lion’s roar Educating successful women of tomorrow in a Christian Environment
TERM 2 • 31 MAY 2019 • VOLUME 322
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL Mrs Nicola Taylor Principal As we reach the mid point of the term, it has been encouraging to see an increase in the feedback provided to the College via the ‘Compliments, Concerns and Complaints’ link on our Website. This feedback doesn’t fall on deaf ears, it is brought to the attention of the Executive who then follow through with those most relevant. It is always delightful to receive compliments and these are readily shared with the people involved. Positive, encouraging feedback is appreciated and the majority of the feedback received this term has been in this category. Concerns and complaints are also received in the spirit with which we trust they have been sent – in an effort to see the College reconsider, renovate or refine practice, programs or procedures which may be ambiguous or sub-optimal. Whilst these have been in the minority of the feedback received, they are carefully considered and responded to wherever possible. A number of compliments about a recent advertisement for the College focusing on our commitment to being a school and ‘doing’ school well have been appreciated. A key project area of our 2020 Strategic Direction is ‘Teaching and Learning’, the core responsibility of a school. Our restructured Head of Teaching and Learning Executive position, one with a whole school focus has arisen from the strategic planning in the area. To this end we welcome Mrs Lorna Ahern to PLC Armidale. As Lorna settles in to the College and this new role her initial focus will be on the four Stage 6 classes Lorna is teaching in an area of expertise, Business Studies and Economics. I would like to thank those members of the Academic Leadership Team, Mr Jonathon Shumack, Mrs Kate Clynch, Mrs Robyn Hadfield as well as Mrs Anna Caldwell who have each taken on significant increased responsibilities previously covered by Mr Trent Donaldson. As Mrs Ahern becomes more familiar with the College especially its teaching and learning routines, communication regarding the academic program in the Senior School should be directed to seniorschool@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au so it may be forwarded to the relevant member of staff In interviews with scholarship applicants and prospective families in both Australia and overseas I talk with families about a PLC Armidale and PLC Pathways education being is a personalised learning journey for each child. In an age of mass production, consumption and generic product the notion of a ‘personalised experience’ in a small school, regional context holds increasingly high appeal to families. The quality of relationship between staff and students, where a learner does not fall through the cracks and each student is known as an individual is a hallmark of a personalised learning approach. At times this may not be straightforward and take time to refine. However, it remains a distinguishing characteristic of a school such as PLC Armidale and one which remains the focus of the Learning Journey @PLC Armidale.
Congratulations Congratulations to Thurkka Jeyakumar and Jessica Li (Year 11), for their representation of the College in the Regional Finals of the Plain Speaking Competition held in Toormina last weekend. Thurkka was acknowledged as the overall winner of this event and will now go on to take her place representing the region at the State finals to be held in July.
UPCOMING EVENTS JUNE 2019 EVENT
DATE
2019 NORTH WEST EQUESTRIAN EXPO - COONABARABRAN
30/05 - 4/06/19
BOARDERS’ CHAPEL
03/06/19
EISTEDDFOD - BAND NIGHT
04/06/19
EISTEDDFOD - COMPOSITION NIGHT
05/06/19
JUNIOR SCHOOL CHAPEL
06/06/19
BOARDERS’ MID TERM BREAK
7/06 - 10/06/19
2019 PATHWAYS REUNION WEEKEND
7/06 - 10/06/19
PATHWAYS REUNION STUDENTS TO COFFS HARBOUR
08/06/19
BRONZE DUKE OF EDINBURGH HIKE
8/06 - 9/06/19
QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
10/06/19
JUNIOR SCHOOL CHAPEL
13/06/19
ARMIDALE EISTEDDFOD ENDS
15/06/19
EISTEDDFOD GALA CONCERT
16/06/19
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UPCOMING EVENTS 2019 For enquires, please contact info@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au
JUNE JUNIOR SCHOOL LEARNING JOURNEY Friday 21 June 2019 • 2.30pm PLC Armidale Junior School For more information and to RSVP please email: juniorschool@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au
AUGUST SAVE THE DATE... CONCERT FOR DROUGHT RELIEF A very special musical community event! Friday 9 August 2019 • 7.30pm Lazenby Hall UNE PLC Armidale and PLC Sydney are teaming up to present a combined concert for drought relief. More details to come
OCTOBER OGU REUNION Friday 18 - Sunday 20 October 2019 • PLC Armidale Music Alumni Event • Tickets $25 www.trybooking.com/BBWGK For more information and to RSVP please email: OGU President, Kathie Marquardt kathie@marquardtconstructions.com.au or Shona Eichorn, Director of Development development@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au
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PLC ARMIDALE NEWS
SAVE THE DATE Drought Relief Concert
FRIDAY 9 AUGUST
PLC Armidale is teaming up with PLC Sydney to present a combined concert for drought relief at Lazenby Hall, UNE from 7.30pm.
