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Dear Parents and Carers
Thank you to everyone for the amazing effort by familes to have their children dressed up for our Book Week Celebrations on Monday. It was the day that -
Minions Take Over St Clare’s
A great day was had on Monday as St Clare’s celebrated Book Week.
A sea of colour spread across the school with many favourite characters on display. Blue and yellow was the overwhelming favourite as many cheeky Minions paraded around the school.
As we celebrated Book Week this year, we were reminded by Gru to read books together with the people we love!
Reading books is a great way to open our minds to the world!
Recounts from Year One
Yesterday was Book Week. Everyone dressed up as great characters. First we went to the parade. All of St Clare’s went to The Green for the parade. Next we read a book and did a great craft about the book. It was lots of fun. The Year Sixes did a show. It was fantastic!
Mahin 1WP
On Monday morning we went to a Parade. First thing in the sunny morning we went to the parade and saw lots of characters. We had lots of fun! Next we went inside to have our yummy snack and then for a play outside. Finally we went for a show with the Year Sixes of – The Very Cranky Bear.
Hazel 1CS
On Monday at St Clare’s we all dressed up as a character. There were a lot of Minions and Soccer Players too. We had lots of fun. The Year Sixes put on a show for us and we watched it. It was very entertaining!
Manayha 1WP
One sunny day all the Year Ones and the teachers dressed up for Book Week. The teachers dressed up as Minions. First we celebrated with a parade. There were lots of Minions in the parade! Next we went to our rotations and then we had lunch. Finally, we went to the Year Six show. We had a lovely day!
Mahanya 1 WP
On Monday the students and teachers dressed up for Book Week. I came to school as a unicorn. We watched a play performed by the Year Sixes. It was a great day!
Harsimran 1 CS
On Monday in the morning all of the students and teachers got to dress up as their favourite character for Book Week. I dressed up as a Princess. My dress was sparkly, pink and beautiful. Next we had a whole school parade. It was loud, fun and colourful! We got to walk around the Green. It was cool! Finally the Year Sixes put on a show for us. It was called – The Very Cranky Bear. It was fun!
Emilia 1 RK
Special Person's Visit on Friday 30 August
On Friday 30 August we invite a special person into the Learning Group Spaces from 8.40am to 9.30am. During this time the special person can join in the morning routine and be part of the class activities until 9.30am.
The Feast of the Assumption of Mary - August 15
Last week (on Thursday Aug 15) the Catholic church recognised and celebrated the specialness of Jesus’ mother Mary. Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Assumption on August 15 each year. Mary gave her entire life to God, listening to God's message and saying “Yes” even when it was going to make her life very difficult. The Assumption celebrates Mary being welcomed into God’s Presence. The Catholic Church recognises Mary’s service and her whole hearted self-giving through this special feast day. The Feast of the Assumption gives people a chance to remember and celebrate the role that Mary played in Jesus’ life and mission – to teach about the love of God and love for others.
Child Safety
Each year, across the school, we continuously review our Child Safe Standards. As part of this, we are required to teach our students in an ongoing way about how to be safe. This is linked to the Victorian Curriculum and our school wide expectations - R.O.C.K.S.
This term, our students are being taught about Optimism, Courage and Kindness as well as covering units from the Rights, Resilience and Respectful Relationships resource (which is linked to the curriculum also).
You might like to ask your child what they are learning in this area. Please find our School Wide Expectations below:
This term the students in Year 3 have been looking at the 2024 Paris Olympics and exploring some countries and athletes who are participating. Each classroom followed the medal tally, and engaged the students in being proud of a country they chose to follow.
As part of our Inquiry, the students began to look at the Ancient olympics and completed a comparison between the ancient and modern Olympics and how they differ. In Reading, we explored our favourite athlete and looked at their past achievements and used their ipads to find the information.
Students then participated in their own POTATO OLYMPICS where they designed an athlete with a potato and did some fun sports like Ten Pin Bowling, Diving, Breakdancing and Sprint Relay using their potatoes! The activities involved maths concepts, teamwork and showing good sportsmanship. Students enjoyed this thoroughly and some potatoes even survived to the end without breaking!
Is it time for a wellbeing check?
Well, we are officially halfway through Term 3 and it might be an opportunity to have a wellbeing check in your household, just to make sure everyone is moving smoothly throughout the term.
So what is a Wellbeing check?
A wellbeing check looks at a person’s physical, mental, emotional and social factors that influence a state of happiness and life satisfaction.
Meaning, it's about how you feel at a particular time and identifying those areas that you may need support in.
Children will go through a roller coaster of emotions, even in one day. Have a think about how well your child/ren are managing their daily routine. Are they happy, feeling well and managing the routines of their day to day lives? Or are there some factors that they may need a bit more parental guidance and support in?
On SchoolTV this week there is a wellbeing check survey. Why not have a go and see how everyone is going in your family.
Be You/ Beyond Blue https://beyou.edu.au/
A Special Report: Wellbeing - Checklist for Primary
Whilst most children are resilient and seem to be demonstrating a remarkable capacity to manage during this challenging time, others are not faring as well. Some are experiencing a variety of emotions ranging from fear to anxiety, all of which are considered normal or natural responses to this current situation.
However despite this, it is still important for adult carers to remain vigilant for any signs of unusual distress or behaviour, even though your child may not have any prior history of a mental health disorder.
