W A L A W A A N I

N J I N D I

W A A N

Principal Report

Term 1 Week 1 2020

CLASSES FOR 2020

This year we are doing things a little differently, students will be staying with their 2019 classes in the same classroom for the first week. Once we have finalised the school numbers, the classes will be locked in. We are hoping to have this completed by Friday. Starting next Monday morning we will place students in their 2020 class with their new teacher. This

week students will be working on putting together important information about themselves to share with their new class. They will then take this with them on Monday and present it to their teacher.

WELCOME BACK TO THE NEW YEAR

2020 has gotten off to a rather rough start and we are very aware of the impact that the recent bushfires may have had on our students and families. They may have had to pack up their precious belongings and evacuate, their family members may have been going out each day to fight the fires or there may have been family members who suffered loss from the fire. Even though our community was lucky enough to be spared from fire damage, our community very much relies on the tourist trade of the holiday season and this has irreparably impacted across our community. Over the coming week our teachers will be sensitive to the effects that recent events may have on our students and they will be watching over them carefully. We will also include any relevant or useful information for parents, in not only supporting your child/ren, but also in looking after yourselves as well. As a school, we will be looking to support parents in the best ways we can, firstly we have looked at the events for the coming year and we have committed a portion of our school budget to subsiding some of the planned activities that we have committed to. We will be sending home a yearly overview for the expected costs of excursions across the school year, hopefully this will help with household budgeting. If your family has experienced any hardship due to the bushfires, please let the school know, we want to help in any way we can.

TEMPORARY ADDITIONAL COUNSELLOR SUPPORT

The Department of Education has released counsellors from other areas to be available to support students who may have been affected by the bushfires. This week and next we have an additional counsellor onsite, if you think that this is something that might be of benefit for your child please let the school know and we can arrange some time.

Page 2

BUDDY UPDATE

Over the holidays our Educational Support Dog, ‘Buddy’ has grown bigger and missed coming to school everyday to see the staff and students. He was very excited to get back to school and catch up with all the children who were so excited to see him. It is really important that parents are aware that we are not permitted to have any other dogs on Department of Education School Grounds. If you do walk to school with your dog, please remain outside the school gates. We appreciate your assistance with this matter.

ADVICE TO PARENTS FOLLOWING THE BUSHFIRES - FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Information for parents

The recent fires across a large part of NSW have affected our students and schools in different ways. It is important to recognise that almost all distress or behavioural change following such an event is normal. There is no such thing as a typical reaction.

Children react in different ways depending on age and personality. Some may show much distress or they may ask many questions and appear preoccupied with the event. Some of these reactions may appear immediately but others may not show themselves for weeks or even months later.

Some reactions may include sleep disturbances, regressive behaviour (thumb sucking), nightmares, fear of the dark, clinging to parents/carers, loss or increase in appetite, physical complaints that have no medical basis, aggressive behaviour, competition with siblings for parental attention, withdrawal and/or loss of interest in regular activities.

Children look to the significant adults in their lives for guidance on how to manage their reactions. Parents and teachers can help children cope by remaining calm and reassuring them that they will be alright.

Importantly most children are resilient and return to their previous level of functioning over time.

How you can support your child

Monitor how much your child is being exposed to television/social media stories regarding the fires; children can be distressed by watching repeated images. Explain to them that news reports will repeat images and stories and it may not be a good idea to keep watching.

Find out what your child's understanding of the event is and correct misunderstandings or confusion.

Include your child in making plans for the future.

Support your child to stay connected to friends.

Keep to your regular routines and activities as much as possible.

Belinda Doyle (Principal)

Page 2

Page 2

Page 5

Dates to Remember

30th & 31st January & 3rd February Kindergarten Best Start Assessments (by appointment) 5th February Kindergarten commences P & C Meeting @ 3.15pm 15th February Visiting Science Show Stage 2 & 3 24th - 26h February Year 4 & 5 Camp—Lake Tabourie 26th - 28th February Year 6 Camp—Bendalong

We welcome all families and

community members to

join us for our

P & C meetings the first Wednesday of each month in the

welcome space.

Next Meeting 5th February

Uniform Shop

Opening hours

Wednesday morning

9:15-10:00am

Thursday afternoon 2:00– 2:50pm

Pre-orders are

available

Please make all orders and

payments at the canteen

Page 6

Page 3

Page 6

Page 3