Address: Don Street, Wowan, Qld, 4702 Phone: 07) 4937 1133 Fax: 07) 4937 1003 School’s website - https://wowanss.eq.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx Email: the.principal@wowanss.eq.edu.au Office Hours: Tues, Wed, Thurs 8.30am - 2pm

Dates to Note:

25 April - ANZAC Day 4 May - Public Holiday

SCHOOL LEADERS Dee House Leader - Abigail Don House Leader - Mikhaila Student Councillors: Year 6 - Mikhaila Grange Year 5 - Thomas Brown Year 4 - Madelyn Grange Year 3 - Isla Burridge Year 2 - Olivia Brown Environmental and Recycling Leader - Maggie Raine

FROM THE PRINCIPAL Term 2 Week 1 - 21 April 2020

Thank-you for your continued support during these unprecedented times. This is a very differ-

ent model of school we enter into for Term 2, 2020.

During the last week of Term One staff worked together to identify the needs of our learners,

the context of our community and available access to online services such as internet and mobile

phones. This information was used to put together a plan for our students to learn at home dur-

ing Term 2. Our plan was enacted this week and includes teachers teaching lessons in a format

that does not require the use of the internet or require students to have fixed times where they

need to log in to listen to their teacher.

As we are into day 2 of the new learning model it seems that most of the issues regarding com-

puters encountered on the first day have been sorted. We thank you for your patience as we

sorted through these. I encourage you to continue to relay any problems or questions to us so

we can work through them to help make the start to week 2 much smoother.

This is a challenging and complex time, the nature of which we have never experienced before.

Our strength through this period will be in our positivity, our resilience and how we care for each

other. Again I thank you for your ongoing support in what is a very challenging time for all of us.

Please make contact with staff if you need a helping hand with your child’s learning at home.

STAFF NEWS

I am very excited to welcome Miss Sarah Osborne to our team for three days a week up until at

least week 5 at this stage. Miss Osborne is using this week as an orientation week to familiarise

herself with our curriculum. Miss Osborne will be taking over the HASS lessons and will also be

sending out Health and Physical Education lessons that have been specially chosen and planned

to assist our students with their own well-being along with physical education lessons that can

be done at home. Welcome aboard Miss Osborne.

We also wish Mrs Chris Ensby all the best as she begins her retirement from the commencement

of this term. Mrs Ensby has been a teacher for Education Queensland in various roles for the

past twelve years and we thank Chris for her commitment to our school and our students during

her time at Wowan.

SCHOOL ROUTINES

Thank-you to all our parents who have been checking in with us each morning by mode of text

message to the school mobile. This check in allows us to ensure that we have heard from all

students to mark our roll for the day.

Supporting student wellbeing and continuity of learning are the highest priorities for the depart-

ment.

Please remember to treat this week as an orientation week. We have tried to create a Learning

at Home model that is flexible, we all need to work together to adjust and respond to individual

circumstances. We have families with parents needing to allocate large portions of their days

attending to their own work demands, we have families dealing with multiple children learning

at home, we have families with varying access to devices and reliable internet and we have staff

with their own children completing Learning at Home. Hence we need to show compassion to all

School Banking day Thursday is School Banking has been suspended until further notice. Assembly Assembly will resume once stu-dents are able to come back to school. Keep informed through Face-book and the newsletter for details of the Learner Attitude we are recognising. P&C Uniform Price List Blue and Yellow Shirt $26.00 Formal School Shirt $ 37.00 Hats $18.00 All uniforms are available to be purchased from the office Tues-day, Wednesday and Thursdays between 8:30am - 2:00pm. Money can be direct deposited into the P&C bank account. The P&C's banking details are below: Acc: Wowan SS P&C BSB: 064-710 A/C: 926463

Please use your name and what you purchased as reference eg. MACKELLAR A SHIRTS

Overall attendance for Term One, 2020:

members of our community as everyone’s situation is different.

Please see below five recommended practices that are intended to support you and your family

during this period of Learning at Home. If you have any questions, concerns or would like to dis-

cuss anything further, please don’t hesitate to contact the school via 4937 1133 or email your

child’s teacher.

