St Ita's Primary School Drouin
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50 Victoria Street
Drouin VIC 3818
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Email: admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 03 5623 7222

T4 W4 2022 Newsletter

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T4 W4 2022 Newsletter

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St Ita’s Catholic Primary School acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

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    MELBOURNE CUP EVE HOLIDAY 

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    An important reminder to all families that we will have a school closure day on Monday 31st and Tuesday 1st of November for the running of the Melbourne Cup. There will be no school for students on this day.

    ST ITA’S MOBILE PHONE AND SMARTWATCH POLICY

    Last week we finalised our student Mobile Phone, Smart Watch Policy for parents and students to sign off on. We sent the policy home to parents and students via hard copy to review, discuss and sign. This is an important policy to have in place in our school due to the legal ramifications that can occur with social media devices like Mobile Phones and Smart Watches and is designed to so that all students feel safe at St Ita’s. If your child has a mobile phone or a smart watch at school could I please ask that you read the policy with your child and support them to understand why we have it in place at St Ita’s. The policy is outlined below for everyone in our learning community.

    DO YOUR KIDS DISRESPECT YOU?

    9 WAYS TO CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDE

    By Janet Lehman, MSW

    We often forget that children aren’t born with a built-in sense of respect for others. Our children need to be taught to be respectful. Think about it, babies are born having to manipulate their world to get their needs met, and they do this primarily by crying. Crying is natural and appropriate for babies—it’s how they communicate that they’re hungry or wet or need to be held.

    But as kids get older, it’s our job as parents to teach them respectful ways of getting their needs met. And crying, manipulation, and disrespect are certainly not respectful ways to accomplish this.

    Unfortunately, many kids have not been taught respect or choose not to be respectful even though they know better. Indeed, it’s common to see children and teens arguing with adults (or ignoring them outright), using foul language, copping an attitude, and not using manners or respecting those in authority. Sadly, this has become the norm for many children and teens.

     More importantly, though, many parents have not established a firm culture of accountability in their homes. Part of the problem is that parents are often busy, making it much harder to respond immediately to our kids. Let’s face it, it’s easier to let things slide when you’re worn out and stressed from working so hard.

    Finally, I believe that many parents have a hard time looking at their kids in a realistic light. I can’t overstate how important it is to be willing to look at your children realistically, noting both their strengths and their areas of weakness. Being realistic allows you to see inappropriate behaviour as it happens and address it—and not make excuses or ignore it.

    How can you change the culture in your own home if disrespectful behaviour is starting—or is already a way of life? Here are nine things you can do as a parent today to start getting respect from your kids.

    1. Remember That Your Child Is Not Your Friend

    It’s not about your child liking you or even thanking you for what you do. It’s important to remember that your child is not your friend. He’s your child. Your job is to coach him to function effectively in the world and behave respectfully to others, not just you.

    When you think your child might be crossing the line, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “Would I let the neighbour say these things to me? Would I let a stranger?” If the answer is no, don’t let your child do it, either.

    Someday when your child becomes an adult, your relationship may become more of a friendship. But for now, it’s your job to be his parent, his teacher, his coach, and his limit setter—not the buddy who lets him get away with things.

    1. Confront Disrespect Early and Often

    It’s good to confront disrespectful behaviour early, if possible. If your child is rude or disrespectful, don’t turn a blind eye. Intervene and say:

    “We don’t talk to each other that way in this family.”

    Giving consequences when your kids are younger is going to pay off in the long run. As a parent, it’s crucial that if you see your child being disrespectful to admit it and then try to nip it in the bud.

    Also, if your child is about to enter the teen years (or another potentially difficult phase) think about the future. Some parents I know are already planning how they will address behaviour as their ADD daughter (who is now 11) becomes a teenager. They’re learning skills to prepare for their interactions with her at a later time. This preparation can only help them as they move forward together as a family.

    1. Parent as a Team

    It’s beneficial for you and your co-parent to be on the same page when it comes to your child’s behaviour. Make sure one of you isn’t allowing the disrespectful behaviour while the other is trying to intercede. Sit down together and talk about your rules, and then come up with a plan of action—and a list of consequences you might give—if your child breaks the rules.

    1. Teach Your Child Basic Social Interaction Skills

    It may sound old fashioned, but it’s important to teach your child basic manners like saying “please” and “thank you.” When your child deals with her teachers in school or gets her first job and has these skills to fall back on, it will go a long way.

    Understand that using manners—just a simple “excuse me” or “thank you”—is also a form of empathy. It teaches your kids to respect others and acknowledge their impact on other people. When you think about it, disrespectful behaviour is the opposite of being empathetic and having good manners.

    1. Be Respectful When You Correct Your Child

    When your child is disrespectful, correct them in a respectful manner. Yelling and getting upset and having your own attitude in response to theirs is not helpful. Getting upset only escalates their disrespectful behaviour. The truth is, if you allow their rude behaviour to affect you, it’s difficult to be an effective teacher.

    Instead, you can pull your child aside and give them a clear message of what is acceptable. You don’t need to shout at them or embarrass them.