Mrs Shona Eichorn Director of Development Communications Survey Last Friday, PLC Armidale emailed a survey to both families and staff regarding our communications. We would very much appreciate your feedback as we seek to improve all we do, and thank you for taking the time to contribute your perspectives. The survey closes TODAY. Please feel free to make contact should you have any questions about this.
Boarding Expos & Field Days in 2019 ‘Tis the season for Boarding Expos and Field Days around the greater region. Again this year, PLC Armidale will be well represented next term in Tamworth on 26 and 27 July. We will also be attending the Mudgee Field Days in the holidays on 12 and 13 July, as well as Agquip in Gunnedah from 20 to 22 August. If you live or have family and friends who live in these areas, please call in and see Sally or Shona at the PLC Armidale stand.
Term 2 Lunch Menu The Term 2 Lunch Menu can be found on our website under the Current Families tab. Please click here:
http://www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au/ current-families/dining-plc-armidale
Stories to Tell? Photos to share? Our students are involved in so many activities both in and out of school hours and we do our absolute very best to keep on top of all the information we receive, and then promote. Should you have a news or a photo to share, please send directly to Mrs Renee Jones, Media & Communications Manager communications@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au Please also appreciate that not every single photo which is submitted will be used.
PL C A R M I D A L E
proud supporter and host of the
SATURDAY 6 JULY Mrs Sally McCook • Enrolments Manager enrolments@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au
Mrs Shona Eichorn • Director of Development development@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au
Miss Amy Chiu • Pathways Administrator achiu@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au
and introducing... Mrs Renee Jones • Media and Communications Manager • communications@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au
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SENIOR SCHOOL Mrs Anna Caldwell Head of Senior School Over the past two weeks we have been treated to some very impressive musical performances at the Eisteddfod. The Choral Night was a fabulous evening where our choirs and vocal ensembles demonstrated the incredibly high standard of music at the College. It was also very impressive to see the number of girls who made numerous and very speedy uniform changes between performances for the various choirs that they are members of, including NECOM Vocal ensembles. Congratulations to all our students and to Mr Matthew Minter, Mr Sam Jacometti, Mrs Constance Dunham and all Peripatetic teachers who have put in many hours of rehearsals in preparation for this event. The Speech and Drama section of the Eisteddfod has now started and we wish everyone well with their performances.
Do it for Dolly Day and mobile phones at school Last week in assembly, Year 8 did a presentation on Do it for Dolly Day, highlighting the impact of cyber-bullying and stressed the importance of being kind to everyone in all forums. There is increasing research and evidence that highlights the negative impact of mobile technology including loss of learning and productivity as well as the increased risk of mental health issues related to social media usage, cyber-bullying and social exclusion. With these findings, we are going to continue to be proactive and do all we can to support and educate our students about the appropriate use of mobile technology and implement tighter boundaries and rules. We have long held the policy that students who bring mobile phones to school MUST have them switched off during the day, from 8.30am until 3.30pm, and hand them in to the teacher at the start of every lesson to ensure that they are not distracted by having them in their pockets. Many other schools around the world are now bringing in similar rules and mobile device bans. If the girls are required to use their phones for educational purposes, the teachers will notify the girls and they will be allowed to use their smartphone specifically for that purpose for that set time frame and are then expected to switch them off again once the task is completed. If you need to get a message to your daughter throughout the day, can you please contact the office and a message will be relayed to her. Parents are asked not to phone their daughter or message her during the day. Students are not allowed to message or take phone calls from anyone until after the bell has rung at 3.30pm at the end of the day. We appreciate your support in enforcing this policy.