1. Continue to promote and prompt regular hygiene practices

To stop the spread of illness, your family should continue to:

Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, or disinfectant hand rub

Cough and sneeze into a flexed elbow or tissue

Dispose of tissues immediately after use

Minimise direct contact with others

Building a strong immune system is your best defence against illness. Supporting all members of

your family to consume a balanced diet, get enough sleep, reduce stress and exercise regularly

can help to boost everyone’s immunity.

2. Open the lines of communication

Establish the practice of open and regular family communication. This will promote connected-

ness and will help your child feel more emotionally and physically safe during this uncertain time.

Stay on top of factual information and make sure that what you are sharing with your child is age

appropriate. It is important that your child is empowered with relevant information and that

they are not following or spreading misinformation or rumoured news.

To prepare for the period of remote learning, you could discuss the following as a family:

What does wellbeing and learning at home look like, feel like and sound like during this peri-

od?

What challenges may present and how can we support each other to manage these?

How can we respect each other’s boundaries and create personal space and time for each

other?

What strengths can we lean on to support us during this period? (e.g. persistence, curiosity,

kindness, resilience)

What opportunities does this period of remote learning provide us as a family? (e.g. in-

creased family time, a time to slow down)

If we implement remote learning, during this time you could schedule a daily family check-in and

discuss:

What went well today?

What challenged us today? What might be done differently tomorrow?

What progress did we make?

What are we grateful for?

How did we look after our well-being today? (e.g. We made time to exercise, took regular

breaks, connected with friends, practiced mindfulness, kept a routine, etc.)

It is important that you continue to model the behaviour and attitudes you want to see in your

child, which includes remaining calm and positive, even though this may be hard at times. If you

notice your child is displaying signs of distress or upset, talk with them about what they are feel-

ing and why. Don’t hesitate to contact the school, or reach out to other support providers. (e.g.

Headspace)

3. Create a learning space for your child/ren that promotes and protects good health and well-

being

Consider how you can support your child to set up the right environment for learning. You might

think about:

The type of chair and table your child has access to which can support their back and pos-

ture

The temperate, natural light and airflow of the learning space

Distractions that might impact learning (e.g. TV, gamming console, social media, etc.) and how to monitor usage

Where possible, your child’s learning space should be separate from their bedroom or other personal learning space. It is important

your child does not work on their bed, or while learning on the couch.

4. Create a routine that works for you and your family

Creating and maintaining a schedule at home is important to help your child balance their school and personal time. It is important to

work together to develop a schedule that enables children to prioritise both school work and personal time. You may consider the fol-

lowing essential activities and tips when developing a remote learning routine:

5. Be flexible and empathetic

This period of remote learning is new for all members of our learning community and it might take some time to get things right. Please

continue to practice and model empathy for everyone involved in this transition. Everyone is doing the best they can and it is important

to continue to practice kindness, understanding and patience with one another.

Essential Activity Helpful Tips

A set morning routine Maintaining a regular morning routine will keep your child’s body clock in check. It is im-portant that your child maintain a regular wake up time, showering and dressing routine to help them get into the right mindset for learning.

Daily movement Physical activity is critical to maintain not only your child’s physical fitness but also their men-tal clarity and focus. Miss Osborne will provide suggested physical activities your child can action at home and you may like to explore other ideas online. The Australian Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines suggest children and young people need approximately 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity.

Consumption of regular, nutritious meals and snacks

If possible, children should have access to nutritious meals and snacks to help fuel their brain and improve their concentration and energy levels.

Goal setting Setting goals can support your child to develop and maintain a sense of purpose and direction while learning remotely. You should encourage and support your child to set both a learning and wellbeing goal to promote balance.

Learning It may be useful to schedule learning ‘blocks’ throughout the day. Learning can be chunked into 20 minute to 1 hour learning blocks (depending on the age of your child), with regular breaks scheduled in between. Personal devices and other distractions should be removed or set aside during dedicated learning hours. It may also be useful to set a timer during these learning blocks to help maintain focus.

