FROM DR ROBERTS

We welcome the beautiful Autumn weather we are currently experiencing and look forward to more.  I am sure we all wish Mr Etheridge a safe and relaxing long service leave holiday.  Mr Etheridge will be back before NAPLAN commences in week 7 for our year 3 and 5 students.

Preparations are underway for Harmony Week in week 8 with our International Lunch happening on Thursday of the same week.  Students will be asked to wear something orange on that day. The traditional year 6 Easter Raffle is also proceeding well and I thank all the donations already received.

We had a productive Board Meeting recently.  The minutes will be available on our school website very soon.

We hope to see many Year 4 parents tomorrow when our clever Year 4 students will lead the morning school assembly.

In the School Processes section, we have explained what Good Standing means as this is a requirement of every school’s Behaviour Support Policy.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Although we do our best, physically, we are not always able to deliver messages for changes to home time pick up when these come after 2:30pm. Please try to plan arrangements before school hours.
• The absentee form on Connect is the easiest way of notifying us that your student will be absent
• Reminder to everyone to please tell your children they are NOT to play before school. If they are at school early, they are to sit on the benches outside the classroom.  The playground equipment is out of bounds before school.  Thank you.
• Playground equipment may be used after school under the supervision of parents/carers

 

SCHOOL PROCESSES  – Good Standing

In 2018, the Minister of Education, through the Department of Education introduced the concept of good standing to support the continuation of positive student behaviour in schools.  All students start with good standing. A student loses good standing after a breach, or series of breaches, of school discipline. For example, these include, but are not limited to: repeated inappropriate behaviour, starting a fight, making physical contact with the intention to harm, filming a fight, use or possession of e-cigarettes and vapes and more.  Students who lose good standing may be withdrawn from non-curricular and other school activities. If a student loses good standing, both students and parents are informed.  A student’s good standing is re-instated when appropriate behaviour is demonstrated.

At Hawker Park Primary School, staff have always worked towards achieving positive student outcomes and view classroom and playground incidents as learning opportunities, always relating back to our school values of Respect Kindness and Manners. At times, for very few students, some severe or repetitive incidents require consequences. These may range from reprimands, red zone time out, the involvement of parents through meetings and telephone conversations, loss of good standing and suspensions.

At Hawker Park, after consultation with the Principal, should a child lose his/her good standing, something the school has implemented only twice in the last 6 years, the child forfeits the right to participate in offsite activities, for example, excursions, interschool sports and more. For safety reasons, when students go off-site, they need to be trusted to follow directions.  Additionally, students are representing Hawker Park PS which currently holds an excellent reputation in the school and wider community.  We are all very proud of our school and what it represents – respect, kindness and manners.

The School’s Behaviour Support Policy (https://hawkerparkps.wa.edu.au/policies/) clearly outlines the responsibilities of students, teachers and parents to support positive student behaviour.

CHAPLAIN’S CHAT

Lets talk about grief!

The most basic way to define grief is:

“Grief is the normal and natural emotional reaction to loss or change of any kind. Of itself, grief is neither a pathological condition nor a personality disorder.”

https://www.griefrecoverymethod.com/blog/2013/06/best-grief-definition-you-will-find.

Grief happens when there is loss, not only when people die but when people move away, or when we move from one school to another, or move towns, or our pets die, there is always grief even when good things happen like getting a promotion or change jobs.  It is so important to acknowledge and process your grief and not let the feelings and questions build up in us.  This can cause us great difficulty long term.

We may even experience something called Complicated grief.

in some circles, it is called complicated mourning.  It means you cannot move forward, some say a person becomes “stuck”, in their grief. Without help to work through all of the different instances of grief, they will remain a problem and can cause sickness if not dealt with.

The Mayo Clinic define complicated grief as follows: Complicated grief is like being in an ongoing, heightened state of mourning that keeps you from healing.

The Mayo Clinic

Complicated grief also may be indicated if you continue to:

• Have trouble carrying out normal routines.
• Isolate from others and withdraw from social activities.
• Experience depression, deep sadness, guilt or self-blame.
• Believe that you did something wrong or could have prevented the death.
• Feel life isn’t worth living without your loved one.
• Wish you had died along with your loved one.

To manage your grief, talk to a professional and work through the phases that are different for every person.  No two people grieve in the same way. Below are some links that may help someone you know who may be grieving. There are loads of free resources within these links as well.

https://www.griefcentrewa.org.au/

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/grief-and-loss

https://www.relationshipswa.org.au/Tip-sheets/Grief-Loss

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/counselling/western-australia?category=bereavement  Loads of therapists.

https://www.allaboutgrief.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/33-Things-to-Say-EBook-3.pdf

https://www.allaboutgrief.com/

Alyse Anderson

YouthCARE Chaplain

UPCOMING EVENTS

Week 6:

7 Mar – TA6 assembly

Week 7:

13 Mar – NAPLAN begins

Week 8:

18 Mar – Harmony week

20 Mar – Brownes dairy excursion – TA1/TA4

21 Mar – International lunch

22 Mar – NAPLAN finishes

Week 9:

27 Mar – SciTech excursion – TA7/TA9

28 Mar – End Term 1

COMMUNITY NOTICE BOARD

Please see our noticeboard outside administration for the following events:

• HPPS Playgroup – Monday morning during school term – 8.30am-10.30am
• Warwick Greenwood Junior Football Club – Summer Kick program – 22^nd Jan onwards
• Savers Plus program
• Rising stars AFL – 4 February to 24 March
• City of Wanneroo – Junior Basketball competition
• FREE public transport for kids 
• Sports X e-flyer
• Jungle sports – Warwick Holiday camp
• Creative Kids Art Club – www.creativekidsartclub.com.au