Kororoit Creek Primary School has a zero tolerance for any form of child abuse

21 June 2019 General Well, we are nearing the end of our first semester of 2019, and what a busy two-terms it has been! We have seen many events and experiences achieved such as; our Celebrations of Learning, Parent Showcase in swimming, NAPLAN, Year 6 Canberra Study Tour, Mother’s Day Stall, School Photos, and our PYP Evaluation. These events happen with success due to the hard work of our staff and parents. Thank you for your commitment to the Kororoit Creek Primary School community. I hope to see many of you at our last assembly for Term 3, next week. We are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to congratulate our new Class Captains. I hope all of our families have an enjoyable holiday break. Please remember that dismissal time on Friday will be 1.30pm. University of Queensland - Experiences of Parenting Survey The University of Queensland has made contact with us in regard to a survey they are encouraging parents to participate in. This study aims to explore parent’s perceptions about their child, the way they parent, and their perceptions regarding different programs for parents. This information is anonymous and is not shared

individually with schools. The study is aimed at parents with a child between 2 and 12 years old. If you would like to participate or would like more information, please see the link below: https://exp.psy.uq.edu.au/parenting/ Winter Uniform As the weather is now clearly wintry, I am asking parents to be mindful of the uniform that their child/ren are wearing to school. This needs to be items from our winter uniform, not our summer uniform. It is important that our children are warm and comfortable during this season, however there are standards that we would like to maintain. The winter uniform available to our families includes many items such as Polar Fleece Vests, Wool Blend Jumpers and Box Pleat Skirts. I am pleased to share upcoming information pertaining to a new site to support our families in selling and obtaining uniform items through an online platform. Details to follow shortly! School Fees This is a reminder that the last instalment for school fees are due next Friday. This final instalment means that our payment process has finished, and all fees must be paid by this date. Early Arrivals I have noticed an increase in the number of parents dropping their children at our school grounds at a very early time each morning. Children are not supervised in the yard until 8.45am and I cannot ensure the safety of our students when they are in the yard for up to 45 minutes before classrooms are opened. Please ensure you are dropping your children into the grounds at a reasonable time. Please have a safe and energising holiday break! Blayne Wallis Acting Principal

IB LEARNER

PROFILE

ATTRIBUTES

INQUIRERS KNOWLEDGEABLE

THINKERS COMMUNICATORS

PRINCIPLED OPEN-MINDED

CARING RISK-TAKERS BALANCED REFLECTIVE

Kororoit Creek Primary School has a zero tolerance for any form of child abuse

Specialist update All the specialist news

FRENCH The Grade 5 and 6 students have been learning about personal profiles in French. This

unit, they’ve been experimenting with different vocabulary that they have chosen to include in their personal

profile, our final assessment for the term. The students have chosen to write about the languages they

speak, where their family are from, how old they are, what they want to be when they grow up and their

favourite films, games, TV shows and musique genre. We can’t wait to see the final products in week ten.

Also, we’d like to congratulate Ella O’Keefe on her newly appointed position as French captain. We would like

to thank all the girls who put their names forward for the position, it was a tough decision.

ART The Grade Six students have been inquiring into mixed media art in

order to create their own abstract mask artwork. Students explored the process of

layering, painting and collage in order to create an artwork that displayed their ideas

and incorporated texture. They explored masks and artworks form a range of

cultures and arts styles including Picasso, Cubism and Africa. Next Grade Six

students will be exploring drawing using a range of media and techniques. PE The Grade 5 and 6 students have inquired into the unit of Health and Fitness. Students

explored how their cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal systems are connected when

exercising. The Grade 5 and 6’s have completed their portfolio pieces and have been presenting their

fitness planners to their class. With great enthusiasm students have been demonstrating different

exercises and supporting their peers during their exercise circuit.

MUSIC The Grade four students have begun a new unit with the central idea of, ‘To create

musical pieces people need to be creative and innovative’. The students have already explored what Foley

sounds and film scores are within movies and how these have an intended message. Students have

explored creating Foley sounds with different instruments, voices and body percussion to a silent film.

Students have been implementing their chord knowledge to practise repertoire to build up a bank of songs

they can play on the guitar.

Kororoit Creek Primary School has a zero tolerance for any form of child abuse

Green Team News

National Tree Day (Friday the 26th of July) Classes will each plant a tree in our school for national tree day. Each class will also make a sustainability pledge. Can you think of things we could do as a school to be more sustainable? If you can, write them down and bring them to Hannah in H15!

Check out the fanatastic Green Team efforts shown at home by Sumishka in H15!

Sumishka’s green journey started last year in Prep when she got the opportunity to become the Green Team captain, where she got motivated and started off with 1 small plant. Today, 1 year since.., her passion is growing strong and now her veggie patch comprises of 9 beautiful gems: Beans, Basil, Mint, Onion, Garlic, Mustard leaves, Chillies, Big Pepper and Eggplant.

Just a reminder that Nude Food Day will continue to be held EVERY Wednesday @ KCPS. The Green Team Captains will be collecting data on the number of student participants in their class each week. Classes with the most participation throughout the term will be announced during the end of term 2 assembly!

