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STUDENT ABSENCE PHONE 3358 7333 Option 1 Absence email: |
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Monday & Wednesday |
Uniform Shop open 8.00-9.30am | |
| Uniform Shop 2021 times. |
Tues 19 Jan 8-12.00 Wed 20Jan 8-12.00 Mon 25 Jan 8-12.00 |
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Student Account Payments: |
Although Accounts have closed for 2020, payments by BPOINT are still available for unpaid invoices. |
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| 2020 Calendar |
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Note: Information is sent from New Farm State School, newfarmss@schoolzineplus.com To avoid missing these important emails, please add this email address to your inbox Favourites list. |
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| Wed 9 Dec |
Last Day of Term |
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| Thurs 21 Jan |
Open School Session 8-8:45am |
Not compulsory |
| Mon 25 Jan |
Student Free Day |
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| Tues 26 Jan |
Public Holiday |
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| Wed 27 Jan |
Term 1 begins |
all students |
Parent/Teacher Interviews Date Claimer
A reminder that our Parent Teacher interviews will be held in week 2 of term 2 – 29 April between 3.15 p.m. – 4.30 p.m. and on the 30 April between 2.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m.
N.B. No interviews can be booked at present.
Uniform
As our days are becoming a little cooler, it is a good time to order your child’s school jumper and track pants. As we are a ‘uniform school’ all students will need these items.
COVID -19 Important Information
Please continue to pay extra attention to health and hygiene measures at home with your children, particularly the use of soap and if soap is not available, hand sanitiser. You can be assured we are reinforcing this message at school.
We are taking precautions that include postponing our Harmony Day Parade and cancelling our assemblies, as both these situations involve our entire school community being in the one indoor area. School photographs will still go ahead on Monday the 23rd of March, as children will be grouped in classes.
Our teachers have been working with Mr Fenton, our STEAM coach, to prepare resources to ensure student learning continues, should our school be impacted by the virus. This is only a precaution and teachers will be continuing to teach normally at the present time.
For now, if your child develops flu-like symptoms, please:
- keep your child at home;
- avoid close contact with others such as touching, kissing or hugging, or any mass gatherings, especially those involving other children;
- contact 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) immediately or your family doctor
- seek medical advice if your child has other underlying medical conditions; and
- call ahead to the medical centre or doctor’s surgery, before presenting in person, advising of your child’s symptoms and the closure of the school.
OnePortal page - latest advice – the links to curriculum are in the links in this paragraph on the OnePortal page
Continuity of teaching and learning and business operations
As the COVID-19 issue continues to evolve, we will continue to prepare contingency planning for ongoing teaching and learning and for central and regional office business continuity. The department has numerous online materials and resources, along with virtual classroom capability to support sustained curriculum delivery.
Information about the available options for students to work from home is outlined in Continuity of Learning Online and Offsite (PDF, 184KB) .
P.B.L. FOCUS OF THE WEEK
It is with pleasure I introduce myself as Head of Department (Curriculum) at New Farm State School. I am a mother of three active boys and with a career spanning 19 years working with primary-aged children, I am certainly looking forward to getting to know the students. Thank you for the warm welcome I have received from the whole school community!
In 2020 The Arts curriculum will be our focus. In the Australian Curriculum, The Arts is a unique learning area that draws together various art forms. These art forms include dance, drama, music, visual arts and media arts. At times these art forms have close interrelated relationships in which we will explore.
Daniel L and Billy R in 5H love to read! Daniel says, “Reading is really interesting” and Billy likes to “be in (his) own world and relax” whilst reading.
For the Love of Reading
As a parent, reading is the single most effective activity you can do to support your child’s learning across all curriculum areas, including The Arts.
Reading and listening to your child not only offers a wonderful opportunity for you to bond with your child, but also assists with fluency and builds comprehension.
However, loving to read is not something that comes natural to all children. Sometimes they love to get lost in a book, make connections, predict what will happen next and other times children just want to look at the pictures and be done. From a very young age, parents can help cultivate a love of reading in their children. How can we cultivate a love of reading?
