Welcome back for the final term of 2024! I trust you all had a wonderful school break and made some beautiful memories with your children.

Communication and Handling Complaints Procedure

At Bethany Christian School we value healthy communication between all parties of our school, which includes our students, school staff and our wider school community. Healthy lines of communication are encouraged via means of direct face to face conversations, phone communication or by written correspondence. Your child’s school diary is a perfect tool to communicate easily with your child’s class teacher.

Some frequently asked questions:

FAQ:  My child is having a problem with friendships. What can I do?

Answer: Contact the classroom teacher and start a conversation with them. They are with your child the most in the school day and will be able to help your child.

FAQ:  My child says they’re having a problem during play break times. What can I do?

Answer: Contact your child’s classroom teacher first. Your classroom teacher will help your child resolve the issue. Remind your child to seek the yard duty teacher wearing the bright yellow hi-vis jacket out when out at play and have a yard duty slip written out.

FAQ: The yard duty incident hasn’t been resolved. Who do I see for help?

Answer: Make an appointment to speak to the relevant yard duty teacher involved. Your child’s teacher can assist to set this up.

FAQ: My child doesn’t want to leave me when I take them to school. What can I do?

Answer:  Your child’s classroom teacher is the best person to speak to and seek help. The Wellbeing Team will assist you by offering our counselling or parent support services, which can be sought by teacher referral or by parent referral.

FAQ: Where can I find the Handling Complaints or Communication Policies and Procedures?

Answer: These can be found on our website or in your child’s school diary.

 
Key Take-Aways:

Always refer your concern to your child’s class teacher. You can make an appointment with them, arrange a phone conversation or write to them (email or diary note).

Encourage your child to report yard duty problems to the yard duty teacher. This teacher will be able to help in a timely and appropriate manner.

Always attempt to resolve complaints in a calm and helpful manner. People who are threatening or abusive towards school staff will be asked to leave the school site. 

If, after you have exhausted all efforts to resolve the issue with the help of your child’s teacher, you can make an appointment with the Deputy Principal.

I wish you and your family a fabulous week.

God bless you,

Deb Clifford
Deputy Principal

Eat well, sleep well and learn well
Term 4 is a busy time. Here are some ways we can help our children thrive in a fun-filled learning environment and excel in their learning.

Breakfast is important
It is important to encourage breakfast. A good night’s sleep followed by food in the morning helps your child to stay active and concentrate at school. It also means your child is less likely to be too hungry during the morning and it can help with their performance at school. Be a role model and let your child see you eat breakfast too. A bowl of cereal with milk and fresh or stewed fruit is a great start.

School lunches 
A packed lunch from home is a great way for your child to learn about healthy food and to help with preparation. Avoid too much highly processed, sugary, fatty and salty foods. These should only make up a very small part of your child’s diet.

Lunch box suggestions include:
 
• Sandwiches or pita bread with cheese, lean meat, hummus and salad 
• Cheese slices, crackers with spread, and fresh or dried fruits 
• Washed and cut up raw vegetables or fresh fruits 
• Frozen water bottle or tetra pack of milk, particularly in hot weather.

Water at school   
Water is essential for life, and dehydration can cause headaches, fatigue, irritability, and poor concentration, affecting learning and behaviour. To stay hydrated, students should drink plenty of water throughout the day. At Bethany, we encourage students to bring their own water bottles, and our staff will remind them to drink water during lessons and refill their bottles during breaks.

Sleep
Quality sleep promotes analytical and creative thinking, attention, memory, motivation, mental health, emotional well-being, physical health, decision-making, and reduces risk-taking in students. The Sleep Health Foundation  recommends that school-aged children (6–13 years) get 9–11 hours of sleep per night. Improve your child's sleep hygiene with simple steps: create a routine, set a bedtime, implement a screen curfew, avoid scary or violent content, and encourage healthy eating.

God Bless You, 

Priya Wilson
School Nurse