Mel Maria Catholic Primary School
Dear Parents and Carers
Sometime ago, I came across two cartoon illustrations, the first depicted four appropriately robed gentlemen in earnest discussion. One was saying to the others, “If we put our heads together and go about this the right way, we could end up with a best seller. Well, what about it, will you be in it? What about you, Matthew? How about you, Mark? What do you think, Luke?”
The other illustration showed a traffic intersection where the traffic lights were out of order. Cars from all directions had nosed their way ahead until there was a complete jam; the end result was much hooting of horns and quite a few unnecessary words being exchanged. The caption for this illustration read, “If everyone gets their own way, then no-one gets their own way.”
I suppose the world around us gives us many examples of both the above situations. Firstly, through sensible discussion and negotiation, solutions to problems can be found and action plans put into operation. Secondly, through senseless argument and stubbornness, barriers arise, problems become complex and at best, a stalemate follows or maybe even a ‘cold war’.
One of the principle aims of a Catholic school should be the creation, by staff and parents, of a climate conducive to the exercise of Gospel values. Hopefully, in such an environment, young people will live the meaning of love, truth, respect, care, justice, service and forgiveness. May we also remember to never take each other for granted and value one another as important people in our lives.
As we're halfway through this term, it's incredible to see the vast range of experiences our children are having. Our curriculum is bursting at the seams with educational opportunities happening in the physical, emotional, cognitive, social and spiritual domains. Our children have access to so much more, sometimes we forget just how lucky (they) we are compared to previous generations. At Mel Maria, we aim to provide our children with strong foundations for life-long learning.
Schools are busy places but more often than not, what happens outside of school hours influences the education of a child as much, if not more than what’s happening inside the gates. What then, can you as parents do, to assist the school in enabling your child to reap the benefits of such a rich educational experience?
Following are seven ‘habits’ to encourage that may seem small and inconsequential but will provide children with the building blocks for positive engagement in class.
1. Commit to your child going to school every day on time.
One of the most important things you can do to ensure your child has a bright future is to make sure he or she goes to school every day – and gets there on time. Kids spend more time asleep than at school, so we need to maximise every day to get full value.
2. Help kids start each day well.
A good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast and some words of encouragement from you will help set a positive tone for a day of learning. This may mean that you adjust your morning routine so that kids have plenty of time get up, eat and get ready for the day.
3. Establish work and study habits.
The most successful students are those that develop regular study habits that suit their lifestyle, their study style and their school’s expectations. Find out the work expectations from your child’s teacher and help them establish a work routine that matches.
4. Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
Many children and young people are sleep-deprived, which impacts on their well-being and their learning. A good night’s sleep consolidates learning, as well as assists future learning. Children need between 10-12 hours of sleep each day, while teenagers need a minimum of nine hours. Help kids get sufficient sleep by having a regular bed-time and get-up time each day. Have 45-minute wind down time each night and remove screens, iPads, mobile phones from bedrooms.
5. Encourage kids to exercise.
Kids today get less exercise than those of past generations, which is an impediment to learning and mental health. Health professionals recommend a minimum of 60 minutes of exercise per day for kids of all ages. Encourage kids to play sport; promote free and active play and look for ways to make moving part of their daily lives.
6. Focus on being friendly.
Schools are very social places requiring kids to negotiate many different social situations each day. Encourage kids to be open and tolerant; to be friendly; to be involved in plenty of activities and to be social risk-takers.
7. Develop self-help skills.
Successful students are often well-organised, self-directed and self-motivated. You can foster organisational skills and self-direction by developing simple, age-appropriate self-help skills related to their everyday lives. Such skills as making lunches, packing school bags, and organising after school schedules can be great lessons that impact on how kids perform at school.
Year 6 Rottnest School Camp
Next week our Year 6 students will head over to Rottnest for their Year 6 Camp. I know that this is an exciting time for the Year 6 students and each of them have been looking forward to this event for some time.
Camp is an exciting time for our Year 6 students. The students and staff will be setting off in Week 7 of this term to Rottnest Island, which from all reports is a wonderful camp for students that our teachers plan and coordinate.
The purpose of this camp is fundamentally about developing the leaders of the school. The school camp builds confidence, resilience, and responsibility, turning students into empowered, inspiring leaders.
All children learn from the unique experience of community living, sharing, working, and living as a team. Being inter-dependant with peers affords the child an opportunity to make new friends, to view each other out of the context of school, and to witness and appreciate the different talents of others. School camps expose children to different environments that they would not normally experience in daily suburban living. Out of this, they build personal competencies such as self-identity, self-worth, self-esteem, leadership and self-respect.
