Dear parents and carers,

Term 4 is now moving along smoothly. This week has seen a class based focus, and already some classes are beginning the process of publishing work that they have written this term.

Yesterday we hosted Mrs McGrath from the Schools Services team in Canberra. She worked with staff in the area of child protection.

Today we hosted Mr Pymont from the finance team in Canberra – it was a fantastic opportunity to share with him about the various projects that we have undertaken during this year.

Tomorrow, I will travel to Canberra for this term’s principal’s meeting and I will also be participating in the Director’s Day of Friday.

Tomorrow our K/1/2 children will be travelling to Bathurst with Mrs Heath and Mrs King for their Aladdin Excursion – I know that they are really looking forward to a great day out!

Our P & F have made a substantial contribution to the cost of this excursion, with the reimbursement to be made to K/1/2 family school fees for Term 4. These adjustments will be made in the coming weeks.

Discussion around the review of our behaviour management has continued with a particular focus on being safe. If things go wrong, was it safe? Is a great question to ask – if the answer is no, then the solution is simple, do not do it.

On most occasions, the answer is straight forward, with the problem being resolved in a very short period of time.

For some of us, the challenge lies in recognising that some actions are not safe, especially at school.

One thing of note at present are the exaggerated reactions to simple/small queries. Unfortunately, the overreactions that are happening are causing small reminders to take much longer to work through.

I encourage the children to listen actively to questions – this may well take a lot of the angst out of most challenging situations.

Arriving to school early – please be aware that we have had a number of instances in recent times where children have been arriving to school very early (in some instances before 8am). Please note that children are not supervised until 8:45am. If arriving to school between 8:30 - 8:45am, all students should be seated outside the Yr. 5/6 classroom. This is not a time for playing or running around the school grounds.

Small schools relay team – good luck to our small schools relay team – William, Hugh, Cooper and Hamish. The team will compete at the NSW PSSA Athletics Carnival in Sydney next Thursday.

At present the cool mornings, windy days and dusty afternoons are causing some problems with hay fever etc. Thank you to those families who are being proactive in reducing the side effects of hay fever and other ailments that present at this time of the year.

Please be aware that there have been some instances of School Sores/Impetigo. Be aware that children should not be at school until treatment has begun. Sores should be covered with watertight dressings.

Kinder Transition - Orientation mornings for our 2020, Kinder students will begin next week. If you are aware of any parents who would like their child to participate in our transition program, please invite them to make contact with us at school. Everyone is welcome to join our Transition program.

Armistice Day – Remembrance service will be held on Monday November 11 commencing at 10:45am. Everyone is welcome to join us at the service at the Cenotaph.

Scholastic Book Club – the book club order forms have been distributed.  All purchased now need to be made online using Scholastic’s LOOP ordering system.  Instructions are on the order forms.  If you need assistance setting up an online account, please ask.  Book Club orders need to be completed by Friday, 1 November 2019.

Triple P parenting course - The Online Course shown below could be an effective way of gaining some tips to help shape positive behaviours. This course can be completed in the privacy of your own home.

Triple P Parenting Online Course

https://www.triplep-parenting.net.au/au-uken/find-help/triple-p-online/

Good luck to all children participating in the touch football day at Boorowa tomorrow.

Sincerely