Newman News Term 1 Week 4: From the Deputy Principal Primary
I was recently reading the book “Don’t sweat the small stuff” by Richard Carlson and I reflected on the chapter titled ‘Allow yourself to be bored’. Immediately, I could see the relevance that this has in the lives of our students. Carlson outlines how by allowing ourselves to feel bored, these feelings will eventually be replaced by feelings of peace and then eventually, we learn to relax. The chapter discussed how much of our anxiety and inner struggle stems from “our busy, ative minds always needing something to entertain them, something to focus on, and always wondering “What’s next?”.
In our increasingly digitised world, we are seeing an increase in children’s levels of anxiety. Perhaps this can be attributed to the lack of boredom that children are exposed to, when they have high levels of access to gaming and digital medias? A recent report by the OECD discusses the link between children’s mental health and the amount of time spent online by children, and certainly provides some food for thought.
Providing children with unscheduled opportunities of downtime where they can unplug and relax, is so important. I would also strongly encourage families to set clear and specific boundaries around the amount of time your child spends connected to digital technology, as well as what they can access.
Last year, the College was fortunate to have Taryn Wren from ySafe present at one of the Newman Parents information evenings. The ySafe website has some fantastic resources to assist parents in navigating this complex area. I encourage you to explore the resources, and in particular the 2 blogs Taming the Techno Tantrum and From Breakdown to Breakthrough.
If you are unfamiliar with how to set up parental controls on your child’s iPad, this resource by Apple provides detailed instructions on how to go about it. Your child’s classroom teacher is also a valuable asset in your partnership with establishing clear and consistent boundaries and expectations.
Key Dates – 2022
Click here to view the College Calendar.
Parent Information Presentations
Information evenings for all of our year groups went online this year. A copy of each of the presentations is available below. Please use the links to access individual presentations.
Pancake Tuesday
To raise money for Caritas’ Project Compassion, students across PK-6 will be able to purchase a pancake on Tuesday 1 March. Marian Campus students should bring $2 to their classroom teacher if they would like to purchase a pancake at recess time. Lavalla students will be able to purchase pancakes at recess for $2 each or 3 pancakes for $5.
Please refer to the correspondence sent via Seesaw and email for further information.
Confirmation Retreat
This term our Year 6 students have been learning about the Sacrament of Confirmation, in preparation to receive the sacrament later in the year. Next Thursday, March 3, our Year 6 students will be participating in a Confirmation Retreat, facilitated by 24:7 Youth Ministry. This fun and engaging retreat is an opportunity for our students to join in several activities to deepen their understanding of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Dance Troupe Auditions
The Newman College Dance Troupe provides keen dancers with a variety of performance opportunities throughout the year, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded dancers. Miss Missell (Dance and Drama Teacher PP- Yr 6) will be holding auditions for the Primary Dance Troupe Year 5 & 6 only, on Wednesday 27 April at 7.00am in the Marist Auditorium.
Students who are successful in their audition will be invited to join the Dance Troupe and they will be expected to attend rehearsals each week, on Wednesday mornings at 7.30am.
If your child would like to audition please email Miss Rimmell directly via remmi.missell@newman.wa.edu.au
Absentee Process
If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, parents are reminded to advise the school via email at absenteeprimary@newman.wa.edu.au. Please state the reason for your child’s absence (eg. unwell, medical appointment etc).
We have found that some families are emailing their child’s classroom teacher directly. This then results in our Administration staff needing to send absentee alerts to families and follow-up these absences unnecessarily. Thank you for your support.