2 April 2019

With much enthusiasm I can strongly promote the presentation this week of “High School Musical – On Stage”. Make sure you do not miss out on this tremendous production! Come yourself, bring your family – it’s such a joyously encouraging experience for all ages! Book now!

While Easter will actually occur during the upcoming break, there will be opportunities during the next few weeks for our School community to think about the Bible’s message. If asked what is the most important event of the Christian faith, I would definitely point to the death and resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It’s why He came. It’s why we may receive absolute forgiveness and eternal life. However, it’s a challenge to our thoughts, to our pride and to our independence; because Jesus requires surrender to Him – the (only) way, the truth and the life. There’s an amazing narrative recorded in Acts Chapter 3 about a crippled beggar being healed. Afterwards, the disciple Peter explains to the crowd:

“By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong and given complete healing.” (Acts 3:16)

May you contemplate afresh the true meaning of Easter and experience God's abundant blessings. Best wishes also to every family for a safe and enjoyable holiday break. 

At the end of this term we farewell several Secondary teachers: Mr Alex Wright, whose family are relocating to purchase a home in Bathurst due to the high property costs in Sydney; Miss Emma Johnston, who has recently struggled with her long commute and the traffic, found a position much closer to home. We are most grateful for their contributions and pray for their changing circumstances. We also are praying for Mrs Rhiannon Mulligan who will be on Maternity Leave from Term 2 and for Mrs Jerusha Thompson whose Maternity Leave will commence part way through Term 2. New staff and revised allocations of classes, including a different timetable for the start of Term 2, will be introduced later.

Parents should always be aware of their child/ren's use of technology, social media etc. Mrs Taylor has highlighted in this RJ Review one example of how unsuitable usage can create significant behavioural problems. There's also a very helpful section in this RJ Review titled "Tips for Parents - Electronic Media Use". It is important that parents both monitor and guide usage at all times. 

Mr Paul Cockrem
Principal

Primary 

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY - OAKHURST CAMPUS

We appreciate that certificates handed in are kept well-ordered and we endeavour to return them that way. When submitting for Principal’s Awards, remember that only the relevant points are required in a plastic sleeve and not in a folder, please do not send any other certificates. 

With the new day being Thursday for Oakhurst Primary Assembly dates in 2019, please ensure that certificates are handed in by Monday morning to any Reception. If this deadline is met, the Principal’s Award will be presented at the next available Assembly.

MARSDEN PARK CAMPUS

Please ensure that certificates are handed in by Friday to the teacher. If this deadline is met, the Principal’s Award will be presented at the next available Assembly.

Evening performances are on Wednesday 3 April, Thursday 4 April, Friday 5 April at 7:30pm. Please plan to arrive 15 minutes early, noting that no food and drink can be consumed in the Hall and a limited Canteen will be available for the intermission.

Don’t miss out…! It’s like nothing you have seen before!!! You and your family will have a fantastic night and we look forward to seeing you there.

YEARS 3-12 CROSS COUNTRY - Thursday 11 April 2019

We are all looking forward next Thursday to our next major School Carnival of the year, the Cross Country for Years 3-12. Our PreK to Year 2 were involved in their Cross Country day in Week 8 and now the rest of the School has opportunity to ‘run the race’.

The venue for this event has changed from last year. We will be going to Hannah Reserve for our Cross Country to make use of the wide-open spaces which gives us a great view of the runners on the course. As per usual, our Primary runners will complete the course in the morning and our Secondary students will complete the course in the afternoon. This year our Christian Ministry Team will be selling Sausage Sizzle BBQ and cold drinks on the day at lunch time for the Secondary section who are there later in the day. Proceeds from this stall will assist in the RUN FOR BIBLES campaign.

Each student is encouraged to run at least their first circuit and earn participation points for the day. Those who are fitter can complete more laps along with those wanting to get a place for more points and a chance to represent the School at the State Cross Country.

Please remember to SLIP, SLOP and SLAP with some sunscreen and a hat for the day to protect against the sun’s rays.

Mr Alan Dawson
Deputy Principal

CROSS COUNTRY EVENTS

K-2 Cross Country events were held in Week 8. Students tired very quickly as they ran laps and gained House points. Well done to all our little runners. The Years 3-12 Cross Country will be held next Thursday 11 April at Hanna Reserve. Please refer to the note for full details.

