Msss bulletin 3 2015

Issue 3 / 6 March 2015

Middle/Senior School Bulletin

Middle & Senior School News This week ushers in the start of Autumn and hopefully some cooler weather is on the way. It also marks the start of the second half of Term 1. Students and teachers are well and truly ensconced in their learning and the pressures of assessment and test preparation are likely to be mounting. It seems a good time to revisit some habits of mind (persistence and thinking with clarity and precision) and strengths of character (grit, sense of humour and resilience) that will help your child as they face these challenges. Success comes from making a conscious effort over a prolonged period of time. Encouraging your child’s habits for learning through regular routine, rest and focused times of working; as well as a mindset that encourages your child to get excited by the challenge of difficult work, by praising effort over achievement, can make a real difference. Visiting Parent Lounge and asking your child specific questions about homework and assignments is another way you can support their learning.

Please get in touch with your child’s teacher if you feel they need additional support and encourage your child to attend the tutorials that run throughout the week. The CRC is a great place for focused study and homework completion and our Senior students are on hand to assist Middle School students in the CRC on Tuesday afternoons.

It was fantastic to see so many of our Year 11 students taking advantage of the whole cohort study session on Wednesday.

Inter-House Swimming Carnival Congratulations to all of the students for their wonderful participation and spirited competition at the Inter-House Swimming Carnival. A special congratulations is extended to Gowandi House; led by the House Captains, Ebony Strickland and Jessica Bramley (Senior School) and Holly Burnett and Cassie Crowe (Middle School), on their hard-fought win, and to all of the competitors for their spirit, enthusiasm and participation. You were sensational!

Sincere appreciation is extended to Mr Manion, the Grounds Staff and Sports Department team, and also to the staff and parent helpers for their assistance at the pool. It was great to see so many parents coming along to support their children.

(Age Champions will be listed in the STAR magazine.)

Last Tuesday we held the first Mufti Day for 2015. The focus was on ‘Welcoming the Stranger’, that is welcoming the person who comes to our country from a background different to our own. The day raised $1463 to go towards the Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) efforts to support refugees globally.

Please contact me should I be able to offer any assistance or if you have any feedback on your child’s experiences this year thus far.

A reminder that the Year 12 session will be held on Wednesday 18 March. Last week, our Year 10 students began the Destinations program. This is an important part of the Year 10 curriculum and encompasses career preparation, senior study plans and life skills.

Virginia Warner Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School virginiaw@salc.qld.edu.au

Chaplains Chat

Middle School News

It is quite amazing that we are already over half way through Term 1. College life seems to go by faster and faster each year. Thankfully, as I reflect on what has taken place in my classes, I am able to see evidence of learning that has occurred over the first 5 weeks of the year. My Year 7 HPE students have demonstrated good acquisition of a correct batting grip in Cricket and improved bowling ability. Many of my Year 8 students are more proficient in completing a basketball lay-up. I love teaching PE – it is so rewarding observing students achieving success in activities that they have previously been unfamiliar with.

Middle of Term At this stage of the term all students should be well and truly into the positive routines that they have been establishing throughout the first five weeks. It is worth noting that equally so, there may be some students who have yet to organise themselves into the academic year, and accordingly, are going to struggle to find an appropriate ‘starting point’ for their efforts. Students in the middle years are very capable at developing noble aspirations but experience great difficulty in finding specific ways to strive for these aspirations. All students want ‘to work harder’, ‘pay more attention in class’ or ‘get better marks’ but (in general) lack the knowledge required to find small but meaningful ways to work toward these goals.

In Christian Studies classes it can be a little more difficult to glean that sense of ‘now we are getting somewhere’. We investigate issues and ideas that are very important but in amongst this there is often a reserved approach adopted by students because the topics strike close to home. We look at the very essence of who we are and how we view our position in life and the world – and this can be quite confronting.

