No 5. Term 1 Week 9, 30th March 2022

Principal's News

One day last week I had the honour of accompanying two year 3/4 classes to their  swimming lessons. Spending time with the children as they learn is always a source of great joy for me, but it saddened me to hear from at least 3 different students, who in separate conversations, shared with me that they felt they needed to lose weight. It makes me sad to think that 9 and 10 year olds are so conscious of their body image.

It's safe to say that culture and media play a key role in shaping the way these children think about their bodies. I decided to do a bout of reading on the subject and discovered that more children and teens are unsatisfied with the way they look than are satisfied. In fact, body dissatisfaction affects 90% of women and girls and between 40% and 60% of men and boys. AND it has been seen in children as young as 5 years old.

The good news though is that even though a child’s body image can be influenced by their peers, the media, and other adults in their lives, it is parents who help to build the strongest foundations for their child.

Before we can help our children though, it is important to understand our own attitudes towards food, exercise and our bodies. As a parent or caregiver, what messages are do we send?

• Are you dissatisfied with your shape, size, and weight? Do you talk about this?
• Are you always on, or going on, a diet?
• Do you express guilt when you eat certain foods?
• Do you make negative comments about the way other people look?

So what can we do? How can we be proactive in promoting a positive body image in our children? 

• Place less emphasis on your child’s appearance and more on their abilities and skills.
• Be a role model by accepting your body and maintaining a positive attitude towards food and exercise.
• Make time for family meals and enjoy the time spent together.
• Encourage your child to think critically about messages and images they see and hear in the media.
• Help your child understand that their body will change, especially throughout puberty.
• Promote activities that make your child feel good about themselves and that don’t focus on their appearance.
• Teach your child that it is OK to show emotions such as sadness, anger, and frustration.

God bless,

Jason Micallef,
Principal

DON'T FORGET!

End of term is Friday April 8 at 2:30pm 

Staff Absences

In many ways, we have so much to be grateful for when it comes to what impact Covid19 could have had on all our students’ learning. Our situation is currently so much better than it could have been. This is in large part, due to the amazing cooperation of all of our families, staff and students to follow all of our guidelines to prevent illness from spreading.

One of the biggest challenges we have had though, is maintaining consistent attendance of staff. Many of our staff have had to care for sick family members, recover from Covid-19 or are suffering with long-Covid symptoms. This has meant that some of our staff have been away from school for significant periods.

Naturally, some parents will be concerned about the impact this is having on their child’s learning. If this is the case, please remember that you can always make contact with us so that we can hear your concerns.  

Please be reassured that we have in most cases, replaced absent teachers with the support teacher who has been assigned to your child’s year level. This means that the teacher looking after your child’s class is part of the same curriculum planning team as your child's teacher and knows about your child’s needs. In cases where the support teacher is already assigned to another class, we have been able to call upon other existing staff so that the children have the familiarity and comfort of having someone they know.

Unfortunately, we do not know how long these issues will last but we pray and remain faithful that our Lord continues to look after our school and its incredible team.

Congratulations Mrs Eades!

The fabulous Mrs Eades would like to share with our school community that she and her husband are currently expecting their first child! This is amazing news that we know families will share our joy with. We wish Mrs Eades and her husband all the best as they prepare for welcoming their bundle of joy into the world.

Updated Sacrament Dates

We are pleased to confirm that dates for our 2022 Sacramental Program have been confirmed with the Parish. These dates have now been added to the school calendar and class teachers will remind families closer to the time. 

• All students in Year 3 will be prepared to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 
• All students in Year 4 will be prepared to receive the Sacrament of Eucharist. 
• All students in Year 6 will be prepared to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

As we approach each Sacrament, students will participate in extra preparation lessons in addition to their regular Religious Education Program. Families will be invited to participate in a Family Workshop prior to the Sacrament as part of their child’s preparation. 

Preparing a child to receive the Sacrament starts with their families and we thank you for enacting your faith, praying and attending Mass with your child. 

*Please note there has been a change to the First Reconciliation date. 

Please see your child's teacher should you have any questions. 

Kind regards, 

Coralee Brobyn

SAVE THE DATE!

Cybersafety Info Night for Parents

Wednesday May 4, 7pm!

Upschool by St. Kevin's

Over the last two weeks, we have shared two short clips on Facebook of our very own Mrs Eades sharing information with families about helping children read. In case you missed them, here is Mrs Eades speaking about:

• The power of reading to your child
• Pointing to the words - early literacy skills

Is your child starting school in 2023?

Don't leave this to the last minute. Existing families who have a child starting school in 2023 should download the enrolment form now and lock in your place for 2023! 

Download your enrolment for HERE!

Enrollment forms are also available from the office.

1/2 STEM

Grade 1/2 students have been learning all about the Human Body this term.

This culminated in making a model of a body organ or part.

They did a fantastic job and should be so proud of their work.

1/2 Indonesian

This term in Indonesian, 1/2 students are learning words for items in the classroom.

We all know how hard it is to learn a new language, so this term, to help us remember the Indonesian words, we have come up with codewords and stories to connect each Indonesian word to its english word.

We have also played lots of hands on games to practise and help us remember the words.

1 / 2 DM & LO's Learning

We’ve been busy learning about nouns, verbs and adjectives during our Literacy time.  Did you know that in a sentence an adjective describes a noun?

We have also been learning to read and spell words using phonemes (sounds).

Inquiry learning has been fun as we shared how we belong through family stories and how we celebrate. We all share celebrations through meals and gatherings. We belong to our family, our class, our school, our community and … the WORLD!

Take a look at how we apply our understanding of addition and subtraction to work out number stories or worded problems using a ‘Think Board.’

Hallam Road Train Crossing

A message from the Hallam Level Crossing Removal Project Team

This is to advise you the Hallam level crossing has been removed for good. 

It will be reopening Hallam South Road as planned on 6am Saturday 2^nd April.

We thank you immensely for your patience and understanding while we fully reconstructed the  road with the removal of the level crossing.

 The project work continues as we construct the new Hallam station, forecourt and car parking areas.   

Beleza School Uniforms Update

Transport Assistance

Community News