Santa Clara School Newsletter

Term 2, Week 6 - Friday, 24th May 2024

Principal Update

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

I hope you are all well and are finding some time to be still and enjoy the simple things in life. Over the past fortnight I have been discussing issues around child development with a few of my Principal colleagues at other Catholic schools. The one thing we all shared were examples of younger children showing signs of anxiety. As I began to read about this issue, it got me thinking about our younger children in primary school, but in particular our youngest children in our Kindergarten, Pre-Primary and lower years. All the research indicates getting to children in their early years really makes a difference for their future self-management. It all makes sense; form their habits early and they will be with them for the rest of their lives. Further discussion with a mentor of mine who put me on to a website called ‘Hey Sigmund’ which had some terrific articles on managing stress and wellbeing. I think you will find the following tips really helpful in your household.

Why Parents can Make a Difference!

Anxiety in very young children is a pretty normal part of their development. They’re getting used to the world and making sense of their place in it. For about 1 in 4 kids though, anxiety can have a more intrusive impact on their lives. For older children, explaining what anxiety is and why it feels like it does will make a huge difference. They can do pretty amazing things with the right information. For younger children though, this can be a bit more difficult, particularly if their language is still developing. The good news is that there are plenty of things the grown-ups in their lives can do to help them through. The truth is there’s no-one better.

TOUCH

Humans were meant to be touched. It’s why we’re covered in skin and not spikes. If your little one is feeling anxious, touching them will initiate the release of neurochemicals that will start a relaxation response. Touching is one of the most healing things we humans can do. This is as simple as holding their hand while you are sitting with them. The sense of touch is one the of keys to unlocking their anxiousness and worry. They relax immediately. You will calm your children and take away their worries just by being with them. You will see the difference immediately with your children when you sense they are worried or anxious. Ever notice how they will grab onto you if they are anxious or worried, they cling to you? They are just waiting to feel your hand on them, holding them.

GROUND THEM

Even better than touching them is holding them. Anxiety feels flighty. It feels insecure and turbulent. Help your little person feel grounded by holding them. Research has found that hugging brings on a significant reduction in cortisol (the stress hormone). The huggable target doesn’t have to be human – just something huggable. (Though does it get much better than human?) Let them feel you as a steadying presence. One of the symptoms of anxiety is clinginess. This isn’t surprising and actually, is another brilliant adaptive human trait. Young children might not be able to articulate it, but their body knows it needs to be grounded. If it’s what they need, give it. This won’t always be convenient, but if you can, let them fold into you. Stop cooking dinner, put down the phone and just for a couple of minutes, let them feel you keeping them safe. Make sure your own breath is steady so they don’t feel you as flighty. They’ll pick up whatever you send out.

We are one of the few cultures that don’t walk around holding our babies close to us. This is completely understandable of course – having a baby attached isn’t always practical (though I’ll never stop being amazed by what people can do with little ones attached!) but when they’re reaching out for a cuddle or clearly in need of one, it’s important to respond. They’re just doing what humans are wired to do – looking for connection. Having said this, make sure that after a quick cuddle, you also encourage a brave response. You don’t want to inadvertently reinforce their anxiety by giving them something positive (a cuddle) every time they become anxious. Cuddle them, then encourage them to try something that will ultimately move them towards learning an effective response, even if it’s just holding steady and breathing.

SOFTLY NOW, IT’S SLEEPING

This will help teach them the skills to calm themselves. First, find your child their very own soft toy pet. Make sure it’s an animal that’s fairly lifelike – a dog or a cat or something else that they would be happy to have against them. If you can get one that’s sleeping, all the better. At bedtime, tell them that the puppy/cat/whatever, let’s say, puppy, has fallen asleep too. Put it in against their tummy or nestle it in to the side of them and tell them that they have to try to keep the puppy asleep by breathing and moving very gently so as not to wake it up. This will focus them on their own body and develop their capacity to control their breathing – a valuable skill. Breathing initiates the relaxation response, a process discovered by Harvard cardiologist, Dr Herbert Benson. When triggered, the relaxation response instantly sends out neurochemicals that neutralise the fight or flight response. The relaxation response will decrease blood pressure, lower heart rate, lower pulse rate, reduce the oxygen in the bloodstream and increase alpha brain waves, which are all associated with relaxation.

MAKE SURE YOUR BREATHING IS JUST RIGHT

In the midst of anxiety, breathing changes from slow and deep to short and shallow. This is one of the reasons for the physical symptoms of anxiety. Have your child practice breathing every day so that when he or she is in the midst of anxiety, it will be easier to call on effective breathing. Effective breathing comes from the belly, rather than the chest. Have your child practice their strong breathing by placing a soft toy on their tummy when they lie down. If the toy moves up and down, their breathing is perfect.

There is much more in this article that can be found on the ‘Hey Sigmund’ website. If you feel these few tips may be helpful, then maybe this is something you wish to follow up.

CROSS COUNTRY

Congratulations to our Cross Country team that participated in today’s Interschool Carnival. The students represented our school with so much pride and gave it their all. Thank you to Miss Fitz for all her efforts in preparing our students.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

Our community will celebrate the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on Sunday, 9 June. Through this Sacrament our Year 4 students will be forever connected to Jesus’ love, peace and blessings by receiving His body and blood. Please keep these students in your prayers as they make their final preparations for the important milestone in their faith journey.

