Newsletter No. 10 Week 08 Term 2 Date of Issue: Thursday 22nd June 2017

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

benefit all Australians regardless of income or

background.

Inclusivity is something else that sets public

schools apart.

Our school takes all comers from our local area,

no matter their circumstances or issues.

Every child deserves a great education so we

welcome every child that comes through our

door.

Salisbury Downs Primary School prides itself on our

cultural and social diversity and research shows

that learning in such an environment is a real

advantage.

It develops dispositions of compassion, empathy

and trust in children who have gone through an

education system that welcomes and embraces

diversity. That’s how the world is, so children who

learn alongside children with diverse strengths,

abilities and backgrounds are well prepared for

the real world.

School systems that are selective miss out on the

opportunity to develop strength through diversity.

Our public education system is precious and

worth celebrating and protecting. Together we

moderate children’s work in the different learning

areas, share ideas about good ways of teaching

and tips on how to make the play spaces better,

and share programs and strategies to support all

students.

In a short space of time, we will be faced with

our State election and eventually the Federal

election – your children (and their children) will

benefit from a well-funded stable education

system that is both supportive yet challenging,

has a focus on improving student learning

outcomes and is responsive to their wellbeing.

Thinking carefully about the available options

that support public education should be one of

the considerations you make in relation to who

gets your vote.

KINDNESS TRULY COUNTS

You would often hear staff at Salisbury Downs

Primary talk about ‘kindness’.

This is because having a focus on positive values

will allow us to support students in their emotional

and social growth and to be more sensitive to

their needs.

In addition, research from London and Vienna

has found that parents who teach their children

to be kind are more successful at passing on their

values than those who don’t.

Just as with teachers, this is because a focus on

positivity allows for greater sensitivity and in turn

builds deeper bonds between parent and child.

Professor Bardi from London University (her

research focuses primarily on personal values -

goals like achievement, tradition, and security)

has stated “This research really shows that where

parents nurture positive, supportive and caring

values their children will also take these

characteristics to heart”.

You would by now realise, our concentration on

kindness is no accident – it is both intentional and

directed towards positive social outcomes for our

students.

PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM

Many of us take our public education system for

granted. It has just always been there.

Alan Reid, a Professor at the University of South

Australia has studied our public school system

and informs us of its value to Australia society.

The public system serves ALL children and seeks

to give every child equal access to the benefits

of a good life.

It is important that everyone understands the

vital role that the public school systems plays in

creating a fair Australian community.

Alan says that the public education system is

there as a common good…that is a service to

SALISBURY DOWNS PRIMARY SCHOOL 39 Paramount Road, Salisbury Downs 5108

Telephone: (08) 8258 7560 Facsimile: (08) 8281 5860 Email: dl.1194_info @schools.sa.edu.au

Salisbury Downs Primary School Courage Good Manners Friendliness Compassion Persistence Tolerance

Self-Soothing I think it is safe to say that as adults there are times where we have been unable to manage our

emotions and have ended up doing things that we have regretted.

Children can on occasions act in a similar way, they can be as scared as adults, be as happy, sad,

disappointed, saddened or disgusted and will act on emotions rather than thinking.

Therefore we all need to self-regulate to be able to act on our thinking not our emotions when

faced with difficult or emotional scenarios.

Wilson McCaskill (author of Children aren’t made of China and our Play is the Way Program) writes

Self-regulation or Self-soothing requires being able to generate thoughts capable of calming the

emotions that are moving us towards inappropriate actions.

Finding those soothing thoughts can take the form of actual words said to oneself, mental images,

music, songs or other mental tricks that divert the onward rush of emotions.

Constructing soothing thoughts is not easy at the best of times and for people who are well

practised at falling victims to their emotions, finding ways to keep them in check will be significantly

harder.

Some ideas for soothing thoughts for children could be

Doesn’t matter what happens, Mum and Dad always love me

Be brave

Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get scared. It means you don’t give in

Imagine being covered in fairy dust

Think about the holiday you’re going on

Think about people who have much worse problems than you

Take a few deep breaths and try again.

Self-speak helps children to soothe themselves. It’s important that they can do this because hurt,

upset and anxiety are part of living. Self– speak and soothing thoughts are calming and allow

children to deal with pressure, and then deal with difficult emotions as they arise.

I will leave you with a quote from Wilson McCaskill

‘ Our feelings are not a passport to act. They must pass through the checkpoint of thinking

before being released as actions’

Have a wonderful and safe holiday.

Cheryl Taylor

Wellbeing Co-ordinator

Community Chat

WE ARE NOW ENROLLING FOR 2018

In South Australia public primary schools have

one intake date, this means that if you child

turns five before 1st May 2018 they can start

primary school the first day of Term 1, 29th

January.

If your child turns five on or after 1st May 2018

they can start primary school the first day of

term I in 2019.

Your child must be at school be their sixth

birthday—this is the compulsory school starting

age.

If you require an enrolment form or have any

questions, please see our Front Office staff.

Enrolling your child early allows us to plan class

structure to benefit all students!

Remember that happiness is a way

of travel, not a destination!

Download Skoolbag App to be kept up to

date with everything that is happening at

SDPS.

Join the many school

members who are reaping the benefits of SDPS

Skoolbag APP.

In the

Orange Room

Coming Events

TERM 2 ENDS ON FRIDAY 7TH JULY.

2.05pm FINISH!

Term 3 BEGINS MONDAY 24 JULY

We have in the past had access to a psychologist through

In-School Psychology. This is a Medicare funded program.

If you feel that your child may need some support in this way,

and have noticed any of the following signs and symptoms,

please talk to our Front Office staff/Leadership Team for more

information.

The In-School Psychology program of support has proven to be very beneficial for our families in the past!

Excessive anxiousness, frequent panicking or

persistent worrying

Difficulty separating from parents or settling into class

each day

School refusal, or increase in absenteeism

Poor coping skills, overly emotional, lacking resilience

Negative self talk and thinking

Tiredness, falls asleep in class, lacks energy

Difficulty coping with school routines and changes to

routines

Difficulty establishing/maintaining friendships

Constantly appearing sad, miserable or down

Defiant behaviour, lying, lack of respect for rules and

authority

Hyperactive, cannot sit still, constantly fidgeting or

moving around

Difficulty maintaining attention and concentration

Aggression towards other students, adults or objects

Continued grief after a sad event has occurred.

Student complains of physical pains: stomach aches,

headaches

Changes in student’s normal behaviour; more tired,

withdrawn, changes in academic performance