So when students are presented with the question – “Suffering…. What does God do about it?” It is understandable that it is difficult to deal with, but this week a Year 9 young lady shared this with the class – “God feels sad and hurt when we suffer but he tries to comfort us by reminding us we can seek safety in His love. He doesn’t let us suffer beyond our limits.” As the student volunteered her response for the class to hear, I was immensely encouraged that someone so young could articulate beautifully an answer to one of life’s great challenges.

In amongst all our busyness of life, we can forget that God is here with us – sharing our joys and our challenges. I hope that all of us can take on the wisdom of this Year 9 student and recognise that no matter how difficult things may become, we can seek safety in our loving God’s care and he will supply us with the ability to go forward in life no matter what the circumstance.

I suggest two clear starting points: • •

A discussion with their Learning Advisor about some specific advice; A reflection upon how they are using their diary.

Should you like to discuss specific ways that you can assist your son or daughter with the establishment of positive academic routines then please feel free to contact me.

Uniform and Hair Thank you all for your support in ensuring that your sons and daughters arrive dressed appropriately each day. I feel that the year has started quite well in this regard. Just a reminder of a couple of the College’s expectations that seem to bypass student attention from time to time: • • •

If a boy is getting a ‘blade’ cut as part of a haircut then nothing less than a Blade 3 should be used; Girls’ hair should be tied back with a ribbon or scrunchy in the College colours; Boys’ formal shirts should be tucked in at all times.

As always, should you have any questions about life in the Middle School then please feel free to contact me at the College.

Tom Casey Head of Middle School tomc@salc.qld.edu.au

Senior School News

Graeme Schache Chaplain graemes@salc.qld.edu.au

Positive Education At the recent Senior School Assembly we spoke about the need to show Grit over the coming weeks as the assessment schedule heats up. Senior School students should be spending 2-3 hours studying and completing homework per night.

However, to do this consistently takes grit, which is the pas-

sion and drive to persist and keep focused on one’s long term goals. The desire to keep going and persisting is more difficult to harness if those long term goals are not clear.

All of our young people should have their goals set in the Student Diary and should have plans in place about how to achieve those. However, having goals is one thing but what else is needed to develop the grit that it takes to keep going through 2-3 years of senior schooling? The experts tell us that qualities such as, courage is required and that young people should not be afraid to fail or make mistakes as there are valuable lessons in defeat. They also need to be conscientious and commit to doing their best, just turning up for practice usually isn’t enough. It is also valuable to be resilient, to have the optimism and confidence that this hard work will pay off. To develop Grit it is also important to focus on striving for excellence not perfection which ties in nicely with the College’s focus on each student achieving his or her Personal Bests (PB’s). A final thought on Grit is that Gritty People believe that “everything will be alright in the end, and if it isn’t alright, it isn’t the end” (attributed to John Lennon). For more information on Grit and identifying your own levels of Grit refer to the following below.

University of Pennsylvania TED Conference

Club Red As part of Red 25 and the School’s Blood Challenge St Andrews students who are over 16, over 45kg, in good health and with parental permission will go offsite (Robina Red Cross Blood Centre) to donate blood. We have been involved in the School’s Challenge for over three years now and it is so heartening to know that our Senior students are ready to roll up their sleeves to make a difference. For every donation we save three lives and our donations go towards people who are being treated for cancer, blood disorders or emergency surgeries. If your child has permission to donate and fulfils the requirements then please ensure they complete the paperwork (including parent signature) and on the day they have a good breakfast and bring photo ID. Congratulations to: • The Year 12 students who attended the Swimming Carnival last week, they were enthusiastic, responsible and showed a high level of House Spirit – excellent role models for our younger students.

• The Club Red Ambassadors who have prepared for our first blood donation at Robina Red Cross Centre this week.

Tania Stewart Head of Senior School tanias@salc.qld.edu.au

Student Development Building Student Leadership, Engagement and Wellbeing Not all students can swim well, but all can get across the pool and earn points for their House. Not all students will run the entire Cross Country later this term, but all can start some walks and jogs in the long afternoons of Autumn to build some strength and endurance to make a contribution to their House. The importance of these House competitions is that they provide an avenue for all students to develop healthy attitudes towards sport, team work, strength and conditioning through a range of activities to suit all people.

