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

Upcoming Events

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.

Year 6 Fundraiser - Easter Raffle!

Tickets are attached for the Year 6 Easter Raffle. 

They are $2 per ticket and will be drawn after the Easter Liturgy on Friday, 4th April.

Please return the tickets and money by Thursday, 3rd April.

Thank-you for your support.

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
• Thursday – Choir Practice – 8am Year 1 Classroom (All welcome)

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to the following students who had a birthday. 

We hope your day was very special!

Carter Capewell – 28th February  

Amy Wharton – 2nd March  

Mrs Campbell – 2nd March 

Harry Bayliss – 5th March 

Mrs Fett – 8th March  

Class Awards

Classroom Learning Snapshots

Prep with Miss Ball

The Prep students have been actively engaged in learning, focusing on the letters and sounds 's' and 't' during UFLI. In English, we have been deepening our understanding of rhyming through fun and familiar nursery rhymes. In Maths, we’ve started exploring the concept of subitising, helping students recognize quantities of 0-10 at a glance. In Religion, the students have been asking thoughtful questions as we delve into the meaning and significance of prayer. Additionally, in Prep, we’ve started our connected unit, which explores various celebrations. The students have been particularly interested in learning about Christmas and understanding why it holds such an important place in many traditions.

Year 1 with Miss Charlton 

In English, we have been working on our fluency, vocabulary skills, verbally constructing sentences, phonics skills and exploring how images can give us meaning in texts. In Maths, we have begun skip counting in 2s, 5s and 10s as well as learning how we can use place value to help us with identifying and counting numbers. In Religion, we have continued exploring aspects of Jewish daily life and comparing them to our own lives. We have also continued our exploration of music concepts and are continuing to grow our repertoire of songs.  

Year 2 with Mr Smith 

In Year 2, we have been busy with exciting learning experiences! In English, we read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and practised sequencing events before creating our own class variation. In Maths, we’ve been working on two-digit addition and subtraction, and building our problem-solving skills. In Religion, we explored the importance of our relationship with God. We also became foley artists in Science, experimenting with sound and pitch to create our own effects.  

Year 3/4 with Miss Carter

We've had an exciting couple of weeks in Grade 3/4. In English, we've been exploring informative texts, specifically about waterfalls and rivers. The students are learning how to write these texts and extend simple sentences to make their writing more detailed and engaging. It's been wonderful to see their creativity flow! 

In Maths, our "Learning Through Doing" program has been a hit. We've focused on fractions and place value so far. This hands-on approach allows the students to manipulate different tools, helping them fully understand these important concepts. The students are really enjoying the interactive activities and are making great progress. 

Science has been all about heat and its effects on playgrounds and other parts of the school. The students have been conducting experiments and observations to see how heat impacts different materials and environments. It's been fascinating to watch their curiosity and enthusiasm grow. 

In Religion, we've been discussing our school motto and the values that Jesus has shown us. The students are learning how to be good people and live by these values in their daily lives. It's been a meaningful and reflective time for everyone. 

A quick reminder that NAPLAN is coming up in Week 7. Please ensure your child is well-prepared and ready for these important assessments. We're confident they'll do great! 

Lastly, I want to address behaviour. We've had a few behavioural incidents recently, and I want to reiterate that school is for learning. Since it's Week 6, students should be doing their very best learning. They should be on their best behaviour, striving to be kind and putting in their utmost effort in all activities. Let's work together to create a positive and supportive learning environment for everyone. 

Thank you for your continued support! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. 

Year 5/6 with Miss Walker

This fortnight, we have been in the learning pit in Maths, exploring decimals, fractions and percentages. I am really proud of the student's persistence and honesty in class discussions to conquer new concepts. In English and Science, we have continued our exploration of the solar system and outer space. It is great to see the students asking so many questions to further their understanding. Also, we are very excited to dive into our first fundraiser, the Pancake Stall, where every student has participated, and worked together as a team. Hope you are all doing well.

Principal's Report

Last week I spent a few days at the Principal’s Forum in Toowoomba. At each forum our Executive Director- Dr Pat Coughlan gives a keynote address which provides Principals with thought provoking ideas to apply in our own contexts. His keynote was titled – You are Salt of the Earth and Light to the World and he focused on some key ideas around this, one of which being ‘light brings hope’.  Dr Pat challenged us, in our position as leaders, to think about how we bring hope to our schools, so that it may give our community something better to look forward to.  As a school, it is my goal to continue to maximise our strengths and provide a place of hope, trust, compassion and stability for our students, staff, parents and wider Cunnamulla community. With this in mind, we will begin to unpack our newly re-vamped Habits of the Heart and Mind for the rest of this term so that we all have clarity about our school’s values.  We will also continue our work on the Science of Learning so that we can use our knowledge of this to help us all become better learners.  After all, learning is hard! Finally, to help us all maintain our wellbeing which helps to enable us to learn, we have just begun our “Dare to be a Rockstar Teacher” and “Dare to be a Rockstar Student” programs with Beyond the Classroom.  I’ll share more about these programs as they get under way.

 I look forward to seeing you all at assembly and Leadership Liturgy on THURSDAY – an exciting time for us to induct our 2025 school leaders.

Mrs Cara Haig

Principal

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

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
• Thursday – Choir Practice – 8am Year 1 Classroom (All welcome)

Swimming

Swimming lessons continue 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)
• $1 to participate.