Student Wellbeing by Mr Kupper
In today's digital age, video games have become a significant part of children's activities. While they offer fun, learning, and social interaction, it's essential to be aware of the hidden negative effects of inappropriate video games on young minds. With easy access to games, we're seeing these negative impacts more often in our communities. Below are some of these concerns to help you make informed decisions about your child's gaming habits.
1. Desensitization to Violence: Many popular video games contain graphic violence, which can make children more accepting of aggressive behavior. Over time, they might see violence as a normal way to solve problems, affecting their interactions with others. Games like Grand Theft Auto feature satire-based violence and inappropriate themes. Without understanding satire, children might develop distorted worldviews.
2. Impaired Social Skills: Inappropriate video games often promote isolated play, reducing face-to-face interaction. This lack of social engagement can hinder the development of essential skills like empathy, communication, and teamwork. Children who spend too much time gaming might struggle to make real-world connections and build meaningful relationships.
3. Impact on Academic Performance: Excessive gaming can interfere with school responsibilities. Time spent on video games can reduce homework hours, leading to poor time management and lower grades. The constant stimulation from gaming can also make it hard for children to focus on schoolwork and tasks that need sustained attention.
4. Sleep Disruptions: The immersive nature of video games can lead to long play sessions, often extending into late-night hours. This disrupts a child's sleep schedule, resulting in insufficient rest. Lack of sleep can negatively affect a child's mood, cognitive function, and overall well-being, impacting their performance in school and daily activities.
5. Exposure to Inappropriate Content: Many video games contain themes and language unsuitable for young audiences. Exposure to such content can shape a child's worldview in unhealthy ways, influencing their values, attitudes, and behaviors. It's crucial to monitor the games your child plays to ensure they align with your family's values and are age appropriate. Many concepts in video games may be new to children and require explanation and comparison to real-world variations, e.g., death in match-based video games versus death in real life. Games often skip these real-world comparisons, leaving children with unrealistic views of important life skills.
6. Addictive Behavior: The captivating nature of video games can lead to addictive behavior, where children prioritize gaming over other important activities. This addiction can cause behavioral changes, such as irritability when not playing, withdrawal from social interactions, and a constant preoccupation with gaming. Addressing this issue early on is vital to prevent long-term consequences.
What Can Parents Do?
1. Set Limits: Establish clear guidelines for gaming time, ensuring a balance with other activities like homework, outdoor play, and family time.
2. Monitor Content: Use parental controls and review game ratings to choose age-appropriate games for your child.
3. Encourage Social Interaction: Promote activities that foster real-world social skills, such as team sports, group hobbies, and family outings.
4. Discuss the Effects: Have open conversations with your child about the potential negative impacts of inappropriate video games and the importance of making responsible choices.
5. Lead by Example: Model balanced screen habits by demonstrating healthy ways to use technology.
While video games can be fun and engaging, it's essential to stay vigilant about their potential hidden negative effects. By taking proactive steps, parents can help their children enjoy the benefits of gaming while safeguarding their emotional, social, and academic well-being.
Mr Jesse Kupper
School Guidance Counsellor
Tuition Fees
At Sacred Heart, we have several payment options for your convenience: Cash, Cheque, ETPOS, Direct Debit and Centrepay. For further details on these payment options please see the school office.
Important Dates
Week 10 | |
Monday 31st March | Chess Club – 3-4pm Library |
Wednesday 2nd April | Run Club – 7:30am (Yr 2-6 welcome) |
Thursday 3rd April | Choir Practice – 8am Yr 1 classroom (All welcome) Swimming Lessons - Prep - Year 2 |
Friday 4th April | Easter Liturgy + Assembly - 8:40am Meals on Wheels – 11:50am Swimming Lessons - Year 3/4 & 5/6 Last Day of Term 1 |
Dates for next term:
Anzac Day - Friday, 25th April - Students are invited to meet at the Boutique Hotel at 10:15am to march with the school. Please wear white shirts and bring school hats.
