Welcome to week 3! I feel that this term has gotten off to a flying start with some really great events having already begun, such as the Year 2 Musical.
Next week, on Thursday 10th of November, the Student Representative Council (SRC) are holding the Market Day. They have had tremendous interest shown in the Market Day with 44 students nominating their businesses for the Market Day. The SRC are now busily coordinating the tables and map for the Market Day. Parents are most welcome to attend the lunch time event, however the SRC respectfully ask that parents allow the students to run their own stalls, as this was the purpose of the activity. The SRCs along with Year 5 student volunteers will be rostered on to support students running businesses, in particular the younger participants, as they handle money and the sale of the products. It will be an extremely busy lunch time, but it will be a very positive and energizing event.

Transition, change and managing anxiety
For many, term 4 is a really exciting term full of enjoyable activities and celebration of the year that they’ve almost finished. However, for others, the end of the year brings much anxiety and uncertainty for the next year. For these people, the prospect of changing classes or schools, moving up a year, or moving into a new classroom brings a sense of dread and anxiety.

Anxiety, broadly speaking, is the worry of a potential situation which may seem threatening or scary. Some people then focus on the signs of potential threats which makes them become more anxious. Students who are very fearful of a test, for example, will focus so much on what might happen that anxiety takes over their entire headspace.

Some people may be aware of feeling anxious. Some will not understand that the feelings they’re experiencing are anxiety, and may misread it as feeling unwell, feeling sad or feeling angry. Avoiding the symptoms and situations which cause anxiety may seem like a great short-term relief, but what results is a lowered ability to face future anxiety. This results in the anxious person becoming less confident to cope with the next stressful situation, and sometimes this can lead to long lasting effects. Beyond Blue (2022) remind parents that the goal for most children is not to have anxiety completely eliminated, but to give them the strategies to manage their anxiety so that it does not interfere with them being able to enjoy life.

By addressing situations of anxiety whether it is an upcoming camp, starting at a new school, changing classes, important tests, even perhaps swimming if a student feels less confident around water, it is important as it can help a student to break the cycle of anxiety. By acknowledging the feelings of anxiety, the student can be supported to help them take gradual steps to safely and successfully overcome the feeling of fear. Encouraging the child to identify what is making them feel anxious and helping them to change negative thinking into positive thinking, by being fully informed of what might be coming up and ensuring that their experience will be a successful one, will help them become much more confident. You can seek support from your child’s teacher to help ensure that their experience will be safe and positive. Challenge the negative thoughts with more balanced thoughts to reduce the experience of anxiety. This point is also valid if the fear is around their class in 2023. Our teaching staff take a great deal of time and care, deliberating about which class your child would be best suited for, because we want to set every child up for success. If you are concerned, please take some time to speak to your child’s current teacher.

