St Ita's Primary School Drouin
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50 Victoria Street
Drouin VIC 3818
Subscribe: https://stidrouin.catholic.edu.au/subscribe

Email: admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 03 5623 7222

T2 W5 2023 Newsletter

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T2 W5 2023 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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    NATIONAL SORRY DAY - FRIDAY 26TH MAY

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    Every year on 26 May, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’.

    National Sorry Day is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation. While this date carries great significance for the Stolen Generations and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it is also commemorated by Australians right around the country.

    The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, one year after the “Bringing Them Home” report was tabled in Parliament. The “Bringing Them Home” report is a result of a Government Inquiry into past policies which caused children to be removed from their families and communities in the 20th century.

    RECONCILIATION WEEK MAY 27- JUNE 3

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    National Reconciliation Week begins on 27th May 2023 and concludes on 3rd June 2023.

    The 27th of May is the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum which saw over 90% of Australians vote to amend the constitution to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be included in the census and to enable the Government to create laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Referendum raised expectations of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, following a ten-year campaign.

    The 3rd of June is Mabo Day, which recognises the important contribution by Eddie Koiki Mabo in bringing forth a case that accepted the claim that Mer Island is home to the eight tribes of the Meriam people, being so for hundreds of years before the arrival of the British, nullifying the claim of terra nullius. This case gave rise to the Native Title Act 1993.

    HOW TO RESPOND WHEN YOUR CHILD USES MEAN WORDS

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    Has your child ever said something to you that was so horribly mean, that you recoiled in shock? Something that made you question the kind of job you’re doing as a parent, and felt like a deeply personal attack on you and your family?

    Maybe it was words like:

    “I hate you!”

    “You’re the worst mum/dad ever!”

    “You’re stupid and ugly!”

    “I wish my brother/sister was never born!”

    “I never want to see you again!”

    “I wish you weren’t my mum/dad!”

    When your child uses mean words, it can really come as a shock. Hearing this kind of language from the mouth of your sweet little babe can quite literally take your breath away. And it can leave you feeling really worried. About them, about your relationship, and about where they may have been exposed to this kind of language.

    And I understand your concern. I’ve heard all of these before. From my own children, and from the parents of families I work with. The reality is, kids say horrible, hurtful things sometimes. You’re not alone. You’re also not failing as a parent, or raising a soulless little delinquent. I swear.

    SO WHY DO KIDS USE THIS LANGUAGE?

    Children have immature, underdeveloped brains. And using language to express how they feel is still a pretty new thing for them. Think about it: from the moment they were born, your child has used their little body, their face, and their voice to express how they feel. By crying, yelling, grunting, squealing, scowling, frowning, smiling, scrunching up their face, balling up their fists and furiously kicking their little legs. Babies and toddlers are GREAT at letting you know how they feel without speaking a word. And as parents, we tend to respond to them promptly when they communicate their needs in this way.

    But as they get older, our expectations of them change. They begin to talk. They learn how to form sentences. Those sentences become more complex. And we expect them to communicate to us differently. We expect them to tell us how they feel by “using their words”.

    But this is still new to them. And human emotions are SO complex. Sometimes they simply don’t have the words to explain to us that they feel scared, and anxious, and disappointed, and angry and frustrated and sad – all at once! It’s confusing. I mean, sometimes us grown ups can’t put into words exactly how we feel, right? And we have fully developed, mature brains that have been doing this for years.

    THE THINKING BRAIN

    The other thing to remember is that when we become dysregulated – both kids and adults – we lose our ability to access our prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is responsible for planning, reasoning, decision making, impulse control, and yes – language.

    So when we experience an intense emotion and we become dysregulated, we lose the ability to access our words. This is why when you become really angry about something, you stumble and trip over your words. You struggle to get the words out and you struggle to find the words to convey exactly what you mean. You may say things you don’t mean, things that don’t make sense, or things that are not even words! You may tell whoever (or even whatever) you’re angry at that you hate them. Or you may resort to simply swearing and yelling loudly in frustration. You cannot access sophisticated language when you’re in this state

    AND NEITHER CAN YOUR CHILD

    Your tiny little person, who is still so new to using their words, can’t quite find the words they need. So they find words they know. Words that to them, explain the complexity and depth of the emotions they are feeling. They find the worst words they can think of. Words they can reach quickly. The most impactful words. Because they need us to know just how awful they feel in that moment.