Term 2 Starts – Monday, 28th April
School Cross Country - Friday, 2nd May
District Cross Country – Friday, 9th May
Tuckshop
For any students who did not receive tuckshop after leaving early last Friday due to the closure of the school, the orders will roll over to this week. You do not need to place these orders again on the Flexischools APP. If your child/ren received little lunch before leaving school, please place a new order for little lunch only (they will receive their big lunch order from last week). Thank-you for your understanding!
What's On
With so much happening at the school, we have multiple ways to keep you updated on upcoming events and important dates.
Our newsletters are now available on the SZapp app. Please install it to stay informed! A revised version of the newsletter will be sent home with students every week.
We also post regularly on Facebook and share information for the coming week every Sunday.
Student Protection
At Sacred Heart the safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. All children should grow up free of violence or exploitation and be able to learn in a safe and supported environment. Schools have a number of specific child protection reporting obligations that are detailed in our Student Protection Processes and Guidelines.
It is a legislative requirement that all non-state schools have at least two nominated staff members to whom a student can report the behaviour of another staff member that the student considers inappropriate. We call these specially trained staff members School Student Protection Contacts, or SSPCs. Each SSPC has been nominated by the principal in recognition of their integrity, approachability and knowledge in the area of student protection. Whilst students are encouraged to speak up to any trusted adult in the school community, it is important that they know they can access these specific staff members at any time should they have worries, queries or concerns. You will have noticed posters throughout the school depicting our current SSPCs. The SSPCs are also published on our school website along with information about our student protection processes. In everything we do at Sacred Heart Primary School student safety is our highest priority, therefore the SSPCs at our school are key personnel in our overall safeguarding processes.
If a student wants to talk to someone about harm, abuse or inappropriate behaviour toward themselves or others, they can speak to a trusted staff member or one of our School Student Protection Contacts (SSPCs). The SSPCs receive additional training and are identified in the student protection posters displayed around the school.
Summary documents have been developed for parents and caregivers about our student protection obligations and our broader strategy for maintaining safe school environments.
Further information on all of the above topics can be found on the Toowoomba Catholic Schools website at the link below:
Embed Link - https://www.twb.catholic.edu.au/parents-and-community/student-protection/
Our Schools Student Protection Contacts are:
- Mrs Carolyn Crick (Administration Officer)
- Mr Jesse Kupper (School Guidance Counsellor)
- Mrs Cara Haig (Principal)
Uniform Policy
The school uniform represents the pride we have for our children and our school. A smart, neat and user-friendly uniform encourages the children to take pride in their appearance and in the school. The school uniform requirements:
Hats: Our school policy is ‘NO HAT – NO PLAY’. A green school hat must be worn and can be purchased form the office.
Jewellery: The only jewellery allowed is one set of fine studs or sleepers, a chain with some form of religious significance and watches.
Nail Polish: Nail polish is not to be worn.
Hair: Children’s hair must be neat and tidy. If hair is below the collar it needs to be tied back with appropriate white or green accessories. It is expected that hairstyles reflect the code of dress required by the school. The colouring of hair and unusual hairstyles are not acceptable.
Extra Curricular Activities
Our extra-curricular activities are underway and already proving popular!
- Monday – Chess Club – 3-4pm Library (Years 4-6 welcome)
- Tuesday – Instrumental Music Lessons Online
- Wednesday - Run Club - 7.30am (Years 2-6 welcome)
- Thursday – Choir Practice – 8am Year 1 Classroom (All welcome)
Swimming
This is the last week of swimming lessons at the town pool on Thursdays and Fridays. All students are expected to participate in swimming as it is a part of the HPE curriculum. If your child is unwell and not able to participate in a lesson, a note for the classroom teacher or phone/message the school office is required. Students need to bring their:
- togs (swim shirts recommended)
- towel
- thongs (optional)
Thursdays | Fridays |
Yr 2 – 11.45am – 12.15pm Yr 1 – 12.15pm – 12.45pm Prep – 2.15pm – 2.45pm | Yr 3/4 - 12.15pm – 12.45pm Yr 5/6 – 2.15pm – 2.45pm |
Birthdays
Happy Birthday to the following students who are having a birthday over the upcoming break.
