30 March 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Well the end of Term 1 is upon us and it’s hard to believe how much we have accomplished in these past ten weeks.

We started this term welcoming over 900 students to the new school year and then school life kicked in. Here is a quick snapshot of only some of the extra bits and pieces that have happened this term:

• We celebrated ‘Safer Internet Day’
• We hosted Parent Information Sessions
• We inducted our 2018 school leaders
• We participated in District Swimming
• We hosted the Suns Shine Program
• Our P&C held their Bingo evening
• We celebrated International Women’s Day
• Kokoda Training began
• We held our Cross Country
• We celebrated Bullying No Way
• We had our school photos
• We celebrated our Easter Hat Parade

And those are just some of the activities that have occurred over the last ten weeks. We have had students representing our school in literacy competitions, and we have had hours and hours of learning going on. So it’s great to be able to press pause and take this time to recharge, relax and get ready for the next term ahead.

Choose Kind

In my first newsletter I wrote to our community about the philosophy of ‘Choose Kind’ and encouraged each of you to challenge yourself to do one act of random kindness each day. I hope that some of you were able to take this challenge on and make it part of your daily behaviours. I cannot stress enough to all of you just how important you are as a role model to your children. Schools are responsible for a lot of learning in many areas of life, but there is no escaping the truth that you are the single most influential and important teacher in your child’s life. From you they are not just absorbing language, practices and attitude. Your young people are learning how to treat others, how to respond to difficult situations and how to take on challenges in life and make lemonade out of lemons.

We have them for a mere 30 hours per week, for 40 weeks of the year. Your impact is strong and your impact is lifelong. So keep up the challenge of ‘Choose Kind’ and know that every time you make this a conscious choice not only are you sending out good, you are showing your young person a better way of life.

Behaviour To and From School

We have had a number of our students frequenting food vendors such as Hungry Jacks either before or after school. This is not a pattern of behaviour I would be recommending our parents to endorse for a number of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that we have had a number of complaints from the public regarding negative and rude behaviour. We have reminded our students about the behavioural expectations whilst travelling to and from school, and if students are engaging in unacceptable behaviour during these times they are still answerable to the School’s Responsible Behaviour Plan and consequences will be enforced.

Term 2 Start Dates

Term 2 will officially begin on Tuesday 17th April. Because of the impact of the Commonwealth Games on public transport, the Minister introduced an extra Student Free Day for 2018 only on Monday 16th April. This is technically the day all athletes will be exiting the Gold Coast, so please remember not to come to school on the Monday. Start back with us nice and bright and ready to learn on Tuesday 17th April.

Understanding Your Child’s Anxious Behaviour Using the ABC Method

By Michael Grose

When our children are suffering they turn to us for help. Never is this more true than when they’re experiencing anxiety. The experience of it is awful and they want it stopped. Now. That’s all we want too: to put an end to their fear, dread and worry. To help them feel calm, happy and playful again. But the contagious nature of anxiety means that while, as parents, we’re helping our children in the midst of their turmoil, we can also struggle with anxiety of our own. All those stories begin to swirl around in our minds leaving us worrying about what it all means for our child’s future happiness.

The more you understand about the events that trigger anxiety in your child and the way he or she behaves when feeling anxious, the better equipped you’ll be to respond in a truly helpful way.

The fight, flight, freeze or freak out response.

It’s important to remember that all of our kids will experience anxiety at some time or another. It’s a natural and protective reaction to the anticipation of danger or discomfort, a deeply ingrained instinctive response that gears people up, big and small, to fight for their life, or run for it (flight). As well as the ‘fight or flight’ response, it’s also been called the ‘fight, flight, freeze or freak out’ response. No argument there!

In the majority of cases where kids experience anxiety (which may even be trepidation or nervousness) – such as when faced with a maths test or a presentation in front of the class – when the ‘danger’ passes the anxiety passes too.

However there are kids who experience debilitating anxiety on a more regular basis: anxiety that interferes with their ability to function, participate in life and enjoy being a kid. In these cases it’s important to develop a deeper understanding of the events that happen before and after the anxiety is displayed. The ABC anxiety technique is an invaluable tool used by psychologists when looking at behaviour patterns. You can use it too.

The ABC technique

Anxiety can be thought of as a sequence of events, beginning with a triggering event that is called the Activator. The Activator is present before your child becomes anxious and fearful. It isn’t always one thing but can be a set of circumstances or factors like tiredness and hunger. Children won’t always be aware of what’s triggered their anxiety but as you begin to note down the ABC’s, you’ll establish some patterns that will help you both.

The activator triggers your child’s anxious Behaviour. Now is about the time you might form a picture in your mind of what you witness when your little one is anxious. You’ll see a whole bunch of behaviours including avoidance, anger, fear and distress, but what you won’t necessarily see are the ‘private’ behaviours of your child such as their thoughts and feelings. Understanding these is really insightful.