Student Absence or Exemption from Attendance 2019 Under the NSW Education Act, school attendance is compulsory until the age of 17. As a school, we have a Duty of Care responsibility to see that students enrolled at the College are in a regular pattern of attendance unless there are special circumstances making this difficult. To streamline our process of notifying the College when a student is absent, parents are asked to bookmark and use the online forms found on the College website:http://www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au/current-families/notification-of-absence If permission is being sought for a period of absence longer than five consecutive school days duration a separate form is to be used, also found on the College website:http://www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au/current-families/request-for-leave These online forms are received by our receptionists in the Junior and Senior school with our attendance records on Edumate adjusted accordingly. Parents are asked to use these forms to ensure that notification of absence, or requests for exemption from attendance are actioned promptly.
Compliments, Concerns or Complaints? PLC Armidale welcomes feedback. To enable us to continually improve our school we encourage suggestions from parents, students, community members and staff. Please submit any compliments, concerns or complaints here: http://www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au/current-families/compliments-concerns-complaints
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JUNIOR SCHOOL Mrs Fiona Wake Head of Junior School Welcome to Week 5. We are half way through what has been a very busy term. We have navigated NAPLAN and the Eisteddfod, the Maths Olympiad Competition, Tri-Schools Debating (taking out first place, Round 1 against TAS), Chess Competitions, Gymnastics, Athletics carnivals, Matilda the Musical rehearsals, our annual Year 6 morning tea with the Principal, the P&F Ball and Junior School Guild Gatherings in which Year 6 facilitate throughout Terms 2 and 3 as part of their leadership responsibilities. Yes, PLC Armidale is a very busy place! Classrooms are filled with a hive of activity as units of work on Earth and it’s Surrounds, The Gold Rush, Government, Chemical Science and Communication are underway. It has been a pleasure teaching in all of Junior School classrooms, Pre K to Year 6. Mathematical Enrichment classes have covered mathematical investigations relating to measurement, fractions, square and triangular numbers, coordinates and 24hour time. Working mathematically to apply one’s understanding of varying mathematical concepts, is at the heart of our mathematical understanding and reasoning. Creating opportunities for our students to apply their understanding is essential. Listening to conversations and observing student engagement when presenting students with problem solving tasks to solve has been rewarding and reassuring.
Junior School ‘Poultry Palace’ WORKING BEE
Our Pre-Kindergarten friends are busy looking after the Global Garden (in a drought) and exploring innovative ways to save water, reuse water and keep our produce alive using moisture maintenance strategies such as mulching and early harvesting.
It is time to construct our Poultry Palace in the Junior School and your help would be appreciated. On June 21st the Junior School will open its doors to the community to celebrate our new feathered friends and our student Integrated Learning Projects, some of which are centred around an egg theme. This will also be a perfect opportunity to showcase a new chicken coop, ‘PLC Armidale Poultry Palace’, and officially welcome our 5 feathered friends into our Junior School Community. I am proposing a working bee for any willing parents (and students) who could assist with the construction of the palace.
Don’t forget to check the Global Produce Trolley for the goods from our garden and the freshly laid eggs from the girls in the ‘Poultry Palace’, who also assisted with the bacon and egg rolls at the hockey fields a fortnight ago. The Year 7 and 8 Integrated Learning classes have also visited the Junior School to survey how we are carefully ensuring our water saving strategies are in line with Armidale’s water restriction guidelines. Having older students connect with the Junior School in this way is an advantage in a Pre K to Year 12 College.
Semester 1 REPORTS The Semester One reporting period is upon us and there are a few changes to the format of students reports. I will communicate these changes in a letter over the coming weeks, expanding on the following points raised below. It is important you speak with your daughter’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns relating to your daughter’s learning. Whilst the College provides Parent Teacher Interview sessions twice a year, please do not feel limited to these times.
