23 August 2017

Newsletter Articles

From the Assistant Principal

Hello everyone,

What a busy start to the term we are having!

Science Talent Search

This year we had a large number of students participate in the Northern Division of the Science Talent Search Engineering and Technology Challenge, with entries in all age divisions. The theme for the 2017 Engineering and Technology Challenge was The History of Flight. Please see the article below. Thanks to Mrs Radford, Mr Clark, Mr Duncan and Mrs Sims who supported our students on the day.

MAT Maths Relay Northern Heat

Last Sunday Exeter had two teams of Grade 5/6 students participate in the annual Northern Schools Maths Relay event at Scotch Oakburn College. The competition was tough, and our students worked hard and made us proud. Congratulations to Brady Heald, Ben Hockey, Isaac Leslie, Mason Black, Will Radford, Jakob Gibson, Linkon Black and Lilian Wallace.

Science Week

Exeter High School Science Fair

On Tuesday we celebrated Science Week with the support of Exeter High School students who facilitated their annual Science Expo in our Performing Arts Centre. Our students had a great time experiencing hands on activities that illustrated scientific concepts. Our students also enjoyed conducting and explaining their own experiments to their peers. Thanks to EHS Kim Knights and her students who ran an excellent expo.

Exeter High School Options Day

This week we held another transition experience for our students. Grade 5 and 6 students spent Tuesday at the High School experiencing a variety of activities, what high school life is like, becoming familiar with the setup of the school and learning to navigate their way around.

STEAM Challenge Day

Tuesday was a very busy day as it also saw our students who are participating in the Launceston College XSTEAM Challenges travel to Launceston College for the STEAM NGN’s final Week 5 Challenge against all other schools who have been completing in the challenges. Our students were looking forward to working with other students from around Launceston and meeting some of the students they have been competing against in the XSTEAM Challenges. Please see the article below for more information.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Our school Premiers Reading Challenge finishes on Thursday after 10 weeks of fun and lots of reading! Congratulations to everyone who completed the Premier's Reading Challenge for 2017. Our last event invited students to create a Blurb and Book Cover. These will be presented in the PAC for the "Escape to Everywhere" Buddy Reading Day on Thursday 24th August. Classes will enjoy sharing a book reading session with Buddy classes looking at the Book Week shortlisted titles and sharing stories together. K-2 students are welcome to dress as their favourite book character on this day.

Parent/Teacher/Student Conversations

A reminder that you can still book a Parent/Teacher/Student Conversation if you could not make our evening last term. Our booking system will remain open until the end of next week to allow any families who would like an appointment to do so. Teachers will be available after school on Wednesdays for appointments. Please use the code below to make an appointment.

Wishing you all a great week,

Helen Peart
Assistant Principal

Respectful School

This article supports the work we are doing with The Zones of Regulation program at school. We are teaching our students to recognise and control their emotional state so they can regulate themselves to stay in the Green Zone which is optimal for learning. This article by Nicole Schwarz will provide some practical ideas to assist parents work with their children at home.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD WILL NOT CALM DOWN

You give your child one more reminder, “Turn off the iPad, please.”
And that’s all it takes. He’s off like a rocket.
First refusing…then yelling…finally, screaming.
You roll your eyes. Not again. Why does everything turn into an explosion?
“Settle down, honey. It’s not the end of the world.”
But he does not calm down.

In fact, the more you try to talk him down, the more agitated he becomes. You know from experience that this can go on for a while…sometimes even an hour!

Starting to panic, you wonder, “What are my options?”

What to do when your child will not calm down -

• Keep yourself calm: Just because your child is flipping out, doesn’t mean you need to join them. Instead, do what you need to do to stay calm so you can help your child through these big feelings. You may find that you need some fresh air, a glass of water, or lots of deep breaths to stay present.
• Skip the rationalizing: In this moment, your child is not thinking logically. Even if your child is upset about something minor or totally irrational, it feels major and important to them. Save reasoning and teaching for when your child is calm. Avoid adding the word “…but” to your comforting phrases.
• Be Quiet: Many parents talk more when they are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or pressured. Observe how talking impacts your child when they are upset. If your words seem to add fuel to the fire, it may be better to sit silently. Offer non-verbal support, such as outstretched hands, a concerned, understanding face, or just staying nearby.
• Physical touch: Rather than moving quickly from silence to problem-solving, take it slow. Your child’s brain may still not be calm enough to hear your words of support. For some children, a backrub, hand massage, foot massage or hair brushing is a great way to help them relax again.
• Use connecting phrases: When we tell our kids to “calm down,” they often feel more discouraged or upset because they cannot get their brain or body to calm. Instead, share your own sense of calm and remind them that they are loved, even in their big feelings.

