Welcome back! It’s been lovely to see families returning to the school and we especially welcome our new families. The children have settled back well and the classrooms are already settled into the routines of school.

Thank you for your patience with our new start of day arrangements. We are all getting familiar with it - for most children the chance to play on the playground is helping them to settle into the school day as they connect with their friends. If your child is experiencing anxiety about it please reach out to their class teacher so that we can support you both.   

Parent Access Module (PAM)

Thank you for your patience as SIMON worked through an upgrade to the Parent Access Module (PAM) . It took longer than expected but you should have all received an email by Friday with instructions how to set it up.  PAM is a key communication tool used by the school to share information and is also used to notify of absences, access school reports and book in for school events such as parent teacher interviews. 

Attendance

It is really important that your child is at school every day, unless they are unwell. Frequent absences have a great impact on children's learning. It is also important that children arrive at school on time as information is discussed at the beginning of the day and not hearing this information or coming into a class that has already begun can be very unsettling if a child is frequently late. 

It is a requirement that you notify the school if your child is absent.  Please use PAM to notify of your child’s planned absence or if they’re  sick.  

Current guidelines in place for all schools mean that you will be contacted by the school if your child is absent without contact from you. Written notes can also be sent as a way of informing us of planned, future absences.  A text message will be issued if the school has not been informed of an absence by 9:30am.

Cybersafety

Keeping our children safe in the cyber world is a key component in our child safety strategy. There will be incursions and webinars held throughout the year to support the children to develop skills and awareness when working online. Today the grade 5/6 children had an incursion in the hall about cyber safety. 

This year St Michael’s is also partnering with ‘Inform and Empower’ to deliver a series of cybersafety incursions with the grades 1 - 6 students. The first session will be about their digital footprint, their rights and their responsibilities. 

The esafety commission also holds parent webinars throughout the year. The first one is about setting your child up for success online and covers:

• Age appropriate expectations and boundaries
• Online risks and strategies to keep your children safe
• Where to find support for you and your child when things go wrong.

The link to this webinar as well as the full schedule of events can be found at https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars 

School Uniform

School uniform is compulsory at St Michael’s Primary. You will receive an email from your child's teacher letting you know which day your child will be wearing their sports uniform.  We take pride in being a part of the St Michaels community and we ask for your help in ensuring that your child is wearing the uniform in the correct way. 

Staying safe from mosquitoes

Recent wet and warm weather has increased mosquito breeding. Mosquitoes can carry diseases that may be passed on to people through mosquito bites. A range of mosquito-borne diseases have recently been detected in mosquitoes in northern Victoria.  Mosquito-borne diseases can cause serious illness, including infections of the brain, with children particularly at risk.

The best way to prevent mosquito-borne diseases is to avoid mosquito bites. 

In line with community health advice , families can protect against mosquito bites by:

• using insect repellent that contains picaridin or DEET on all exposed skin if outdoors when mosquitoes are observed, from October to March
• wearing long, loose-fitting clothing outdoors if possible if mosquitoes are around and covering exposed skin as much as possible. Summer school uniforms, including polos and shorts, can continue to be worn, but students should use insect repellent on exposed skin if mosquitoes are active
• limiting outdoor activity when mosquitoes are active.

Further information

• A handy guide to help protect you and your family from mosquito-borne disease 
• Better Health Channel information about preventing mosquito-borne diseases.

Peaceful Kids

Peaceful Kids’ is a Mindfulness and Positive Psychology based program to lessen anxiety and stress and increase resilience in children. The program has been endorsed by Beyond Blue and is an accredited mindfulness program for children with the following key benefits for children:

• Lessen symptoms of anxiety and stress in children
• Teaches children to self-calm.
• Empowers children to manage their own anxiety.
• Develops emotional intelligence skills.
• Teaches children life-long skills to manage stress and prevent stress build up.
• Supports children so they know that they are not alone with suffering from anxiety.

The program in Traralgon will be run by Nicole Leeder through her new business ‘Harmonious Kids’. Nicole is a local primary teacher with 15 years’ experience in the classroom and a Certified Peaceful Kids Facilitator.

St Michael’s Primary School students can access the program in 2 ways, either in after school sessions at a Traralgon venue or at St Michael’s Primary School on a Friday morning during the school day. Classes are commencing in the week beginning 13th Feb and information sessions are being held all this week for parents and their children to come and find out more about the program. Additionally Peaceful Kids is fully claimable under NDIS.

Bookings or Further information by email – N.harmoniouskids@gmail.com or through facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089621713083

Kind regards

Jodie