Calwell Primary School eNewsletter

From the Principal

Dear Families,

Calwell Primary School has formed a valuable partnership with Be You to help us promote and develop a mentally healthy community. Be You is an organisation which provides educators with knowledge, tools, and resources to create positive, inclusive and responsive learning communities where every child, young person, educator and family is empowered to achieve their best possible mental health.

This week our staff are participating in wellbeing week. This is a regular time in each term where we try and limit the amount of extra meetings we have and use the time for self-care, mindfulness or to participate in something that helps us be calm. During this time, we will be sharing some strategies and ideas from Be You with our community. Below is some information from Be You about how we can practice mindfulness and encourage our kids to as well.

Mindfulness

Being mindful means awareness of your own moment-to-moment internal and external experiences, with gentleness and acceptance and without judgment. It’s a state of being that encourages us to slow down, focus on the present, accept things as they are, and act with discernment. When we do this, we’re less distracted by thoughts of the future and the past, which can often make us worry and stop us from enjoying the present moment.

What does it mean to be mindful?

To better understand what it means to be mindful, it helps to understand what it means to be ‘unmindful’. When we’re inattentive, distracted and disengaged from the present moment, the mind habitually and unconsciously slips into what’s called ‘default mode’– we’re physically doing one thing but the mind is somewhere else. For example, someone might be speaking to us, but we’re not listening, or we might be reading a book but not taking in the words on the page.

Much default mental activity involves things such as worry or rumination about the past and future, which is one of the main reasons there’s so much default mental activity in states like anxiety and depression.

Mindfulness is very simple.

It’s a practical way to notice thoughts, physical sensations, sights, sounds, smells, or anything that you might not normally notice. The moment we re-engage attention with the present moment, we switch off default mode. It gets us back on task, helps the body to relax, and helps us to respond to the moment. Despite this simplicity, mindfulness doesn’t come easily to us.

You’ve probably noticed that children and young people are much better at being mindful – it’s natural to them. While we might be hurrying them to get to school on time, they’ll stop to look at butterflies, flowers or bugs and be immersed in that moment, with no worries about the past or future. As adults, however, we’re often thinking about what we need to do next or what we wish we’d done differently.

There are two main ways to practice mindfulness.

The first is ‘formal’ practice, otherwise known as mindfulness meditation. This means sitting in a chair doing nothing other than paying attention in a mindful way, whether that’s for 40 minutes or doing a mini meditation for one minute. The second way to practise mindfulness is ‘informal’ practice. This means being mindful in our day-to-day life while we’re doing things, for example, paying attention when in class, while driving or washing the dishes.

Mindful meditation can be practised in a variety of ways such as moving attention through various parts of the body (body scan) or concentrating on the breathing. In either case, you’re using the sense of touch while observing (but not reacting to) any thoughts or feelings that come up. Simply practise noticing experiences, thoughts and emotions with a sense of curiosity rather than judgment and, if the attention wanders to the past or the future, keep gently bringing the attention back to the body or breathing.

Here’s how to give breath meditation a try:

Let yourself be free of any expectations about how the meditation should go
Adopt a relaxed but upright sitting posture with the eyes closed
When settled, using the sense of touch, focus the awareness on the breath
Observe and acknowledge what’s being experienced in that moment, without trying to change thoughts or feelings or to solve any problems that arise
Focus as you breathe at the point where the air enters and leaves the body
If strong thoughts or feelings arise, practise making space for them without resisting or fighting them, all the while gently refocusing the attention back on the breath
After the time you gave to practise, gently open your eyes, reconnect with the environment, and then gently move onto whatever needs your attention.

You may want to start with five or ten minutes of meditation once or twice a day and then build it up as you become more comfortable with the practice.

Hats

Please ensure that your child/children have a suitable broad brimmed hat to wear at school. A lot of children are forgetting to pack them lately and we need to promote a Sunsmart environment.

Lanyon Christmas Pantry Appeal

In the lead up to Christmas we are supporting the Lanyon Pantry Appeal with donations of toys, games and non-perishable food to help communities in need. Please drop off any donations to the front office. Thanks very much.

End of Year Celebration

A reminder to all families that our end of year celebration will be held on Thursday 30^th November from 4.00 to 6.00pm. Please return your BBQ order form as soon a possible. Thanks. We are looking forward to seeing all our families there.

