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news LETTERSP

SHELLEY PUBLIC SCHOOL 26th June 2020VOL: 39 No.11

Principal’s ReportPrincipal’s Report

As we near the end of a very unusual but produc�ve Term 2, this will be our final newsle�er for the term. Thank you to all the boys and girls and the teachers for your hard work and par�cipa�on throughout the term, both with online learning at home and as we have returned to school for full �me face to face teaching. Whist the final week of Term 2 is usually a very busy one with a Super Star Morning Tea, Public Speaking Compe��on Finals, Year 6 Fun Day and the K-6 End of Term assembly, none of these events will be taking place this term due to the restric�ons and changes brought about by Covid.

We are looking forward to steadily returning to more “normal” school rou�nes as the year progresses, and hopefully being able to undertake some of these addi�onal ac�vi�es. We will con�nue to follow the advice of NSW Health and the APPPC, as well as direc�ons from DoE.

Is your child ge�ng enough sleep? How much sleep is enough?We all know that ge�ng a good night’s sleep is important in ensuring we are working at full capacity! Since we have returned to school from our learning at home, quite a few teachers have spoken to me about the number of children who are coming to school extremely �red, with some K-2 students even falling asleep in class. Many Year 5 and 6 students are repor�ng to teachers that they are staying up very late at night - some as late as 10:30 or 11pm. We know that 2020 has been a very unusual year for families but it seems that some of our students may have go�en out of important rou�nes like ge�ng to bed and ge�ng to school on �me. Ge�ng enough sleep is par�cularly important for our students, as insufficient sleep can have a nega�ve impact on their learning.

This week I have included in the newsle�er an Insights ar�cle en�tled “Reduce Our Na�onal Sleep Debt”, with some interes�ng thoughts on the importance of regular rou�nes and about what’s required to get a good night’s sleep.

Be at school and ready to learn by 8:55am every day.

Don’t be late!

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EVERY MINUTE COUNTS….

Your child's best learning time isat the beginning of the day…

When your child misses just…

that equals… which is…so from Kindy to Year 12, they will miss out on

6 months

Nearly a year

Nearly 1 ½ years

Over 2 ½ years

Nearly 1½ weeks per year

Nearly 2½ weeks per year

4 weeks a year

8 weeks per year or nearly a term a year.

50 minutes of learning each week

1 hour and 40 minutes of learning each week

½ a day of learning a week

1 whole day of learning each week

10 minutes a day

20 minutes a day

½ hour a day

1 hour each day

School starts at 8.55 - Don’t be LATE!

MISS the important social interactions with friends before the bell that can relax them and set them

up positively for the work day ahead

MISS the start of lessonsso that learning becomes

disjointed and difficult

MISS the morning greetings,messages, roll cal, lunch orders

collection of notes and monies etc.

Distract other children when they arrive and interrupt the momentum of the group

Receive unnecessary attention that may make them feel uncomfortable or embarrassed

It’s not OKto be Late!It’s not OKto be Late!

STUDENTS WHO ARE LATE WILL ...STUDENTS WHO ARE LATE WILL ...

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Resources Pack FeesThe first whole school ac�vity to be returning is Footsteps Dance in Term 3. For the small number of families who have not yet paid for resource packs, we urge you to do so by the end of term. Students who have not paid for Footsteps dance (as part of the resource pack) will be unable to take part, and will be involved in an alternate learning program. We would like all our students to be able to par�cipate in Footsteps Dance and any other external ac�vi�es in Semester 2. If you are experiencing financial difficul�es, please contact the office to discuss a payment plan.

Semester 1 ReportsStudent reports for Semester 1 will be sent home later this year (at the end of Week 3 Term 3), due to the school changes brought about by COVID and learning from home.

Under the Department of Educa�on's repor�ng policy, schools are required provide parents/carers, throughout the school year, with formal and informal opportuni�es to receive informa�on about and discuss their child's learning. For 2020 there have been some temporary changes to the requirements, so the Semester 1 report for Shelley students will look a li�le different to usual.

The Semester 1 report will provide a summa�ve account of student progress and achievement on learning covered during Semester 1, both at school and at home, with informa�on about what might need to be done to support your child's learning growth. There will be no grading of students using the five point A-E scale (previously outstanding, high, sound, basic or limited on a Shelley report).

Student assessment remains an important process in the teaching and learning cycle that enables teachers to monitor student progress, provide feedback to students on the learning that has taken place, guide teachers in their ongoing provision of appropriate learning opportuni�es, and to report to parents/carers on student learning progress. Teachers have used opportuni�es as students have returned to school to gather further informa�on about student learning progress using a broad range of assessments.