Please refer to the details below: Date: Sunday 2 June Time: 10am
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Lunch Provided
RSVP: Emma Young or Fiona Wake by Friday 31 May juniorschool@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au fwake@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au P: 6770 1725
REPORTING TO PARENTS - components of your daughter’s written report The written report for each student will; • provide information on a student’s learning in each of the seven Key Learning Areas (KLA’s) or subjects, English, Mathematics, Science, HSIE; History & Geography, PDHPE (Physical Development, Health & Physical Education) and Creative Arts. • compare the student’s achievement in each KLA or subject against state-wide syllabus standards. • include teacher comments for each KLA or subject. • have information about the student’s attendance at school. • provide information about student achievement in relation to school programs that extend or are additional to syllabus requirements.
Eisteddfod - Congratulations Thank you; Matthew Minter, Sam Jacometti, Warrick and Connie Dunham, the many volunteer helpers and Peripatetic teachers, parents and all of the Junior School students who have assisted, competed or are yet to compete in the myriad of events across the Eisteddfod competition. I appreciate the hours of preparation and organisation that is invested to prepare our students ready for their performances. Having attended the choir performances last week, I was so impressed with the way the students presented themselves, performed with confidence and their exemplary behaviour when out in the community.
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JUNIOR SCHOOL
continued
FEATURE CLASS: PRE - KINDERGARTEN Our Pre-Kindergarten philosophy is based on the world-renowned Reggio Emilia approach to learning. As facilitators of learning we follow the children’s interests, with recognition of the importance of children learning through interaction with others, including parents, teachers, peers and community members in a friendly learning environment. Meaningful, enriching material and equipment are provided, along with comfort, explanation, reinforcement and a celebration of learning. Over the last two terms Pre-Kindergarten have been using their senses to learn about the world around them. Below are some of our girls’ observations of learning together in the Pre-K classroom. They were asked, ‘If you had to describe Pre-K to someone that had never been here or seen it before what could we say using all our senses?’
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
WHAT DOES IT SMELL LIKE?
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?
• It has lots of toys, books, and all sorts of things to explore
• It is lovely
• It feels warm
• It smells like fruit at ‘Crunch and Sip’ time
• It’s fun and playful
• It smells like flower pedals and things we find in nature
• It feels calm and safe to me
• It looks fun and exciting • It has pictures of us learning • It is bright • It is colourful
• It feels exciting • It feels happy in my heart
WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?
• It tastes healthy and delicious from our garden
• It sounds…. sometimes quiet and sometimes loud!
• It tastes like baking and treats
• It sounds like everyone is busy learning and exploring • It sounds like music, songs and chatter
Let us also show you through photos just some of the wonderful learning opportunities and experiences that balance investigation, creativity, flexibility and diversity at PLC Armidale. “Children have huge talents and resources within them, often just waiting for the opportunity to emerge. If we give them the resources, opportunities and time, wonderful things will happen.” - Millikan, 2003:45 Your Pre-Kindergarten Teachers Mrs Belson, Miss Delphine, Mrs Creagan and Mrs Kennedy
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SPORTS REPORT AROUND THE GROUNDS Mr Peter Le Surf Director of Sport Winter sport is up and running and the weather the last few Saturdays has reminded us that it is definitely winter sport! I do applaud the girls (along with parents and supporters) for consistently turning up despite the temperature being a challenge. All of our hockey and netball teams have started the season extremely well. PLC 1 netball team have only had the one loss so far and that was by only one goal. Our soccer team deserves a special mention, having won their first game last weekend. These girls have been playing in the boys competition and have been ‘doing it tough’. However, they turn up each week and play their heart out. They had a 4-2 win over TAS last Saturday. A fantastic result girls. You are playing a very good style of soccer and showing great improvement each week. Our Equestrian Team has headed out to Coonabarabran this week to compete in the Northwest Horse Equestrian Expo.
Sport Supporters’ Group (SSG)
I would like to wish the girls every success in the various equestrian events.
Frensham College coming to Armidale
Thank you to all those parents and staff who attended last week’s Sport Supporters’ Group meeting. Thank you also to the people who assisted with the BBQ at Hockey New England on a fortnight ago.