All students, whether swimmers or not played a vital role in making the swim carnival a success last Thursday when they competed for House pride. The House Captains led by example, rallied their troops and maximised participation which made it one of the most closely fought House Competitions for some time. All the Year 12s played an integral role enhancing the enthusiasm and character of the day. It was most pleasing for Gowandi House to build on momentum they have been gathering in the last couple years to secure the first win for the year. This provides great incentive to all to continue preparing for Cross Country in one month’s time.

Belonging to a House can be one of the most engaging and motivating factors for students as it gives them something bigger than themselves to contribute towards. The mythology and rivalry that can exist in these competitions enhances the level of engagement as ‘underdogs’ battle against all odds to overcome the ‘perennial champions’. Students get to see the value of collective participation, energy and enthusiasm making a difference in the accumulation of points.

For some students it provides the opportunity to achieve personal bests as year on year they can improve on their Cross Country time and demonstrate to themselves that they are growing and becoming more capable. For others it is seeing that training and preparation does pay off if, for example they finished outside the top 30 last year, but as a result of some training with the Run Club finish in the top 15 this year. The St Andrews Run Club is complementary and is offered every Monday and Wednesday mornings from 7-8am on the Top Oval so you might like to encourage your child to come along and give it a go before the carnival.

James Nelson Director of Student Development jamesn@salc.qld.edu.au

Performing Arts News Term 1 Dates Friday 13 March - P & F Picnic in the Playground 5.00pm-8.00pm - Junior School Oval Come along and be entertained by some of our talented musicians at the annual P & F Picnic in the Playground.

Dance Dance in 2015 brings many opportunities to students involved in both the curricular and co-curricular programs at the College. We were overwhelmed with the response of interest in our dance programs this year with many students auditioning at the start of the term. With rehearsals underway, our Senior, Middle and Junior School Troupes are all currently learning and polishing routines that will represent the College at various eisteddfods on the Gold Coast.

Tuesday 24 March - Senior Drama Evening - 6.00pm Ruth Butler Theatre Assessment Pieces presented by Senior Drama Students (Year 10 and Year 12 Drama Classes). Students in Middle School who are considering studying Drama in Senior are particularly invited to attend in order to gain an insight into what the subject involves in Senior Years.

Thursday 26 March - Mini Musos Open Rehearsal 3.30pm - Ruth Butler Theatre Parents of Mini Musos are invited to attend an open rehearsal, where they will have the opportunity to sit in the band with their child and gain a better understanding of their musical journey. It is also a chance to meet the PAT Team involved in the Mini Musos Program 2015.

Technology in the Music Classroom The Senior Music Classes were all very excited this week when our new keyboards arrived. This equipment allows our musicians to record, sample sounds, manipulate software instruments and mix. This also provides the opportunity to manipulate musical loops in the same way DJs do live. These new additions will enhance student composition across the Middle and Senior School Music Classes. Senior music student, Elliott Baylis (pictured below) said “These keyboards will allow us to continue to build the growing correspondence between musical innovation and technological development. This will allow students to experience some of the new frontiers in music composition and sounds.”

Cilla Scott Head of Arts priscillas@salc.qld.edu.au

The Senior Combined Troupe are wiping away the sweat in our musical theatre routine “Whipped Into Shape” from the musical Legally Blonde. In this piece students perform with skipping ropes throughout the entire routine executing technical movement sequences whilst skipping. In contrast to this, the students take on a darker character in our “Sweet Dreams” contemporary piece exploring the idea of nightmares becoming a reality. Our third and final routine focuses on the evil Queen of Hearts and her excessive power over her minions.

Our Middle School Dance Troupe are currently singing and dancing along in their routine “Like a Drum”. This group consists of approximately 30 students creating a powerful ensemble of dancers. Selected students who form the top Middle School Troupe are working hard on their fairytale contemporary piece that examines the power of good and evil.

The Junior School Dance Troupe are currently cheering their way through a High School Musical routine. Set with pom poms and lots of spirit, the students are performing with high energy and powerful dynamics.

