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Dear Parents and Carers,
This week we hosted an afternoon tea and talk for the families of our multilingual learners. At St Patrick's we have a growing number of students who speak more than one language, what a gift!
We welcomed Sam Chrzczonowicz, the Teaching and Learning Officer ‑ EAL/D to our school to share her knowledge about second language learning. EAL/D is the acronym for English as an Additional Language or Dialect.
Screentime
How are you managing screentime with your children? We hear from many parents about the challenges in this space, and if we took the word of some of the children they get screentime from dawn til bedtime every day with their parents blessing!!
Here is an excerpt from the Wellbeing that Works forum.
It will come as no surprise that the evidence suggests that excessive screen time has a negative impact on emotions and readiness to learn. Therefore, it is a good idea to reduce excessive screen time.
How much screen time is excessive?
A good place to start is the Australian Government guidelines for screen time, 24-hour movement guidelines. The guidelines recommend:
- No screen time for children younger than two years
- No more than 1 hour per day for children aged 2-5 years
- No more than two hours of sedentary recreational screen time per day for children and young people aged 5-17 years (not including schoolwork)
Any amount of screen time above the guideline recommendations is excessive.
It is also important to note that even though this is the recommended average, it does not mean that hours can be stored up and used in one go e.g. There is no screen time Monday to Friday so we can have 14 hours over Saturday and Sunday.
Over two hours on any one day is excessive.
Screen time in the guidelines excludes schoolwork. Screen time is defined as sedentary recreational screen time, where children are sitting or laying down to watch video, scrolling social media, or playing games.
The Australian Institute of Family studies estimates that only 15% of 5–12-year-olds meet the screen time guidelines, and that the amount of screen time increases dramatically between the ages of 10 -14. In fact, the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that there is a rise in the percentage of students spending more than 20 hours a week on a screen.
It is important for us as adults to make wise decisions for and with our children about their screentime.
Blessings on a wonderful long weekend.
Jo
Out and About - Playtime
Lunchtime clubs are an evidence-based way of providing activities during recess and lunchtime that supports students who may struggle with the lack of structure in the playground.
At St Pat's we offer a range of clubs.
Library clubs include drama, craft, building and Lego and imaginative play.
Mrs Harnett is currently running old fashion games in the hall on Tuesdays.
In the coming weeks we will also be introducing board and card games for students in K-6.
RAAF Hot Air Balloon Visit
Today the Royal Australian Air Force visited St Pat's and despite the weather students thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Dates for your Calendar
Class Mass (Families Welcome)
Week Seven- 3/4 Red
Week Eight- 3/4 Yellow
Save the date!
Grandparents day- 4th July (More details to come)
Curriculum
Students in K-2 participate in daily instruction using the Initialit program. This program is phonics based and research driven. Children engage in a wide range of activities within the program, including manipulating letters and sounds to explore new words.
Our relationship with food
Continuing on the with the theme of healthy habits, this newsletter article is focused on not just what we eat, but how we think about and talk about the foods we eat.
The language we use and the relationships we have with foods are so important in creating a healthy approach to food and nutrition for life.
This may mean challenging ideas we grew up with, and ideas that we hear from others or see online, in the media and on the tv.
Here is an article taken from Psychology Today that explains some ways we can build a healthy relationship with food and our bodies and set this example for our children:
How to Talk to Your Children About Food in a Healthy Manner
Lesson #1: Do not label food as “good” or “bad.”
Oftentimes, parents will label sugary, fried, and salty foods such a fries, donuts, cookies, and pizza as “bad” and fruits and vegetables as “good,” which can create a judgmental picture of food in your child’s head. Of course, you do not want your toddler to eat five bags of potato chips and a pound of candy but it is important to explain why some foods can help them grow strong and other foods are just fun “sometimes” foods. You can also use the example of foods that are always kept in the house (for example fruits, nuts, and vegetables) and fun foods that are sometimes kept in the house like sweets and treats. After all, we all love to indulge in a piece of chocolate cake now and then, as long as we balance it out with nutritious foods on a regular basis.
Lesson #2: Try and try again.
Children’s taste buds change and develop over time, so it is important to keep trying foods, even if it wasn’t an instant favorite the first time. You may need to offer a child a new food several times before they will accept it, so try new foods with familiar ones and always encourage taking a bite or two. And since the children are watching, you have to eat your veggies too!
Lesson #3: Get them involved.
Kids love to learn, get their hands dirty and help their parents. Cooking and baking is a great way to teach kids how a nutritious meal is made while allowing them to tap into their creative side. You can teach them about each ingredient throughout the process and these fun activities can inspire a desire to be involved in family meals and cook for their future families. Another great way to get kids involved is to plant a vegetable or an herb garden with them. They can learn the nutritional benefits of each herb or vegetable while learning how plants grow.
Lesson #4: Keep it to yourself.
Whether you are in an intense exercise program or dieting by restricting carbohydrates, do not share this type of lifestyle with your kids. Even if you are losing weight in a healthy and responsible manner, telling kids “carbs are bad” or “I have to exercise to lose this gut” can create a judgmental and negative picture of food and exercise. This can potentially lead them to engage in food restricting behaviours and can begin the cycle of thought that exercise is a punishment, not a reward for what your body can achieve.
Lesson #5: Educate them on healthy living rather than focusing on a healthy weight.
Overweight kids are often teased in school and weight gain in childhood can result in chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Instead of talking about weight gain and weight loss, it is better to introduce the concept of a healthy lifestyle which includes cooking nutritious foods, playing team sports, eating sweets and treats in moderation.
Lesson #6: Ditch the clean plate club.
Children have a more attuned sense of hunger and fullness than adults, and when we push them to eat beyond what their body needs, we teach them to overeat. As a parent, it is your job to provide nutritious meals and supply an appropriate portion size at the beginning of the meal. Allow your child to stop if they are telling you they are full and allow extra fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, and veggies if they are still hungry.
Lesson #7: Be body positive.
Celebrate that bodies come in all shapes and sizes and use body-positive language instead of body shaming language. Body positive language includes talking positively about yourself and others, emphasizing that you exercise for fun (not to achieve a certain shape), and never talking poorly about other people’s bodies. Kids pick up on your comments and remarks, internalize and repeat them. Give them words worth repeating to others, and to themselves.
To access the article online please follow this link:
Thanks for reading, Sam, School Counsellor