Heather Cavanough - 6th April
Harley Jordan – 9th April
Haylee Brock – 12th April
Braxtyn Ibell – 17th April
Layla De Smet – 20th April
Charlie Palmer – 23rd April
Class Awards
Classroom Learning Snapshots
Prep with Miss Ball
In our HASS unit, we've been learning about celebrations, with a focus on birthdays. The students had a lot of fun designing their own birthday parties, including choosing the food and inviting guests. It was a great way for them to learn why have celebrations! As part of this, the students all came together to combine their ideas and to create an art piece based on a birthday party. The students really enjoyed working on this project and expressing their creativity.
Year 1 with Miss Charlton
Year 1 students have been interviewing people as part of their HASS studies. The focus was to uncover how various aspects of daily life have evolved over time. They explored changes in school life, modes of transport, and methods of communication, gaining fascinating insights into the past. They compared and contrasted the differences and similarities between past and present daily life, discovering what has changed and what has remained the same.
Year 2 with Mr Smith
In Year 2, we’ve been hard at work completing our assessments. One of the highlights has been designing and creating puppets to retell the much-loved story Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley. Students rehearsed their parts both on their own and with a partner, building confidence and creativity. They then wowed their classmates with some truly fantastic puppet performances!
Year 3/4 with Miss Carter
In the last fortnight, 3 / 4 have been exploring hybrid texts in English- we have been learning that a hybrid text is all about mixing two genres together. The students have done extremely well at relating to hybrid texts through familiar environments in Cunnamulla and creating stories that have amazing description! Great work to all of the 3 / 4 students on finishing assessments, happy holidays- see you all in 3 weeks!
Year 5/6 with Miss Walker
This past fortnight has been a whirlwind and I have to say, I am incredibly proud of the efforts from all of the year 5/6 students. It has been jam-packed with finishing off assessments in English, Mathematics, Science, Religion and Visual Arts to consolidate our terms worth of learning. We are thrilled to announce that the art pieces created by the Year 5/6 students, as part of our science and art unit, will be proudly displayed at this year's River Lights Art Festival - come and see their creativity shine!
Principal Report
To begin I would like to thank all parents and carers for the prompt response last Friday as we dealt with our 'Wild Weather'. It was greatly appreciated that so many parents could collect students to help relieve the pressure on our stretched amenities during the heavy rain event. While we were all perfectly safe, your assistance in collecting students made it much easier to manage. For those students who did not get to tuckshop orders, please be assured that you will get them this week. Please see your class teacher if you are unsure what order your child has for this week.
This term both staff and students began their "Dare to be a Rockstar..." program with Peta Jeppesen from Beyond the Classroom. Staff came together to look at data gathered from a survey which helped them devise a common goal to work towards to assist with staff wellbeing. Students began their journey learning how our student wellbeing champions will lead their peers to complete surveys and identify areas of need for their wellbeing. Students also began to learn how they will 'teach' a range of strategies to their peers to help improve the areas of need identified and the common goal they create.
A contract has recently been signed with H& H Builders so that we can begin our Go For Gold building project. This very exciting project to upgrade our sporting facilities will make our school look amazing by the end of 2025. The project will begin with the installation of a new sprinkler system and re-seeding of the school oval.
If you have seen our recent Facebook posts, you will already be aware that we have secured some travel days in the first week of school in Term 2 which paired with the public holidays and pupil free days mean that our students are lucky enough to have an extra week off. The school office will be open on Thursday 24th April as the staff will be working that day. Students are encouraged to attend the ANZAC Day March (dressed in White Shirts) meeting at the Boutique Hotel at 10:15am. Teachers will be able to bring school hats if they have been left at school. Please keep an eye on our Facebook posts for further information.