EXCURSIONS AND INCURSIONS

Today students in Year 3 at the Oakhurst Campus travelled to the Botanical Gardens for an excursion. Next Friday, students in Year 1 and Year 2 from the Marsden Park Campus will enjoy an excursion to Rouse Hill Farm House and Farm.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

Primary students are looking forward to demonstrating their skipping skills at “Jump Off Day” (Wednesday 3 April at 2:00pm – Oakhurst, Thursday 4 April at 2:20pm – Marsden Park). Please see the note for details. Parents are welcome to attend – you might like to wear your joggers; you never know, we might drag you in for a jump!

NAPLAN ONLINE – YEARS 3 AND 5

Students participated in a NAPLAN Omnibus (mixed questions across Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy) Practice Test last week to familiarise with the online NAPLAN platform. Students managed this platform without difficulty and are ready to complete NAPLAN testing in May. No data is collected by NAPLAN or communicated to schools or parents for the Practice test. Parents received a NAPLAN Information note recently. Primary NAPLAN testing dates and tests (revised test paper order as set by NAPLAN) are:

Tuesday 14 May – Writing (paper test for Year 3, online for Year 5)

Wednesday 15 May – Reading

Friday 17 May – Language Conventions (includes Spelling and Grammar)

Tuesday 21 May – Numeracy

Please note that students cannot complete a test prior to the School assigned day. Catch-up testing for any student absent on the day of testing can only be completed after these assigned dates.

PARENTAL MONITORING OF STUDENT ONLINE ACTIVITY – BE WARY

Some of our students in Year 3 were playing a game at lunchtime where they were replicating a game they are playing online outside of School. On ‘googling’ this game I was discouraged to find that this game is a horror game, with scary-looking characters and a rating of 15+. A large number of the students have this game, and I imagine other unsuitable games, on their iPads and are regularly playing these at home. This is a timely reminder to parents to be vigilant in knowing what your children are watching and playing. The Primary years are the formative years where your child’s brain is developing and receiving a huge number of messages that form their views of the world. We live in an increasingly technological world. Please be watchful parents. Check your child’s devices, delete such apps and games, limit their ability to download and install without your approval, watch what they access on YouTube and play on PlayStation etc.

PUBLIC SPEAKING FINALS

The Primary Public Speaking Finals for students from both Campuses will be held next Wednesday 10 April from 6:30pm in the Hall at the Oakhurst Campus. Students involved in the Public Speaking Finals have received a note from Miss Parata. Some students from our Stage 3 debating teams will also present on the night. We look forward to hearing the wonderful speeches prepared by our students.

SECONDARY PRODUCTION OF HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

We wish Secondary all the best for their production of High School Musical this week. I can’t wait to see it. If you have not yet booked tickets, please ensure you do and enjoy a great family night out.

TERM 1 PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Thank you to parents who attended Parent/Teacher Interviews last week. I trust this time was helpful. Interviews for all parents will be held at the end of Term 2 after the Semester Report has been issued.

UNIFORM

Students wear their Summer Uniform through to the end of the term. The Summer and Winter Uniform cannot be combined so please ensure you do not add tights for girls or long sleeve shirts for boys. On return in Term 2, students may wear their Summer or Winter Uniform for the first 2 weeks then Winter Uniform from Week 3. Again, there is no mixing of Uniform items during this period, students must be fully in either Summer or Winter Uniform. Students continue to wear their hat all year round. Pre-Kindergarten children wear the long sleeve polo shirt with the School tracksuit from Week 3 of Term 2. They may wear Summer or Winter Uniform in the first 2 weeks. For added warmth, parents may purchase the School jumper. No other items of clothing are to be worn.

Mrs Narelle Taylor
Assistant Principal/Head of Primary

This amount includes our merchandise orders as well as the donations from both Marsden Park ($402.25) and Oakhurst ($1281.85). Thank you to all who contributed to our Bandaged Bear Days as we raised funds to help children in need of care.

Mrs Claire McCormick
Primary Co-ordinator

Kiyomi Sensei (Teacher Kiyomi) taught the students the skills of Taiko drumming and over the course of the hour, the students became more familiar with the techniques. By the end of their workshops, the students sounded very impressive!

Mrs Libby Wilkes
Primary Japanese Teacher

“The standard is set at level 3 of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF), which means students will have the basic reading, writing and maths skills needed for everyday tasks and future learning after school. It includes skills for tasks such as:

• Following safety instructions in equipment manuals
• Understanding a mobile phone plan
• Writing a job application
• Creating a personal weekly budget.