    But we want them to learn how to communicate their needs in respectful ways, right? So what can you do when your child uses mean words?

    How to respond when your child uses mean words

    1. Remember that it’s not personal

    I know it feels like it in the moment, but your child is not intentionally trying to hurt you. They’re not being disrespectful, mean, cruel or bratty. And they don’t really hate you or wish you were dead. They are simply expressing how they feel the best way they can. Try to remember that what you are seeing is the result of an immature, overstressed brain.

    1. Don’t respond with your own mean words

    It’s tempting to throw back an “I hate you too!”, or a “How dare you speak to me like that!” in the heat of the moment. But this is only going to escalate an already emotionally charged situation. And if we punish, scold or threaten children when they use this language, we inadvertently add another emotion into the mix: shame.

    When we shut children down or send them away for expressing emotions to us, they only learn that we do not want to hear about how they feel. They learn that big emotions should be dealt with alone and that they are wrong or bad for feeling these. This makes it even less likely that they will communicate with us about their emotions in the future.

    1. Focus on the message, not the delivery

    Your child is doing the best they can. Punishing or reprimanding them for their choice of words isn’t going to solve much. Remember, when your child is dysregulated, their thinking brain is offline. So trying to reason with them or explain why their choice of words is unacceptable is not going to be effective in the heat of the moment.

    Instead, think about what your child is trying to communicate to you. How are they feeling in this moment? What is the message they are trying to convey to you with these words? Are they feeling angry? Are they disappointed about something? Do they feel left out since their baby brother was born? Focus on this message, rather than its delivery, and empathise with that.

    Offering empathy and validating how your child feels doesn’t mean you condone or agree with their language (or their behaviour). It just means that in the moment, you are choosing to really listen to what they are communicating to you and that you’re willing to try and understand their experience.

    1. Model appropriate language

    Often our children reach for this kind of language to express how they feel because it’s the only language they have. Many children have access to only a limited emotional vocabulary – angry, sad and happy. They run into problems when the emotion they feel doesn’t fit neatly into one of these categories and they have no label for what they are feeling. How can we expect them to “use their words” if they literally do not have them?

    The solution of course, is to explicitly teach and also model appropriate labelling of emotions. We can do this in the moment, by giving a name to the emotion we think our child might be feeling: “You are feeling so angry right now, huh?” “I hear that you want a new mummy. You sound really frustrated with me!”

    We can also do this by labelling our own emotions when we experience them. “Being stuck in this traffic is so frustrating!” or “I’m disappointed that this rain means we can’t go to the park today.”

    1. Teach skills

    Once your child (and you) are calm, you can work on building their skills and helping them learn to express themselves in more appropriate ways. By listening to the message underneath their mean words, you can identify any potential problems they are trying to communicate to you and come up with solutions. Are they questioning their place in your family since their baby sibling came along? Maybe you can make time for some one on on one time. Are they feeling sad about some friendship difficulties at school? Maybe you can role play some scenarios with them, or perhaps they just need a sympathetic ear.

    This is also the time to explicitly teach them how to communicate their needs to you next time. Give them the language they can use. Talk to them about how to identify that feeling in their body and how they can better manage it next time. Once your child is able to effectively label their emotions, you are able to find ways to manage them together. The emotions won’t stop, of course, but the mean words will. And as a bonus, you’ll find you have a healthy, connected, and trusting relationship with your child.

    BEING PATIENT AT CARLINE DROP OFF AND PICK UP

    All parents using the Admin Area carline for drop off and pick up are reminded that there is to be no right turn into the school cutting in front of cars that are already inline waiting to turn left into the pick up/drop off zone. Parents are asked to go down to the bottom of Victoria St, through the roundabout and then come back up the hill joining the line of cars entering the school via a left-hand turn.