Lastly, your little one’s anxiety will naturally bring about a reaction from others. This can be from you, other family members, your child’s friends and/or their teacher, depending on where they are. These reactions are the last part of your new tool, termed Consequences. Understanding what happens in response to your child’s anxiety is important, again, for understanding patterns that have built up over time.

Start by creating a table (anyway you like). Find a quiet few minutes and begin by thinking about what happens when your child becomes anxious. Let’s say for example that thunderstorms trigger anxiety in your child. Describe anxious behaviours in detail in the middle column. These could be the things you witness such as crying, pacing, avoidance, clinging, etc. plus any thoughts or feelings your child has shared with you.

At first glance the activator might seem obvious: thunder and lightning in this example. But perhaps the anxiety is triggered earlier than that. Could it begin with overhearing the storm forecast on the news or the heavy rain preceding the storm? Finally, the consequences column is to note what happens immediately after the anxious behaviour. What happens, and how everyone feels.

Go through this same process with the other anxious behaviours you listed.

The ABC exercise enables you to contemplate your child’s anxious behaviours and the circumstances around them including, importantly, when you’re not actually in the thick of it. My guess is that you’re already pretty clear about the behaviours, but after doing this exercise you’ll be armed with details of the triggers (Activators) and outcomes (Consequences) as well. Combined, this understanding will give you insights into how anxiety unfolds for your child, an opportunity to reflect on your own responses to anxious behaviour, and where there might be opportunities for helpful change.

If at any time you’re at all concerned about your little one, please consult with your GP to seek advice and reassurance.

Happy Easter

Many thanks to our school community for a wonderful Term 1. School life is definitely always busy and always demanding. That calls for a lot of support and understanding as we are, at times, required to make some changes to our advertised timetable.

We appreciate the support and understanding of our community and wish all of you a wonderful and safe Easter break. We look forward to seeing you all return to us in April.

Please remember to enjoy this time with your loved ones and read a book or ten!

Kind Regards
Martine Gill
Principal

PE News

School Cross Country Carnival

We had another successful Cross Country Carnival last week. Thank you to our school community who were able to come along and cheer.

All students did a fantastic job and were able to achieve some great results. Below is a list of winners from each event-

Congratulations to Tugai house for winning the overall points House Shield for 2018.

P&C Colour Run

Our wonderful P&C along with the PE department will be hosting the school C o l o u r R u n on Friday 20th April from 1.30 pm.

Permission notes are to be returned to classroom teachers and sponsorship forms/money to be returned to the tuckshop.

Please note – Friday 20th April will be a free dress day.

If you would like to volunteer for the afternoon, please contact P&C President – Sharon coomeraspringspresident@gmail.com

AFL Auskick

Auskick is coming to Coomera Springs in Term 2.

Music News

Music Shirts

Our performing ensembles look amazing in their Music Shirts. If your child is in Concert Band, Ukulele Band, Strings or Choir, now is the time to order your Music Shirt for 2018 – available from the uniform shop for $30. Music Shirts can be worn to school on Thursdays in 2018. Prep parents please be advised that Music Shirts are now available from Size 4 upwards.

Uniform Shop

We have ordered our jumpers to be here when school starts back next term and we have been able to order them in a size 4! Please keep an eye out for more information.

The Uniform Shop is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8.15am – 9.00am. Payment methods accepted include Eftpos and Credit Card.

Tuckshop

We are opened from 7.30am until 3:00pm for all your breakfast and lunch needs. Our home meal orders have now commenced. We cannot wait for you to taste some of our delicious fresh home made meals and for the price of $15 to feed a family of 4, we think it’s a great bargain.

Frankie’s Tuckshop Menu

The tuckshop is open Monday - Friday and offers a range of healthy choice options. Please refer to our Tuckshop Menu for more information.

School Terms 2018

School Terms for 2018 are as follows;

School Directory

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Community Notices

Gold Coast Health Oral Health (Dental) Services

The Mobile Dental Clinic will be returning to Coomera Springs State School the week commencing 4 June 2018, please refer to the attached Oral Health Service Provision Schedule for further details.

If you require an appointment before 4th June, please phone the Oral Health Client Service Centre #1300 300 850 to make a time to receive a free dental check-up & any follow up treatment required.

To arrange an appointment for your child telephone:

The Oral Health Client Service Centre

Number: 1300 300 850 Monday – Friday 8.00 am – 4.30 pm (Excluding Public Holidays)

Child Dental Benefit Schedule Vouchers are accepted. When your child’s $1000 cap is reached, there will be no out-of-pocket expenses provided your child meets *eligibility criteria.

* Eligibility – All Queensland resident children aged four years or older who have not completed year 10 of secondary school and are eligible to receive Medicare benefits.

Further information on public funded oral health services can be accessed via URL:

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