Kind Regards

Ben Roberts
Principal

CARES Awards

Gold Awards

2024 student-free days

Get planning for 2024 with upcoming student-free days

From 2024, there will be 4 student-free days for ACT public schools. These are the first day of each school term:

Term 1, Monday 29 January 2024
Term 2, Monday 29 April 2024
Term 3, Monday 22 July 2024
Term 4, Monday 14 October 2024.

We use student-free days for staff development, enabling us to plan in a student-free environment. Student-free planning days have been expanded from 1 to 4 days from 2024 as part of our new Teaching Staff Enterprise Agreement which prioritises better teacher workloads for educational leadership, teaching and learning.

For all school term dates, visit the Term Dates page: https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/term_dates_and_public_holidays

Notes Home/Due & Dates to Remember

A reminder for parent's to please download the SZapp to view our Newsletters and upcoming events. If you access the calendar and click on the date on an excursion/incursion permission notes are attached to re-print if needed.

- Kenny Koala visitng Cockatoos Thursday 16th November

- Art and PE assembly Friday 17th November at 9:15am

- Christian Education in Schools Tuesday 21st November

- Transition to kinder visits Tuesday 21st November

- Transtion to kinder visits Thursday 23rd November

- Volunteers Afternoon Tea Monday 27th November at 2:30pm

Help needed...

Can you help with some clothes washing? We have a number of school jumpers to be washed for our second hand uniform shop. The weather is forecast to be sunny over the coming weekend if you have time to do a load or 2 for us. Please contact the front office if you are able to help.

Lanyon Christmas Pantry Appeal

Boundaries Without Conflict Workshop

Boundaries_Without_Conflict_Workshop_T4_2023.pdf

Scrivener

This fortnight the students have been working hard in science. We have been looking at properties of different objects around our school and in the classroom to see if they are hard, soft, rigid, flexible, heavy and light. There was also a lot of excitement around doughnut day with all the kindergarten children coming together to enjoy their doughnut.

This week in 1/2 we finished our Design and Technology unit, focusing on the push and pull of objects and the effects it had on different shapes and materials. The 1/2's spent 5 weeks designing, building and testing their ideas and finally putting it all to work. Their mission was to rescue the 'man' across the river and make it back safely with their boat intact and their person safe. Some students opted to use cardboard and tape to make a conventional boat while others utilised plastic bottles and heavy materials to make submarines! While some boats managed to complete the mission and others were so agonisingly close, everyone thoroughly enjoyed seeing their boat ideas become a reality!

Googong

We have been busy learning about the Africa and South America this term. Students have used a legend to map the different biomes and landmarks significant to each continent. They have been using research skills to form their own Inquiry questions and have enthusiastically shared their discoveries. It has been a delight to see how engaged students have been during this unit of work.

Bendora

Students in 5/6 have been learning about ways to show gratitude in circle time. This week they made a gratitude jar and shared things that they were grateful for and appreciation for important people in their lives. Our gratitude jars will remain in our classrooms for the remaining of the term for students to continue expressing gratitude and sharing all the wonderful things in their lives they are grateful for.

Art

During music this term with 3/4 classes, students have been exploring Australian music over time and how it has changed in sound and style depending on what was influencing people of particular times and places. Students have been listening to a range of songs and using skills learnt last semester in visual arts to represent and appreciate the diverse music heard. Team work and collaborative learning skills have been a huge focus for students through the creative arts. Building creative ideas by strengthening communication has made music sessions run smoothly and calmly.

PE

This term in PE students in K-2 have been practising their fundamental movement skills of running, and kicking during the soccer unit, as well as their throwing, catching and striking skills during cricket clinics run by Cricket ACT. Some K-2 students had the opportunity to participate in a tag rugby gala day where they played fun games against other schools from Tuggeranong region.

Our senior students in years 3-6 have been learning and practising soccer skills such as dribbling, passing, and shooting and playing games with scoring. Some 5/6 students have been able to participate in a soccer gala day where they got the opportunity to play against students from other Tuggeranong schools. Senior students have also been doing cricket clinics and have been practising their throwing and striking skills. This term again, it’s great to see our students being exposed to different sports, giving it a go and enjoying sport in general.