Dear Families,

“Mr E,” said a worried looking Year 1 child (let’s call her Jane) to me some years ago, “my friend called me a poo poo head.” As humorous as it sounds, I responded very seriously, “Thank you for telling me. Now Jane, are you a poo poo head?” Jane looked at me, scoffed and said, “Mr E you know I’m not a poo poo head.” I explained to her that it then doesn’t matter what someone else says, if she, her parents and her principal know what the actual truth is.

As your child grows and starts to navigate the world around them, it's important to teach them how to stand up for themselves and assert their boundaries. However, it's crucial to differentiate between standing up for oneself and retaliation.

Standing up for oneself means advocating for one's needs, asserting boundaries, and expressing yourself in a confident and assertive manner. It's about communicating effectively and advocating for yourself without hurting others. Retaliation, on the other hand, involves responding to a perceived wrong with an act of revenge or harm, either with words or actions, towards the other person.

Teaching your child to stand up for themselves doesn't mean encouraging them to retaliate or seek revenge. It's important to teach them how to communicate their needs and boundaries in a respectful manner, without resorting to hurtful words or actions. This can include using "I" statements, such as, "I feel uncomfortable when you do/say X," and teaching them to listen actively and empathetically to others' perspectives.

Bullying is a serious issue that can have long-lasting effects on children's mental health and well-being. As a parent, it's important to teach your child how to stand up for themselves against bullying while also promoting non-violent and respectful behaviour. Here are some tips to help you teach your child to stand up for themselves without resorting to name-calling or violence:

• Empower your child: Teach your child that they have the right to say no and set boundaries. Encourage them to use assertive communication, such as "I don't like it when you do/say that, please stop" or "I need you to stop doing that now" or “I’m not going to listen to this anymore.”
• Stay calm: Help your child learn to stay calm and composed when facing a bully. Encourage them to take deep breaths and count to 10 before responding to the bully.
• Seek support: Teach your child to seek help from trusted adults, such as teachers, counsellors, or parents. They can also seek support from friends who can help them feel safe and confident.
• Avoid name-calling or violence: Remind your child that resorting to name-calling or violence is not the right way to deal with bullying. Encourage them to respond in a respectful and non-violent manner.
• Lead by example: Set a good example for your child by demonstrating respectful behaviour in your own interactions with others.

By teaching your child to stand up for themselves in a healthy and respectful way without resorting to name-calling or violence, you are helping them develop important life skills such as self-confidence, empathy communication, and problem-solving. By promoting a culture of respect and kindness, we can help our children build healthy relationships and thrive in all aspects of their lives.

Athletics carnival

It wasn’t just the weather that was great on Monday. It was fantastic to see all our wonderful SCA students participating so enthusiastically and positively in a wide range of events at the track in Phillip. Congratulations to each child who participated with gusto, and also supported and cheered on their team-mates. It was also great to see so many parents come along to watch and cheers.

Thanks to the parents who helped. We could not have run the day without you and the wonderful volunteer students from St Mary MacKillop College.

Special thanks to the team of staff who organised our day, led by Belinda Breen and Jo Thompson, and to all the staff for a long, and enjoyable, day out in the sun.

Mother’s Day Celebrations

Thanks to Karen Snowball, Fay Holden, Jo Reed, Melinda Reeson, Sarah Felstead, Patrice Welfare and Cassie Thomson who did so much to ensure our Mother’s Day breakfast was so well organised and catered for. A very big thank you especially to Sarah from Lazy Grazer and Cassie for their generous donations. Thanks also to the parents, grandparents, staff and students who helped set-up, serve and clean up.

Reconciliation Day Public Holiday

On Monday 29th May (Week 6), the ACT will mark Reconciliation Day with a public holiday. As it is a public holiday, all schools in the ACT, including SCA, will be closed on that day.

Enrolments – Close on 26^th May

We have a great school, with wonderful kids, dedicated staff and supportive families. Please spread the word amongst family and friends, reminding those with pre-schoolers that enrolments close on Friday 26^th May.

It was once said…

Blessings to you and your family.

Matt Egan-Richards

Principal

matthewer@cg.catholic.edu.au

The many benefits of Music at SCA 

Listening to and creating music helps children learn numeracy, literacy and emotional skills. Incorporating music into routines and play in the early years has a positive influence on your child’s development. It can get them moving, thinking and inspire creativity. 

Did you know music is one of the few activities that use both sides of the brain (logical and creative)? This means it helps build important brain connections, and the more connections we have, the faster we are able to think. Most importantly though, music is fun and if your child is having fun, their brain is open to learning. 

At SCA, we have a dedicated and talented Music Teacher, Mr Mike Stoelinga. Each week the students have music lessons in a specialised room which has an abundance of musical instruments. A recent addition to the collection has been a number of Cajóns. This is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or sticks. The Conder hills are certainly alive with the beating of these drums during the day! 

Press on the link to see what’s ‘jamming’ in Music this Term. Link 

Congratulations to the children who will be awarded white cards at the 8.45 am Friday Morning Assembly

2023 TERM 2

WEEK 4 (15th May to 19th May)

Thursday 18th May - Kinder 2024 Open Day 4pm to 5:30pm

Friday 19th May - National Walk Safely to School Day

WEEK 6 (29th May to 2nd June)

Monday 29th May  - Australian Reconciliation Day Public Holiday - No school

WEEK 8 (12th June to 16th June)

Monday 12th June  - Kinds Birthday Public Holiday - No school

Mums, Dads, Grandparents, Carers: everybody is welcome to volunteer. Babies in prams, toddlers and younger siblings are more than welcome!! 

Player of the Week 

Speckles – Grace

Smiggles – Aaliyah

Squiggles – Emma

Swifts – Ruby

Skittles – Dakota and Ally

Sparkles – Elissa  

Smurfs – Chloe

Sunshines – Rose

Stars – the whole team

Skittles Report

On Saturday Skittles played against Holy Family. They had a great game and displayed some amazing skills. Every player had a chance at shooting and shot some fabulous goals. Our defensive intercepts kept the ball out of the other team's end. The final score was 27 - 1. An excellent game, well done Skittles!

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