Kororoit Creek Primary School has a zero tolerance for any form of child abuse

Learner Profile Attribute Hunt Congratulations to all of our students who, through their everyday actions whilst at school, have demonstrated the PYP Learner Profile Attributes. We appreciate your efforts! Some of our award winners included: Damon (H17), from Goldstein House, who demonstrated the attribute of caring when he noticed someone without a friend to play with and invited them to play with him. Layla (H23), from Batman House, who demonstrated the attribute of caring when she helped her peers in the classroom. Tristan (H42) from Goldstein House, who demonstrated to the attribute of caring when he assisted sick bay by collecting a student from class. Well done to all of our award winners.

Damon (H17)

Layla (H23)

Tristan (H42)

A message from the Canteen As the weather is getting cooler slushies are no longer available at the Canteen, however you can

purchase a hot chocolate for $2.

DATES TO REMEMBER

27 June – Prep Celebration of Learning at 2:30pm

28 June – End of Term 2. Students finish at 1.30pm

15 July – First day of Term 3

24 July – Curriculum Day. Students do not attend school

24 July – Student Led Conferences

26 July – National Tree Day

14 September – 2019 Victorian State Schools Spectacular

20 September – End of Term 3. Students finish at 1.30pm

Please check our website for camp dates, current specialist/ swimming timetables and community notices http://kororoitcreekps.vic.edu.au/parents/#all

Term 3 OptiKIDS Fitness WHERE: Kororoit Creek Primary School Gym

START: Term 3 – Commencing Monday 15th July

WHEN:

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

AM PM

AM PM AM

7:45-8:45am 3:15-4:15pm 7:45-8:45am 3:15-4:15pm 7:45-8:45am

COST: 1ST Child* $12 p/session

2ND Child* $10 p/session

3RD Child* $8 p/session

4TH Child* FREE

*Children must be from the same family to receive discount

Bookings are essential (numbers are limited)

Call or text Amanda to find out more information

Or to book your place

0438 231 275

Equipping children with coping skills for

the years ahead

By Michael Hawton, Child Psychologist (MAPS) and Parentshop founder. The issue of how to develop emotional hardiness in children has become an

area of much interest in recent times. Added to this, none of us wants to be

seen to be just standing by or letting our child go through emotional pain

unnecessarily. It’s quite natural for a caring parent to want to step in to

release the distress that accompanies any child’s feelings of being treated

unfairly. But, this compulsion to act, doesn’t mean that we should always step in.

In their new book on how parents have become

overprotective, The Coddling of the American Mind,

Haidt and Lockianoff (2018) say that the strengthening

of children’s mental well-being may have something to

do with how we facilitate a child’s experiences for

‘life’s’ problem-solving episodes, including how they

can be coached to engage with these problems,

independently.

Luckianoff says, “in many respects our lives are better

as a result of huge advances in safety and technology.

Our lives are more comfortable, which is good. But, that gives us problems of progress. We recoil

violently from discomfort.”

Some long-term studies have been reflecting downturns in children’s capacity to manage problems,

independently. Compared to the 1960s, the levels in our ability to resolve issues for ourselves, called

our internal ‘locus of control’ has been steadily decreasing. A strong internal locus of control

correlates with a belief we can control our own destiny. Without a healthy sense of internal locus of

control, children can feel powerless and overwhelmed. According to Stixrud and Johnson, the recent

increases in childhood anxiety are a symptom of this phenomenon. They note that there has been an

80 percent rise in young people with an external locus of control (the belief that destiny is

determined by external factors).

Are parents afraid of being judged and therefore falling into ‘appearances parenting’?

Here’s what I think. I have been observing parents for over 35 years and what I have noticed is an

increase in parents feeling judged by other parents and an increase in what I term ‘appearances

parenting’, which is a term I use to describe parents doing things for appearances sake. In this model

of parenting, a parent can feel derelict or judged by others if we don’t act. In my opinion, this model

of parenting has become quite fashionable in Australia – parents doing things for appearances sake

– such as not correcting their child in public because they want to appear cool (everything in our

house is wonderful all the time) or because they want to appear responsive to their child’s needs

(such as when a parent caves-in to a child’s whingeing, after the child behaves embarrassingly in the

chocolate aisle).

“In many respects our lives are better as

a result of huge advances in safety and

technology. Our lives are more

comfortable, which is good. But, that

gives us problems of progress. We recoil

violently from discomfort.” Luckianoff

So, what I have seen increasingly is parents wanting to do something for appearances-sake. That

perception of wanting to appear to be doing something (and our vulnerability to the judgement of

others) if we don’t stand-up against an apparent injustice, can be compelling.

But doing something (or anything) may not be the best course of action to take for your child.

Sometimes, by focusing on how we might act as their guide to help them resolve an issue for

themselves, might be the best course of action to take. Routinely giving your child a ‘get-out-of-jail-

card’ and protecting them from all this distress is not being helpful. It’s a sub-optimal solution that

can backfire when they do eventually have to face adversity. That said, there is much parents can do

to resolve problems that arise from time to time, without prematurely stepping in.

In the next few articles in this series, we’ll be looking at just that matter; we’ll explore how you can

help your child be more self-driven in the face of adversity.

Michael Hawton is founder of Parentshop, providing education and resources for parents and

industry professionals working with children. He has authored two books on child behaviour

management: Talk Less Listen More and Engaging Adolescents. You can find more information,

including his books and self-paced online parenting courses at

https://www.parentshop.com.au/parent-courses/