Parents will receive a simplified wri�en report which describes your child's progress and achievement across English, Mathema�cs and Integrated Studies during Semester 1. There will also be a general comment. The report will provide informa�on about student a�endance and commitment to learning.

Remember if your child was at home, and engaging in online learning, they will have been marked as in a�endance. If they were at home but did not engage

in online learning, they will have been marked absent for the day. (Our teachers endeavoured to be very diligent in recording which students par�cipated in online learning each day, however, we acknowledge there may be some discrepancies within this �me.)

When your child's report does come home (around Friday 7th August), please take the �me to read your child / children's report carefully with

them and encourage discussion about their achievements.

Children develop many of their a�tudes about their learning based on the conversa�ons they have with important adults in their lives. Reports are a great opportunity to celebrate with your child the

learning they have been undertaking. They are also an opportunity to reinforce the home-school partnership.

As entry on to school grounds is s�ll restricted to staff, students and essen�al visitors, we will not hold three way interviews at the start of Term 3 as we normally would. However, parents are reminded - please don't hesitate to contact the office to make an appointment to speak to the class teacher if you would like to discuss any aspect of the report, or your child's learning in Semester 1.

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Educa�on Week 2020!Educa�on Week is a annual state-wide event that celebrates the NSW public educa�on community. This year, Educa�on Week will run from Monday 3 August to Friday 7 August 2020.

“The theme for Educa�on Week 2020 is Learning Together. It's a theme that reflects an incredible year for NSW public school students, staff and parents, and the partnerships that have been strengthened in response. This Educa�on Week, we embrace the whole NSW public educa�on community, highligh�ng the achievements of local schools and the role of public schools as the cornerstone of their communi�es. Join us for #EdWeek20 as we celebrate learning together with our students, parents, teachers, schools and the community.”

In this year of bushfires, floods and COVID-19, the key messages of Educa�on Week 2020 are:

Schools are the cornerstone of communi�es

Parents and carers are our partners in learning. Schools and families benefit from strong, respec�ul rela�onships where responsibility for student learning is shared.

Change and resilience

Our teachers and students are lifelong learners, collabora�ng in a posi�ve learning environment to achieve their best. Learning together makes us strong and creates resilient communi�es.

Connect be�er and learn together

Our school staff are dedicated professionals who know, value and care for all students. Technology enables learning together anywhere, any �me.

Educa�on Week is in our third week back next term, however, it will be an Educa�on Week with a difference! With access to school grounds limited to students, staff and essen�al visitors, it is likely we will not be able to welcome our parents and community members to school – and we are considering some alterna�ve ways to share our Educa�on Week celebra�ons in a “virtual space”. We will keep parents informed with our plans early next term. (As already advised, there will be no K-2 or 3-6 Athle�cs carnivals during Educa�on Week, as we would normally have).

Kindergarten 2021It is June already – and before we know it, we will be planning for Kindergarten 2021 Orienta�on.

We are currently accep�ng applica�ons for enrolment in Kindergarten 2021. If you have a child who will be turning 5 before 30th July, 2021 and you are intending to enrol them for next year, please complete an applica�on form as soon as possible and return it to the office.

Likewise, if you have a neighbour or friends with pre-school children who is intending to commence next year – please advise them to complete their applica�on in the next few weeks.

Our student numbers for Kindergarten have a significant impact on school organisa�on for 2021. We ask for your assistance in ensuring applica�ons are sent in as soon as able.

“Applica�on to enrol” forms are available via the school office (call the office and one will be sent home with your child or mailed to you). Those parents who do not live in the catchment area and wish to send their children to Shelley PS are also required to complete an out of area applica�on form, which will be reviewed by the Out of Area Panel.

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School EquipmentBefore heading back to school in three weeks, we encourage students to check their school equipment and ensure they have everything ready for second semester. The holidays are a good opportunity to replenish pens, pencils and other equipment!

Please also make sure all your child’s equipment and belongings are clearly labelled.

Safe and Happy HolidaysAs this will be the final newsle�er for the term, I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. We look forward to seeing you all back for the start of Term 3.

Remember – Monday 20th July is a School Development Day, so there is NO SCHOOL for students.

Students return to school on Tuesday 21st July. Jo-Ann Campion

Hi from all of us in the Green Team! We have not been able to have our special gardening days or weekly Wednesday gardening morning. It’s hard to see our vegie beds empty and the weeds in our outdoor learning space.