Students across Dance from Years 7 to 12 are working tirelessly on their routines that will be performed at the upcoming College Fete in May. From a 50’s jive to a modern Hip Hop, the students are all excited to showcase their talents and what they have achieved throughout Term 1. Our talented Year 11 and 12 students are currently focusing on their first choreography task exploring the idea of ‘Opposing Forces’ specifically in relation to acceptance and rejection.

Selected students from this class will be performing their work at the Fete showcasing their talents in contact and non-contact work.

Paula Guild Dance Teacher

LOTE News

Host Families Required! band notes The Musical Journey - Part 1 As I listened to Jeff Waynes musical version of ‘War of the Worlds’ with my Recording Studio Elective class, I was once again reminded of the power that music has to convey or create a journey within our minds. This kind of story is not created by a ‘hope for the best’ recording of some mates in the lounge room. In fact it is carefully pieced together like a radio play. Parts are often doubled and repeated. Unusual instruments are used and a soundscape is created. If I recollect correctly I think it took them over three months to complete the project. So it is with our musical journey when learning an instrument. We can’t expect to improve rapidly from a novice to expert. It is the care and time taken in our playing, and the opportunities we avail ourselves to that create our own musical story. Expect miracles yes, but just assume that they are going to take a long time and plenty of perseverance to truly fruit.

Paul Oakley-Grant Music Coordinator

Nurses Note

Host Families Required for Japanese Students 1 August - 7 August 2015 Last year students from St Andrews Lutheran College completed our eighth Japanese Study Tour which included staying with host families from students at our sister school, Higashino High School in Saitama, Japan. We now eagerly await a return visit from our Japanese friends in August this year.

Sixteen to eighteen Japanese students from the Higashino High School will visit us between Saturday 1 August and Friday 7 August (6 nights).

As a parent of a student in Years 5-12 at St Andrews Lutheran College, please consider becoming a host. Hosting a student means that you provide accommodation, food, transport to and from school and a warm friendly home during their stay. There is a small monetary supplement to assist with the costs of food and transport this year.

It is not a requirement that the student has their own room, however, if they share it should only be with a student of the same gender.

This is a wonderful opportunity for students of Japanese at St Andrews to correspond with and then meet a friend from another country. Students will gain valuable experience from the visit, including an increased understanding of cultural awareness and differences and similarities between Australia and Japan as well as practical language skills.

Those participating in next year’s Study Tour to Japan will be given first preference for hosting.

If you are interested in hosting a Japanese student, please complete the form at the back of the bulletin and return to the College no later than Friday 27 March.

If I can be of further assistance or you have any questions about hosting a student please contact me via email rebekahh@salc.qld.edu.au or by phoning the College.

Please note that all medications bought to the College are to be stored and dispensed by the College Nurse.

All medications must have a pharmacy label on them with the students name, accompanied with a note outlining the reason for the prescription.

The College Health Centre is open from 7.30am daily.

Rebekah Hill Head of Languages P-12

Sport News

Tuckshop News

Our Inter House Swimming Carnivals were held at Somerset College Pool last week and what a great 2 days of competition and participation we experienced. Congratulations to Binging and Gowandi as the victorious teams in the pool for our Years 4-6 and Years 7-12 Carnivals respectively. This is the first time that Gowandi has ever won the Senior Trophy well done! The atmosphere and levels of participation were the most enthusiastic that I have experienced at any of our Carnivals. The impromptu war cries throughout the day at the Years 7-12 Carnival were certainly something to behold and an example of the great work of our students and House Captains in particular.

Cashless Cards Stay in control of your secondary-aged child’s lunches with the flexischools cashless card system.

The flexischools cashless card system links a students’ existing school ID card to their flexischools account, allowing them to purchase securely on the school grounds without the need for cash.

It was also very pleasing to see the Middle and Senior School students who stepped up to be officials for the Years 4-6 Carnival. They demonstrate so much initiative and responsibility. Both carnivals were an outstanding success, with so many students entering events at the 7-12 carnival that unfortunately we did not have time at the end to do the presentations at the pool. The Age Champion medals have now been presented for all age groups and you will find a list of our winners in the STAR magazine at the end of Term 1.

