Welcome back to school for Term 2! I trust you all had a lovely Easter and ANZAC Day long weekend during the school break. I also hope you all managed to stay well during the time away from school.
Disappointingly, COVID19 did not disappear over the school break. The SA Government, in line with SA Health recommendations, has kept the mask mandate for schools. Students in Years 3-6 are strongly recommended to wear masks but are not mandated to wear a mask. Our staff and any visiting adult (including parents) must wear a mask for the next 4 weeks unless an exemption applies. Thank you for working with the school on this matter, it is greatly appreciated.
We will also continue to notify you if there is a case identified in your child’s class. This will be in line with notification of any communicable disease that is found in a class, such as the flu, chickenpox, gastro etc. We are coming into the cooler months now, so please monitor your child’s health. Choose to keep your child home if they have cold or flu-like symptoms so that they can rest and recover faster. Keeping your unwell child home also avoids spreading the virus around the classroom too. Remind your children to ‘catch’ their sneeze in their elbows or a tissue, and to wash their hands thoroughly after using the toilet or before eating.
There are some very exciting events coming up this term. This week the Parents & Friends held a Mother’s Day stall, and all of the students enjoyed spending their money to buy their mum or significant family member a gift for Mother’s Day.
In week 2, the Year 4s and Year 6s will enjoy a ‘modified’ camp. Unfortunately, due to the strict COVID19 restrictions, camps were not allowed to go ahead. After much negotiation and flexible planning, the two camps were modified so that the students will experience the same high-quality activities, but will go home to sleep in their warm and comfortable beds. The Year 4s will be visiting the Botanic Gardens for Indigenous themed activities and the Adelaide Aquatics Centre. The Year 6s will be traveling to Mylor for two days to participate on adventure activities at the Mylor Camp site, and the fully accredited adventure camp staff from Mylor will be coming to Bethany to do a range of activities on site. Just like the Year 4s, our Year 6 students will return home for a comfortable, warm sleep in their own beds before embarking on the next day’s adventure.
Next week all of the Year 3 and Year 5 students will be participating in NAPLAN and all the Junior Primary students will be involved in the MAI (Mathematics Assessment Interview). With the various challenges COVID19 has thrown our way, the new experiences of going on the modified camp experience, NAPLAN and MAI testing, some students may be feeling a bit nervous. Anything out of our ‘normal’ routine can create a sense of anxiety. Talking to our children is one of the best ways to help them to overcome their fears. We all have times when we feel anxious and this can present in all different ways. You may be interested in the information below.
Anxiety in Children
There are times throughout the year that a child might become anxious. Sometimes a child might tend to be naturally a more anxious person. Anxious children or teenagers can present any number of the following symptoms:
- Crying, clinging and/or tantrums when leaving parent or caregiver
- Excessive shyness, tends to avoid social situations
- Worrying constantly
- Avoiding situations or places due to fear
- Complaining about frequent stomach aches or headaches
- Experiencing sudden or frequent panic attacks
Parents can help their children overcome their anxiety by taking the time to listen and talk to their child about what they are feeling. It’s important for parents to reassure their child that anxiety is very normal, and in some cases a good thing. Anxiety can help motivate us to work hard to achieve a personal goal, such as studying to pass a test. It can also keep us alert to any dangers we might be facing, such as needing to watch carefully when crossing a busy road.
While sometimes anxiety can feel frightening, anxiety is not dangerous. It can trigger our ‘fight-flight-freeze’ responses which can be really important for us to have when we might actually be in danger. The adrenaline rush we feel just before a big sporting event actually helps us to perform and that same feeling can propel us to practice harder to prepare for a big game, test or performance.
Anxiety is impossible to eliminate from our lives, but there are skills to help us manage it. A wonderful website for parents of children and teenagers https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/health-daily-care/mental-health/anxiety-in-children. Anxiety only becomes a problem when it becomes excessive and it prevents a young person from joining in on fun activities (such as camps, social functions etc) and they start wanting to avoid things such as school. Very often, the best thing we can do for a child experiencing anxiety is to stay calm ourselves and simply listen to their fears, supporting them in overcoming fear by teaching them about what they are feeling and what they can do to make positive choices. If you feel you need further support, you can speak to your child’s teacher or even make an appointment to speak to our School Counsellor by ringing the Front Office.
In week 5, we have our annual School Photo Day (2nd June). Packs for every family will be sent home in the coming weeks.
I wish you all the very best for the start of term 2. I also hope that you all have a lovely weekend as you celebrate the special women in your families on Mother’s Day.
God bless you,
Deb Clifford
Deputy Principal
