Emmaus Catholic Primary School

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 of the 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, ITS 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 into 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.

On Wednesday 5 June, Mrs Hackner and I were fortunate to attend the official launch of the Archbishop’s Lifelink Appeal along with two of our senior students, Gurnoor and Donny who represented our school.

Lifelink Day is an initiative which instils in students attending Catholic schools, a sense of responsibility for caring for those less fortunate. LifeLink Agencies help care and support the vulnerable people in our city. At the same time, it helps to share the good news and good works of how the Church responds to support these needy people.

As a school we will, over the year, carryout various fundraising events to help support and do our part to raise money for LifeLink. Our school's Water Walk event raised a significant amount of money that was distributed not only to Caritas (during Lent), but also to Lifelink who support 11 Catholic agencies that support the needy in our community. Our school was gifted a plaque of thanks for our generous support which is now located in our front office. Thank you to all families who assisted in our LifeLink fundraising efforts.

One hundred and sixty Year 3 students from Emmaus, St Helena's and Holy Cross gathered in our hall on Thursday to participate in the Reconciliation Retreat, facilitated by the vibrant, and engaging leaders at Disciples of Jesus 24:7. It was a great day of discussions, practical activities and understanding of Jesus' messages about repenting and forgiveness. Many of our Year 3 students will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation next Thursday 13 June. We wish them God's blessing and eternal love for this special celebration.

Catholic students in Year 4 who are receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion / Eucharist will be required to attend the parent / child workshop held at St Helena's Catholic Primary School, Ellenbrook on Thursday 20 June. There are two workshop times to choose from: 4:00 pm or 6:00 pm and students are to attend with one parent. Hannah Wager (Sacrament Coordinator) will be updating you of important news ahead of this workshop. Should you have further enquiries contact youth@sthelenaellenbrook.com

Next Tuesday 11 June is 'International Day of Play', a wonderful day of celebration for the gift of play. Did you know that PLAY offers children so many benefits: It builds resilience, instils confidence and helps children develop, Play heals through learning, life skills and psycho-social wellbeing. We have cleverly blended this special day with our Pyjama Day too! Students will be able to wear PJs to school AND engage with their buddy class in a planned fun, interactive play session throughout the day. Be sure to send your child with a gold coin donation and their own 'keep cup' as students from 4K to year 6 will also be treated to a recess time HOT CHOCOLATE and COOKIE too!

All donations will go to 'Wheelchairs for Kids' to assist in their production of wheelchairs for children with mobility struggles in third world countries.

*3K Pyjama Day will be held on Thursday 13 June.

The Emmaus school community will be engaging with St Vincent de Paul to contribute to their Winter Appeal. Our aim is to assist those struggling with food, shelter, warmth and general living needs this winter.

The 2024 main focus is on children's needs, requests are made for:

• blankets/lap rugs
• children's sweaters
• beanies
• warm socks
• gloves
• scarves

The Emmaus and St Helena's Catholic Primary School communities join together to celebrate Mass together on Sunday 16 June at 9:30 am. All families are invited to attend. It's a community Mass only when our parents and students come along too! Notes have been sent home to choir members who will be performing at the Mass. Please mark this date and see the flyer attached.

Please read the P&F notices attached to learn about the Emmaus Cookbook being planned and compiled in the next couple of months. Be sure to dig out your family favourite recipe to contribute to our cookbook! We are also on the lookout for a MAGNIFICENT cookbook cover. All students are being invited to design an Emmaus cookbook cover. All submitted designs will be added to our range for students to vote and the final winner will be announced at our end of term assembly on Thursday 27 June. Cookbook cover templates will be sent home in the next few days for students to start designing.

All current Pre-Kindy (3K) families have been contacted in regard to rolling over your child's enrolment to 2025 for the 4-Year-Old Kindy Program. Parents of 3K, please note that our application processes have changed and you now no longer need to re-apply or undertake an interview if your child's or family details remain unchanged. However, the school will only roll over your child's enrolment to next year if parents have completed the online FORM sent home to parents via email. If we do not hear back from you, it will be assumed that your child will not be attending Emmaus in 4K in 2025 and you may lose your placement to incoming families. Please find the response online FORM here for completion: https://forms.office.com/r/6uvY1XcL7z

Students will be able to borrow books in the coming week on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 June but will need to have these returned the next week (Week 10) by 17 and 18 June.

Please can parents assist in having their children pack books ready for return in a couple of weeks.

There has been busy behind-the-scenes work at Emmaus with a Sustainable Focus. With the creation of a School Waste Wise Policy, we have committed to developing a sustainable environment, educating our students and school community on the importance of ecological responsibility. Here are some of the exciting initiatives currently underway:

Containers for Change and Paper Recycling Bins: Thank you the P&F who have established a partnership with AbilityWA for recycling our Containers for Change. Did you know we have 2 Green “Containers for Change” bins in front of the hall? Students use these bins on lunch order days, and families are welcome to drop off drink cans/plastics/glass before and after school into these bins.

We have also introduced paper bins throughout the school to encourage students and staff to recycle responsibly. Paper Only recycling is collected in our large Yellow bin in front of the hall, which is sent to Brandon’s Shredding Services for reuse.

