Newsletter #14

2nd September 2021


Event Calendar

March 2024
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Principal's Report 2nd September 2021

Remote Learning
Remote learning will continue for the remainder of the term.  Teachers will be planning as per normal and there will be some fun activities planned to celebrate the end of term.  Well done to everyone for working so hard and staying on tasks. Learning packs will be on Compass this afternoon for Week 9 and available from the tubs outside the office from 9am Friday. Parents, please make sure your children hand in the required tasks.  We are of course still using these for feedback and to check how their programming is going.  We know that everyone is working very hard.

Book Week
Congratulations to all for their participation in the Book Week activities run on MS Teams.  I know the teachers loved the activities and so did the students. Thank you to everyone for their preparation and participation.

Disco
Unfortunately, we are postponing the disco for the moment.  We look forward to rescheduling next term.

Father’s Day
We wish everyone a happy day on Sunday for Father’s Day.  Celebrate all the important people in your lives.  Yesterday I went for a long walk and saw lots of families out enjoying our parks and really making the most of the small things.  During this time, we all slow down a bit and it is important to make the most of those small things.  None of the groups I saw were at playgrounds but just making the most of a beautiful day.  I even saw some treasure hunt cards that had, been put up and some signature rocks that children had painted and made a trail for. Slow down and enjoy what we can.

Illness at School
Attached below are the current guidelines regarding children who may be unwell at school.  We encourage you to ring the office if you are not sure of what to do. Managing unwell students covid19 factsheet.pdf





Important Dates to Remember

February

Tuesday 20th Febuary - Wednesday 28th Febuary: Somers Camp

March

Friday 1st March: 5/6 Leadership Incursion

Wednesday 6th March: Student/Parent/Teacher Interviews

Monday 11th March: Labour Day Public Holiday (No School)

Wednesday 13th March - Monday 18th March: NAPLAN 

Thursday 21st March: School Photos

Thursday 28th March: End of Term 1

April

Monday 15th April: Term 2 Begins

Friday 19th April: Movie Night

Thursday 25th April: ANZAC Day (No School)

Friday 26th April: Whole School Curriculum Day

Monday 29th April - Wednesday 1st May: Year 5/6 Sovereign Hill Camp

May

Thursday 9th May: Mother's Day/Special Person's Stall

June

Friday 28th June: End of Term 2




From the Office

Office Opening Hours

The School Office is staffed between the hours of 8:30am-4:00pm Monday to Friday. For all enquiries please contact us on 9758 1662 or via email ferntree.gully.north.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Student Medication

If you wish to keep medications in the sick bay for office staff to administer to your child when needed, please bring the medication (in its original packaging) to the office and complete a Medication Permission form.

Asthma
Students known to have Asthma have been given a 2023 Asthma Management Plan to be completed and returned to the office with the medication in the original packaging.

Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis Action Plans have been sent home at the end of Term 4. Please return them to the office once completed by your medical practitioner, along with your epipen and antihistamine. A Student Management Plan will be prepared once this has been received.

Allergy
Allergy Action Plans have been sent home to students known to be suffering from allergies. These plans need to be completed by your  medical practitioner and then returned to the office with your medication.

If you have received action plans from the school we would greatly appreciate it if these are the forms you take to your GP to be completed.  These forms not only have a space for a photograph of your child, they are the forms used in staff first aid training so they are familiar with where to find important information quickly when required

Borrowed Spare Clothing
If your child has come home in spare clothing supplied by the School, please wash and return these items as soon as possible. As you might imagine in these wetter days we can go through our limited supply very quickly!  A spare set of clothing in school bags would be greatly appreciated ‘just in case’.  It’s not just the younger students that might need a change after the breaks.

Late Arrivals
A reminder to all parents that if your child arrives late to school, parents/guardians must come into the office so that students can be signed in at school. We need to record the correct data for the absence.

If students arrive unattended there will be an unexplained absence entered in Compass and parents will be required to update with an explanation.

Lost Property
Just a reminder to ensure all items are clearly named so that if lost can be reunited with students.  If you have received a pre loved item please make sure the name is updated.

We also ask please that you check your child’s uniform from time to time to ensure they haven’t brought home someone else’s clothing by mistake in the excitement of the day.



Enviro News 2nd September




Where is Rocky? Scavenger Hunt




Update for Art Show

As we know it’s been a rollercoaster year with lockdowns and interruptions. Unfortunately, with every lockdown our face to face Art program is not only put on hold but completion of art works are delayed.

Students have been working towards providing a number of different art pieces to share at our Art Show in Term 4. Unfortunately, we are unable to finish and complete these tasks in time to showcase them for when restrictions ease. The added uncertainty of if and when parents and visitors are permitted back onsite, also makes it difficult to make decisions on a future date.

An important part of art is the process and journey that students take as they learn new skills and concepts. I would not want any students to miss the opportunity to celebrate and share the wonderful learning from the year. So we will be presenting student’s artworks in a digital Art Show format. This will be completed in Term 4 and shared with the whole school community through Microsoft Teams.

Students will still be able to meet important Visual Art curriculum requirements and share their art journey with their family. I know many families and students are as disappointed as I am, but I feel confident that the alternative will be just as exciting for students.

I look forward to putting together our first ever Digital Art Show in Term 4!

