Loose Play

You may have noticed a large space that was made available by the removal of our transportable buildings. While this space has been earmarked for a new nature playground area, until it has been planned and built, a ‘loose parts play’ space has been established for immediate use. Loose play is where a variety of ordinary items that have no single given purpose have been assembled so that children are released to use their imagination and creativity to use the items in play.

The launch of the loose play was a terrific success. Students built cars, a moving ‘wheelchair’, shelters, and towers among other amazingly creative things! It was also wonderful to see students from all year levels interacting with each other, conversing with one other and discovering new things as they experimented with the materials left out for them.

I look forward to seeing this play space become a well utilized area during break times and to see what the students dream up while playing outside.

In the light of what is happening in the world at the moment, we have decided to re-publish an article from earlier in the year about how to settle the anxiety that some children my be experiencing.

Talking about scary stuff in the news

Digital media means we increasingly witness wars, terrorist attacks, accidents and natural disasters as they happen – through our phones, TVs and social media feeds. And while this coverage helps us stay informed about what’s going on, it can be distressing – especially for kids.

It’s pretty much impossible to shield children completely from upsetting news. And keeping things secret can mean kids get snippets of information, adding to their sense of anxiety.

Your best option is to monitor what kids are seeing and reading, and support them to understand what’s happening. 

5 tips for parents and guardians

1. Be aware of what kids are watching

• On average, adults in Australia spend nearly 100 hours watching TV or browsing online – and that’s not including work-related stuff. Think about how often kids are in the room or watching over your shoulder, and be proactive about switching off when they’re around.
• Put some age-appropriate boundaries around how much news kids are seeing. For example, children under the age of six should have very limited or no access to upsetting media. As kids mature, supervise what they’re watching and talk through what you’re seeing together. 

2. Help them understand

• Encourage your child to ask questions about what they’re seeing.
• Explain that sometimes scary things happen in the world and it can be hard to understand why – and it’s really normal to feel scared and worried. 
• Often children aren’t able to fully understand what’s happening, and this can add to their distress. It can help to explain things in concrete ways, such as by showing them on a map how far away the event was from your neighbourhood, or explaining that what they’re seeing on TV is a replay of something that happened before, not a new incident.

3. Provide plenty of reassurance

• Traumatic events can challenge our belief that the world is a safe place – whether we’re five or 50. Reassure your child that you’re looking out for them and help them see that these kinds of scary things happen very, very rarely.
• Stick to your regular family routines – these help kids feel secure. 

4. Focus on the helpers

• Help your child see the positives – that there are lots of people working to fix the frightening situation and stop it happening again. Point out the helpers – the emergency workers and volunteers – as examples of the goodness in people. 
• Find something they can do to make a difference, such as writing a thank you letter to emergency workers or donating pocket money to a charity. 

5. Take care of yourself

You don't need to be directly involved in a tragedy to feel its effects. It's important to take care of yourself so you can continue to support your family.

• Allow yourself to feel. It’s a normal reaction to upsetting news. It shows compassion.
• Limit how much news you watch if you’re becoming pre-occupied or feeling overwhelmed. 
• Talk to others about how this event has affected you. 
• Calm yourself. Go for walk. Take deep breaths. Do things that relax you.
• Think helpfully. Tragic things happen but remember most of the time we’re safe and most people are good. 
• Take care of yourself. Sleep. See friends and family. Do things you enjoy. 
• Re-direct your energy into things that will make a positive difference. Donate money. Volunteer your time. Raise awareness about the response efforts and available support.
• Don’t be afraid to seek professional support if you need it. 

Children often learn how to feel about something by watching and modelling adults’ reactions. Share your feelings, but show that you’re managing them. If you’re feeling upset or distressed, talk privately with another adult you trust or a health professional.

Notice from CommBank School Banking

The health, safety and wellbeing of our communities and our people is our first priority. Due to the rapidly developing situation with coronavirus, School Banking has been temporarily paused from 20 March 2020 until the start of Term 2. Please don’t bring your deposit book with your weekly banking into school and we will notify you when banking will recommence.

After our recent sports days we have a large amount of lost property at the student desk. Please come in to check through the items that we have before the end of term or these items will be donated.

MMP and whole school gatherings are cancelled until further notice. 

• Chapel will be held in year level groups or smaller in larger spaces, or even outside, and will be held for shorter times.
• Swimming lessons, Year 4 excursion, Year 6 camp are cancelled or postponed.
• Cross country will go ahead for students but we ask that no visitors attend the event.
• Parent teacher interviews - we have begun trialling an alternative using a video conference app to reduce contact.
• SACSA and SAPSASA have cancelled some events and we will continue to update you as these are rolled out. We will cancel any additional sporting tryouts that require a large group of students to meet together that would not normally be in class together.
• Choir will be cancelled at this time.

Read School Management Memo for more information