Northern Newsletter | 31 May

From the
Pastoral Care Coordinator

Last year, we introduced The Zones of Regulation™ (‘The Zones’) to students, staff and parents. Since our initial introduction, we have been working on integrating The Zones into our school curriculum by working with individuals, small groups and whole classes on activities that teach them the skills they need to self-regulate their behaviour. Below are two tools we have introduced to students to help them apply The Zones:

The first tool is understanding what Zone they are in and being aware of what Zone another person might be in. We discussed that being in a particular Zone isn’t a bad thing at the appropriate time. However, they need strategies to help them shift between the different Zones when required. It is also essential to be aware that the Zone another person is in may affect how they respond to different situations.

The second tool is to determine how big a problem really is. When we are in the heat of the moment or becoming overwhelmed by emotion, we can sometimes catastrophise the issue being faced. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t have reactions or emotional responses. Instead, it is about having an appropriate level of reaction to the situation. When we display unexpected behaviours, such as a big reaction to a small problem, it can make the situation harder for ourselves and others around us.

These two tools don’t solve behavioural issues by themselves, but they help students, staff, and parents use the same language and processes. Helping students understand how their body responds when they are in a certain Zone helps to provide them with a better sense of agency and equips them to learn to consciously regulate their actions and find appropriate solutions.

Samuel Whittle - Pastoral Care Coordinator

School Calendar

TERM 2

JUNE
Week 6
2 | Subway Lunch - Order via QKR! before Thursday 9.00am
2 | Little Learners - Stacking Cup Races

Week 7
8 | Year 2 and Year 5 Assembly: Families welcome from 2.15pm in the PAC
9 | Year 3 Forest School Excursion: 11.30am - 1.00pm
9 | Subway Lunch - Order via QKR! before Thursday 9.00am
9 | Little Learners - Popcorn Snowmen

Week 8
12 | PUBLIC HOLIDAY
14 | Years 5 and 6 Camp to Spring Beach Youth Camp commences 9.15am
15 | Years 5 and 6 Camp continues
16 | Years 5 and 6 Camp returns 3.00pm
16 | Subway Lunch - Order via QKR! before Thursday 9.00am
16 | Little Learners - Snowflakes

A list of Term Dates for 2023 can be found on our Parents Page and also on the School Calendar.

VIEW FULL SCHOOL CALENDAR

Facebook Recap

Here’s the stories we’ve posted, just in case you missed them. Don’t forget to like our page and posts:

Year 2 Science
Kinder Activities
100 Nights of Reading
Reading Cafe
Drive-In Cinema
City to Casino Fun Run
CST Annual General Meeting
Cross Country Carnival

Year 6 Update

Year 6 has been writing scripts as part of our Narrative unit this term.

Students created character profiles of a ‘Hero’ and ‘Villain’, listing the physical, social and emotional traits of their characters and what their main goal was, for example, keeping their family safe.

Students then created a descriptive paragraph about where and when their story took place, how their characters talked and what they wore.

Lastly, students told their stories through dialogue, introducing their main characters and incorporating stage directions. We hope to share some of our scripts in our next assembly.

In Mathematics, we have been looking at how to read and write coordinates on a Cartesian Plane. One of the activities involved reading coordinates and plotting them on a graph to create a picture of a robot.

Year 6 has made some fantastic growth in Mathematics. As a class, we have a combined goal to achieve an average class growth of 133% this year.

Luke Lamont - Year 6 Teacher

And the winners are…

Last week, we held our 2023 School Cross Country Carnival. It was wonderful to have so many families come out to support students. A big ‘Thank You’ to all the volunteers who helped with recording results, handing out ribbons, setting up, packing up and many other tasks.
See our Facebook post for all the great photos taken on the day.

We want to celebrate those students that pushed themselves throughout the race and came first in their year group. This year’s champions are as follows:

Kinder: Elliot and Millie T
Prep: William R and Ivy
Year 1: Eric and Sophia
Year 2: Jasper and Isabella
Year 3: David and Amity-Joy
Year 4: Brock and Sophia
Year 5: Harlyn and Amariah
Year 6: Stan and Olivia

The winning House this year was WELLINGTON! Well done to all of the students who participated and gave their best efforts on the day.