If you have any questions please contact Mr Manion at: andrewm@salc.qld.edu.au Andrew Manion Head of Sport

Volunteers Induction Our next Volunteers Induction will be held at 9am Wednesday 11 March 2015 in the Cecile Ryan Centre. Everyone who volunteers in the College is requested to have attended this workshop which covers such issues as Valuing Safe Communities, Child Protection, Privacy and Fire Evacuation.

Please register with Karen Deacon either by emailing jsadmin@salc.qld.edu.au or by phone 5568 5901.

A reminder to all existing volunteers we request that you sign in and wear your name badge at all times while volunteering in the College. If you do not have a current name badge then once again, please contact Karen Deacon. This course needs to be attended every three years.

We value highly the wonderful support all Volunteers offer the College in their various roles either in the classroom, on excursions, in the Library, Tuckshop, Uniform Shop or as traffic controllers. These are just a few of the places where we find you helping out and we thank you for all you do.

A welcoming cuppa and morning tea will be provided from 8.45am. Just come straight after drop-off and enjoy some social time.

Student lunches have never been easier for parents: • Top up account with funds at a time convenient to you • Email when account is running low of funds • Monitor spending and see what your child is purchasing • Set daily spending limits • Ensure the money is spent at school • Safer than students carrying cash The cashless card is also great for students: • Reduced queueing times • Never be short of cash at the cash register • On-screen photo ID security protects your account from lost or stolen cards

P&F News Fete preparations are well underway and we are hoping this year’s Fete can be as successful as previous years, but we need your help. There are only 11 weeks until the Fete and we need more donations. Please see below for further details.

The next General Meeting for Term 1 is Wednesday 11 March at 7pm in the CRC. We welcome any new parents to come and find out what the P & F is all about. If you have any agenda items for discussion please email the Secretary at pandf@salc.qld.edu.au by Friday 6 March. It is a great opportunity to have input into College projects which the P & F fund. Everyone is welcome, so please join us.

Picnic in the Playground The annual Picnic in the Playground will be held on Friday 13 March 5pm–8pm. There will be jumping castles for the kids, music for the adults and a relaxing atmosphere for parents to meet other families and some of the teachers at the College.

You can bring your own food and drinks, or a sausage sizzle and drinks will be available for purchase.

Fete Chocolate Drive

If anyone has any suggestions or comments and cannot make the next meeting please email the P & F at pandf@salc. qld.edu.au Fete - 16 May 2015 - It is fast approaching!!!

Every Wednesday from now until the Fete we will be collecting donations at the Bus Shelter from 8am and the P & F office from 7.15am.

We need CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE and MORE CHOCOLATE Please see info below for our Chocolate Drive, we need a minimum of 600 chocolates to make this event a success, so when they are next on special, please grab a few for the Fete.

We also need books, DVDs, CDs, Toys and good quality clothes. So have an Autumn clean out and bring them in to the College.

Goal – 600 + blocks of chocolate WE NEED YOUR CHOCOLATE !!! we need a minimum of 600 chocolates to make this stall a success, so when they are next on special, please grab a few for the Fete.

CHOCOLATE BED: A $2 coin toss game where you have the opportunity to win chocolate bars.

Chocolate bars are spread over an old style metal bed and if your toss lands on a chocolate bar – you win that bar. Great fun for all ages.

Uniform Shop News

RIDE PASSES!!!

Early bird ride passes are now available via Trybooking (link below) $25 for over 5 years and $20 for Prep and under 5 years. Prices on the day of the fete will be $30 and $25, so get in early! http://www.trybooking.com/HDBD

BLAZER RECALL It has come to our attention that some new blazers purchased this year have a fault where the lining in the Blazer pocket has not been sewn correctly. Students with the fault will feel that inside the pocket the fabric is loose and they can put their fingers up between the fabric and the lining.