On 29 to 30 June, just after we break for the holidays, Frensham College is bringing their senior hockey and netball teams to Armidale. We have organised a friendly Interschool Netball and Hockey Carnival. Our girls will take on TAS, NEGS and Frensham in a round robin, to be played at UNE on the Saturday 29 June.
The SSG was established in 2017 to: 1. B uild community on the sports’ sidelines through various social activities around sport across the whole College.
On Sunday 30 June, we will have a finals series, where the third placed team will play fourth, followed by the grand final of first placed team playing second. There will be a ‘parents and supporters gathering’ on Friday 28 June at the Wicklow Hotel, 87 Marsh St, Armidale from 7pm onwards. This is an informal get together and all parents, coaches, staff and supporters are welcome to come along. This would be a great opportunity to welcome the staff and coaches from Frensham College.
2. R aise some dollars along the way through a variety of opportunities, to assist with funding girls’ sports activities and endeavours which are not covered by the P&F or Foundation. If you are sports enthusiast and a supporter of PLC Armidale Sport, then joining this group is a must for you! You could be a parent and/or you could be a staff member! It is very informal and will be very social!
I look forward to seeing you on the sidelines across the weekend.
In 2019, there will be no Committee rather the Group will be co-ordinated though the Development office, with the assistance of the Director of Sport and other staff and parents. So should you have any ideas or would like to offer assistance, please contact Shona Eichorn, Director of Development development@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au
ACTIVITIES PLANNED INCLUDE: 1. S aturday 10 August - SAVE THE DATE (time tbc) Watch the Bledisloe Cup on the Big Screen @ PLC Armidale Astra Arts Centre 2. E nd of Winter Sport Season Social evening for parents - TBC. Watch this space for other opportunities throughout the year!
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JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORT Mrs Lucy Donaldson Junior School Sport Coordinator What an amazing start to the Winter sport season for our Junior School! Despite only being a small school, our teams are highly competitive, playing some amazing games and the added bonus - WINNING!!
Here is a brief summary of our Netball Teams so far Set (7 to 8 Years) - It is wonderful to see our youngest netball team training and playing so well! Most of the girls are new to netball and really love being involved in a team sport and developing new skills. They have won their past two games! Well done girls and coaches, Mrs Marchant and Mrs Belson. Go (9 to 10 Years) - Our Go team have also secured some great wins and are playing brilliantly. Lucy Caldwell (Year 9) has been coaching them through some great drills and it is paying off.
Congratulations Congratulations to Macey Wake and Elsie Wake (along with three PLC Armidale Senior School girls) have been selected in the New England Hockey U13’s representative side to compete in Parkes in July. What an outstanding effort considering they are only 11!!
PLC Blue and PLC Green (11 to 12 Years) - these girls have really stepped it up this year and both teams will be a force to be reckoned with in the Primary Division A competition. PLC Green are currently undefeated and PLC Blue have only lost the one game. Despite the early (and cold) start, their Thursday morning training sessions are proving most beneficial! Thank you to coaches, Erica Smith and Tillney Webb for your enthusiasm and dedication to netball within our Junior School. Stay tuned for a hockey wrap un in the next edition of the Lions’ Roar! Just a friendly reminder to please let myself or your daughter’s coach know if they will be absent from training or games. Remember to have the skoolbag app downloaded so that you will receive weekly draws, reminders and cancellations.
MUSIC 2019 Armidale Eisteddford DATE Tuesday 4 June
TIME 9am
1.15pm 6pm
Wednesday 5 June
9.30am 4pm
EVENT
ENSEMBLE
EN07 Class Ensemble Year 9 and 10
PLC Pathways PLC Year 9 and 10 Music
EN08 Class Ensemble Year 11 and 12
PLC Year 11 and 12 Music 1 and Year 11 Music 2
EN27 Jazz Ensemble Years 7 - 12
PLC Jazz Ensemble
EN19 Any instrumental group, open, non-competitive
PLC Wind Ensemble
EN20 Any instrumental group with contrasting instrumental families
PLC Orchestra
EN04 Class Ensemble Years 3 and 4
PLC Year 4 Class Ensemble
Composition Night
PLC Elective Music Students
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PLC ARMIDALE production of
Book DENNIS KELLY
Music & Lyrics TIM MINCHIN
Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia). All performance materials supplied by Hal Leonard Australia.
