Dear Parents and Carers,

DANCE Week 8 has been another busy and for many of our students a really fun week as we have learned our 2020 dances with Aleeta. On Monday, I visited the hall to observe the first stages of crafting some of the class dance performances. It would have been hard to envisage that in four further lessons, and then practise, practise, practise with their teacher, our choreographer extraordinaire Aleeta could create the magic that we experience in the school concert. 

As Covid restrictions continue to limit adult presence on site at school, and therefore our capacity to have a concert audience, we are still planning the best ‘concert’ experience we can for the students. It will be the 2020 version, as is true for many events in our school and our lives this year. We have been able to engage Ross Mannell to create the concert DVD for families to purchase and enjoy into the future. More information about this will be sent out by the end of term.

SRC New Rep

Mahala has joined the SRC. Welcome Mahala.

Eating the Garden

 

 

 

BOYS AND PLAY Many of our boys (not so many of our girls) are demonstrating the need for a physical release of their energy. We see this in attempts at rough and tumble play at school, most of which is mutual and starts as ‘play,’ however it is not supported by our ‘hands and feet to self’ aspect of safety at school.

What we are doing:

• Some mornings before school we are taking a large group of students to the flats for an energising run,
• Encouraging other ways to expend energy at playtime – climbing on the playground together, playing in the soccer or league tag game, playing the chasing game…
• Looking at other options for physical activity – eg bringing the tug of war rope to playtime

What you might consider at home:

• Before school exercise, games, fitness. If your child is up and active how can they have some energy release time to get the oxygen pumping? 10 min riding their bike in the driveway, bouncing a ball outside, trampoline time?
• After school team or individual sport, swimming, bike riding, running around, ….
• Rough and tumble!

Have a great weekend.

Blessings

Jo

Yesterday was R u OK day?

I wrote on the staff white board yesterday R u OK? The media has been promoting R u OK day? this year with a slightly different emphasis. They have been asking us to consider how we could respond when someone responds, No, I’m not Ok.

Children may not necessarily answer this question directly, however their body language will often give you the information you need, its often disguised in behaviour.

Please keep the candidates in your prayers as they prepare for the Sacrament on 17th September. 

Thank you to the families who have paid their Term 3 School fees, a reminder Term 3 school fees are due today, Friday 11 September.

Empowered Program

Healing takes time.  Our bodies are in a constant state of regeneration after wear and tear.   Muscles take 2-4 weeks, tendons 4-6 weeks, cartilage 12 weeks and nerves 3-4 mm per day.  This is on a physical level and as long as we have rest and nourish ourselves with healthy food the body heals itself.  How then, on an emotional level, does the heart heal? 

This week during Empowered the students were introduced to the healing power of LOVE energy through intention whether it be through prayer, thoughts or words.  Sharing with their buddy they described how they heal themselves emotionally.   Music was then played for 20 minutes while the students coloured a piece of a mural, did their own yoga and wrote a “sorry letter”.  Healing is in our every thought, word and action.  We can choose to build or destroy it is up to us.

Recess Clubs

Recess Clubs continued with the usual enthusiastic vibe.

 

 

Empowered Leaders

Inner calm

Three week ago twenty students, two from each grade, nominated themselves to attend Mindfulness workshops on a Friday afternoon whereby they would learn how to walk, eat, listen and speak mindfully in order to cultivate inner peace.   The only criteria was that these students needed to be consistently in their “Calm zone”.  When we first met I invited each of the students to share their secret of how they were able to remain calm most of the time.  As the students shared it became apparent that each and every one of them had a strategy and had to work at being calm.  I found this very fascinating and asked the following question:  “Do you think those students who are often not in their “calm zone” realise how you have to work hard to stay consistently in your “calm zone?”  Their answer was unanimous … “probably not!”    The way we respond to any given life situation is a CHOICE and exchange of energy that will leave you feeling good or not.

Alicia Spicer

Wellbeing Coach