- Surround them with literature that excites them
When you are reading to your child, read with excitement. Try modelling what great reading looks likes, sounds like, and how great readers think, but be sure to choose literature that excites them. You want them to be glued! You want them to look forward to hearing you read the book!
- Provide ample opportunities to read
At New Farm SS reading to students happens many times a day and allowing opportunities for students to read to us just because they want to read. At the NFSS library, classes make time to read new books, alone and to each other. At home, try to provide as many opportunities for your child to read as possible.
I look forward to updating you regarding curriculum matters at New Farm State School.
In the event that the school is closed, our main form of communication will be via SMS text messaging and emails issued by Infoways.
The SMS text messaging is the same service we presently use for following up daily Unexplained Absences at school. All parents/caregivers who are registered in OneSchool to receive SMS would receive this text message.
Emails woud be sent to all parents/caregivers who are registered in OneSchool to receive correspondence.
If you have any queries regarding your contact details, kindly contact admin@newfarmss.eq.edu.au.
Parents/carers please note the ONLY email to use to inform the school of a student absence is:
Please be aware all school banking has been temporarily suspended, we will circulate information as it comes to hand.
Good afternoon Everyone,
Please note a decision has been made to cancel the following Queensland School Sport events:
- Swimming for Boys and Girls aged 10-12 years state championships
- Monday 23 March to Wednesday 25 March.
- Swimming for Boys and Girls aged 13-19 years state championships.
- Thursday 26 March to Saturday 28 March.
Again, thank you for your patience and understanding.
Kristen Jansen
Regional School Sport Officer
Jo Minto Guidance Office
As the number of new cases of coronavirus infection continue to rise the impact is now being felt in schools in Australia. It’s therefore important for parents to be there for their children to ease any concerns they may have about the virus and how it could affect them. So here’s some advice for parents to help them and their children stay informed.
- Control during uncertainty
The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causes the disease COVID-19, which can be like a common cold but it can also have more serious complications. Signs of infection may include: fever, cough and shortness of breath. Some severe cases can involve pneumonia or kidney failure with more serious consequences.
One reason people experience anxiety during a pandemic is uncertainty about its impact. Research during the 2009 swine flu (H1N1) pandemic found those people who struggled with uncertainty were more likely to see the pandemic as threatening, and this can lead to increased levels of anxiety.
One way to provide our children with certainty in uncertain times is with facts, for example, telling them the evidence so far shows children are less likely to experience severe symptoms than older adults.
You can also help them gain a sense of control by giving them strategies to help prevent them catching the virus.
- Practise good hygiene
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says we should channel our concern into good hygiene.
Encourage your children to wash their hands with soap and water frequently (particularly after going to the toilet, coming from a public place, and before and after eating).
Children should also use a tissue to sneeze into and put the tissue in the bin afterwards.
- Be careful with the news media
A quick scan of the news brings up headlines such as “Australia’s coronavirus death rate could proportionally be worse than China’s, expert warns”. This report even includes a graph showing “How likely are you to die from Coronavirus?”
Exposing children to such reports can increase their fear and anxiety.
There is a clear and strong relationship between what children see as threatening information in the media and their level of fear.
So be careful with what news media your children are exposed to. Try to watch, listen or read it with them so you are there for any questions they may have.
- Stay with the facts
When answering such questions, use information from the World Health Organisation and other trustworthy sources to inform yourself.
Filter some of the incorrect information around preventing COVID-19 (eating garlic, having hot baths) and inform your family with the correct information. Don’t be someone who passes on incorrect information to your children or others.
- Talk about your feelings
It’s OK to feel worried. Talking about your feelings of stress can help you work through them.
If you try to push down feelings of stress this can have an impact on your health.
As parents you only have to listen and hear your child’s concerns. You can’t promise things will be safe or certain. But you can assure them that as a family you will work together to manage whatever comes up in the future and that you are there to listen to them.
- Don’t pass on your fear
Research from the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic showed children’s fear of the disease was significantly related to their parents’ fear of the disease.
This effect of parents passing on fear even exists when there is nothing to fear. Research showed if parents get negative information about something that is harmless, they are more likely to pass on those negative beliefs to their children and increase their level of fear.