    Last week I had several parents contact me about cars cutting in front of them during pick up and drop off. Please do not enter St Ita’s via a right hand turn off Victoria Street as its unsafe and unfair on those already waiting patiently to enter the drop off or pick up zone.

    Please do not cut in front of cars in the bus bay zone, the bus bay zone is to be kept clear at all times.

    DISABLED CAR PARK

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    We have a number of parents parking in the disabled spaces out the front of the school. Please do not use these car parks unless you have a disabled sticker on display.

    Andrew Osler

    St Ita's Principal

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    IMPORTANT DATES

    Monday 12th June - King's Birthday Public Holiday

    GRADE 6 JACKETS

    We have confirmed the arrival date for the Grade 6 jackets, we are expecting them to arrive next week Friday 2nd June. Unfortunately the company producing the jackets has had some supply issues with overseas suppliers, we thank you for your patience with this issue.

    POSTPONEMENT OF GRANDPARENT’S DAY

    Unfortunately due to the current outbreak of Covid at St Ita’s, we have had to postpone the Grandparent's Day Liturgy that was planned for Wednesday 24th May.

    We apologise for the late cancellation; however I cannot place our grandparents, parents, staff and children at risk by housing them in a crowded Church and School Hall knowing that we have Covid in our school.

    We will reschedule and plan a new date towards the end of Term 3 when the warmer weather is with us, to ensure kids get to share quality time with their Grandparents where they can showcase their learning and classrooms.

    We thank you for supporting us with keeping everyone in the St Ita's community safe.

    SIBLING ENROLMENTS

    Our 2024 sibling enrolments for Foundation are now open at St Ita’s.

    Interview times have now been set and can be booked via the School Interviews Website.

    Please use the link below or the QR Code to book now.

    BOOKING LINK

    https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/xtgs3

    BOOKING QR CODE

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    SCHOOL FEE STATEMENTS 

    School Fee statements have been forwarded to all families via Email, if you have not received your statement please make contact with us so that we can check your details and ensure we have your correct Email details. 

    Term 1 Fees were due on 24th February 2023, and Term 2 fees are due and payable by Friday, 19th May 2023.

    Direct Debit and Credit Card payments can be set up at any time, please contact School Admin to assist with putting these options in place. 

    Contact: admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au or (03) 5623 7222

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    AUSSIE OF THE MONTH

    Congratulations to Beni Greco on winning the St Ita’s Aussie of the Month Award. Beni is a kind and considerate student who is a great and supportive friend to many in our school. He checks in regularly on the wellbeing of others and is a great role model to the younger students in our school.

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    GRADE 5/6 CONVERSE DESIGN COMPETITION

    In Art, Grade 5/6 students have participated in a Converse design competition. Here is the brief they were given.

    Think about the elements of lifeline, shape and colour.

    Think about pop artists and how you could incorporate what you have learnt this year about them.

    Don’t use too much detail, try and keep it simple. 

    I am excited to announce the winner of the competition is Larissa (6C)…. 

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    And the 6 runners up are... 

    Shae (5MW)

    Tilly (6C)

    Zephyr (6A)

    Rex (5W)

    Ava H (5C)

    and Reece (6C)

    Congratulations everyone. 

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    All students put in so much effort. 

    The winner will receive a pair of converse and their designs will be transferred onto them and they will be displayed at our up and coming Art exhibition. 

    There will be a little treat for the runners up also.  

    This was such a fun activity and I think the students really enjoyed it. 

    Robyn Leary (Art Teacher) 

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    Teacher: Mrs Catherine McKenna

    Email: cmckenna@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au

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    Today was National Simultaneous Storytime. Our students listened to the Speedy Sloth by Rebecca Young. In library classes leading up to today the Foundation to Grade 4 students have become familiar with the book’s characters and theme, the author and illustrator and they have learnt many facts about sloths! If you would like to listen the book, click the link below, where it is read from the Singapore Zoo.