Peter Humphrey - Physical Education Teacher

Friday, 7 July - Free Dress and Pizza Day

On the last day of Term 2, we will be holding our Aussie Bush Dance! This is a great opportunity for students to showcase the skills they have learnt as part of their Dance unit in PE.

Parents are welcome to join the students as they kick their heels up to the ‘Heel and Toe Polka’, ‘Strip the Willow’ and many other bush dance favourites while enjoying some ‘Dancing Food!'

This will be a bush dance-themed free-dress day for students, so get your dosey-doe on and come join us:

Prep - Year 2 from 11.30am - 12.10pm
Years 3 - 6 from 12.10pm - 1.00pm

You can also find the event on Facebook.

Peter Humphrey - Physical Education Teacher

Community Engagement Committee - Pizza Lunch

The CEC will be taking pre-orders for 2 slices of pizza (variety on the day - GF options available) and a juice box for $4.50 via QKR! No cash/food will be able to be purchased on the day, and no late orders will be accepted, so please get your orders in by 4.00pm Wednesday, 5 July.

We would love some help with serving the lunch from 12.30pm onwards. Please email the Community Engagement Committee if you would like to help. All volunteers must have a valid Working With Vulnerable People card.

Anita Halse - Community Engagement Committee

Wednesday, 21 June | Students are encouraged to wear their pyjamas for RIBIT Day

The Student Council will be baking delicious caramel slice treats and preparing hot chocolate for students to enjoy while they watch The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore, which will be played in the Performing Arts Centre at lunchtime. Orders for the caramel slice and hot chocolate treat will be available for $3.00 for pre-order via QKR by 4.00pm Friday, 17 June. No cash payments on the day, and no late orders will be accepted.

“It’s tough being a parent today, and much of this has to do with technology”

Raising Tech-Healthy Humans is a three-week online training course for parents with primary school-aged children and younger, who are concerned about the impacts of digital technology on their kids’ lives.

Daniel Sih is a productivity expert, TEDx speaker, multi award-winning author, and a parent with three children in Hobart. His debut book, Spacemaker, won six international awards, including a 2023 Axiom Business Book Award (USA) and a 2021 Australian Business Book Award. His latest work, Raising Tech-Healthy Humans, won Best Parenting Book in the 2023 eLit Book Awards (USA) and serves as a guiding framework for our discussions.

This course is facilitated by Daniel and is free of charge.

This interactive training series will be on Zoom, over three consecutive Thursdays - June 8th, 15th and 22nd, from 8:00pm to 9:15pm.

Course topics include:

How does digital overuse impact the mental health of young people?
When and how should I give my child a smartphone?
What types of media are better for my child’s brain?
How do I establish healthier screen-time limits?
How do I talk about pornography and the darker sides of the web?
How do I engage in relationship-forming tech conversations?
What strategies might I use to encourage healthier tech and non-tech habits?
What can we do to encourage adventures away from a screen?

Find more information and register for this FREE course here.

REGISTER HERE

From the Office

Winter Illnesses

With the cooler weather upon us, there has been an increase in asthma, colds, influenza and other illness that are common at this time of year.

If your child is unwell, please contact the school before 9.30am to advise us of the absence and reason. If we have not heard from you by 9.30am, a reminder SMS will be sent. Accumulated unexplained absences are required to be reported to the Department of Education, so please ensure you respond to the SMS reminder by phoning or emailing the school. Please note you are unable to reply to the SMS directly.

Symptoms such as coughs and runny noses can often linger once the child returns to health, so as long as your child is able to participate in all class activities and well enough to get through the school day, they are welcome to return to school. This includes any student who has had COVID-19. For all the latest COVID-19 advice, please visit the Tasmania Department of Health website.

Feedback

We value your feedback. Should you wish to provide general feedback, please submit an online feedback form.

All Absentees

Fill out the webform at the bottom of the Parents Page on our website or email us.