Welcome to Week 7! I trust that you’ve all managed to navigate the transition into the cooler weather, and have managed to stay well.

The SRC have been working diligently behind the scenes to organise a Pyjama Day/Casual Day, which has been scheduled for Friday 30th June (Week 9). While it does fall on the Year 1 excursion, the Year 1 students will have the option of bringing in a gold coin donation for a packet of popcorn and a fruit box to take with them to the Zoo. The money raised by the SRC will be donated to the Hope School Library. 

Next week, in Week 8, our Year 5 students will be going to Woodhouse for their camp. For the most part, students are excited about going away to camp. But for some, the thought of travelling to somewhere new without their family can be quite daunting, if not downright scary. I have included a segment I wrote last year in the newsletter concerning anxiety. 

Dealing with 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 is 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 about giving them the strategies to manage their anxiety so that it does not interfere with them being able to enjoy life.

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 am very eager to hear of all the great stories that will be told by our Year 1 students about their experiences at the Zoo, and from our Year 5s who will conquer the famous, “Challenge Hill” at Woodhouse. I am also looking forward to seeing our students enjoy wearing their pyjamas (or casual clothes if they feel more comfortable) on Friday 30th of June.

I wish you all a wonderful week, and pray that you all remain healthy!

God bless you,

Deb Clifford
Deputy Principal

At Bethany Christian School, we welcome ongoing feedback from our school community. 

Should you wish to provide feedback to us as a school that falls outside of our usual procedures of speaking with the class teacher or the office, you can do so via our website under the FOR PARENTS tab.

Should you have any further questions about this space, feel free to contact me via email at eottens@bethany.sa.edu.au">eottens@bethany.sa.edu.au or phone on 8283 0000.

 
Elise Ottens
Social Worker and Community Relations

On Wednesday, the 30th of May, the year 3|4 boys got to go to Kings Baptist Grammar School for the SACSA Soccer Tournament. In our team we had, Callum, Deng, Riley, Samuel, Adam, Ashton, Blake, Lazar, Isaac, Nathaniel & I.

We played 4 games. First, we played against Emmaus and drew 0-0. Next, we played Hope Gold, who were pretty good and lost 3-0. In our third game we played Kings Silver. We played well but we went down 1-0.

The happiest part of the day was when we played against Prescott South. We applied a lot of pressure on the other team from the very first whistle, and everyone showed desperation when trying to get the ball. Ashton and I both scored goals in the game.

It was fun to be a good leader on the day, with Ashton, Riley, and Nathaniel. I enjoyed encouraging my teammates. Even though we lost some games, we kept our heads up and finally got a win, beating Prescott South 2-1, in our last game.

Cooper J

On Tuesday 30^th May the Year 3|4’s had their Soccer Carnival at Kings Baptist Grammar School.

Mr. Hannaford was an amazing girls team coach for the event. There were seven games; we won five, drew one, and lost one game. Even though there were no official placings, we ended up finishing 2nd overall.

We enjoyed playing soccer all day and celebrating before and after every game.

Lots of the girls scored many goals and even a hat-trick, we had so much fun!

Chloe H & Grace M

On the 31/5/23, the Year 5’s and 6’s boys and girls went to West Beach Park to go to SACSA Soccer and represent the school. Here is a report from the captains Orlando and Jacob on our day.

The previous year at SACSA, the boys lost on penalties in the final, that hurt us a lot. This year we were very excited and determined, fuelled by our loss from last year in the finals to win SACSA. A lot was on the line.

We arrived at West Beach with confidence that we would win. To prepare for the games, Mr Kokkilakis helped us stretch and prepare for our first game. This game was so important. It would tell us our level against other teams. Hours turned into minutes, minutes turned into seconds. Next thing you know, it was time to play our first game, Cedar.

Cedar was a surprise. We didn’t know how they would play and what they were like. We were playing 8 minute halves. So not a lot of time. Cedar were very good at counter attacking, breaking through our line of defence which then lead to them scoring the first goal.

The second half started and early on, we got a penalty from a handball. Orlando stepped to take it and shot it into the bottom right corner. The game was on. This goal gave us confidence which then led us to score two more goals. The whistle blows and Bethany win 3-1 and take the victory.

For the next game we versed Emmaus Gold and were victorious as we won 6-0. We kept the ball a lot and we’re on the attack numerous times.

After this we versed the undefeated Prescott South. Going into the game, we were evenly matched. Their goalie was a solid brick wall which made it hard for us to score. In the second half we picked up the pace, causing Prescott to concede a goal, catching the goalie of guard. The final whistle blew and we came out victorious with a 1-0 victory.

Later throughout the day, we stretched and prepared for the next game, Tyndall S/E. We just kept attacking and winning the ball which overall gave us the win as we won 6-0. With all these wins, we made it to the Semi Final versing one of our main rivals, Kings Baptist

During our break, we did not know when the next game would be. Little did we know, our game was in 5 MINUTES. Everyone was on the pitch with a full belly although that didn’t stop us as we scored a goal in the first half which gave us confidence to score another one in the second half. The whistle blew and Bethany emerged victorious as we won 2-0 and made it to the finals.

Orlando H

On the 31st of May, the Year 5/6 SACSA Soccer teams attended the 5/6 SACSA Soccer Carnival. The Bethany 5/6 girls’ team were amazing throughout the day and were undefeated!

They came first in their pool, and played in the semi-finals against the team that came 2nd in the other pool. The girl’s game was super tight, coming to a tie of 0-0, but since the Bethany girls were on top of the ladder, they were able to go through to the grand final!

In the grand final, the Bethany girls ended up winning 2-0, and we were the Year 5/6 Division 1 Girls SACSA Soccer Champions!

It was an amazing day, and both Bethany teams ended up on top, making us all the champions! Overall, it was such a fun and amazing day!

Sienna F and Sienna M