KISS AND DRIVE – POLLOCK STREET

The City of Canning signage heading south-east on Pollock Street shows no parking during school drop off and pick up. This will allow cars to bank hard up against the kerb while waiting to turn left onto Coolgardie Street to access our Kiss and Drive. The City of Canning have also painted yellow ‘NO STANDING’ wording and lines on all the intersections of Pollock Street and Coolgardie Street to stop parents from blocking access for our neighbours. Please be vigilant and follow the road rules as the City of Canning will be sending out Rangers to keep and eye on people abiding by the road rules and issuing fines to those who are not. Thank you again for your support in this area as ultimately, our goal is to keep our students safe on our side of the fence until they are in your car and care.

PARKING ON PALMERSTON STREET

This week we had a visit from the City of Canning after they had received complaints from residents on Palmerston Street regarding parents and caregivers parking in NO PARKING or NO STOPPING zones as well as blocking driveways. Please be aware that we are instructing parents and caregivers to pay close attention to the street signs. Our responsibility is to ensure the safety of students within our gates during school hours. It is disappointing to find out that parents and caregivers are in breach of basic road rules and parking signs outside of our gates. All we can do is encourage you as parents and caregivers to think about the safety of our students and the rights of our neighbours.

Please see the brochure below from the City of Canning around Safety Around Schools.

KINDY 2025

We are continuing to interview families for enrolment into our Santa Clara Kindy class for 2025. It has been wonderful meeting many new families who are excited about joining our community. Our 2025 Kindy is moving to capacity at a rapid rate! At present, I believe there are extremely limited places available. Such a positive sign of the quality of teaching and learning we offer here at Santa Clara School.

Have a blessed fortnight.

Clinton Payne

Principal

Assistant Principal News

Sacrament of the Eucharist Parent Workshop

The Year 4 students who are making their Sacrament of the Eucharist were asked to attend the Parent/Student Workshop yesterday after school. The workshop was well attended and a big thank you to Mildred Rego from CEWA who came to school and led this workshop. We keep our Year 4 students in our prayers for the coming weeks.

Interschool Cross Country

Selected students from Years 3-6 participated in our annual Interschool Cross Country today. The students have been training in preparation for this event at Wyong Reserve led by Miss Fitzpatrick. The students gave it their all and displayed great sportsmanship.

School Photo Day

School photos will be held on Thursday 30 May. If you would like to have a family photo you are asked to come to school at 8:15am. Please see Mrs Walker to collect a family photo form prior to the day. All students are to wear their full winter uniform. The Year 6 students are also asked to bring their graduation shirts to change into for their graduation photos too.

Nudge Letters

As part of our school process, we are obliged to send a Nudge Letter to any students whose attendance falls below 90%. There is nothing you need or speak to your class teacher about as many parents have emailed the reasons as to why their child has been away from school for various reasons. Please note that this is part of school process and the school is making you aware of your child’s attendance data. If possible, please try to organise holidays during the term breaks. As always, if you would like to discuss this further please contact Mr Gaudoin.

SEQTA Engage App

Thank you to all the families that have accessed the SEQTA Engage app to locate their child’s WASN number for the state government payment and to be able to download the Mid-Year and End of Year Reports. There are still twenty families outstanding that have not set up the SEQTA Engage App. Please contact Mr Gaudoin at andrew.gaudoin@cewa.edu.au if you have any questions regarding this. Please note that reports won’t be printed this year and will be issued via this app.

WA Day Public Holiday

Please note that there is a WA Day Public Holiday on Monday 3 June.

Have a lovely weekend with your family!

Mr Andrew Gaudoin and Mrs Denise Grech

Assistant Principals

Term Two Calendar

To download a copy of our latest Term Two calendar, please click here.

Live Calendar

To access our live calendar on our new website, please click here.

Important Dates

May

Tuesday, 28 May: 5:15pm P&F Meeting in the MakerSpace Room / 6:00pm SAC Meeting

Thursday, 30 May: Whole School Photo Day / 9:30am Eucharist Rehearsal

Friday, 31 May: 9:00am Awards Assembly

June

MONDAY, 3 JUNE: WA DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Wednesday, 5 June: 10:00am LifeLink Day

Friday, 7 June: 9:00am Year 1 Class Assembly / Dominic Day - Students in Dominic Faction to wear their red sports shirt /4:30pm Eucharist Reconciliation

Sunday, 9 June: 9:30am FIRST COMMUNION MASS

Friday, 14 June: Interschool Lightning Carnival

Friday, 21 June: 9:00am Whole School Mass led by Year 6

Wednesday, 26 June: NAIDOC Celebration

THURSDAY, 27 JUNE: LAST DAY OF TERM / Reports go home / School Disco

FRIDAY, 28 JUNE: STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY - SCHOOL CLOSED

Character Strength - Forgiveness

In Weeks Seven and Eight, the children will be exploring the Character Strength of Forgiveness.

To forgive those who have done wrong. To accept that people make mistakes.

Forgiveness is known to be beneficial to our health. It can improve our relationship; happiness, decrease anxiety and stress, lower depression and boost our immune system.