Today we had three visitors to school as part of an independent review with the University of Southern Queensland, to delve into how schools in the Diocese of Lismore have engaged with the work of the Learning Collaborative, how this work has been translated into practices within schools, and recommendations for next steps in regards to system support and direction. We had Dr Tania Leach and two Learning Collaborative Guiding Coalition members visit today, go into classrooms and talk with students about their learning. It was another educative experience for teachers and the feedback we received was positive. If you would like to know more about The Learning Collaborative work look up Lyn Sharratt and her Clarity work.

A meeting was held today with David Johnson, the Risk and Compliance Business Partner South for the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Office, to develop an Operational Risk Register with a particular focus on Watson Street. There will be follow up meetings and actions which we will inform you of moving forward.

Kiss and Drop has finally opened in the mornings! Please make sure that you are on the school side of Watson Street facing up the hill and that students exit the car from the passenger side onto the footpath. Wait until they have gone into the school grounds via the gate before moving off. We have had a number of families already using this access and things are going well.

https://st-ignatius.net/ 

Of all the things that are happening in the world - trust in God.

Article by Marg Coutts our school counsellor

Anxiety is a normal part of life. Rather than stopping it or getting rid of it, we can find healthy ways to live with it. One of the things that can help our children (and us), is understanding the difference between “scary dangerous” and “scary safe”. This language and thinking comes from Australian psychologist, Karen Young (author of Hey Warrior). She explains that our amygdala – the part of our brain which activates when it detects danger – can’t tell the difference between scary safe and scary dangerous. A bit like a smoke detector can’t tell the difference between burnt toast and a house fire.

“Scary dangerous” is when your life is threatened. “Scary safe” is when you are being called to be brave because you are doing something new or hard… and usually means you are learning. So when your child feels anxious coming to school and her or his amygdala is activated, this is an example of “scary safe”.

Research into anxiety highlights two main things which support the amygdala to settle when it thinks you are in danger. One is to slow your breathing. Kids and adults alike, don’t find this easy to do in the heat of a stressful situation. The evidence encourages us to practice this when we are not stressed so that we have the skill when we need it. There are so many fun ways to practice slowing down our breathing. Here are some examples.

https://www.mindfullittleminds.com/5-fun-mindful-breathing-exercises-that-help-kids-calm-down/

https://copingskillsforkids.com/deep-breathing-exercises-for-kids

The other is repetition. Every time you do something “scary safe”, despite how hard it feels, your amygdala gets the message that even though you did the scary thing, nothing bad happened. It can definitely take a bit of convincing but it will get to a point where the amygdala realizes that doing that thing is actually fine and will stop worrying. Apparently you can’t reason with your amygdala – it only learns from doing.

Along with this Karen Young encourages us to validate our children in their experience… saying things like “I know this is really hard for you”. This helps them learn that their experience is normal and understandable. She encourages us to balance this with confidence. So adding something like “…. and I know that you can do this.” We’re not trying to convince our kids that scary safe isn’t scary.
They need to know that we get it. We want to support them to have the courage to do scary safe.This is fertile territory for learning and growth.

Parent Assembly currently has a subscription with Real Talk.  Check it out - there are resources that are relevant for all ages and stages.

There are changes being made to the way schools are expected to monitor non-attendance and communicate this to families.  In the first instance families will be informed if their child’s attendance falls below 90%.  This will be done via the COMPASS App and is a standard letter, with no expectation that you respond to this letter.  Communication will include the following;

Just a friendly reminder that all unexplained absences will remain as unexplained until we have had notification from a parent. School protocol is that office staff should not enter a reason for lateness unless we have been advised by a parent. If your child is late to school, even by a few minutes, we ask that you let us know the reason.

A letter is automatically sent to parents each week, from our Compass system, asking you to respond.

Census Day was Friday August 2nd. Please click on the link below to learn more about how and what information is collected for the census.

