more about how to be safe around and in the water. It also promotes the benefits of physical activity, development of motor skills and an enjoyment of water. A timetable for classes will be sent home within the next week.
One of our focus areas for teaching and learning is Reading. This is a school and system wide focus. Reading allows us to grow our imagination, learn new things and share new knowledge. You can support this at home through reading with your family, looking at words in the environment and talking about stories together.
Last week Year 5 and 6 students experienced Calligraphy (Shodou) with a visiting Japanese Assistant – Riisa. We used pen, brush and ink to write and paint the kanji character for ‘tree’. Work has now been selected and entered into the state wide Japanese competition (ganbatte). The final four students selected for the competition are: Jobe Rainbird, Heliya Hame, Holly Palmer and Talia Vega.
We have a very professional team at Austins Ferry Primary School to provide your children with quality learning programs, but learning does not only happen at school. Learning is a partnership between school and home; you can assist in helping to provide the best chance at learning. Starting with the following points will assist children starting on the right foot ready to learn each day.
- Are they getting enough sleep by going to bed at an age-appropriate time? Studies have proven that tiredness has a marked effect on children’s (and adults) learning; School Wellbeing Check-in Surveys with our students in the past have highlighted that 45% of students have at least 8 hours sleep each night, 23% “Kind of” and 32% do not get 8 hours sleep.
- Are they eating a healthy breakfast? Hunger can make the start of the day an emotional one for your child. Breakfast helps ensure the start to the day is a more positive one; The Wellbeing Check-in Survey with our students highlighted that 54% had breakfast and 39% did not on the day of the survey.
- Are they arriving at school on time? Students can arrive at school from 8:30am and Breakfast club at 8:00am. Arriving prior to 9:00am allows students to connect with their friends and be more settled for the start of the school day. The first 10 minutes of the day in the classroom are probably the most important 10 minutes. Arriving on time ensures the children are happy, settled, and ready to learn. It can be stressful for a student to walk into the classroom late as well as unsettling for the rest of the class.
- Provide your child with healthy food and plenty of water to drink. A hungry or thirsty child has difficulty learning and staying on task.
- Be encouraging when talking to your child about school and demonstrate a positive attitude towards school. Your feelings and attitude are often transferred to your child, if you are positive about school, then your child will be also.
- Talk to your child about the positive parts of their day at school. Ask about the most fun thing that happened at school, etc.
- Try to read and look at books with your child daily. The best way to improve your child’s literacy skills is to be positive about reading and to share books together. Talking about books at all ages encourages a positive approach to reading development, even adults.
- Remember: together we can make a difference!
Partnerships between home and school are of the utmost importance. We are looking at ways to share what is happening in the classrooms with our families at home. Please ensure that you let your child’s teacher know if there are any circumstances that may affect their happiness or learning at school. This ensures that we are able to cater for their needs appropriately.
The School Association is a vital part of our school community. It is a place to have discussions about school policies, improvement plans and school values. We talk about raising funds to benefit the school and ways of working. We would love to hear from the school community about what effects you and your thoughts and ideas about our wonderful school. To help facilitate open communication and a sense of belonging, we are inviting you to share you ideas with us. Please feel free to drop your thoughts / ideas into the box that will be in our front office by Friday 11 August. We can then table these ideas at our next School Association meeting. If you would like to come along and be involved in the Association, the next meeting will be on Tuesday 22 from 6pm. We’d love to see you there.
As always, please feel free to come and have a chat.