• I’m here
• We will get through this
• I love you
• Let’s take a walk
• Come sit with me
• It’s OK to cry
• You are safe
• I’m not leaving you
• You are sad about…
• You feel upset because…
• I believe you
• Let’s take some deep breaths together
• I’m going to take some deep breaths
• You will feel calm again
• You won’t be mad forever
• Would you like to snuggle?
• Let’s get a drink of water
• Your body knows how to calm down
• What do you need right now?
• I’m still here

• Be Empathic: You don’t have to agree with your child’s perspective to understand where they are coming from. Rather than trying to “get” your child to calm down, ask yourself, “How would I like someone to respond if this happened to me?” Would you like silent support, a calm reminder, encouragement, or a hug?

Of course, we’d prefer that our child’s emotions simply “switched” from angry to calm in an instant. In reality, it may take 20 minutes for your child to “calm down” from a big emotion.

Be curious rather than critical. Try a few things and see how your child responds.

Remember, emotions are not logical. They don’t follow a script or step-by-step solutions. It may take some time, maturity, and flexibility to find something that works for your child, and that’s OK.

Each child is unique. What works well for one child may be too stimulating for another child. You are the expert on your child.

If your child continues to struggle to calm their emotions, you may decide to seek out more support from your doctor or school social worker.

ABOUT NICOLE SCHWARZ

Welcome! I am an imperfect mum to 3 girls and a Parent Coach with a License in Family Therapy. My goal is to help you feel less angry, manage anxiety, talk to your kids with empathy, and learn to discipline without punishment.

Assembly Awards

Growth Mindset Award

Recipient

Aryn Dillon and Freya McEvoy

Class Awards

We congratulate the following students:

Did you know?

Birthdays

Launching into Learning

Our Learning Community S.T.E.A.M

STEAM: Engaging Parents in Computer Science and Coding

What is a sprite? What is a loop? What do the different coloured blocks mean? Hopefully this fortnight I can provide parents and guardians with a self-paced resource that will introduce you to the world of coding that Exeter Primary School students are currently navigating. Code.org is a free online resource that makes the often-complex subject of computer coding easier to grasp for learners. Currently, code.org is being used by all students in Grades 1 to 6. With their knowledge and your willingness to explore this vital 21st Century digital technology, I am sure we can close the gap and keep you more up-to-date on a rapidly changing environment that is critical to our students’ future. I therefore encourage you to explore, make mistakes, learn from them and understand the algorithms behind some of the games your child plays. Please remember, ask your child for assistance if you need it – it won’t be as bad as you think!

Literacy

Book Week Reminder

Escape to Everywhere Story Day

K-6 classes will enjoy story sharing in the PAC with Buddy Readers to celebrate Book Week.

K-2 student’s are welcome to dress as their favourite book character on this day and share their story at Buddy Reading time.
This Thursday 24 August 2017

Science

Tasmanian Science Talent Search

On Sunday the 13th of August a large number of students travelled to East Launceston Primary School for the Northern Division of the Science Talent Search Engineering and Technology Challenge with Mrs Radford, Mr Clark and Mr Duncan. We had students represented in all age divisions. The theme for the 2017 Engineering and Technology Challenge was The History of Flight. Students had to explore how machines fly, significant developments of flight over time and design and document the development of their own plane. All of this whilst only using limited materials, such as paper, cardboard, sticky tape and straws. It was an interesting and challenging experience which culminated with students competing on Sunday against other students in their divisions. They were then interviewed by the judges to talk about their models and the journey they have taken. Mr Duncan himself even became a judge. A huge thankyou to the teachers that supported them throughout the challenge and thankyou to parents for coming along and supporting students on a weekend.

