NEWSLETTER

Just a reminder to families that the pull-in at the front of the school is for quick drop-offs and pick-ups. Of course, small children will need help getting in-and-out of the car, and that is to be expected and requires patience from other drivers.

For the benefit of other drivers and to keep traffic flowing safely, if you need to park for longer periods, please leave your car further down the street and walk up. This includes:

-          taking your child into class

-          catching up with a teacher

-          socialising with other parents

Of course, sometimes we all get caught unawares and have the unexpected happen. So, in the event that someone is inadvertently parked for longer than normal, please remember to always be courteous and to drive safely.

The safety of our children and the impressions we leave upon them should always take priority.

In terms of student safety, we keep children within the school gates until their parent’s car is parked out the front, and is stationary. We discourage students from going to cars when they see their parents in the queue further down the street, especially the younger children. We also stop children from running/walking along the footpath next to moving cars. We ask that you also reiterate this with your children, so that we can keep them safe.

Thank you for your consideration.

Gail Holland

Hello,

Well winter has finally arrived. I hope that you are staying warm and healthy.

We are now in week 7 of term 2. I would like to give a BIG shout out “THANK YOU” to our staff team. We have a great team here at Greenock, all of our teachers and SSO’s go above and beyond to give your children the best opportuities to learn and grow. Please take the time to encourage our staff as this is now the “pointy” end of their term, reports are being written, semester curriculum is being finished off and data is being collected. This all adds to their already busy workloads and busy familiy lives. A little note of thanks and encouragement goes a long way. 

Over the past few weeks I have continued to run our Wise Guys program with our year 6 boys. I have really enjoyed the fun that this group brings and I have also watched them grow and learn as a group. We have had some very open and honest discussions about different topics. Last week we spoke about bullying. Something I found that the boys all struggle with is “calling out” bullying and standing up to someone who treats them unfairly. Bullying is something that we have faced or will face in our day to day life. It is really important that we can talk to our children about bullying. We as adults can give them numerous strategies to have in their “kit” for when they face tough situations. 

Bullying behaviour hurts everyone, including the people being bullied, those witnessing the bullying and those doing the bullying. Bulllying is not an individual or personal problem – which means its not our fault if we are being bullied.

Here are some tips from the Kidshelpine website: 

Bullying behaviors:

-          Are aggressive, unkind or mean

-          Are repeated behaviors

-          Happen on purpose

-          Must have a power imbalance eg. older, bigger people picking on smaller, younger people. 

Types of Bullying:

-          Cyberbullying – mean texts, emails, posts, images or videos

-          Verbal Bullying – using words to make you feel upset, angry,    embarrassed.

-          Physical Bullying – this hurts or harms your body eg. kicking, tripping, hitting

-          Social Bullying – this hurts your reputation. It can be verbal, like  rumours or non verbal like pretending not to hear a person or excluding  people. 

If I am being Bullied what should I do?

-          Stay calm – don’t react emotionally. People who bully usually want you to get angry or upset

-          Report it – tell trustworthy adults and keep talking to them until the bullying stops. Reporting it keeps people safe. This is NOT “SNITCHING”

-          Get Support – bullying can affect your mental health and self worth. Having the support of family,  friends teachers and professionals can make a big difference. 

Bullying is a really complicated social problem -  it's everyone's responsibility to prevent and address bullying. Don’t be a Bystander – be an Upstander!

If you or your child needs support with bullying, we are here to help. Please reach out to any of our staff to support you and your child. 

Enjoy your week,

Cheers Jo