Students participate in activities they have never experienced before and are rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Camp is therefore a wonderful experience for all children as they learn new skills and develop a sense of autonomy and trust in their decisions.
The aims of the camp are:
· to develop within the students their leadership skills.
· to build and develop new friendships.
· to build personal competencies such as self-identify, self-worth, self-esteem and self-respect.
· to participate in activities that perhaps students have never experienced before.
· to develop new skills and develop a sense of autonomy and trust in their decisions.
Staff members attending the camp:
- Mr Owen Connelly
- Miss Naomi Smyth
- Miss Jane Sparrow
- Mr Andy Carr
- Mrs Lyn Dowie
- Mrs Lisa Yensch
- Mrs Ros Nichols
- Mr Damian Williams
Kindergarten 2025 – Applications are Now Due
In 2025, we will have a whole new early childhood space for students from Pre-Kindergarten to Year Two. This is going to be very exciting for the students, teachers and parents.
Enrolments are now being taken for siblings and new students wishing to commence Kindergarten at Mel Maria Catholic Primary School in 2025. Families with children eligible for Kindergarten in 2025 are required to fill out a Kindergarten Enrolment Application Form. These can be collected from the office or found online on the school website.
Kindergarten places are limited so it is important that parents within the Maria Catholic Primary School community submit their applications as soon as possible. Forms can be obtained from the office or on the school website.
Paul Hille
Principal
Author Focus’s
Sally Rippin, the country ‘s highest selling female author, has been named the eight Australian children’s Laureate for 2024 /2025.
Sally’s slogan for her tenure is 'All kids can be readers'. She comes to the role with ample experience, having written more than 100 books for young people – including Billie B Brown, Hey Jack and Polly and Buster series.
Some of Rippin’s major priorities is raising awareness about how learning difficulties and neurodivergence affect literacy.
Noongar Kaartdijin
On Friday March 8 we celebrate International Women’s Day. The theme this year is Inspire Inclusion.
In the library we celebrated IWD by learning the Noongar words for woman :
· yok – women
· karbali -grandmother
The Noongar symbol for woman is pictured.
The U shape denotes a person while the line represents a digging stick, a sharpened tool that women use to unearth bush tucker (yams, carrots, witchery grubs, honey ants etc.). Variations of this symbol may include other lines that represent a coolamon ( a long oval bowl made from tree bark that is used for carrying bush tucker). You can see the Noongar symbol for woman in the Noongar symbol for family pictured here.
The Library has many books that showcase women’s achievements throughout history.
Mel Maria is a WASTEWISE SCHOOL and has been for over 5 years. I would like to thank all the parents who prepare their child’s lunch box with healthy choices and with zero waste. The lunch boxes are a credit to you. By minimising our general waste we decrease the amount of waste going to landfill. This in turn decreases the amount of times our big bins need to be emptied. The school is saving $$$$. More money for books!
Another way to minimise waste is to compost food scraps. The compost is used for our edible gardens within the school.
The children have been bringing in bottle tops, bread tags, and batteries to support our Waste Wise school policy. The items are sorted by the children and taken to Bottle Top Hill for recycling.
Well done to the children who have started bringing in their items.
Sports for Kids with Learning and Emotional Challenges
Sports can play an important role in any child’s development, but they may be especially valuable for boosting the self-esteem of kids with mental health and learning difficulties. Coaches and parent should be aware that these kids may need extra support to acquire the needed skills and manage their emotions successfully on the playing field.
The first step is to identify the specific struggles a child is facing. Coaches, who may be new to working with children, should take some extra time to observe and understand what might be difficult for them. Common issues include struggling with learning the mechanics of a skill, acting out due to feeling overwhelmed, freezing due to anxiety, or not passing the ball due to impulsivity.
Parents can play a crucial role by communicating with coaches about their child’s challenges and sharing strategies that have worked in the past. By adjusting teaching methods and breaking down skills, coaches can make the learning process easier. Visual aids, repetition, and individual instruction can be effective.
Teaching children how to manage their emotions is an important aspect of good sportsmanship. Kids who struggle with frustration or disappointment may need guidance on how to handle these feelings without acting out.
Coaches should take into account factors that might affect children’s performance during games, such as anxiety or sensory overload. Instead of criticizing children in front of others, coaches can provide feedback privately and calmly.
For children who are too hard on themselves or experience social anxiety, it’s important to help them adjust their expectations. Emphasizing that mistakes are a normal part of the game can be reassuring.
Although children with mental health and learning differences may face certain challenges, sports offer wonderful opportunities for self-esteem building. Recognizing their achievements in sports can boost their confidence and provide a sense of accomplishment.
See the link below for additional suggestions.
Christine Pittman