    One of our friends was excellent at this particular parenting skill. He would pull his kids aside, say something quietly (I usually had no idea what it was), and it usually changed their behaviour immediately.

    Use these incidents as teachable moments by pulling your kids aside calmly, making your expectations firm and clear, and following through with appropriate consequences.

    1. Set Realistic Expectations for Your Child’s Behaviour

    Being realistic about your child’s behaviour patterns may mean that you need to lower your expectations. Don’t plan a huge road trip with your kids, for example, if they don’t like to ride in the car. If your child has trouble in large groups and you plan an event for 30 people, you’re likely to set everyone up for disappointment, and probably an argument.

    It is often helpful to set limits beforehand. For example, if you’re going to go out to dinner, be clear with your kids about your expectations. Clear expectations will help your child behave and, in some ways, will make them feel safer. They will understand what is expected of them and will know the consequences if they don’t meet those expectations. If they meet your goals, certainly give them credit, but if they don’t, follow through on whatever consequences you’ve set up for them.

    1. Clarify the Limits When Things Are Calm

    When you’re in a situation where your child is disrespectful, that’s not the ideal time to do a lot of talking about limits or consequences. At a later time, you can talk with your child about her behaviour and your expectations.

    1. Discuss Disrespect When Your Child is Calm

    If your child is disrespectful or rude, talk about what happened once things are calm. Talk about how it could have been dealt with differently. A calm conversation is a chance for you to listen to your child and to understand her problem better. Try to stay objective. You can say:

    “Pretend a video camera recorded the whole thing. What would I see?”

    This is also a perfect time to have your child describe what she could have done differently.

    1. Don’t Take Your Child’s Behaviour Personally

    One of the biggest mistakes parents can make is to take their child’s behaviour personally. The truth is, you should never fall into that trap because the teenager next door is doing the same thing to his parents. And your cousin’s daughter is doing the same thing to her parents. All kids have conflicts with their parents. Your role is to just deal with your child’s behaviour as objectively as possible.

    When parents don’t have effective ways to deal with these kinds of things, they may feel out of control and get scared. As a result, they often overreact or underreact to the situation. When they overreact, they become too rigid. And when they underreact, they ignore the behaviour or tell themselves it’s “just a phase.” Either way, it won’t help your child learn to manage his thoughts or emotions more effectively. And it won’t teach him to be more respectful.

    Conclusion

    Understand that if you haven’t been able to intervene early with your kids, you can start at any time. Even if your child is constantly exhibiting disrespectful behaviour, you can begin stepping in and setting those clear limits.

    Kids really do want limits, even if they protest. And they will protest! The message that they get when you step in and set limits is that they’re cared about, that they’re loved, and that you really want them to be successful and able to function well in the world. Our kids won’t thank us now, but that’s okay. It’s not about getting them to thank us, it’s about doing the right thing.

    CLASS STRUCTURES FOR 2023

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    Class structures for 2023 have now be finalised, and will be as follows;

    • 3 x Foundation
    • 3 x Grade 1
    • 3 x Grade 2
    • 5 x Grade 3-4
    • 4 x Grade 5-6

    We are currently in the planning process of allocating staff into the various grade levels, and we will inform our parent community in the coming weeks of final staff placements for 2023.

    WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH TO POSITIVE BEHAVIORS AWARD

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    Commencing from our next assembly, we will be replacing the Student of the Week Award with the Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviours (WSAPB) Award. Children who consistently display Teamwork, Resilience, Respect, Inclusiveness and Compassion in their daily schooling will be nominated by the teachers and peers and the School Executive will select 1-2 students each assembly to be the recipient.

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    SOCKTOBER

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    Our mini vinnies team have organised for all students to participate in 'Socktober' to celebrate Global Missions Week on Friday, 28th October.  All students are encouraged to come to school wearing their craziest socks, or their craziest hair. 

    To help contribute to fundraising for Global Missions Week we ask that children bring a non-perishable can of food to donate to the Missions.

    VOLUNTEER INDUCTION SESSIONS

    Parents and volunteers wanting to help out in the classroom, can attend volunteer induction session on the following dates and times;
    • Thursday 27th October 2022 @ 3.00pm

    The session will take approximately 15 minutes, and we have scheduled them so that they coincide with pick up and drop off times.  If you have previously completed the induction training there is no need to attend another session, this is specifically aimed at parents/volunteers who have not attended an induction session.

    A reminder to all volunteers, you will need to sign in at the Admin Office prior to heading down to the classroom, please ensure you have your current Working With Children Check (WWCC) with you as we will need to make a copy for our records.

    IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING ST ITA’S WHOLE SCHOOL / GRADE 6 GRADUATION PHOTO DAY

    On Wednesday, 16th November 2022, Schoolpix will be attending to capture our whole school photo and our Grade 6 graduate’s photos. It is important that all students are dressed in full summer school uniform.

    All students must also be wearing black school shoes and their jumpers. Grade 6 students will need to wear their Grade 6 Bomber Jacket.

    Please do not send your child to school dressed in sports uniform.

