Primary School Newsletter 10 16 march 2016

SACRED HEART COLLEGE Tel: 011 081 2203 Reception: 011 081 2200 Fax: 011 648 5204 Website: www.sacredheart.co.za

PRE-PRIMARY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DATE: 16 March 2016

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Dear Pre-Primary and Primary School Parents

GENERAL: FOR ALL PARENTS Human Rights Day: Monday 21 March We wish all our families a restful long weekend, as we celebrate Human Rights Day on Monday. Let us use this opportunity to teach our children that with rights comes responsibilities, most importantly, the responsibility to safeguard the values enshrined in our Constitution.

The UBUNTU Pledge outlines the most important responsibilities, “Ubuntu means to be human, to value the good of the community above self-interest, to strive to help other people in the spirit of service, to show respect to others and to be honest and trustworthy.” We all need to practise these noble expectations to strengthen the moral fabric of South Africa.

Swim-a-Thon Update A special thank you to all the parents who worked so hard to help their children raise money for the recent Swim-a-Thon. The money raised will go towards the refurbishment of the sports facilities. To date, we have raised approximately R73 000.00 which is fantastic! Please, could those few parents who have not yet returned the official sponsor form and donation, do so tomorrow so that we can finalize our figures for the Finance Department. We also would like to finalize the winners by the end of this week, so that the prizes can be handed out.

All forms have to be accounted for, in compliance with NPO rules and regulations, governing fundraising. Those parents who have not returned forms have been sent a SMS as a reminder of their obligation.

This is the only fundraiser we have to raise funds for ‘nice-to-have’s’. The other fundraisers, like Red and White Day, and the Big Walk on Champagnat Day, are for the charities we support, because an important aspect of a Catholic School is the support we give to the marginalized within our society.

The Travelling Bookshop

Thank you to all the parents who supported the book sale at the Swim-a-thon. The library received free books to the value of R1 100.00.

Good Luck

Congratulations to Kaihil Cloete, who has been selected to participate in the Junior World Soccer Championships, called Mundialito, in Portugal and Spain between 15

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March 2016 and 27 March 2016. We wish him safe travelling and a successful tournament.

From the PA: Three2Six Feeding Scheme

At the end of the term, we will be packing 100 hampers for the holiday period. To assist with making sure the hampers are substantial, we will be having a Tinned Food Drive on Monday 4 April. Families are asked to donate tins of baked beans and/or pilchards only. Please do not send out-dated tins or delicacies such as asparagus.

We are also collecting Easter eggs which will be given to the Three2Six children on Thursday 24 March 2016. Please send your donation to the Primary School Office any time before 23 March.

Stations of the Cross 25 March The Brothers invite any interested parents to join them on Good Friday at 10:00, in the Orchard, for this important service

HEALTH AND SAFETY Health and Safety Mr Peacock, the consultant and chairperson of the SHC Health and Safety Committee, has once again raised his concerns about the non-compliance with the rules of the road by drivers on the campus. People are still parking at the zebra crossings, on the corners of the islands where there are red lines and where there are yellow lines. No-one may park on a red or yellow line. The only time a person may cross the yellow line is when parking after 08:00 when the Drop-Off Zone is used as a parking area. Please do not park and leave your car between 06:30 and 08:00 when the Drop-Off Zone is operational. Follow the arrows to ensure an efficient flow of traffic in this area.

There are also some parents who are exceeding the speed limit of 10km on the property. We appeal to all persons driving on the property, to adhere to the rules for the safety of all the children.

PRIMARY SCHOOL Lost property We are really very concerned about the amount of lost property on the campus. All the lost items have once again been placed in baskets which are put our regularly.

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Please ensure that you check that your child’s things are correctly labelled, as it is your responsibility to label your child’s uniform and equipment. The staff are really trying to keep the lost property cage clear and organized, and we ask that parents leave the area the way they find it and not simply empty things onto the floor.

There are a number of unlabelled towels which children left behind in the pool area, please check before the end of term, whether one of them belongs to you, as all lost property will be removed on break-up day. Managing belongings is a vital life skill and there should be a consequence if your child loses his/her things.