It was estimated that one in seven Australasian children experienced a mental health issue before the Coronavirus pandemic, therefore early intervention, diagnosis and treatment is even more important now. In the current climate, one useful thing you can do is help your child focus on the things that they can control - such as their learning, diet, exercise and sleep.
In this Special Report, adult carers will be provided with a checklist that can be used as a guide in determining if there is any cause for concern.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to your special report:
https://stclaresofficer.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-wellbeing-checklist-primary
Liz Hunt
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
SCHOOL FEES
LATE ARRIVAL AND EARLY DEPARTURE
Students arriving after 9am must be sigend in at the school office so should be accompanied by an adult/carers who can do so.
Likewise students being collected early must be signed out via PAM or at the school office prior to be collected by a parent. Only parents are able to collect students early - please provide the school with details if someone other than a parent will be collecting them during the school day.
Collection during the lunch break - 1.30pm to 2.10pm can be difficult. Therefore if necessay to collect students early we ask they you do so either before 1.30pm or after 2.10pm.
We remind you that every minute absent from class adds up and does impact learning time.
REPORTING AN ABSENCE
To report your child's absence please do so via PAM, email absent@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au or call 5940 6777
Here is the link for the St Clare's Parent Access Module (PAM)
St Clare's PAM
You username is the email address that you have registered with the school. The first time you log in we ask that you use the forgotten password feature to set your own password.
ALL parents must access PAM to receive up to date information and grant necessary permissions. Students will miss out on events if permission is not granted.
How to Help Kids Stay Safe Online
Adapted from: https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/blog Office of the eSafety Commissioner
- Start the chat
It’s not possible to be at your child’s side every second of the day, so it’s important to talk with them about online safety issues to help develop their critical thinking and ability to make good choices. It’s also good to let them know they can come to you for help if they have any concerns. You may feel they know more about the latest technology than you do, but you have more life experience to guide them.
- With primary school aged children use online devices in the open living spaces at home to make parent supervision part of the expectation for your child.
- Take the opportunity to set some boundaries around when and where they can use devices like tablets, smart TVs and gaming consoles, to help limit potential tech tantrums — you could even fill in an Early Years Family Tech Agreement
- Screen free time before bed is important for good sleep. Consider charging devices in a central location at a regular time each night to allow an hour screen free before bed.
- While you are all at home more, it’s a great time to co-view and co-play with your kids, so you can understand what they are doing and experiencing online.
- Learn about the games, apps, social media and platforms they are using at The eSafety Guide, including how to protect their information and report inappropriate content or conduct.
- Use parental controls and safe search options
Parental controls can help block your child from accessing specific websites, apps or functions. They can also monitor your child’s use of connected devices and set time limits. But beware! You cannot always rely on them — they should be used in combination with other online safety strategies.
- Parental controls are available on most tablets, smartphones, computers, TVs and gaming consoles.
- You can also download family safety controls or buy robust filters out of the box.
- You can set up child-friendly search engines, or select safe search settings on digital devices, to help prevent your child from stumbling across inappropriate sites and content.
- Check smart toy settings
It’s surprising how many toys or devices can connect online these days, from drones and smart teddies to tablets and wearables. While they can be both entertaining and educational, they can reveal your child’s personal details and location — and allow other people to contact them without you knowing. You can help keep them stay safe by:
- setting strong passwords
- turning off location settings
- limiting the amount of personal information shared.
The eSafety Gift Guide has advice on what to check for and how to stay safe.
- Look out for unwanted contact and grooming
Unwanted contact is any communication that makes your child feel uncomfortable or unsafe, even if they initially welcomed the contact. It can come from a stranger, an online ‘friend’ or even someone they actually know. At worst, it can involve ‘grooming’ — building a relationship with the child in order to sexually abuse them.
You can help by:
- making sure their accounts are private — including chat functions on games
- encouraging them to delete requests from strangers and any contacts they don’t know in person
- checking in with your child as they use online devices in the open living spaces at home
- reporting and blocking anyone suspicious on a website or service
- remembering that if suspicious online contacts become aggressive or threatening you should contact your local police.
- Know the signs of cyberbullying
Kids who are bored by long periods at home can pick at each other, and that happens online too. So it’s important to keep an eye out for cyberbullying. It can include mean posts, comments and messages, as well as being left out of online group activities like gaming.
- Remember, when they are away from school, kids have less access to their usual support systems, including friends, teachers and counsellors.
- eSafety research shows that girls are more likely to be affected than boys and the person doing the bullying is generally someone they know from school.
- Watch out for signs such as your child appearing upset after using their mobile, tablet or computer, being unusually secretive about their online activities or becoming withdrawn.
- Cyberbullying can make social isolation worse and the longer it continues, the more stressed kids can become, impacting on their emotional and physical wellbeing.
What to do if your child is being cyberbullied
As parents, our first instinct may be to ban our children from social media, disable the wi-fi or turn off the data access. But this can actually compound the problem, making your child feel as if they’re being punished and heightening their sense of social exclusion.
There are four simple steps that can help minimise the harm:
- report the cyberbullying to the social media service where it is occurring
- collect evidence of the cyberbullying material
- if the material is still public 48 hours later, make a report to eSafety — we work with social media platforms to have the harmful content removed.
block the offending user.