UNE ARTS THEATRE
30 OCTOBER - 2 NOVEMBER
PLC ARMIDALE P&F ASSOCIATION The PLC Armidale P&F Association is once again running a PIE DRIVE this term to stock the freezers for those cold winter nights. The forms will go out to families next week with all the details on what is available and the ordering process. To ensure that both day and boarding families can take advantage of this fundraiser, orders will be available for collection on the last day of term from the Hospitality centre. We once again thank you for support with all P&F initiatives. All funds raised will go towards purchasing more Wish list items for the College. Please contact us with any suggestions or queries throughout the year via email pandf@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au We look forward to working with all the families to continue to strengthen the College community.
PLC ARMIDALE OLD GIRLS’ UNION Casual Drinks Event For all PLC Armidale Alumni! WHEN: Friday 14 June, from 5.30pm WHERE: Charlie’s Last Stand, Beardy Street Armidale RSVP: Kathie Marquardt, PLC Armidale OGU President, kathie@marquardtconstructions.com.au or just turn up!
PLC ARMIDALE FOUNDATION Applications to the PLC Armidale Foundation for the AGSA MAD Conference
CLOSE TODAY, FRIDAY 31 MAY
Attention ALL Year 9 - 11 students!!! All PLC Armidale students in Years 9, 10 and 11 who are interested in exploring and developing their leadership skills are encouraged to attend the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (AGSA) and YLead annual youth leadership conference for girls, which is to be held here at PLC Armidale on July 18 and 19, during the next school holidays. This is the very first time this conference is being held outside a metropolitan area. More Information can be found in this edition of Lion’s Roar or by going to: www.agsa.org.au/events Our PLC Armidale Foundation is offering an amazing opportunity for two students from PLC Armidale (one day student and one boarder from Years 9 to 11) to attend this exciting conference by providing each a ‘scholarship’ to attend. INTERESTED? ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS: 1. Write a short letter of application to the PLC Armidale Foundation, outlining why you would benefit from this opportunity and how you would share the information you learn from the conference with your peers at PLC Armidale. 2. Applications must be submitted to Mrs Shona Eichorn in the Development office development@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au by TODAY,
FRIDAY 31 MAY.
3. Applications will be assessed by members of the PLC Armidale Foundation and the Principal, and may involve an interview with prospective candidates. 4. Successful candidates will be advised by Friday 14 June. Please ensure that you discuss this opportunity with your parents and contact Mrs Shona Eichorn, development@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au should you need to know more specific details.
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COMMUNITY
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COMMUNITY
5 Kids Clothing Bazaar Armidale th
Saturday, 8th June 2019 8:30am-‐12.00pm
at St. Paul’s Church Hall, 137 Faulkner Street Sell and buy kids clothes, toys, books and more: Bring your clothes and we sell them for you and/or come and buy some bargains for your children
For a client number and more information email: kidsclothingbazaar@gmail.com Follow us on facebook: kids clothing bazaar Armidale
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PASTORAL CARE Paula Goode Pastoral Care Coordinator Take notice - positive choices - positive change ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ introduces you to five simple and effective ways to improve your psychological and emotional health that are based on extensive international research. A healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body for your overall wellbeing. Like physical fitness, you can strengthen your psychological health in lots of small day-to-day ways. This will help you live a happier and a longer life as well as help you to cope with stress. Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place in the present directly enhances your well-being and savouring ‘the moment’ can help to reaffirm your life priorities. Reminding yourself to ‘take notice’ can strengthen and broaden awareness. Mindfulness is about being in the moment, noticing things around you, being aware of your emotions, and reflecting on your experiences. This leads to the ability to savour the things you enjoy, and allows you to make positive choices based on your own values and motivations and be aware of your priorities, and such self-awareness impacts positively on wellbeing. Take time to stop and be aware of your surroundings and the moment you are in, paying attention to your thoughts and feelings. Be aware of new sights, smells and sounds as you do your daily activities. Take notice of how your friends and colleagues are feeling or acting. Try it as you walk, eat lunch or wait for a bus. Be curious, catch sight of the beautiful, remark on the unusual, notice the changing seasons, savour the moment and be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Focusing on the ‘here and now’ can help you feel calm and reduce stress. Doing this can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach life’s challenges.