    Each year we participate in NSS and our students remember year to year the great books that we have read!! NSS receives positive media coverage and generates a great deal of community interest. 2022 was the biggest and most successful NSS to date with over 2.18 million participants at over 59 thousand locations!

    The Speedy Sloth read from Singapore Zoo

    Story Box Library

    Just a reminder to parents and new families that we have a subscription to Story Box Library. There is a link to the website below, or you can download the app. I encourage you to try it out.

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    Audiobooks

    If your child isn’t into reading, or if they haven’t found the genre that they love yet, get them listening to audio books. Also known as ear-reading, it’s a great way for our students to explore and develop a love of story. I use the app BorrowBox which is free through the Local Community Library-Myli.

    Scholastic Book Club

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    Book Club Issue 4 - CLICK HERE

    Orders close Friday 12th May for free delivery back to school. 

    You also have the home delivery option with an addition fee of $7.50

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    SPORTS NEWS

    Sports Teacher/Co-Ordinator: Hayley Roberts     

    Email:  hroberts@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au       

    IMPORTANT DATES TERM 2

    Wednesday 31st May - 5/6 Winter Sports @ Bellbird Park

    Thursday 1st June - Cross Country - Regional @ Drouin Golf Course 

    CROSS COUNTRY - CHAIRO

    On the 23rd May, 23 students represented St Ita’s at the Division Cross County which was held at Chairo. The students all tried their best in the 1.75km or 3km run. Well done to Brodie Beechey, Charlotte Bills, Tilly Kensley, Marley Nooy and Eli Spargo who advance to the Regional Cross Country next Thursday 1st June at Drouin Golf Course. 

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    Art Teacher: Robyn Leary     

    Email:  rleary@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au

    ART ROOM NEWS

    NATIONAL SORRY DAY

    It’s sand art time in the art room this week for juniors. We have been learning about the Indigenous Australians and the meaning behind ‘National SORRY day’. 

    Middles and seniors have been designing their own hand print with respect to the Indigenous Australians. 

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    HELP NEEDED

    The Art room is in need of some recycled containers (butter containers are great) to use for water and paint storage, please send some along with your child and thank you in advance.

    ART EXHIBITION

    As the school year progresses, we are planning to hold an art exhibition either at the end of the third term or at the start of the fourth term. This exhibition will be an opportunity for our students to showcase their hard work and creativity to the entire school community. We are excited to see the amazing artworks that our students will create.

    PARISH NEWS

    Tools for the Task

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    Toolboxes are probably not an image we associate with the feast of Pentecost but there is a connection!

    Whenever we are faced with a task, whether some maintenance around the house, struggling around a golf course or baking scones, our thoughts turn to the equipment we need. Already we have the desire to do the task and an idea of what the task requires. We need the right tools to complete the task.

    Following the Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus disciples are eager to get about their mission, but they are lacking the equipment. Jesus promises the disciples (John 20:19-23) that the Holy Spirit will be with them and in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1-11) we read of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples, giving them the tools. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are: Wisdom, Right Judgement, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence, Wonder and Awe and Understanding. Armed with those tools, the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, their Mission and ours, will proclaim Joy, Love, Peace, Goodness, Kindness, Patience, Self-Control, Trustfulness and Gentleness to the world. On the very day of Pentecost those early disciples were able to spread the Good News of the Kingdom to thousands and, in the first century, around the Mediterranean, from Jerusalem to Alexandria, Carthage, Ephesus and Antioch and even, at the heart of empire, Rome itself.

    We have the best of all messages to share about the Creator of the universe who loves us all beyond measure. If all who called themselves Christians were truly aware of their gifts; if we had all sorted carefully through our toolbox then everyone would be a Christian. There are many of us already but we have many more who have yet to hear the message. That’s our job! Pentecost brings present again our Confirmation, the day when the Holy Spirit gave us our personal toolbox for our life’s mission. What tools will I select? How am I going to spread God’s Word?

    Deacon Mark Kelly

    PARISH SACRAMENT ENQUIRIES

    Phone: (03) 5623 1642 Email: Warragul.sacraments@cdsale.org.au

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

    PUBLIC NOTICES

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