Dear St John the Apostle community,

Are you tired? We're noticing that students at school are very tired. On reflection this is the first full year of school, with no remote learning, for three years. It's possible that everyone's stamina for a year of full-time schooling needs to be re-built. In speaking with Principals across our primary schools this is a common experience at present.

When students are all tired, as well as families and teachers, then people's tolerance levels can decline and friends at school can become a little like brothers and sisters who niggle at each other in ways that friends ordinarily don't. At the moment we're finding that we're putting out more 'spotfires' between friends than usual; a sign that students are becoming more and more tired.

To help students get to the end of the year positively and proud of themselves we're being mindful to:

• maintain our expectations for how we respect each other, encouraging and acknowledging the positive, supporting those that need extra guidance and responding to inappropriate interactions consistently
• focus on learning, reviewing material that has been covered and practising skills to help students maintain them over the school holidays
• pace the day so that there are tasks that are less demanding during the more tired times as well as providing 'brain breaks' during the longer sessions to help them rest a little and re-energise

While there's also a lot happening in family homes at this time of year, parents can help their child stay positive by remembering the following quote:

'When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it's our job to share our calm, not join their chaos.'

• ensure you are having some rest moments yourself through your day to pace your own energy, try as best as you can to obtain some good sleep; managing yourself first will help you support a tired child more easily.
• where possible provide children with some quiet, de-sensitising time directly after school; play some quiet music, keep devices and TV off, go outside, take the dog for a slow stroll, have some textas and colouring in to do, have a big drink of water (the warmer weather has now caught up to us) and a little snack.
• listen and acknowledge big feelings that come home. Just respond to let them know they've been heard, that everything will be okay and problems can be sorted out - "That sounds tiring", "Why do you think they did that?", "What would you like to happen?",  "Let's have a break and then we can sit and talk about what you can do".

Our aim is always to finish the year in a strong way, pleased with what we have achieved over the course of the year and able to enter into the holiday period with positivity and ready to enjoy family and friends.

Smart Watches at School

Sometimes students receive smart watches for Christmas. These are watches where students can take photos, message others and make phone calls.

Please be aware that early next year we will send home information about the restriction and management of smart watches in the school grounds. Due to their capacity they will be subject to the same requirements as for mobile phones, requirements that assist us to maintain the privacy of other students and staff, manage risks around the communication between students and enable us to support students appropriately if they are unwell or injured.

When considering smart watches as gifts, be aware that there will be restrictions placed upon their use on school grounds.

Student Semester 2 reports

Today your child's Semester 2 report has been distributed through COMPASS. Please take the time to read through it before sharing it with your child. It is a simple but overall reflection of your child's achievements this semester. Parent-Teacher Interviews are available next week for you to discuss your child's report. You can book your child's Parent Teacher Interview through the COMPASS portal.

Students who have a Personal Plan (PP) will have an additional report related to their child's goals. It is not available on COMPASS and will be sent home in an envelope with your child today.

I am so proud of the achievments of our students and teachers this year. We're very excited by the growth of our students as we begin to introduce new High Impact Teaching Practices across the school. There is a lot to celebrate and we are looking forward to this continued growth in 2023.

See you next Tuesday evening at our Christmas Family Picnic.

Matthew Garton

Principal