Please return your Blazer (with your name clearly on it) to the Uniform Shop no later than Friday 6 March. We need to send these back to the supplier for repair ASAP so we can have them back in time for Term 2.

Any questions please phone the Uniform Shop on 5568 5933 or email uniformshop@salc.qld.edu.au

Dear Team who sew, knit and crochet to make blankets for Save the Children, Last year the St Andrews community made 41 blankets, bringing our total of blankets donated to 156!

Any time you are ready, please start knitting for our 2015 campaign.

Remember, this year as well as blankets we would like to make knitted teddy bears/ dolls. Please contact me for more details tonib@salc.qld.edu.au Toni Bartel

Queensland Health

Smoke-free Schools

Dates to Remember - March

From 1 January 2015, it is against the law to smoke at all Queensland state and non-state schools, and for five metres beyond their boundaries.

The law applies to the use of all smoking products, including regular cigarettes and devices commonly known as electronic cigarettes.

QH347_14 11/14

Saturday 7 Academic Scholarship Testing Monday 9 - Friday 13 ALWS Awareness Week Monday 9 Years 6-12 SE Qld Futsal Championships Tuesday 10 Years 9-12 SEQLD Futsal Championships Wednesday 11 Volunteers Induction Year 12 Hospitality Students Excursion P & F General Meeting - CRC - 7pm Thursday 12 Year 12 Biology Excursion Friday 13 Year 12 Biology Excursion Picnic In The Playground - Junior School Playground 5.00pm-8.00pm Tuesday 17 Year 12 University Showcase Wednesday 18 Somerset Festival of Literature Excursion Friday 20 The National Young Leaders Day 2015 Saturday 21 Harmony Day

On-the-spot fines apply for breaches of the tobacco laws.

For more information on Queensland’s tobacco laws, call 13 QGOV (13 74 67) or visit www.qld.gov.au For information or support to quit smoking, call Quitline 13 QUIT (13 7848) or talk with your doctor, health professional, general practitioner or pharmacist.

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST HOSTING A JAPANESE STUDENT FROM HIGASHINO HS FROM 1-­‐7 AUGUST 2015 Please complete the form below should you be able to host either 1 or 2 students ($40/night/1 student or $70/night/2) students and return the form to: Mrs Rebekah Hill by Friday Week 9 MARCH 27 2015 email: rebekahh@salc.qld.edu.au FAMILY NAME

PARENT’s NAME

occupation:

PARENT’s NAME

occupation:

CHILDREN’S NAMES

AGES

GENDER

INTERESTS

HOME ADDRESS

E-­‐MAIL ADDRESS

HOME PHONE

Mobile number

PETS (Type, Inside/outside)

REASON for wishing to host

Picnic in the park Everyone welcome

Friday the 13th of March 5pm - 8pm Jnr School oval

LIVE MUSIC

by our senior students Please RSVP to pandf@salc.qld.edu.au There will be a jumping castle for the kids.

Yo u c a n p u r c h a s e a s a u s a g e s i z z l e , s n a c k s & drinks or bring your own food and drinks. Bring a chair or picnic blanket & enjoy getting together with the school community.

School Fete

Saturday 16 May

Bring everyone!

10am - 4pm

Rides *LIVE MUSIC* Showbags Coffee Chocolate Bed ART tattoos House of Horror

Talent Show

Cent Auction

Fairies & Pirates

Crazy Hair

Food Markets Great Prizes & lots more! you can h Donate to el ow stalls p V H Sell Raffle o l un Please keep an eye T i c k ebte ss e n d i n g

soon to We will ickets t e l f f a ic home r fantast h t i w l l se ss that a l c e h T s a prizes! ost win m e h t sells ay. pizza d

out for the different stalls that will be at the fete and donate to help create fantastic stalls & prizes. All donations are much appreciated.

t

eer We a re lo oking paren t for s t o stalls h e l p ,as ru up an sist with n Pleas d clean u set p&f i econtact p. f you the c a n in an y wa help y.

