​Junior School News T3 W6 2021

KEEPING OUR KID’S ACTIVE!

As we approach the middle of Term 3, our kids begin to get tired, parents get busy, and things can get a bit challenging or monotonous. It is the time of term that some of us need to dig deep, find our grit or courage or mix things up. Our teachers are incredibly good at doing this in their weekly program, encouraging our kids to try new things at break time or deliver learning in a different way. Another way to help is to encourage our kids to get active and get involved in a before or after school activity, go for a bike ride, walk to school or even go on a weekend family adventure. Physical activity is not only good for our fitness levels, it helps our mental health and has a positive impact on learning. Did you know that the brain is like a muscle? Exercise strengthens both the prefrontal cortex (which is involved in executive functioning) and the hippocampus (which plays a key role in memory and learning). In this way, exercise supports our ability to think creatively, make decisions, focus and retrieve key information. So next time the kids say they are bored or are begging for an extra 10 mins online, encourage them to switch off and do some exercise. There are a variety of before and after school opportunities for kids to be involved in so let’s help our kids stay active and healthy and exercise not just their bodies but also their brain.

GETTING TO SCHOOL ON TIME – We know that family life can be busy in the mornings with lunches, uniforms and so much more. Whilst at times we all have a late moment, we would appreciate your assistance to ensure your child is arriving at school by 8:30am each morning so that they have time to place their bag down before the start of day bell at 8:35am. We have many students arriving late at the moment and they are missing important start of day information that sets up their day of learning. Students are able to be dropped off any time after 8:00am to play and catch up with friends before the day starts. Thank you for your help with this so that we can all support our students to have the most successful start to each day that they possibly can.

LEAVING SCHOOL EARLY – If your child needs to leave school early please advise us before 2:30pm on the day of departure. Our school administration office is a busy place and it is not always possible for us to get a student from class in the afternoons. If you phone reception after 2:30pm to collect your child early we will ask you to wait until the school day finishes to collect your child. Of course, if it’s an emergency situation we will assist you, however, if it is just that you arrived 10 or 15 minutes early and you did not want to wait around, we will ask you to wait. The end of the school day is an important time of classroom connection where students debrief about their day and hear information to set them up for success the following day. Thank you for your support with this.

REGULAR APPOINTMENTS OR HOLIDAY ABSENCE – Sometimes our students are working with external professionals and need to leave school on a regular basis for appointments. If this is required, please apply for approval by emailing juniorschool@flcr.qld.edu.au advising of the date and time the appointment is occurring and who the appointment is with. Once the absence has been approved by Head of Junior School, we will then make a note of this in our system so that it is an acceptable absence on your child’s attendance record. Similarly, if you are going to undertake a vacation for family reasons during the school term, please follow the process above to seek approval. Taking these steps allows us to partner with you and ensure any learning that is missed during these absences is followed up by the class teacher.

PINK VESTS – Have you seen our staff wearing pink hi-vis vests around our school? This is a new procedure that we have successfully implemented this term. The reason for this is to support our students in finding a staff member in the playground that they can seek assistance or support from if needed during break times. Encouraging our kids to seek help during break times is an important step in keeping them safe, we hope that this makes it an easier process for students. The feedback from students has been encouraging and they are saying it is easier to find a staff member to seek help or to go up and say hello to.

WEARING MASKS – I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to our community who continue to support our CoVid protocols at this time. Keeping the community safe is our priority and this means each time you come into our administration, or anywhere on campus, you need to:

• Wear your mask
• Check in using the Qld Check in App and the Faith QR code
• Practice social distancing

Your support of these measures means we can continue to have community involvement during this challenging time.

UNIFORM – Thank you for encouraging your child to wear their school uniform with pride each day. This is an important part of being a Faith student and we can only achieve this when we work together with families. A few reminders about our uniform policy that we are asking for you to assist us with upholding each day your child comes to school:

• Hats – formal hats are to be worn to and from school on formal uniform days (students may change into their sport hat or bucket hat when active in the playground, however, must wear their formal hat when leaving the school in their formal uniform). Bucket hats and sport caps are to be worn with the sport uniform on the days sports uniforms are worn in any year level from Prep – Year 6.
• Boys Formal Shirt – Junior School boys are no longer required to tuck their formal shirt into their shorts. Our formal shirts are hemmed along the bottom and look very neat and when not tucked in and we believe this will assist our students to be active and feel comfortable. We have adjusted our uniform policy to reflect this.
• Hair – Hair should be always neat and tidy and not interfere with wearing their college hat each day. We have an increasing number of students with high buns or hairstyles that make wearing a hat impossible. We also have an increasing number of boys with haircuts that are not meeting our guidelines. These include long fringes across their eyes and mullets – sharp contrasts between length such as very short sides and longer parts that are not in line with our policy. Any hair that is long enough to touch the collar (male or female) needs to be tied up. Please review your child’s current hairstyle and get a haircut or change your child’s daily hair style if it is needed.

Teachers have been asked to check students are meeting our college uniform requirements over the next week and will follow up with you if there are changes or support needed from home in a certain area. Our uniform policy is available on our school website should you wish to review it (https://www.faithlutheran.qld.edu.au/assets/documents/2021/Policies/FLCR-Uniform-Policy-and-Procedures-Aug-2021.pdf)

EXTRA CURRICULAR PHOTOS – These are happening on Tuesday 31 August – please check your email for details and ensure your child wears their formal uniform to school on this day if they are involved in any of the photos.

FALCON FACTOR – Has your child put their entry in yet? If not, encourage them to share their talents and submit an entry. For further details or if you are having trouble knowing how to enter, please contact your class teacher or email nhutchinson@flcr.qld.edu.au. Have you got The Falcon Factor??

CHAPEL AND ASSEMBLY – These will resume as per normal next week and we are pleased to welcome parents back to join us. If you are coming along, please ensure you check in using both QR codes on the door and find a seat up the back on one of our blue chairs. Please also ensure you wear a mask to help us keep the community safe.