Together with the NSW Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, the HSC minimum standard is part of an effort to improve the literacy and numeracy outcomes for students.”

You can find out more at http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/hsc-minimum-standard

Opportunity for completing the testing is given twice per year. In Year 11, 91% of students have completed all tests to the minimum standard. I expect by the end of Year 11 that all students will have achieved the required standard.

NAPLAN will again be delivered online, and students need to be aware that they are required to have headphones or earphones for this testing. What works with a smartphone may not work with a laptop, so check this out at home beforehand, that your headphones work with your laptop.

Parents and students can familiarise themselves with the student test experience by visiting the public demonstration site www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

The following schedule will be followed:

NAPLAN tests provide “a summative, nationally comparable understanding of student performance” on a given day. The handbook we receive outlines the following aspects:

Writing: assesses a student’s ability to convey thoughts, ideas and information through an independent construction of a text in standard Australian English.

Reading: assesses the ability of students to independently make meaning from written standard Australian English texts, including those with some visual elements.

Conventions of Language: assesses a student’s ability to independently recognise and use correct standard Australian English grammar, punctuation and spelling in written contexts.

Numeracy: assesses students’ knowledge of mathematics, their ability to independently apply that knowledge in context, and their ability to independently reason mathematically.

Consequently, the assistance that is given in class may not be permitted for the NAPLAN testing, given that the focus is on working independently. Students who require rest breaks or extra time have had that provision entered for them, and parents have received notification of this.

The opportunity for study@thehub every afternoon has been enthusiastically embraced by many students who come directly after the 3:20pm bell, sign in and make the most of the time (and the teachers) available for working on assessments and completing homework. However, please be mindful that it is not a drop-in centre where students can come after leaving the grounds to purchase fast-food and then return. Once a student leaves the grounds it is expected they are going home. If students want a snack before going to study@thehub, they should bring it with them and eat it at School. We have also had the occasional issue with younger siblings attending, but study@the hub is not designed for them.Please make sure that younger siblings have a safe way of getting home without their older brother or sister, if the older sibling is going to be staying at the Hub.

Our School Musical preparations are fast gathering pace before the final countdown and the first show. The excitement is building and anticipation is growing rapidly. It has been an amazing task bringing a new dimension to the production of our School Musical, and I am in awe of the work done by students, staff and other volunteers (especially parents and former students). Please be supportive of their efforts and make sure you have purchased your tickets!

I know many are looking forward to the holidays and the Easter break especially. In the busyness of life, might I encourage you to reflect on the significance of this time and its meaning for our lives. Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again. Amen

Mrs Jenny Clay
Assistant Principal/Head of Secondary

Daniel was one of more than 80 recipients of the Gold Award at this presentation and was amongst a number of school students who had achieved the Award for the first time for their school. We are extremely proud of Daniel and his effort over a long period of time in achieving this internationally recognised Award. Having achieved his Bronze and then Silver, Daniel is the first in our School to have achieved all three levels of the Award. This is an achievement that is recognised for life and is still proudly talked about by its recipients’ years down the track.

Well done Daniel!

Mr Christopher Bemrose
Secondary Teacher

It was encouraging to see the students learning these new skills while taking an interest in the park and serving our local community. They are to be congratulated on their efforts and encouraged to continue to look for ways to learn as they serve others. The School is very thankful to Ms Gauci for her interest and guidance of the students during the afternoon.

Mr Stewart Rowe
Director of Service Learning

The 14 March is a universally recognised day for PI Day (3.14 – American dating). It is a day where we celebrate the importance of Mathematics and encourage students to further develop their reasoning skills while having fun. We had various activities for Year 7 and Year 8 and the students were involved with great enthusiasm.

We challenged the students to work without calculators but to use their most powerful calculator – their brain! They had to work in teams to work out combinations of numbers in threes and fours. We challenged them to estimate circumference and the area of circles with just pencils and a piece of paper.

The Year 7 students worked in teams to construct a cylindrical tower using basic stationery materials. It needed to be the tallest or the best or the most aesthetically pleasing and it was interesting to see the variety of designs. Year 8 needed to build a tall tower that would support a sphere they worked with. Some Year 8 teams were impressive, working together to recite the digits of PI to 60 decimal places.

