Junior School Bulletin Issue 2 / 19 February 2016
Junior School News
other parts of the world complete. This activity, which the PYP calls a ‘Provocation’ gave them amazing insights into what life is like for other children and had them asking lots of very interesting questions that will guide their learning in the coming weeks.
Parent Teacher Information Nights It was terrific to see a large number of parents at our Years 3-6 information night. We had Mr Brett Lee, formerly of the Australian Federal Police Force, talk to the parents about cyber safety. He gave a very direct but optimistic view of how to keep our children safe online. Some of the key take away points from his talk were: • • • •
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Use Parental Controls. Stay Current – you don’t need to know everything on the internet, just the things that your children are using. Take Charge of Technology – Parents own the devices and the passwords. Rules and Boundaries – You are the parents and as such it is appropriate that you set the boundaries for how much time your children spend on the internet and what sites they are allowed to visit. Communication is the Key – Keep the communication open with your children. Get involved in what they are doing online. Developing the Whole Child The students in Year 6 are preparing for their trip to Sydney and Canberra, whilst the Year 4 students are looking forward to their three day camp to Tyalgum in Northern New South Wales. Trips and camps like these form a very important part of a student’s educational journey and help to develop the whole child including critical skills of independence and resilience.
Leave Requests During the term if your family is going to be away from school for a length of time, please send your request to me at darrins@salc.qld.edu.au and their teacher. If going on a family holiday, please try to avoid Term time as a lot of the learning that is done in the classroom is not easily replicated whilst away, and is difficult to make up afterwards. Year 2 Unit of Inquiry It looked like we had approved child labour last week when the Year 2 students were washing clothes by hand, transporting bricks across the oval, carting water and sweeping the pavers with palm fronds. The children were in fact replicating the jobs that other children of their age from
Years 4-6 Swimming Carnival Friday 26 February is the Years 4-6 Junior School Swimming Carnival. We look forward to seeing the students swim and trying to beat their personal bests. It is a great way to build house spirit. As always parents are welcome to attend. Mufti Day Our First Mufti Day will be held Tuesday 23 February. The proceeds from the day will be donated to the bush fire appeals that have been running over summer. Students have the option to wear casual clothes on this day. A reminder that the uniform policy states “On mufti day, students are to wear clothing that is neat, clean, in good repair, respectable in all aspects and suitable for the activities of a normal school day. Closed-in shoes must also be worn (no thongs or sandals).” Darrin Schumacher Head of Junior School