Ilona Bennett



FTGNPS Family Challenge



















Book Week, 26th August 2021 Page 1

Last week, Ferntree Gully North Primary school students (and teachers) celebrated the one and only CBCA Book Week. Book Week is a very special part of our school community and we certainly weren’t allowing lockdown to stop us from celebrating such a fun week.

The students spent the week listening to brand new books that had been shortlisted by ‘The Children’s Book Council of Australia’, followed by activities and of course a dress up.

The theme was Old World (about the Past), New World (modern texts), Other World (unreal/unfamiliar settings). This inspired students to dress up as characters from Harry Potter, The Lorax, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and so many more. Well done to everyone that participated in a fantastic week!

Chloe Macdonald

Literacy Learning Specialist 
Level 1 and 2 Classroom Teacher















Book Week, 26th August 2021 Page 2











Book Week, 26th August 2021 Page 3













Book Week, 26 August 2021 Page 4











Parenting Ideas- Prioritising mental health in the digital world


  • TECHNOLOGY AND PARENTING     
  • WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH                       
by Dr Kristy Goodwin

Whilst there may not yet be conclusive evidence linking digital media use to poor mental health outcomes there’s no denying that it’s one of the chief concerns facing parents and educators of children and adolescents, growing up in a digital world. The contradictory research findings confirm that this is a complex topic.

There’s certainly consensus in the research that young people are heavy technology users, which comes at a cost of their psychological and physical needs. Their digital behaviours eat into the time that was once available for three pillars of mental health – sleep, relationships and exercise.

Minimising sleep disruption

Sleep is vital for mental wellbeing and emotional regulation in childhood and adolescence. Inadequate amounts or poor-quality sleep can cause mental health issues. Studies consistently show that Australian children and teens aren’t getting enough sleep. Digital device use is also linked to sleep disruption, impacting the sleep-wake cycle. The Lancet study suggested that nearly 60% of the impact of young people’s psychological distress could be attributed to disrupted sleep and exposure to cyberbullying.

Parents need to remind children and young adolescents about the critical role sleep plays in their psychological wellbeing. Parents can help adolescents foster healthy social media habits by establishing a digital curfew, keeping devices out of bedrooms and discouraging teens from ‘bookending’ their day with social media as it can easily trigger the stress response at these times.

Maintaining healthy relationships

Positive relationships are fundamental to a young person’s psychological wellbeing. Adolescents are biologically wired for relational connection. They want to be part of a tribe. Whilst teens and pre-teens may insist that technology connects them and caters for their relational needs, if used excessively or inappropriately, technology use can compromise their relationships and deteriorate their mental health.

Parents need to encourage and sustain opportunities for real interactions amongst adolescents. When we connect in-person the brain releases oxytocin, the social bonding hormone, which isn’t replicated online. The need for keeping a balance between digital and face-to-face interactions is paramount.

Ensuring sufficient exercise

Sedentary social media and digital consumption frequently replaces physical movement on weekends and after school, which are the opportunity times for kids’ sport, free play and outdoor activities. Brain science now informs us that physical exercise boosts serotonin and neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine that play a critical role in regulating adolescents’ mood.Lack of exercise is now being linked to the current anxiety epidemic that we are seeing in young people.

Parents need to ensure that children experience a minimum of 30 minutes exercise, and teens a minimum of 60 minutes. “Go outside and play” is a term that this generation needs to hear as frequently as children in past eras.

In closing

The research into the links between kids’ digital technology use and their mental health presents a complex picture that defies simplistic conclusions. Blanket statements and headlines that suggest screens and social media are to blame for kid’s poor mental health aren’t helpful as technology is now a part of all our lives. However, there is enough evidence to suggest that the key pillars of mental health outlined above can be severely impacted by the overuse of digital technology. All things in moderation, a common guideline for healthy living, is best when considering kids’ social media and digital technology use.

Dr Kristy Goodwin  presents a related webinar: Taming digital distractions

Our school has a membership with Parenting Ideas. As part of this membership, you can attend the upcoming webinar ‘Taming digital distractions’ at no cost.

About

In this webinar, Dr Kristy Goodwin helps parents and carers understand why children and adolescents are vulnerable to digital distractions. She provides science-backed solutions to help kids and teens develop healthy digital behaviours so that they can focus, learn and thrive online.

When

Wednesday 8 September 2021 at 8:00 PM AEST

To redeem

1. Click this link: https://www.parentingideas.com.au/parent-resources/parent-webinars/webinar-taming-digital-distractions
2. Click ‘Add to cart’
3. Click ‘View cart’
4. Enter the coupon code TAMING and click ‘Apply Coupon’ Your discount of $39 will be applied.
5. Click ‘Proceed to checkout’
6. Fill in your account details including our school’s name to verify your eligibility. These are the details you will use to login to your account and access your webinar and resources
7. Click ‘Place Order’

This offer is valid until 8 December 2021. If you’re unable to make the broadcast time, just register anyway and you will get access to the recording.

Dr Kristy Goodwin

Dr Kristy Goodwin is a digital wellbeing and performance speaker, author and researcher (and mum who also deals with her kids’ techno-tantrums!). She’s the author of Raising Your Child in a Digital World, and a media commentator who doesn’t suggest that we ban the iPhone, or unplug the gaming console (digital abstinence isn’t the solution). Kristy translates research into essential information and realistic strategies for parents to ensure kids and teens thrive in the digital world. For further details visit www.drkristygoodwin.com.



Community News 2nd September 2021