    Children who usually have PE classes on a Wednesday are asked to please bring their sports shoes in their schoolbag. It is most important that all students are dressed in a presentable and uniform manner.

    CALENDAR DATES

    We encourage all families to keep checking the our school calendar at the bottom of our newsletter for updates.  Term 4 will be a busy time for all of our students, especially our Grade 6 students.  A few important dates parents should be aware of are;

    18th November - Junior Athletics

    29th November - Marist Orientation Day

    5th December  - Triathlon

    6th December - Grade 6 Graduation Mass and Supper @ Drouin Golf Course

    12th December - Grade 6 Big Day Out

    13th December -  Drouin SC Orientation

    SWIMMING & WATER SAFETY PROGRAM

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    Our swimming and water safety program is set for Term 4, this year we have secured a booking with Gumbya World who will take all students through general water safety, and basic swim safety practices.  Lessons will be across two separate days as follows;

    Grade 3/4 - Monday 7th November 2022

    SCHOOL HATS

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    As a part of our Sun Smart Policy all students are required to wear a hat while playing outside during Term 1 & Term 4.

    Please ensure that all children have a St Ita's hat as a part of their school uniform, and that they are bringing their hat to school daily.  If children do not bring a hat to school they will be only be able to play outside in the shaded areas during outside play times.

    SCHOOL FEES & CONCESSIONS

    A reminder to all families that all outstanding fees must be finalised by the end of Term 4. All school fees should be finalised in the year they are billed, if you are experiencing difficulty, or feel you will not be able to finalising payment please make contact with Beck at the Admin Office as soon as possible either by phone (03) 5623 7222 or via email admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au

    If any families would like to set up a weekly, fortnightly or monthly direct debit schedules for school fees, please complete the Direct Debit Form below and return to the school office.

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    GEELONG ADVERTISER BOOK REVIEWS

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    SPORTS NEWS

    Sports Teacher/Co-Ordinator: Hayley Roberts     

    Email:  hroberts@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au       

    RUNNING CLUB

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    Art Teacher: Robyn Leary     

    Email:  rleary@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au

    ART ROOM NEWS

    Hello Everyone,

    Here’s some news from the art room. 

    We all participated in International Dot Day last term and here are some pics of some of the students creations. 

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    We have also been learning about Picasso and the art style of cubism. While doing this students experimented with crayons, oil pastels and soft pastels, which all feel different and give different end results. 

    Here is some of our students Picasso inspired art. 

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    This week our Foundation students have had a warm welcome to clay. They are learning to make coils and working on the art element of line. Here are some pics of their efforts. 

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    ART CLUB NEWS

    Our art club students have been working away at their paintings and are almost ready to show case them in a school based exhibition. Watch this so we for further details on how you can pop into the school and see their fabulous works of Art. 

    Here’s a sneak peak:

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    PARISH NEWS

    TAX COLLECTORS!

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    What is it with Tax Collectors? This despised (and feared) caste appear so often in Jesus travels and parables. Today we often characterise them as outcasts, like drunks and drug addicts in our own society, but in truth there were various types and levels of tax collectors and they weren’t especially figures for pity. What they shared was a propensity for unfair dealing and stand-over tactics and a reputation as traitors. 

    When tax collectors came to Jesus to be baptised (Luke 3:12-15) and asked what they should do about their trade, Jesus told them not to overcharge or intimidate or falsely accuse anyone, which suggests that this was their normal practise. No wonder they were despised.

    Jesus cuts through reputations and preconceptions though.

    Though the Pharisees were probably disgusted, Jesus calls Matthew (Mt 9:9), the tax collector to leave it all behind and follow him and the tax-collector in last week’s gospel parable, “went home at rights with God”, because he recognised his sinfulness and asked for mercy.

    Zacchaeus, the somewhat comical figure of this week’s gospel (Lk 19:1-10), was a “chief tax gatherer” who has made himself a rich man, probably on the proceeds of defrauding and extorting the poor. He would have been doubly despised.

    But not by Jesus. No, to the chagrin of upright people, Jesus honours him by visiting his house. The result? The cocky Zacchaeus is repentant, forgiven and assured of salvation.

    The lesson for us? We too find ourselves in a world of circumstances beyond our choosing. Our call is to make the best we can of our world and be sure that our God is proffering merciful forgiveness whenever we turn to Him.

    Deacon Mark Kelly

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    PARISH SACRAMENT ENQUIRIES

    Sacrament Enquiries:  Mrs Therese Meggetto

    Mobile: 0439 306 642 Email: Warragul.sacraments@cdsale.org.au

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    Check out our Catholic Parishes of Warragul & Drouin Facebook presence.

    PUBLIC NOTICES

    CAMP AUSTRALIA

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    BELEZA SCHOOL UNIFORMS

    ATHLONE HALL CENTENARY

    Sunday 27th November 2022

    10 am -3pm

    History of Athlone on display along with some old machinery.

    Free Kids activities.

    BBQ food and drinks available

    Scrumptious afternoon tea.

    For more details phone 0438 876 413 - Leesa Williams

    PIANO & SINGING LESSONS

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    DRUM AND GUITAR LESSONS

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