So even if you feel stressed about COVID-19, you need to make sure you don’t pass on this fear to your children. Show them you are calm. Don’t be a carrier for fear.
- Keep on living life
It is easy to get swept away with panic about the future and what may happen. But being future-focused only contributes to anxiety.
Help your child to focus on the now and what they are doing today. These things are in their control – work hard at school, train for netball. Continue their routine and enjoy the moments.
- Work together
This is not a time to be selfish, but to work together and support one another.
Be kind to others (don’t steal their toilet paper) and encourage your children to be kind to others as well.
Being less self-focused helps to alleviate stress and give life more meaning and purpose.
Author: Mandie Shean, Lecturer, School of Education, Edith Cowan University.
The uniform shop will only open in the afternoon on Wednesday 18 March and 25 March 2.30pm-3.30pm.
Term 2 days and times to be advised.
Coach Len with Aneliese Marleina and Lakshay at swim squad this morning at the Valley pool.
Pain, movement and exercise
“The Pilates method teaches you to be in control of your body and not at its mercy” Joseph Pilates
First and foremost it is important to recognise pain as normal. It is a protective measure, a way of letting us know we are in danger of being injured or that we are injured. Pain is also an important part of healing.
Pain is defined as an unpleasant conscious experience and is controlled by the central nervous system in the body. The central nervous system is a network of nerves that connect the brain to the rest of the body to allow the input of information. When you feel pain, it means that your brain thinks the body is under threat, and that something has to be done about it.
When a body part is damaged, nerve endings are triggered and send warning signals to the brain. This triggers protective behaviour, to minimize further damage and allow time for healing. This leads to immobilization of the area, results in protective muscle spasm and causes us to avoid movement. Once the body part has healed, the nerves endings in the area should calm down and stop sending warning signals to the brain, the pain should end allowing us to get back to normal movement and function.
Pain doesn’t always equal damage. Sometimes, the central nervous system becomes sensitized, especially if the pain has been around for a while, and it thinks we still need to protect the area, even though it has already healed and there is no more injury or tissue damage. This is the case in chronic pain, where pain continues for long periods of time without any real source of continuing harm. In this case, there is a problem with the pain processing system, not the body. When an area becomes sensitized we can expect the pain to be felt sooner and more strongly, even a minor, non-painful stimulus can trigger the pain response.
It has also been shown that emotional states such as anger, depression, stress and anxiety will reduce tolerance to pain. Although it is hard to believe, research provides strong evidence that a significant portion of chronic back pain is caused more by emotional and social factors than actual physical damage to tissues.
Chronic pain states cause us to adapt the way we move and we may even avoid movement altogether, due to fear of flaring up our injury or causing damage. This is known as fear avoidance and is the main contributor to the continuation of chronic pain. A lack of movement feeds the pain cycle and actually makes the pain worse and prolongs recovery.
Moreover, when we are told that our postures are causing pain or our movement patterns are dysfunctional we begin to obsess about trying to adopt a perfect posture and create perfect movement, rather than just focusing on creating natural movement. There is no perfect movement or perfect posture, we are individual beings and our bodies are very good at adapting to the demands of our environment and the activities we engage in.
What you believe about pain can have a very big impact on your recovery. If you have helpful beliefs (for example some pain is part of recovery and does not mean more damage, it is safe to move), then you are less likely to experience ongoing pain. If you have unhelpful beliefs (for example hurt equals harm, I am doing more damage), then your recovery is likely to be slower and you are more susceptible to developing persistent or chronic pain.
Research has shown that movement and exercise are very helpful to reduce pain and improve function for people with low back pain and is a key component in recovery.
One of the primary ways that movement can reduce pain is through the phenomenon of sensory gating or pain gating. This means that while your nervous system is processing signals resulting from active movement or touch, it has less ability to perceive and process the pain signals. A good example of sensory or pain gating is when you stub your toe and instinctively rub the area. In the same way, coordinated controlled and mindful movement will reduce the perception of a painful stimulus and relieve pain.
We would like to thank our sponsors for their continuing support for 2020.