Take a brain break Wellbeing is improved when your child can spend time focusing their attention and awareness. They may like to complete some mindfulness activities through Smiling Mind. It is also im-portant to get up and move during brain breaks, so encourage your child to regularly stretch, walk around and get some fresh air and sunlight.

Device free time It is important to include some screen free learning and personal time each day when learning remotely. Your child might use this time to read or get creative through other activities such as cooking, drawing, or writing a letter to a friend or relative.

Daily reflection Your child should take time to reflect on their day and consider what worked well, what goals they achieved, what they are grateful for and what they should focus on tomorrow. This reflec-tion can be shared during a family daily check in.

Connecting with friends Keeping connected with friends is critical to ensure your child doesn’t feel isolated or lonely. Maintaining positive relationships will support wellbeing. You should support your child to make the effort to connect and check in with their peers online or via a phone call.

Relaxation and play Planning for relaxation and play is just as critical as planning for learning. We encourage a mix between individual activities and family activities.

Family time Spending quality time as a family ensures you maintain connection and provides an oppor-tunity for sharing, discussion and reflection each day. It also provides a time to just enjoy each other’s company and have fun.

A set night routine A sleep routine is just as important as a morning routine. Your child should be encouraged to maintain good sleep hygiene, including getting at least 8 – 10 hours of quality sleep each night, and at least 1 hour of screen free time before bed.

EASTER BONNETS

Unfortunately we had to cancel our Easter Bonnet parade and what was to be our inaugural Easter Picnic this year. However, that did-

n’t stop us from still making Easter Bonnets. Our challenge was to create an Easter Bonnet from recycled materials that we already had

at home.

These creative students all put their creativity hats on and came up with some amazing Easter Bonnet. Congratulations to all our stu-

dents who participated. Well done Jye who came 1st in the Junior age group and Mackenzie who came 1st in the Senior age group.

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

In week 10 term 4 we continued to recognise our students who displayed the attitude of Independence. Well done to Gracie, Peyton,

Jye, Mackenzie and Isla who all displayed amazing independence while learning at home and by completing the daily challenges set for

students.

LEARNING AT HOME

We thank all our parents for assisting their child in their first week of Learning at Home. Work that your child’s teacher has requested

to be returned this week can be left in the drop off boxes underneath the administration office. Friday afternoons after 3pm, Week

One USBs can be returned and Week Two USBs can be collected along with Week Two’s work. If you require your child’s work to be

posted please let us know. We thank you again for your assistance with this.

PREP VISION SCREENING

In the Prep drop off box there will be envelopes with consent forms for the prep vision screening program. Consent forms need to be

returned to the school by Friday 15 May, 2020.

STUDENT CELEBRATIONS

Parents please send in photos of your child/ren learning from home. We’d love to see what they’ve been doing. Photos are best sent

as a text message to the school phone, however photos can be emailed as well to the school

This fortnight we are recognising the Learner Attitude of “Commitment”. To be committed your child will:

Strive to be committed in everything they do

Strive to show dedication to their learning

Strive to show self-discipline

Strive to be responsible for their own actions

If your child is showing these characteristics, please email a short description of how your child is displaying commitment and a photo-

graph to Ms MacKellar by Friday, 1st May.

P & C NEWS

The P&C meeting that was scheduled for this week has been postponed until further notice. If you have items that you would like to

put on the agenda for when meetings resume please email these to the secretary.

President: Briony Burridge

Vice President: Lyssandra Olsson

Secretary: Jess Edwards

Treasurer: Jo Raine

Message from Commonwealth Bank

The health, safety and wellbeing of our communities and our people remains our highest priority. Due to the ongoing

uncertainty surrounding coronavirus, the School Banking program will remain on hold. We will continue to monitor the

situation and keep you informed with any updates including how we will be managing Dollarmite tokens for students.

In the meantime, here are some handy online resources for parents who wish to maintain momentum with their child’s

financial education:

Start Smart: these resources have been created to improve children’s money management skills, and is aligned to the Australian Curriculum and the National Consumer Financial Literacy Framework. The Beanstalk: offers videos and fun activities for children to learn about money.