…..Engaged and resilient students learning in a safe and respectful environment…..

This week I am going to relate our vision statement to reinforce why a small number of students are not given the opportunity to participate in some events. As a school we work hard with students to encourage them all to do their best to be able to participate in as many activities as they can. Sometimes students continually make the wrong choices despite being given many chances to change their behaviours. While it is a very difficult decision to make and one that we spend much time considering, there are times where to ensure that the majority of students are able to participate safely and participate in a respectful environment we have to make the decision to limit or deny a child’s participation. This is always communicated with parents and the child well in advance in order to encourage positive behaviour choices leading up to an event such as gala sports, various excursions and sometimes even our assemblies.

Annual Improvement Plan

In the coming weeks we will send home a family copy of our school’s priorities for 2025. This will be a fridge magnet to remind you what we are striving to achieve throughout the year. Below is a copy of what will be sent home. Our targets are realistic given our previous results and reflect some aspirational targets for the students.

Let’s talk about NAPLAN

Due to the cyclone and the lead up to NAPLAN our school was able to delay the commencement of NAPLAN until the start of next week. This is a sensible decision based on the disruption over recent days. That being said, NAPLAN preparation for our students has been happening for years. It is something that is expected and is not a surprise inclusion in the life of a school.

Our (parents and teachers) discussions with our students should be focussed on reinforcing that they are well prepared and that all they are expected to do is to do their best on the day. Anxiety for an event like this is always expected but it is how we encourage our students in a positive way to approach the different tests that will help to make a difference.

As I have said in many previous editions of my newsletters, we use the results in our school to help address and evaluate some of the different programs we offer and how we develop different learning opportunities for the students. The results are also often a good way to gauge whether the levels of achievement we provide on our report cards are in line and matching with national expectations.

As we normally do, we will be providing pancakes for our year 3 and 5 students on Monday morning from 8am as a welcome to NAPLAN week.

Cyclone Alfred

I can’t let the newsletter pass without saying something about this event. We were very fortunate at school with relatively minor damage across the school site. Our most significant damage was to the Stephanie Alexander garden with two large trees crushing the fence. Fortunately they did very little damage to the actual gardens and vegetation. Hopefully early next week we will be able to have them removed. The other area that suffers on a regular basis is our oval, with the water table being very close to the surface at times which means the oval holds quite a bit of water. This means that oval use is limited for a number of days after we have had significant rainfall.

OSHC- Camp Australia

Our current agreement with our OSHC provider has expired. The department requires that all OSHC provider agreements are competitively tendered with an invitation to apply process. This approach is intended to maximise opportunity for providers and optimise outcomes for each individual school.

We are currently assessing the number of tenders from OSHC providers. Once they have been assessed they go back to a central office team who reviews our evaluation of the providers documents.

Behaviour

Late last year we held a number of forums with parents about behaviour. One of the issues raised was how we communicate with parents as well as consideration to the number of chances that are provided to students.

We have been working on a number of different ideas and as we move forward teachers will be communicating with you if your child has 6 different behaviours recorded. They will do this either by phone or by email.

The number of behaviours in a week also reflects on whether a child receives a thinking room. Once a child has four thinking rooms in a term we will be requesting a parent meeting with admin and the teacher to discuss these behaviours and through collaboration with you as parents, we will work on looking at different strategies that can be considered to build more positive behaviour choices. You will have been well informed prior to this meeting what the behaviours are that your child is displaying at school and what strategies are being used to influence more positive behaviour choices. This collaboration between the school and parents is essential to developing a way forward.

Year 6 Camp

Next week I will be attending the year 6 camp with our students at Tyalgum. This is a great learning experience for the students and some will get to experience challenges they have never had before. It is always a great camp, full of activities and self development.

Happy Families article- Justin Coulson

HELP! My child has been replaced by a human shrug

The Simple Tricks That Get Kids Talking at Any Age

Your child climbs into the car after school, and you eagerly ask about their day. You’re genuinely excited to see them. 

The response? A mumbled “fine”… and that’s it. Whether you’re facing a tight-lipped five-year-old who’s suddenly turned into a mime artist or a teenager who communicates exclusively in shoulder shrugs, cracking the code of kid communication can feel like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube in the dark.

But here’s a ray of hope: research from the Harvard Family Research Project reveals that persisting with open dialogue doesn’t just improve today’s family dynamic—it weaves stronger decision-making abilities into your children’s future and creates family bonds that can weather any storm. In short, it’s worth the effort to make conversations happen. 

If you pause and think about it, though, you’ll find that they usually do happen. Often more than we realise.

Understanding the Science Behind the Silence

While teenagers often cop the blame for becoming human clams, the truth is that children of all ages surf waves of uncommunicativeness. Our littlies might be wrestling with emotions bigger than their vocabulary can handle. Or they’re tired and don’t want to talk. Primary schoolers often retreat into quiet harbours when navigating the choppy waters of friendship dramas or classroom challenges.

For teenagers, there’s fascinating brain science at play. The adolescent brain undergoes a dramatic renovation project—imagine trying to have a quiet chat while major construction work is happening upstairs. Their emotional responses are cranked up to eleven, while their ability to regulate these feelings is still very much a work in progress.

The truth is we often don’t feel like talking either. When you walk into the house at the end of the day and your spouse or partner expectantly encourages you to “tell me about your day”, do you open up and spill it all? If you’re like most of us, you want to get in the door, get settled, and tick off a few things like dinner, washing, and getting kids to bed. And you’re about ready to talk when you’re lying horizontally in bed.

Making Connection Easier: Practical Strategies That Work

The good news? There are tried-and-true ways to pierce this bubble of silence, no matter your child’—or no matter how you’re feeling.

Create “Side-by-Side” Moments

Magic often happens when you’re not eyeball-to-eyeball. For younger children, it might be while their hands are busy with Lego or when they’re elbow-deep in craft glue. With older kids and teens, car rides become confession booths on wheels, and dog walks transform into walking talk sessions. These moments, free from the spotlight of direct eye contact, often unlock the floodgates of conversation.

Master the Art of Active Listening

When your child does crack open the door to communication, resist the urge to burst through with solutions or life lessons. Instead, become their emotional echo: “That sounds really rough” or “I can hear how excited you are about this.” This approach works whether you’re validating a preschooler’s theatrical meltdown over the wrong-coloured cup or a teenager’s complex social algebra.

For younger children, physically coming down to their level can help them feel seen and heard. With teens, acknowledge their growing independence by treating them as the experts of their own experience—at least initially.

Make One-on-One Time Sacred

In the whirlwind of modern family life, individual connection time often gets sacrificed on the altar of busy schedules. But carving out regular one-on-one time—even just 10 precious minutes—can work magic. For little ones, it might be bedtime stories where you do all the silly voices or morning cuddles that start the day with connection. With older children, it could be a weekly hot chocolate date or shooting hoops in the driveway as the sun sets.

The Secret Ingredient? 

Your undivided attention. Yes, that means letting your phone gather dust for a few minutes. This dedicated time whispers a powerful message: “In this crazy-busy world, you’re worth pausing for.”

Remember, nurturing open communication isn’t about forcing conversations or expecting overnight miracles. It’s about creating little pockets of safety where sharing feels as natural as breathing, whether your child is four or fourteen. Plant these seeds of connection consistently, water them with patience, and watch as they grow into something beautiful—a relationship that can withstand any season.