Newsletter 1- 11 February 2021
Dear Parents & Carers
It was a pleasure to welcome you all back to school on Monday. Congratulations to everyone for a relatively smooth delayed start to term one 2021. It was an unusual start to our school year to say the least.
The previous week was a particularly tough one for some of our school community. The Premier`s announcement last Friday, that the Lockdown had ended was fantastic. Finally, we also had some good news for staff & families living in bushfire affected areas, especially with the arrival of the cooler, wet weather. As a school community we seem to have embraced the extended mask-wearing requirement for this week. Hopefully, we can revert to fewer phase 4 restrictions from Sunday 14 February. Campus staff have been reinforcing health & hygiene messages & reassuring students to keep them feeling safe at school.
Term 1 was already a short, busy one prior to the extended student holiday, but it will be even more action packed for the remaining 7 weeks. We look forward to meeting up with parents at assemblies, when permitted to, as well as having individual teacher-parent meetings. This term will conclude with the Year 6 camp, all being well. The term planner will be amended for distribution after Sunday`s COVID-19 announcement.
This poem was inspired by seeing Deputy Director General, Student Achievement, Jim Bell, in his Dr Seuss mask. We hope it brings a smile to your face today, as it did to ours.
Jim I Am
My mask, my mask? It’s up to task!
I made it myself, why do you ask?
I am ,I am, I’m Jim, I am.
I will not meet you in a room,
I will only meet you now on Zoom.
Prepare for teaching with a mouse,
You may be teaching from your house.
But you can teach from here or there
You continue teaching because you care!
I wear my mask with great flair,
I social distance everywhere.
You should wear it in a train,
you should wear it in the rain,
you should wear one in the bus,
you should wear one, it’s a must!
Would you, could you in a car?
Wear them, wear them, here they are!
Make sure to take one off to school,
And even take one to the pool.
You will like them, you will see,
You make like them in a tree!
You don’t need one when you’re home,
you don’t need one when you’re alone!
Outside! Outside! When you’re there,
Just put one on and show you care.
Should I, could I with a fox?
Could I, should I in a box?
Under water? Out at sea?
Do I need one drinking tea?
Just wear one once you’re out the door,
Don’t make this hard, it’s not a chore!
Just wear one, wear one, you will see,
It’s what is best for you and me!
You Can Do It
This term we are focusing on Achievement, looking at work confidence, persistence, goal setting, time management and teamwork.
Try and engage your child in a conversation around one of these topics. What does it mean? How do we demonstrate this?
Ask them what they did at school today and how does it fit in with one of these topics.
- Commencing Tuesday 16 February the Karijinii Court fence near TA11 Block 3, is scheduled to be temporarily removed and cones will be placed in the nearby, parking bays which will limit parent parking. This is so that the new transportable can be erected, which may take a couple of weeks to be finished.
- On Wednesday 17 February Forpark Contractors are also scheduled to install playground equipment in the bike track area and a spinner in Early Childhood Playground.
“NUT AWARENESS” Parent Information
We have children enrolled at our schools who may suffer a severe allergic reaction to nuts. Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction and is potentially life-threatening. Whilst we cannot guarantee a totally nut-free environment and the parents of children who have an allergy need to take all necessary precautions, the school has a ‘nut awareness’ approach in order to minimise the risks of these students coming into contact with problem foods.
We ask your co-operation in also following these simple steps:
- Parents and carers being encouraged NOT to send food to school that contains nuts. This includes any foods with nuts listed in the ingredient list. It does not include products that “may contain traces of nuts” or products that are “manufactured on equipment that processes nuts.”
- Please be aware that many foods contain nuts, including peanut butter, Nutella, some muesli bars, chocolate bars and biscuits.
- Please encourage thorough washing of hands and face if your child has eaten food containing nuts before coming to school.
Our schools’ main aim is to assist the students in the avoidance of allergic reactions. For this reason, children are also taught not to share or accept food from others. We also encourage all children to wash their hands after eating and before going to play, particularly in the early childhood area of the school where there is a greater risk of cross contamination through person to person contact.
Please note that our schools encourage parents and carers not to send food to school that contains nuts.
Thank you for your assistance in this important matter.