Cara Haig
Principal
Tuition Fees
Term 1 Fees have been sent home, can these please be paid by Friday 21st March 2025. At Sacred Heart, we have several payment options for your convenience: Cash, Cheque, ETPOS, Direct Debit and Centrepay. For further details on these payment options please see the school office.
Important Dates
Tuckshop
Tuckshop is open on Fridays.
You can order and pay for lunches via the Flexischools app anytime before 8.45am on Friday morning.
Simply download the Flexischools app from the Apple or Google store and follow the prompts to create an account. Once set up, click “Order Food” to place your order and pay.
What's On
With so much happening at the school, we have multiple ways to keep you updated on upcoming events and important dates.
Our newsletters are now available on the SZapp app. Please install it to stay informed! A revised version of the newsletter will be sent home with students every week.
We also post regularly on Facebook and share information for the coming week every Sunday.
Student Protection
At Sacred Heart the safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. All children should grow up free of violence or exploitation and be able to learn in a safe and supported environment. Schools have a number of specific child protection reporting obligations that are detailed in our Student Protection Processes and Guidelines.
It is a legislative requirement that all non-state schools have at least two nominated staff members to whom a student can report the behaviour of another staff member that the student considers inappropriate. We call these specially trained staff members School Student Protection Contacts, or SSPCs. Each SSPC has been nominated by the principal in recognition of their integrity, approachability and knowledge in the area of student protection. Whilst students are encouraged to speak up to any trusted adult in the school community, it is important that they know they can access these specific staff members at any time should they have worries, queries or concerns. You will have noticed posters throughout the school depicting our current SSPCs. The SSPCs are also published on our school website along with information about our student protection processes. In everything we do at Sacred Heart Primary School student safety is our highest priority, therefore the SSPCs at our school are key personnel in our overall safeguarding processes.
If a student wants to talk to someone about harm, abuse or inappropriate behaviour toward themselves or others, they can speak to a trusted staff member or one of our School Student Protection Contacts (SSPCs). The SSPCs receive additional training and are identified in the student protection posters displayed around the school.
Summary documents have been developed for parents and caregivers about our student protection obligations and our broader strategy for maintaining safe school environments.
Further information on all of the above topics can be found on the Toowoomba Catholic Schools website at the link below:
Embed Link - https://www.twb.catholic.edu.au/parents-and-community/student-protection/
Our Schools Student Protection Contacts are:
- Mrs Carolyn Crick (Administration Officer)
- Mr Jesse Kupper (School Guidance Counsellor)
- Mrs Cara Haig (Principal)
Uniform Policy
The school uniform represents the pride we have for our children and our school. A smart, neat and user-friendly uniform encourages the children to take pride in their appearance and in the school. The school uniform requirements:
Hats: Our school policy is ‘NO HAT – NO PLAY’. A green school hat must be worn and can be purchased form the office.
Jewellery: The only jewellery allowed is one set of fine studs or sleepers, a chain with some form of religious significance and watches.
Nail Polish: Nail polish is not to be worn.
Hair: Children’s hair must be neat and tidy. If hair is below the collar it needs to be tied back with appropriate white or green accessories. It is expected that hairstyles reflect the code of dress required by the school. The colouring of hair and unusual hairstyles are not acceptable.
Extra Curricular Activities
Sacred Heart Run Club with Miss Walker is starting this week! Students in Year 2-6 who are keen to start training for Cross Country should meet at the front of school on Wednesdays at 7.30am. Students can wear sports gear and trainers and bring their school uniform to change into at school after the run. Permission slips need to be returned by Wednesday for students to attend.
- Monday – Chess Club – 3-4pm Library (Years 4-6 welcome)
- Tuesday – Instrumental Music Lessons Online
- Wednesday - Run Club - 7.30am (Yrs 2-6 welcome)
- Thursday – Choir Practice – 8am Year 1 Classroom (All welcome)
Netball - We are proud of our students who trained hard after school for the District and Regional Netball trials. They all showed great determination to work together and learn new skills. Well done to Claudia Land, Heath Allan and Natasha King who represented us in St George!