We hope that your gardens are growing well at home and thought you might like to try some of Stephanie Alexander’s recipes - The Pumpkin and Wa�leseed Scones sound delicious for a

cold winters day!

While our recycling and compos�ng has been paused for now, we encourage you to try and reduce, reuse, recycle and repair at home and can’t wait to

get green again at school!

h�ps://www.kitchengardenfounda�on.org.au/content/kitchen-garden-program-home-coles

News from the Green Team

Shelley Super Star Learners areSafe, Respectful and Responsible

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Deputy Principal’s ReportDeputy Principal’s Report

White AwardsCongratula�ons to all of these students who received white awards last week!

It has been quite some �me since we were able to hold assemblies to present the awards, so Ms Campion and I visited all the classrooms to present them. Our Shelley students have con�nued to work hard both online and in class, throughout the COVID situa�on, and we congratulate them for their persistence, diligence and effort.

Leanita Williams

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by Michael Grose - No. 1 parenting educator

Recently I spoke at an overseas conference and sleep, or rather lack of sleep, was high on the agenda.

Professor Harlene Hayne, head of the Psychology Department at the University of Otago, revealed that increasing the amount of sleep children receive is one of the most powerful strategies for improving their mental health and well-being.

The links between sleep debt and poor mental health, including anxiety and depression, are indisputable. Anxiety goes down and confidence and well-being improves when kids get enough sleep.

Many kids today are sleep deprived. Teenagers, in particular, don’t get enough sleep. They need between nine and 10 hours sleep each night, yet most get about seven or eight hours sleep. Some get less.

Not getting enough sleep leads to sleep deprivation, which is akin to jet lag, where kids don’t function at their optimum. Lack of sleep leads to irritability, decreased creativity and memory lapses. It also has strong links to anxiety and depression.

Sleep maximises the brain growth which occurs with toddlers and teens. Sleep also consolidates learning: sleep research has shown that the brain practises what it has learned during the day when a child or young person is asleep. So sufficient sleep consolidates past learning as well as keeping kids fresh to maximise their future learning.

Sleep experts stress that while adults may not have control over biology we can assist children and teens to establish good sleep patterns. Children usually carry good sleep habits into adolescence. If you struggle to get young children to sleep or constantly battle kids who want to stay up longer, some knowledge of good sleep habits may be useful.

Reduce our national sleep debt

2014 Michael Grose

Michael Grose PresentationsPO Box 167 Balnarring Vic 3926 p + 61 3 5983 1798 f (03) 5983 1722 e office@parentingideas.com.auAll rights reserved. For more ideas, support and advice for all your parenting challenges please visit our website.

facebook.com/Parentingideas.com.autwitter.com/michaelgrose

parentingideas.co.ukparentingideas.com.au parentingideas.co.nz

Many parents underestimate the importance of sleep for children’s learning and well-being. As a community we lack a great deal of knowledge about what’s required to get a good night’s sleep.

Good sleep habits include:

1. Regular bedtimes. Kids may fight this, but make sure kids keep regular bedtimes during the week and allow them to stay up a little later on weekends. Children need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep each day, while teens need a minimum of nine hours.

2. A 45 minute wind-down time before bed. This includes: removing TV and other stimuli, calming the child down and limiting food intake (and caffeine for teens). The wind-down time informs the body clock that sleeping-time is near.

3. A bedtime routine: Have a bedtime routine, such as story-reading and teeth-cleaning, that signals psychologically that it is time for sleep. A set routine means that kids can predict. It also means that some children will fight bedtime so you need some good strategies in place to get kids to bed and make sure they stay there.

4. Keeping bedrooms for sleep. Bedrooms that resemble caves are recommended. It gets tricky with mobile phones and other information technology, but it’s smart to keep mobiles and laptops out of bedrooms at sleep-time. This goes for parents too. I’ve noticed most parents sleep in technology-free bedrooms (apart from a clock-radio) yet their kids will have technology-full rooms.

5. Maximise the three sleep cues. These include: darkness (maintaining a cave-like bedroom); lowering body temperature (baths can be good for this); and melatonin (work within their cycle).

With mental health being on the agenda for all Australians and New Zealanders there is no better start than attending to good sleep habits. If your kids get less sleep than they should, check out the five habits above and work out which of these you can adjust to move things in favour of them getting more sleep.

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Advertisements are inserted in good faith. Shelley Public School does not endorse or carry responsibility for claimsAdvertisements are inserted in good faith. Shelley Public School does not endorse or carry responsibility for claims

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