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PARENTING BOYS
PASTORAL CARE
insights Helping teenagers manage friendship issues by Michael Grose
Having a supportive group of friends plays an important role in the life of young people. They can help your young person negotiate the journey from childhood, where they are reliant on parents, to adulthood, where they need to stand on their own two feet.
The importance of peers To a parent a teenager’s friendships may seem all-consuming, taking precedence over family, school and even healthy leisure time. While peers may now begin to take a more prominent place in your young person’s life, family is still an important source of belonging and safety for them. It helps if you get to know their friends and discuss any concerns you have about their choice of friends.
Managing peer pressure We all experience some degree of pressure to conform to the behaviours and norms of our social groups, yet this pressure is heightened in adolescence, when the need to fit in with peers becomes paramount. Ostracism is unthinkable, which makes some teenagers susceptible negative influence of some peers. You can help by talking to your young person about peer pressure; helping them resist peer pressure while maintaining status and encouraging them to speak out rather than be reliant on the approval of others.
Encouraging more than one set of friends It’s helpful to think of friendships as a series of concentric circles. Most young people will have a few close friends in their inner circle but are surrounded by many friends in the outer circles. Encourage your young person to maintain friendship groups outside of school to help insulate against any teasing or unfriendly behaviour that may occur at school.
When you disapprove Sometimes parents disapprove of their young person’s choice of friends, because of behaviour, poor reputation or the adverse influence they may have on a young person. Young people take criticism of their friends personally so be careful how you handle these issues. If you have worries about your child’s choice of friends: Check that your concerns are real. Encourage diversity of friendships. Be available to take your young person and their friends to outings, sports practice, parties and school formals, to familiarise yourself with their social groups. Many parents have found that, when they get to know their children’s friends, many of their concerns were unfounded.
parentingideas.com.au/schools
We're a Parenting Ideas school
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Differentiate between online and offline friends In all likelihood, your young person will communicate with their friends in real time or through digital technology. Help your young person understand the difference between the two, discussing how behaviours and norms vary between the real world and online. Discuss the ethics and behaviours appropriate to each format so they can enjoy healthy friendships in both the online and offline worlds. Friendships can be a source of angst and also a source of joy for your young person. Your role as a parent is to promote healthy friendships and encourage your young person to empathise with others, show they are worthy of trust and treat others with respect – all foundations of mature adult relationships.
As your school has a membership with Parenting Ideas, you can attend the upcoming webinar -Teach girls to build each other up – at no cost!
About the webinar Join Parenting educator Collett Smart in this special webinar that will show you how to help girls create positive peer relationships and provide practical advice and ideas to help navigate tricky situations including toxic friendships, cliques and bullying. When Wednesday 29 May 2019 at 8:00 PM AEST. Price This webinar is $37 per person to attend, and is free of charge to families at schools that have a Parenting Ideas membership. Use the voucher code below to register. How parents can redeem the voucher 1. Click this link: https://www.parentingideas.com.au/parent-resources/parent-webinars/webinar-teach-girls-tobuild-each-other-up 2. Click ‘Add to cart’ 3. Click ‘View cart’ 4. Enter the voucher code FRIENDSHIPS and click ‘Apply Coupon’. Your discount of $37 will be applied to the order. This voucher is valid until 29 June 2019 5. Click ‘Proceed to checkout’ 6. Fill in your account details. These are the details you will use to login to your account and access your parenting material 7. Click ‘Place Order’
Michael Grose Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 12 books for parents including Spoonfed Generation and the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It. His latest release Anxious Kids, was co-authored with Dr Jodi Richardson.
parentingideas.com.au/schools
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www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au
TERM 2 - 31 MAY 2019 - VOL 322
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