Formal Assessments

Teachers are busy with formal assessments at present, and we urge parents not to keep children away from school unnecessarily. Children have to write these assessments on their return.

PRE – PRIMARY SCHOOL Swimming

The swimming season will end on the 18 March and normal P.E. lessons will resume in these periods.

Teacher Anna

Teacher Kashmika will be filling in for Teacher Anna for the remainder of the term.

We wish Teacher Anna a speedy recovery .

Special Visitors Day on 1 April Please diarise this date as the children are invited to bring a special visitor to school, such as a grandparent, caregiver, aunt, etc to join us for a fun- filled morning.

FROM THE SPORTS DESK The winter co-curricular program commences on Tuesday 22 March. The new cocurricular forms will be handed to the children on Thursday 17 March, they must be completed and returned to the school by Tuesday 22 March.

UPCOMING EVENTS 4

17 March 20 March 21 March 25 March 27 March 28 March 1 April 4-6 April 7 April 8 April 3 May

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PS Mass Palm Sunday Human Rights Day- Public Holiday – School will be closed Good Friday, Stations of the Cross Easter Sunday Easter Monday Public Holiday – School will be closed PPS Special Visitors Day Grade 4, 5 and 6 Retreats Mass Term 1 Ends, Reports Issued, Sport Awards Inter-House Soccer and Netball Term 2 Starts

INTERESTING READING An Excellent and Interesting Article

It’s okay for our children to be disappointed.

It’s okay if they don’t get the teacher they had hoped for.

It’s okay if they weren’t invited to the sleepover.

It’s okay if you can’t afford the “ideal” school.

It’s okay if Santa didn’t bring them what they asked for all year.

Counterintuitive as it may seem, our children don’t need us to go to great lengths to create idealized, pain-free lives for them. They need us to model reasonable choices, healthy prioritization, and empathetic responses to disappointing circumstances.

They need us to create a safe space within which they can feel disappointment and move through it in a way that leads to growth.

While we’re on the subject, let’s take a look at a few other emotions our children need to feel: Our children need to feel sad.

Our children need to feel frustrated.

Our children need to feel hurt.

Our children need to feel confused.

Our children need to feel angry.

And why? Because these are natural, healthy, purposeful human emotions.

Unless we allow for them all; unless we show our children what to do with

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uncomfortable emotions, they will be limited in their ability to navigate these inevitable challenges as they grow.

Though sensible in theory, holding space for our children’s disappointment, pain, sadness, anger, etc., is not always easy. In fact, sometimes it’s confusing, triggering, even excruciating for us.

Let’s look at a few reasons why: 1) Not all disappointments are created equal. A “no” in the candy aisle is one thing.

An absent parent or an unexpected move can take disappointment, sadness, and pain to a whole new (heart-wrenching) level.

2) Emotionally-engaged children are usually harder to handle and require even more of our already-limited time and energy.

3) We’re isolated in our homes for the bulk of the parenting experience (as opposed to raising our children within close-knit, multigenerational tribes), which means we’re exposed to very few examples of how to respond to such emotions in children.

4) Constant exposure to advertising gives us the opposite message: appease and please our children. Keep them happy if we want them to thrive.

5) There is often one or more significant adult in our children’s lives who is more than happy NOT to disappoint them, making us “disappointers” look like the bad guys.

6) Seeing them struggle is a guilt trigger for many of us, and many of us already carry more guilt than we know what to do with.

7) Most of us still have embattled relationships with one or more of these challenging emotions ourselves. As children, many of us were shamed, punished or ignored when expressing big emotions, which led us to bury them, comply to avoid punishment, and create coping strategies in order to feel loved and accepted. So, when our kids protest or beg or whine or complain, our own shame, guilt, embarrassment, and sense of helplessness are triggered, rendering us less creative and clear in our parenting. Add exhaustion and hurry to the mix, and it is little wonder that we often give in, against our better judgment, or make choices that put an end the emotion as quickly as possible. Doing so keeps us from having to feel the uncomfortable feelings for very long.

Here’s the thing, though. None of these factors point to a reason we shouldn’t allow our children to feel challenging emotions, only reasons we don’t.

Beth Berry Mothering the Home for Natural Family Living… Mothering.com

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