We also had a group of students who entered the Future Earth category for the posters, creative writing and photographic essay sections. We look forward to seeing the results of their efforts in coming months.

X STEAM

XSTEAM CHALLENGE: Update

Yesterday saw the culmination of five weeks of intense STEAM collaboration, communication and problem solving by our Grade 3/4 and 5/6 XSTEAM Challenge participants. We travelled to Launceston College’s STEAM NGN for our final Week 5 Challenge against all other schools who have been participating. We will inform you of their results soon.

Grade 3/4 XSTEAM CHALLENGE

Week 2 = Use a Sphero to push or pull the raft into position

Week 3 = Construct a bridge using the least materials possible to get your Bee-Bot from point A to point B.

Grade 5/6 XSTEAM CHALLENGE

Week 2 = Use a Sphero to push or pull the raft into position

Week 3 = Construct a bridge using the least materials possible to get your Bee-Bot from point A to point B.

Parents

New School Banking rewards now available!

Exciting new Term 3 rewards with a Future Savers theme are now available,

while stocks last!

For every deposit made at school students will receive a silver Dollarmites token. Once students have individually collected 10 tokens they can redeem them for exclusive School Banking reward items in recognition of their regular savings habits. There are two new items released each term so be sure to keep an eye out for them!

Thank you for supporting the School Banking program and remember, School Banking day is every Wednesday.

What’s Happening in Our Classrooms?

Kinder Freeman

Kinder Freeman and 5/6 Clancy/Geale work collaboratively each Wednesday on a variety of learning tasks. We have created illustrated stories, engaged in gross motor challenges, technology tasks and enjoyed reading together.

The LINC in Exeter asked our class if we would like to display some work there. We will be walking up to the library soon to see our work on display and will continue this partnership.

We enjoy cooking. Our latest culinary challenge was to make pikelets, which was a huge success.

In kindergarten we engage in many sensory experiences to extend our learning and understanding of world concepts. The following are examples of some of our work.

1-2 Johns

As part of our activities to recognise National Indigenous Day, 1/2 Johns enjoyed several texts about the culture of Australian Indigenous people which had been illustrated by indigenous children. The crayon and water colour illustrations were brightly coloured and we enjoyed creating some artwork using the same technique.

In Science Grade 1/2 Johns have been investigating the materials that objects are made of and the properties of these materials. We used the Book Creator App on the iPad to share what we have learnt.

Welcome to Kindergarten for 2018

Enrolments Now Open

Enrolments for children who will be attending Kindergarten in 2018 are now being accepted. If you have received an enrolment form we encourage you to complete it and return it to the office as soon as possible. If your child was born any time during 2013 they are able to attend Kindergarten in 2018.

If your child is not currently attending a Pre-Kinder session, or you know of anyone who will be of Kindergarten age in 2018, please contact the school office on 6394 4700 for information. Attending Pre-Kinder is an important support for all children entering school and provides an important transition for children between home and school. Pre-Kinder sessions are offered across the school year with parents attending on a Friday. During Term 4 children attend without their parents in readiness for Kindergarten in 2018. Please contact the office for more information regarding the days and times Pre-kinder is held.

As we become more certain about our Kindergarten numbers for 2018, decisions will be made regarding class placements. Confirming Kindergarten numbers for 2018 is important in determining the class structures. Your support in completing the enrolment process swiftly will ensure a successful placement of all children enroling. Please remember an original birth certificate and copy of immunisation history are required on enrolment.

There will be an information session for all Kindergarten parents for 2018 and you will be advised of this date in Term 4.

If you have any questions please contact the school on 6394 4700.

School Association

Parent Direct Toy Catalogue

Thinking of Christmas…….

Kinder to Grade 2 classes have received their catalogue.

This is a school fundraiser with 20 cents of every dollar you spend being donated back to our school. Through parent purchases last year we received a voucher to enable us to purchase classroom resources.

Just to let you know that you will only receive one catalogue. Chalk have combined all their top products into Parent Direct to create a single shopping destination.

If you are a parent of a child from Grade 3-6 and would like to have a look at the catalogue, feel free to contact us in the office and we can send it home to you.

If you do not wish to place an order could you please return the catalogue to the office.

All orders need to be handed into the school office by Monday September 11 to avoid disappointment and guaranteed delivery.