Our Recycling Competition for bread tags and bottle caps last year was a great success and we have decided to continue it in 2021. We are inviting all students and families to continue collecting these items and bring them to school.
Thank you again to everyone who has been participating in this competition for a great cause.
School's in for Staff
Students had an extended holiday, but staff had already been working together for 2 days planning for the term & year ahead.
Team-Teach Refresher
A Team-Teach refresher was held on Thursday 28 February and was successfully completed by 9 staff members. Thank you to Ms James in TA19 for allowing us to use her classroom at short notice due to some technical difficulties we encounted in the art room. All staff at SBESC are now all up to date with Team-Teach and will not require a refresher until 2023.
Parent Welcome and Information Session
SAVE THE DATE!
Tuesday 23 March - start time to be advised
You will receive a printed form to complete regarding your availability and time preference. Please return the slip by next Tuesday 16 February.
COMMUNITY ACCESS TERM 1 2021
ESC is starting this year’s Community Access with Health and Safety Awareness incursions. We have 3 weeks of Hospital Awareness Incursions for ESC PP to Yr6 and a St Johns First Aid Incursion Yr 1 to Yr 6 with Integration classes. We will also have a meet and greet “Parent Picnic in the Park” at Woodbridge Park Friday 26 March.
Watch out for permission forms, Parent Picnic Invitation and information notes in the coming weeks.
Community Access Co-ordinator
Mrs Natalie Harney
How to prepare children for a healthy start to school
1.Teach them how to self-apply sunscreen.
The National Health and Medical Research Council recommend that children apply sunscreen themselves under supervision as soon as they are physically able to do so. This is often from two to three years old, which means by the time they get to kindy, they could mostly do it themselves. Make sure children know how to open the tube, how much to put on, and where on their body it needs to go.
2. Know the health and wellbeing policies at the school.
Are they a SunSmart or Crunch&Sip® School? What are the expectations?
3. Walk to school
It is not possible for every family all the time, but if you can, walk with your children to school. Around 64 per cent of kids are driven every day to school in Australia, according to a 2018 report by Cancer Council WA. That is a huge jump since the 1970s when only 16 per cent were chauffeured - the rest walked, rode, or caught the bus.
"Walking the kids to school is a great way for families to establish healthy habits together, and if you are rushing off to work and short on time, even parking a bit further from school and walking some of the way is beneficial," says Kelly Kennington, our Obesity Prevention Manager.
"There are so many benefits of daily exercise for children - from improved concentration and better self-confidence to stronger muscles and bones. Research also suggests that physical activity helps to reduce the risk of children developing health problems in later life."
4. Be a role model.
Kids are more likely to participate in healthy behaviours such as wearing a broad-brimmed hat, eating vegetables, being physically active or drinking water if they see grown-ups not only doing those things, but enjoying them too.
5.Put on sunscreen before school.
Make sunscreen application part of the morning routine for everyone in the household. Keep a tube handy on the bathroom counter and put it on after teeth cleaning. This will help to avoid incidental sun exposure during the trip to school and ensure that they have at least some sunscreen on if they forget to reapply later in the day. Try putting a small tube of sunscreen in the lunchbox as a reminder to put it on again at lunch.
6. Check the hat.
A good sun protective hat covers parts of the head that are vulnerable to future skin cancers, including the ears, neck and face. Make sure the hat has a wide enough brim to protect these areas (not a baseball cap!). If you have a spare hat, pack that in the bag as well. Ensuring that hats and uniform items are clearly labelled will help them be returned too.
7. Pack healthy lunchboxes.
Plan for lunchboxes in your weekly shop, and put aside some time on the weekend to prepare healthy snacks and meals that are easy to grab in the morning or after school. Having healthy snacks like muesli muffins or banana cake readily accessible makes it easy for children to eat well each day.
8. Don't forget to pack Crunch&Sip® each day.
Cut up some vegie sticks or pieces of fruit or have some whole pieces available and encourage your children to pack their Crunch&Sip® each morning. Water bottles should be cleaned regularly and filled with fresh water every day. Re-fuelling with vegetables and fruit helps kids to be healthy and hydrated and to get the best out of their school day.