Not all of the day’s activities were without technology. The Year 8 students were involved in a Maths Treasure Hunt, where mathematics problems were mounted around the School, each with a QR code directing students to the coordinates of the next question. This proved to be lots of fun and the feedback from students was that they greatly enjoyed the day.

Secondary students will receive a sponsorship form in Home Groups this week. If you and relatives, friends, or close neighbours were able to sponsor your child $7 when they compete in the Cross Country, that would be wonderful. However, any sponsorship would be helpful in providing Bibles to South African students. We will be asking students to bring in loose change – 5c, 10c and 20c coins and these will be collected in Home Groups.

Also, there will be a BBQ at the Cross Country where sausage sandwiches, water bottles and ice blocks will be on sale, with proceeds going to Run4Bibles.

If you could help, please return the money with the Sponsorship form by Tuesday 7 April. Thank you for supporting your child in this very worthy cause. Primary students are also welcome to participate. Please download the sponsorship form from the website below or send me an email and I will send one down to your child.

A copy of the sponsorship form is available to download from the Bible League website, https://bl.org.au/events/run4bibles-2/ in case the original has been misplaced. Alternatively, extra sponsorship forms can be obtained from Student Reception.

If you have any questions, please contact me by email srowe@rjas.nsw.edu.au

Mr Stewart Rowe
Christian Ministry Co-ordinator

They also had the opportunity to care for a rabbit that has been bringing much joy to the residents. It is wonderful to see our students serving the needs of those in our community.

Mrs Annette Sicard
Secondary Teacher

Students saw this play as part of their HSC studies. The new common module for the HSC syllabus is entitled ‘Texts and Human Experiences’ where students explore what makes us human and how our experiences shape us in unique and collective ways. Seeing the play as a live theatre production enhanced student understanding of its issues and complexities and demonstrated how the human experience is made up of many anomalies and paradoxes. It has been my pleasure beginning the new HSC syllabus with this cohort and I wish them all the very best for the remainder of their HSC studies.

Mrs Rhiannon Mulligan
Year 12 Standard English Teacher

President: Mrs Catherine Lucas

Vice President (and Fete Co-ordinator): Ms Jaclyn Golding

Treasurer: Mrs Angela Brady

Secretary and Parent Representative (Marsden Park Campus): Mrs Joanne Hutchinson

Fundraising Co-ordinator: Mrs Gillian Skinner

Parent Representative (Oakhurst Campus) and Facebook Co-ordinator: Mrs Maritsa Pretorius

I would like to thank those parents who have already volunteered their time this term, serving morning tea on Grandparents’ Day, and facilitating School Banking and Scholastic Book Club at both Campuses.

On Saturday 21 September, the biennial Fete and Open Day will be held at the Oakhurst Campus. Planning is already underway and the P&F would appreciate any assistance you are able to offer, either assisting with planning or on the day. Please email pandf@rjas.nsw.edu.au, 

Mrs Catherine Lucas
P&F President 

At RJ our aim within careers is to provide our students and parents with the latest information that will help young independent students to make decisions about their future and their life beyond school. Whether it be a teacher, lawyer, engineer, doctor, designer and many more, the careers office can help young minds discover their passions and the correct pathways. To help with this journey, we allow students the opportunity to find a range of university degrees, TAFE courses and other experiences across Australia that ultimately expand their future horizons.

Some important dates to note in your diaries include:

• 1 March 2019 - UCAT Registrations for medicine open
• 3 April 2019 - UAC PINs received via email to all Year 12 students.   UAC early admissions open.
• 6 May 2019 - LAT Registrations for UNSW Law open

Students who are interested in finding out more details about career opportunities, please visit Miss Simos in the careers office on Monday, Tuesday and Fridays at lunch or make an appointment at an appropriate time. Parents and students can also find important information such as university admission dates, open days, scholarships and other career opportunities on our new and improved RJ Careers website: https://www.rjascareers.com/

Miss Voula Simos
Careers Advisor/HSIE Teacher

CSSANSW APP

Parents should download the CSSANSW App for up to date information regarding various representative sports. Upcoming sports trials for CSSA and CIS individual and team events can be found on the app. If your child plays sports at a representative level, please notify Mr Mitchell that you would like your child to trial for a nominated sport.

CIS SITE

If your child is trialing for CIS, after the teacher nomination is submitted, an email will be sent to parents requiring them to complete the rest of the application. If this is not complete, this will jeopardise the chances of your child being able to trial in their chosen sport.

SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY

Hopefully boys and girls in Years 3-6 are busy training for the School Cross Country which will be held at Hanna Reserve on Thursday 11 April. Just a reminder that the 8/9 and 10 (boys and girls) age groups run 2 km. The 11 and 12 (boys and girls) age group run 3 km.

Mr Gavin Mitchell
Primary Sports Coordinator

STUDENTS REPRESENTING RJ

This week we have a number of students who will represent RJ and the CSSA Nepean Zone at the CSSA Secondary State Touch Football tournament in Port Macquarie on Friday. It is an excellent effort and opportunity to show their talents on the sporting field. The following students: Gibrael Rahim, Ethan Kerek, Emma Tualau, Briant Tualau and Corey Nicholson, have the chance to be selected for the CSSA State team that will compete in the CIS Touch Football Championship later on this year. Good luck to all involved.

Last Monday we had 20 students compete at the CSSA Secondary State Swimming Carnival at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. All students represented the School and Zone to the best of their ability. Thank you to Miss Watson, Rylie and Tiana who also helped with timekeeping throughout the day.

TERM 2 SPORT

Next term we are looking forward to the Nepean Zone Soccer and Netball competitions on Tuesdays. At the moment there seems to be lots of interest in all Netball age groups, 14’s Boys Soccer, Opens Boys and Girls Soccer. We are still looking for students to nominate in all age divisions, especially the 15’s Boys Soccer. Without the support and interest of students we cannot offer teams in our competitions.

Term 2 School Sport nominations will be emailed to students before the end of term. Students are encouraged to consider the choices that they make as their preferences will indicate the sports they are most willing to do.

Mr David Hyde
Secondary Sports Coordinator

What is your favourite food?

Ice-cream.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love playing sport, including water polo and skiing, and I also enjoy singing.

When and why did you come to work at this School?

I started in January 2019 after graduating from a Bachelor of Education (Hons) at Sydney University and a Diploma of Theology at Ridgley College.

What have you enjoyed about your role in the School?

I am so excited to have my very first class and to share with my students a love of learning and Jesus!

Describe a wonderful experience you’ve had which you’ll never forget.

I loved performing in my school musicals. Getting to sing, meeting new friends and performing on stage was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had!

Why did you become a Christian?

My hope for this world is that Jesus has come to save us from sin. No matter the sadness or sin of this world, God still loves us unconditionally and wants to be in relationship with us.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

Ephesians 2:8-10 because it reminds me that the most precious gift we could ever receive is God’s grace through Jesus.

What is something you want to achieve?

I want to do a 10km open-water swim and also complete a Diploma of musical theatre.

If you could meet any person in the world at the moment who would it be?

Martin Luther – because amidst human rules and traditions he kept his eyes set firmly on God.

What is your favourite food?

I’m a big foodie so my answer to this question changes all the time. At the moment, it’s salmon!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love travelling (the majority of the globe is on my bucket list), going to the beach, going for walks, reading and my latest joy is knitting!

When and why did you come to work at this School?

I started at RJ in 2019.

What have you enjoyed about your role in the School?

I have enjoyed working alongside staff and students in a Christian community.

Describe a wonderful experience you’ve had which you’ll never forget.

Two of my best friends and I visited Lake Tekapo, New Zealand, in the middle of winter. We went to the hot springs and sat in wonderfully warm pools as beautiful snowflakes fell and landed on our eyelashes.

Why did you become a Christian?

I became a Christian because I realised God’s great love for me and that I needed Him.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

This is my favourite verse because it reminds me that I am in the merciful, loving, graceful and powerful hands of God.

What is something you want to achieve?

Do some of the great walks of the world.

If you could meet any person in the world at the moment who would it be?

Bob Goff – founder of Love Does organisation because he inspires me to love more and keep on giving.

BEING AN E-MEDIA MENTOR TO YOUR CHILD – SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Be a role model.

What would your child notice about your e-media use?

Model to your child that you are intentional about your e-media use; e.g. that you are not jumping to every ping from your device, and that you prioritise family.

Remember that just like anything else you do in front of your children, they will copy you.

Your child will care more about what you have to say if you show that you are attentive to them. Your thoughtful attention to your child shows them that they matter.