Worm Farm in Preparation: We are excited to announce our upcoming worm farm. A big thank you to the Crane Family who are currently converting and beautifying an old fridge in a repurpose project (see photos). This project will not only help in recycling organic waste but also provide valuable compost for our gardens. It offers a hands-on learning experience for students. Thank you to the P&F for your support in developing organic waste solutions at our school.

Greenhouse Restoration: Our efforts to restore the school’s greenhouse are well underway. This project includes a partnership with SEDA College’s Year 11 Construction group, who will be paving the area to provide students with a clean working space, as well as providing some supportive infrastructure. Once completed, the greenhouse will serve as an outdoor classroom where students can learn about plant biology, sustainability and the benefits of growing our own food. Thank you to the Thompson Family for donating the pavers (and for their labour in delivering the pavers to site with the support of Travis Muir), and to Tom Shaw for supporting this project.

These initiatives are part of an ongoing plan and we look forward to sharing more updates as these projects develop and others announced. We are sure this is the start of seeing a positive environmental impact to our school community.

Mrs Stephanie Freeman

Science Teacher

RELAXATION TIME IN 3K!

In Week 6 our Year 3-6 Cross Country Team competed in the Inter-School Cross Country Carnival at Good Shephard in Kelmscott. There were lots of nerves and excitement as the day began but our team did an outstanding job running a ‘true’ Cross Country Course. Scaling up and down gravel hills, tackling honkey nuts and all while pushing themselves to the limit. Our team competed proudly for our school and their determination and courage was amazing.

Congratulations to all those that competed, we look forward to many more Cross Country Carnivals in the future.

In Week 7, Our Year 5 and 6 students along with some Year 4s competed in the Sacred Saints Indigenous Carnival. We took along two Soccer teams this year with Mrs Bol and Ms Cameron coaching and our celebrity umpire Mr Caddy as a crowd favourite with a number of past students.

It was a perfect introduction for our students to compete against other schools with the overall focus of teamwork, sportsmanship and competing in the spirit of Jesus. We also were able to see some of the outstanding Soccer Skills our teams had picked up during our school Soccer Unit and through their involvement with community Soccer. The weather wasn’t on our side, but that didn’t stop our teams from having an amazing day scoring goals, making friends and finishing the day with some puddle slides and a quick dance in the rain.

As our students begin their AFL Units in PE, we were lucky enough to have a number of coaches out from the WA Football Commission to help kickstart the unit. Over two days, all students from Kindy to Year 6 participated in an AFL Clinic during their PE lesson. Students were engaged through a range of activities and games. Our older students honed their handball and kicking skills while our younger students got lots of experience handling the football and working on their reaction skills.

It is always a welcomed addition having outside coaches and providers coming in to assist with our PE Program and getting students exited and involved with those sports that they can access during PE but also in the wider community.

As part of our PMP Program, students in Pre Primary have been focusing on building balance, body control and movement skills. To continue enhancing these skills, we recently had Amy from Gymnastics WA out to run a Gym Warriors session with each of our Pre Primary to Year 2 classes.

Gym Warriors is an initiative engaging children through fundamental gymnastics movements and activities, harnessing the proven popularity and broader appeal of parkour, free running, ninja style activities and obstacle courses. Gym Warriors Programs are age-appropriate programs to suit the development of fundamental movement and physical literacy in early childhood.

The students had a great time completing the obstacle courses and playing fun games teaching them new movements and gymnastics terminology.

Mrs Rebecca Bol

Physical Education Teacher

Be sure to have your child signed up for the 2024 Premier's Reading Challenge. Students are encouraged to read at least 12 books over four months which can include comics, short stories, novels, magazines, lyrics, etc. Not only will those who complete the challenge receive a certificate from the Premier, but they are also eligible to win over 110 assorted prizes. Register via the website: https://www.premiersreadingchallenge.wa.edu.au/

A reminder to all parents that if you have not yet signed up to, or activated your SEQTA Engage account, you will not be able to access your child's mid year report (email was sent some weeks ago to new families and non-activated families). Should you be experiencing difficulty, our network and IT Manager, Steve Duncan, is available to assist on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Please see the flyer attached for the current P&F news.

• International Day of Play
• Buddy class activities 4KG & Y2, 4KB & Y3, PP & Y4, Y1 & Y5/6

• PJ Day for 4K - Y6 - gold coin donation to Wheelchairs for Kids

• PJ Day for 3K - gold coin donation to Wheelchairs for Kids
• Reconciliation Liturgy 6:00 pm

• Assembly (Y2)
• St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal
• Cookbook Cover Competition issued

• Confirmation Thanksgiving Mass (Certificates) 6:00 pm (Holy Cross Mass)

• Confirmation Thanksgiving Mass (Certificates) 9:30 am (Emmaus & St Helena's Mass)

• School Advisory Council meeting 6:00 pm

• Holy Cross MyLife Expo 5:30 pm (Emmaus families invited)

• Eucharist Workshops 4:00 & 6:00 pm

• Cookbook Cover Competition closes

• Cookbook Cover Class votes

• Memory Cafe - Y2 Event
• Cookbook Cover Whole School Votes

• Assembly (Cookbook Cover Winner announced)
• School Disco
• Newsletter issued
• Reports issued via SEQTA
• Last day of Term 2

• Pupil Free Day (Staff Professional Development)

Our next newsletter will be distributed on Thursday 27 June - the last day of Term 2!

God bless.

Sandro Coniglio

Principal