2024 Census privacy collection notice.pdf

Marybells children and their parents are beginning to have catch ups to build connections and get to know each other - adults and children.

The first of these is on Friday at the Old Butter Factory at 9.30am.  Please let us know if you would like more information.

Check out how great the school garden area is looking! A massive thanks goes to Jay for operating the excavator, Sam, Jane, Paul and Lisa for giving up their Saturday to get the work done. The beds are being prepared for planting and we can’t wait to watch things grow.

Our monthly P&F meeting was held last week at school. Some of the topics covered included:

*Reviewing our recent fundraising activity at the Bellingen Community markets (what worked & what we can improve on for next time) We raised over $1500!!

*What activities we could put our 'Parent Assembly' money towards.

You can view the full minutes here Minutes P&F 31072024.pdf

PRC Closes for Students Sunday

The reading challenge finishes up on August 23rd. Let us know if you need any support in completing the challenge.

Updated Book Lists can be found here

Digital library including decodable readers and quality texts.

Cooper was very brave on Friday and participated in the Shave for a Cure as part of the Bellingen Cellar Crew. They did a great job raising funds for cancer. Well done Cooper.

Understanding how to support your child with online gaming
Suitable for parents and carers of children and young people in primary and early secondary school.
Tuesday, 3 September, 12.30pm
Register here

Consent and online boundaries: How to support your primary-aged child
Suitable for parents and carers of children in primary school.
Tuesday, 13 August, 12.30 pm
Wednesday, 11 September, 12.30 pm
Register here

An introduction to online safety and emerging technologies
Suitable for parents and carers of children and parents in primary and secondary school.
Thursday, 5 September, 12.30pm
Register here

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents is hosting a FREE webinar in collaboration with the eSafety Commissioner on Tuesday, 20 August at 7.30pm.

Link to register:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1244428795787444059

11th September 2024

The Council of Catholic School Parents is hosting a FREE parenting webinar with parenting speaker and author, Justin Coulson. This webinar will unpack:

• The root causes behind the deteriorating state of mental health, and who (or what) is responsible.
• The tools you need to reverse this trend for your children.
• Realistic approaches for managing screen time in a way that protects your child's wellbeing.
• Creating margin in your home and family life to protect and promote mental wellness.

Week 4: "I am honest"

Week 2 

Kinder - Lily Hogarth & Kohan Phoenix

Year 1 - Dusk Connelly & Phoenix Lane

Year 2 - Gabbie Carlon & Toby Rake

Year 3 - Willow Clack & Savannah Tyrrell

Year 5 - Nevaya Anderson & Oscar Reibelt

PBS - "I am an active learner"

Kinder - Logan Piper & Asha Beddows

Year 1 - Eva Hamill

Year 2 - Harriet Lynch

Year 3 - Eddy Wadick

Year 5 - Solomon Day

Week 3

Kinder - Vera Farrugia & Archer Curwood

Year 2 - Harriet Lynch & Lachlann Kiddle

PBS - "I play safe and fair"

Kinder - Lily Hogarth & Jed Ravell

Year 2 - Malkia Wamara

Last week we had a very special visit from the children of Bellingen Burrows, many of whom will be starting our Marybells orientation program in Week 7. We had a fabulous time playing and dancing in the Kinder classroom. Our wonderful Year 6 buddies made kites and we all got to decorate them. Then we went across to the park for Kite flying. Luckily it was a little bit windy so our kites were a success. Thanks Year 6 for your help!

Piano = Victoria Christie 6655 8782

Brass/Piano = Kate Butcher 0419 789 078

Guitar = Katie Crane 0431 151 987

The City of Coffs Harbour Open Day coming up on Sunday 11 August 10am -2pm at C.EX Coffs International Stadium. 

The day will have a lot of family-friendly activities and will also double as a chance for young people to be inspired by the diversity of career options available in local government.

Open Day activities: https://www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/Events-directory/City-of-Coffs-Harbour-Open-Day