Some tips from Beyond Blue (2022) are:
1. Start by slowing down: Encourage your child to take some slow, deep breaths to calm the physical effects of anxiety. Practice together by breathing in for three seconds, holding for three seconds, then out for three. Once they're feeling a bit calmer, you can talk through what's worrying them.
2. Make time to worry: Setting aside some designated time to deal with worries can stop anxious thoughts from taking over. Try creating a daily ritual called ‘worry time’, and encourage children to draw or write down whatever’s bothering them. You can make the activity a bit more fun by decorating a ‘worry box’ or building a ‘worry wall’ out of post-its. When the time is up – after 10 to 15 minutes – shut the worries up in the box or tear them off the wall and say goodbye to them for the day.
3. Climb that ladder: Instead of skirting the scary situation, you could try a technique called ‘laddering’ – breaking down worries into manageable chunks and gradually working towards a goal.
Let’s say your child is afraid of water and swimming. Instead of avoiding the pool, create some mini-goals to build their confidence. Start out by just sitting and watching other kids swimming. As they feel more comfortable get them to try dangling their legs in the water, then standing in the shallow end, and so on.
4. Encourage positive thinking: Kids with anxiety often get stuck on the worst-case scenario or 'what ifs' in any situation. You can help them shift these thinking patterns by:
•    reminding them of times they've dealt with similar issues in the past and how things worked out OK
•    helping them to challenge the scary thought with facts and evidence. For example, we know that crocodiles can't survive under our bed
•    make a plan for how they'll respond if things don't go as they'd like.
5. Have a go: Anxious kids often worry about making mistakes or not having things perfect. This can lead to them avoiding situations or activities – they’d rather sit out than get it wrong. Emphasise giving new things a try and having fun over whether something’s a success or failure.
6. Model helpful coping: Don’t just tell your child how to overcome emotions – show them. When you get anxious or stressed, verbalise how you’re coping with the situation: “This looks a bit scary, but I’ll give it a go.” And hey, you might even knock off one of your own fears.
7. Help your child take charge: Think about what you can do to make your child feel like they have some control over the scary situation. For example, if your child gets anxious about intruders, make shutting and locking their bedroom window part of their night-time responsibilities.
8. Be upfront about scary stuff: Lots of kids have worries about death, war, terrorism or things they see on the news. This is all really normal. Talk through their fears and answer any questions truthfully. Don’t sugar-coat the facts – try and explain what’s happening in a way that puts their fears in perspective. 
9. Be BRAVE: Check out BRAVE – a free online program to help kids cope with worries and anxiety. There’s a tailored version for younger kids (8-12), one for teens (12-17) and an accompanying program for parents.
10. And finally, check your own behaviour: Kids pick up all sorts of signals from the adults in their lives, so have a think about the messages you’re sending. Over-protective family members can inadvertently reinforce children’s fears that the world is a dangerous place where everything can hurt you. Similarly, parents who ‘over-help’ are subconsciously telling their kids that they can’t do anything without adult support.

If you’re prone to ‘helicoptering’, try taking a step back and waiting next time before you jump in. It can be hard seeing your child distressed, but figuring things out for themselves is an important step in building resilience.
https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au/age-6-12/mental-health-conditions-in-children/anxiety/strategies-to-support-anxious-children 

If you are concerned that your child is struggling with anxiety, please make contact with their teacher or make an appointment to speak to one of our school counsellors, Monday – Friday.

I wish you and your families a fabulous week ahead, and may the weather be warmer for the weekend!

God bless you,

Deb Clifford
Deputy Principal

The 2023 Financial Commitment Form have been posted and you should have received them. As they are important for the Finance Team to plan for next year, we ask that you complete and return them by the due date which is Friday 4th November.

Thank you for being vigilant in following the school's policy in relation to communicable diseases. Please remember:

•    If your child is experiencing cold and flu like symptoms such as sneezing, blocked nose, runny nose and no fever, it is best to give some rest and see how they go. Sometimes all they need is a half to one day of extra rest for their body to heal and for them to feel better (to know more visit our website factsheet)
•    If your child develops any symptoms such as a fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, loss of smell/taste, muscle/joint pains, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting or extreme tiredness, please: Obtain a PCR test (You can find your nearest COVID-19 testing clinic- click the link below

https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/Public%20Content/SA%20Health%20Internet/Conditions/Infectious%20diseases/COVID-19/Testing/PCR%20testing/Find%20a%20COVID-19%20PCR%20testing%20centre

At the beginning of this term we sent a Medical Update Form to be filled out and returned to school in preparation for 2023. If you haven’t returned the form already please return it to the school via your child’s red folder by Friday week 4 (11th November).

Kind regards,

Priya Wilson
School Nurse

It was such an enjoyable day for Year 3/4 girls’ team. Even though most of the girls hadn't played before, they showed great enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. The girls played better as the day went on and finished the day with 2 good wins. Well done girls, I hope you enjoyed the day!

Mr Richardson

The Yr 5/6 Bethany Silver team had such an enjoyable day! The girls showed outstanding enthusiasm and support towards each other all day. The excitable girls loved seeing the improvement and finished the day with a great win. Well done girls, you were a delight to coach!

Mr Richardson