Please contact PandF@salc.qld.edu.au if you can help

INSIGHTS Building parent-school partnerships WORDS Michael Grose

It’s not okay to be away ... nor to be late to school

When kids miss school, not only is their academic progress impeded, forcing them to catch up on missed work (which some never do), they often miss important interactions with their peers which can compound issues of social isolation and low self-esteem.

One of the most important things you can do to ensure your child has a bright future is to make sure he or she goes to school every day—and gets there on time.

Of course, most people know this intuitively, yet school absenteeism is a huge problem in Australian schools—and much of it is parent-condoned.

It sounds simple, but it’s true. The correlation between school attendance and children’s achievement levels is wellestablished. The more time kids spend at school, the more likely they are to experience school success.

It’s hard to get an accurate picture across the country but it would appear that Australian students miss an average of between 12 and 15 days per school year, with parent-condoned absenteeism highest among young primary-aged children.

Conversely, according to a report from the Victorian Auditor General, students who are regularly absent from school are at the greatest risk of dropping out of school early, and of experiencing long-term unemployment.

When kids miss school, not only is their academic progress impeded, forcing them to catch up on missed work (which some never do), they often miss important interactions with their peers which can compound issues of social isolation and low self-esteem. Also, many teachers tell me, it’s often the kids who can least afford to take time off school who are most likely to be serial absentees.

That adds up to a year’s lost schooling over the school-life of a child. In today’s highly competitive world, this rate of absenteeism is alarming, putting our kids at a distinct disadvantage.

That’s not a reason to be away!

It’s now commonplace for children to stay away from school for reasons that would have been unheard of just twenty years ago. These include staying away to celebrate their own or a sibling’s birthday; being absent because they stayed up too late watching television; going shopping for clothes; an extended long weekend; and kids not wanting to take part in a

sports day or special school event.

This type of absenteeism sends a strong message to kids that parents don’t really value learning or their children’s school experiences.

Australian kids only spend 15% of their total time at school. They spend more time asleep than they do at school. So we need to maximise every day to get full value.

That means turning up to school every day, on time.

Being late is not okay either Missing a few minutes each day may not seem like a big deal but your child may be missing more than you realise if he or she is continually late.

Current research shows that mornings for most children are the most productive time of the day, with 10.00am the peak period for productivity. When children arrive late and take time to settle as they inevitably do, valuable learning time is lost.

more on page 2

e from Michael Grose. Join Stay one step ahead of your kids with great ideas & expert advic b.com.au. You’ll be so glad you did.

Michael’s NEW Parentingideas Club today at parentingideasclu © 2014 Michael Grose

parentingideas.com.au

INSIGHTS

2

Building parent-school partnerships

... It’s not okay to be away ... nor to be late to school...

It takes strong parenting ...

As a parent myself I know how persuasive children of all ages can be when it comes to taking a day off school. It takes a strong will to resist the persistent pressure that kids can bring to bear, particularly if they play the guilt card with comments such as “It’s not fair that I have to go school today because Aunty is coming to visit!” Nice try. But the answer should be “No!”.

As parents we need to make a commitment that our kids make the most of their precious time at school. That means that we send them to school every day, on time and ready to make the most of the school day.

Of course, there will be times, such as illness or genuinely extenuating family circumstances, when kids should be away. But these need to be a rarity rather than the norm.

It’s reassuring to know that you increase their chances of future success just by making sure they turn up to school every day. And of course regular school attendance also helps kids prepare for the workforce, where it will be expected that they turn up each day work-ready. The real world is unforgiving of those who stay away with NO EXCUSE.

As A PArenT: ✔ Commit to sending kids to school every day. ✔ Make sure kids arrive at school and class on time. ✔ Inform the school when they are away, sending medical certificates and other evidence of genuine absence. ✔ Consider catching-up on missed work. ✔ Make kids who are away stay in their bedroom – that is where ill kids should be.

e from Michael Grose. Join Stay one step ahead of your kids with great ideas & expert advic b.com.au. You’ll be so glad you did.

Michael’s NEW Parentingideas Club today at parentingideasclu

parentingideas.com.au