A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
What a term it has been! It is hard to believe we are already halfway through Term 3, which I know has brought many different challenges for students and their families. Our staff are also experiencing big changes and have been missing teaching their students face-to-face. When you ask any teacher why they chose this profession, it always comes back to making a difference in the lives of children. Whether that be academically or in terms of building connections, the commitment and dedication they have towards each of your children is genuine and heartfelt. I can confidently say the same for all members of our staff – our students are at the centre of all that we do. Thank you for trusting us during this time of uncertainty. We are here for you all.
I would also like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to our parents and families. I understand the current situation has meant you have needed to make major changes in your life. That in some cases you may be facing additional stresses with work and finances. We appreciate that even those who can work from home are also needing to juggle their own responsibilities to support their children with learning. Sometimes you might not feel like you are on top of everything, and that’s ok. We are not expecting our parents and carers to take on the role of teachers. If you find a task is too hard for your child, we encourage you to reach out to their teacher for support. Alternatively, take a break and move onto something else. Your own wellbeing and that of your child takes precedence over completing every allocated task.
Although we are facing many challenges, we still have moments to celebrate our wonderful students. I encourage you to spend some time looking at our school Facebook page, where we upload student work samples, photos, and videos each day. As a staff, we have loved seeing our students shine during this time. One of our favourite parts of this is seeing the individuality and creativity of students who are not always vocal in the classroom. We are seeing them come alive, and we couldn’t be prouder. Please continue to support your child with uploading work so we can share their successes with our school community.
We are a strong community, and we are here for each other. If you need any support during this period, please contact the school and we can have the relevant staff member contact you.
Take care and stay safe,
Ms Phillips
LEARNING FROM HOME
We know children thrive with certainty, predictability, and routines. We are not suggesting rigid schedules, rather flexible routines or daily rhythms that allow for moments of joy, fun, learning, quiet and play.
Having a daily routine that includes set mealtimes, work times, and wake up/bedtimes allows children to know what to expect. Completing school related tasks helps children have a sense of purpose and enables them to experience satisfaction once a task is complete.
Children and adults are more productive when they are happy. Begin the day with something positive and remember to include regular brain breaks as this will help your children to stay focused and maintain momentum throughout the day.
Follow the guide for expected learning from home time each day. If your child is experiencing difficulty, reach out to their teacher or move on and complete a different task. Children are not expected to be online all day. Supporting your child to join weekly Zoom sessions will enable them to remain connected with their peers and teachers.
Remember, it feels hard because it is! Juggling work and learning from home without our usual supports is going to be a challenge. We are going to continue experiencing waves of emotion during lockdown and so will our children. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you require any support. Give yourself some grace and compassion during this time.
You are doing an amazing job!!!
WELLBEING RESOURCES
Useful tools for parents and carers to support themselves and their children.
Communicating with your primary school-age child during ‘tough times’
Conversations with a young person
Useful resources for children.
Feeling lonely happens to everyone. You can feel lonely when you are by yourself or when you are sitting next to someone. Learn what to do if you feel lonely.
Talk to your parents or a trusted adult to help you when you want to support a friend. Maybe you are worried about what your parents will say or that you will bother them. Get tips to make talking to your parents easier.
TRANSITION TO SCHOOL
Forming friendships is a significant part of the transition to school process. Having friends is important, especially to children. Friends are people who are kind to you and who like to spend time with you.
Talk to your child about what it means to be a friend. Are they kind? Do they share? Do they make you feel happy?
Talk to your child about how friends might like to do similar things together but also like different things and that's okay. Spending time with our friends is important as it makes us feel good!
Some suggestions for children making a friend include:
- Telling someone your name, ask them their name
- Ask if they would like to play a game with you
- Ask if you can join in a game
- Show someone something you like
- Tell someone something about yourself
- Say something nice, 'I like your lunchbox'
Encourage your child to spend time experiencing play dates with other children, as social and emotional development is extremely important in the school readiness journey (within current public health orders).
There are lots of beautiful picture books about making friends that you may also like to read with your child, including:
- The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
- On The Night Of The Shooting Star by Amy Hest
- This Is Our House by Michael Rosen
- My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald
Attending school events (face to face or online) will also support your child in developing friendships with their peers. Submit your enrolment form online to be invited to school events.
KINDERGARTEN 2022 ENROLMENT
We are busy finalising Kindergarten enrolments for 2022. Our teachers are organising our Orientation Program so we want to make sure the right information gets to the right people. We don’t want anyone to miss out!
Please enrol your 2022 Kindergarten child now or let neighbours know if they have a school-aged child starting school.
There is a 'Chance to WIN a Uniform Pack' for Kindergarten enrolments received by Friday 10th September. If you have already returned your enrolment form, thank you, your child's name will be included in the chance to win.
We thank you in anticipation of your support and assistance and look forward to welcoming the newest members of our Kearns community.
Please remember The Department of Education has released a new enrolment procedure, meaning that families can now enrol their child at any time online. Please note that when you complete the online enrolment application, you will receive an email stating that the school will call you to book an appointment for you to come in with your required paperwork. Please ignore this email, it is automatically generated by the system. Once you have all of your documentation, simply contact the school to arrange a suitable time to complete the process.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE WHILE LEARNING FROM HOME
F – Flexible or Present - Students are marked as Present if they are onsite. Students are marked as Flexible if they are at home and completing home learning activities set by the school. Please check in each day and turn in (post) work on Google Classroom.
S - Sick - Students are marked as Sick if their parent communicates with the office to let them know that the child could not complete work due to illness.
A – Unjustified Absence - Students are marked as Unjustified if there is no evidence of students completing work at home. The school will contact parents after two days of no evidence of work.
HOW DO WE KNOW YOUR CHILD IS LEARNING FROM HOME?
Phone Calls - Our teachers will be calling families every week, from a private number to connect with our families. Please answer these calls.
Zoom - Attending Zoom sessions is a great way to let us know your child is present and learning from home.
Google Classroom - Completing daily check ins and turning in work lets us know students are learning from home.
PREMIER'S READING CHALLENGE
The NSW Premier's Reading Challenge 2021 has been extended for two weeks. It will now close on September 3rd 2021. Students are now able to include up to 10 choice books on their reading records. You can find more information about these adjustments on the Rules section of the PRC website. The challenge team have also added some useful tips to help students access books whilst learning from home. If you have any questions or require further support, please contact the school and we will arrange for Ms Woods to contact you.
https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB - NOW OFFERING HOME DELIVERY!
Scholastic are adding a temporary home delivery option for the duration of lockdown. This is a great opportunity to have some quality texts delivered straight to your door.
Have a look at Issue 5 and don't forget to check out their Gold specials titled 'Every Child Deserves A Book'. Each month they release popular texts for as little as $2.
Let's get reading!