Read more in: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_dangers_of_distracted_parenting 

Model safe conversations about use of e-media

Let your child know that you are there to support and help them if they make a mistake or behave inappropriately on electronic media (or if they are negatively impacted by someone else’s poor behaviour on e-media). Many children/young people hide this sort of thing from their parents because they fear being banned completely from media use. Help your child know that you are a safe person to talk to about mistakes or unhelpful choices, and that while there might be some consequences, you can fix it together and you won’t ban them completely and permanently from e-media; you are there to help them learn, and that includes learning about trust.

Model safe conversations about electronic devices. Part of this is to pick your timing; for example, it’s appropriate to assert family rules when your child remains on a video game beyond a pre-arranged time, but don’t try to start a new conversation about their e-media use while they are in the middle of a game. Use conversation starters like, “I’m concerned about your screen time. When can we have a conversation about it?” instead of “You’re always on your device.”

IDEAS FOR MEDIA MENTORS:

The ideas in the following list are not necessarily things to discuss with your child just once. There is benefit in revisiting many of the ideas as your child grows and is able to grasp concepts with more mature understanding. Have age-appropriate conversations. Be creative. Have fun. 

• Discuss advertising in the media. Watch some ads and discuss the “tactics” of advertisers.
• Tell your child to never click on an ad or fill out a form without your permission. Contests and promotions are often ways that companies obtain emails and phone numbers, and some ads are disguised as games. See more tips regarding advertising awareness in the following:

https://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/23/health/kids-advertising-consumers-partner/index.html

• Can your child accurately tell you what “YouTube” is? What is “uploading”? What is a “YouTube channel”?
• Technically, YouTube is intended for age 13 and up; what the site considers age-appropriate may not match your values. Talk to your child about having “Restricted Mode” on their YouTube settings (if they don’t already have it). 
• Family time: ask family members to choose a favourite (family-appropriate) YouTube video to view together. This can also be an opportunity to talk about respecting each other’s choices.
• Internet searches. Discuss how you aim to find efficient keywords/search terms and then how you decide which might be the best results to click on. Ask your child how they go about this. Research some interest topics together.
• Discuss plagiarism. Parents of Secondary students can look at page 7 in RJAS diary for a definition.

Discuss: “if you wouldn’t do it in real life, don’t do it online.”

• Raising a child involves teaching your child self-discipline and helping them to be thoughtful about their use of time.

Family discussion: What would your child do in their spare time if there was no e-media? What would you do? Before electricity, what did children do in their spare time? What would happen if your child had no limits on e-media? Read about one family’s 48-hour experiment of having no screen-time limits for their 4 children: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/48-hour-screen-time-experiment-kids-limits/story?id=53410728

Also, bear in mind that learning to handle boredom is a normal part of growing up, see: https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/let-children-get-bored-again

• It’s not all about social media, gaming and videos - are there skills your child might develop on computers? (E.g. coding, video-editing, graphic design, creative writing).

For older children: there are apps that assist self-discipline (e.g. apps that block notifications while students are using computers for homework and study, apps for time management/study planning, apps that help track e-media use).

Discuss “snail mail” vs phone calls vs email vs text messaging vs online chat (vs any others you might like to add). How do you decide which one to use? Are there times when different communication tools are more appropriate/socially inappropriate?

Pose some scenarios to your child and ask them which way they’d prefer to receive such a message. Would that be the same for everyone? This is an opportunity for building empathy; for your child to consider the best interests of the person they are communicating with.

• Some scenarios you might try out: birthday greetings, a family emergency, a party invitation, telling someone about a funny thing on YouTube, a question about homework, a message of thanks.
• Choose someone to thank and send them a message in a mode most appropriate.

Discuss paper books vs e-books vs audio books (advantages and disadvantages of each).

• Does your child have an interest that can be found in online instructional videos? Some ideas to try together: origami, a new cooking skill, woodwork, science-at-home-experiments, card-making.
• Discuss “What makes a news source reliable?” and “What is ‘fake news’?” For more on this, see https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-to-spot-fake-news-and-teach-kids-to-be-media-savv

From Wednesday 1 May 2019 to Tuesday 25 June 2019 or while stock lasts, we are collecting Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers. Place the Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker onto a Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheet and when it’s complete, the Sticker Sheet can be dropped into the Collection Box located at (Oakhurst) Primary Reception or Marsden Park Reception and there will be collection boxes at the Plumpton Woolworths and Greenway Woolworths.

At the end of the promotion, the School will receive some great new equipment. If you’d like to know more visit woolworths.com.au/earnandlearn.

Thank you