Dear Parents & Caregivers,

Principal appointment

This week we heard the exciting news that our new Principal has been announced! Mr David Hurn will begin as Principal in Term 4. David is currently acting Principal at St James the Apostle School in Hoppers Crossing. David is very excited at the prospect of joining the STM community and looks forward to meeting the staff, students and parents. Thank you to the Principal appointment panel consisting of Fr Giang, MACS regional consultant, a local Principal and 2 school parents for their roles in the recruitment and appointment. The panel reported a very high quality field applied and the final decision was unanimous.

COVID update

Thanks to all in the community for supporting the wearing of masks when inside the school. We are ever cautious but there does seem to be a decline in the COVID and seasonal illnesses this week. We will however continue to monitor our health and safety for the rest of this term.

Angus Street carpark

The carpark development on Angus Street will begin on August 12. The staff carpark will be largely unavailable and most staff will be parking in the North Street carpark. There may be more traffic congestion at the North Street entrance during this time, we apologise in advance for any inconvenience while the car park development takes place. All being well the carpark will be completed by November.

Operoo update

Operoo now allows two parents to have access to both receive forms AND respond. In order to do this, the primary parent needs to give access to 'edit and modify' your child's profile via your app. More information about this can be found in this article: https://support.operoo.com/portal/en/kb/articles/how-does-a-user-share-a-profile-with-a-second-parent-or-carer. Also, if parents need to amend their email adddress for Operoo, this can also be done within the app. Instructions can be found here: https://support.operoo.com/portal/en/kb/articles/how-does-a-user-share-a-profile-with-a-second-parent-or-carer

Alopecia Awareness Day

Today we highlight an awareness of alopecia. Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss. It can affect anyone at any age, but most commonly occurs during childhood. There is no cure, and the condition can be life-long. Around half a million Australians will be impacted by this condition in their lives, and yet many people have not heard of it.

A supportive school or community can make a huge impact on kids living with Alopecia Areata, and this is our aim. Awareness can help to inform and educate, reduce bullying, and help empower young people. Thank you for supporting us in developing our understanding of this condition. Thank you to the contributions from our families today, we raised $571.00.

School Athletics Day

We are really looking forward to our athletics day on Monday, this is one of our favourite days of the year. Students are to wear school sports uniform (shorts) with their sports team colour, this can be a T shirt, hair ribbons etc. The sports are at Harold Stevens Athletics Track Outlook Road, Coburg North, please see details below in this newsletter. Special thanks to Sarah Tarquinio for organising the athletics day for our students.

School Fees

School fee statements were sent out this week. Thank you to all families who have meet their financial committment to STM. We ask that any outstanding debt be finalised as soon as possible.

Mid term break

A reminder that curriculum days for Term 3 are Friday August 12th and Monday August 15th. While staff are completing professional practice hours we hope our families enjoy a mid term break.

STMPA

We had another successful STMPA meeting this week. There are lots of activities and social opportunities coming up. Please see the report below from Umith.

Thanks for your support of our great school. Have a great weekend.

Geraldine & Leadership Team

Dear Parents,

Just a reminder that Athletics Carnival will be held next Monday 8th August 2022 (Monday Term 3, Week 5)

A few reminders:

Parents/family spectators

• All parents/families are welcome to come and watch their child on the day

• Additional sausages will be available for purchase for adult/younger sibling spectators only (correct change cash $3.00)

Clothing & Equipment:

• Children are encouraged to wear their Sports uniform and a t-shirt in their House colour (Blue, Green, Red, or Gold)

• Please ensure that children are dressed according to the weather forecast - rain jackets recommended

• Appropriate footwear must be worn to ensure that children can safely participate in organised sporting events

• Children are welcome to bring a backpack of their choice, however, ensure all items are clearly labelled

• Picnic rugs (optional)

Food:

• • Children are required to bring their packed brain food and snacks

  • Students who have not ordered a sausage for lunch will need to provide their own lunch for the day

  • Water in plastic bottles only

Travel Arrangements:

• All children are expected to be dropped off (by parents/guardians ) at the Coburg Athletics track between 8:30 am - 8:45 am for a 9:00 am start. Please be aware that there will be no teacher supervision before 8:30 am

• Parents and caregivers will need to pick up their child at Coburg Track. Staggered times to be signed out are;

A-K: 2:30pm- 2:45pm

L-Z: 2:45pm- 3:00pm

• Bus transfer from the track back to the school will only be provided to students who have been enrolled in OSHclub after school on Monday 8th August. Operoo form confirming permission must be completed

PLEASE NOTE: In the case of inclement weather (e.g. high chance of rain and/or winds, etc), families will be notified of the cancellation via email and Seesaw by 5:30pm Sunday 7th August

Head to our week 4 Curriculum Newsletter to see an wrap up of the awesome learning experiences happening across our school during the fist halt of term 3! Click the image below to be taken to this newsletter section.

Many thanks for your ongoing support of all of the amazing learning happening in our STM classrooms!

Kate Korber - Learning & Teaching Leader

STMPA New Letter Update

1^st meeting for term 3 was held on the 02 August. The team talked about exciting activities scheduled throughout the term focusing on strengthening engagement further.

A big thank you to our year 1 reps who organised the parent dinner at the Pascoe Vale Hotel. The start of many more to come in the future!

Dad’s dinner in term 2 was a great success with much positive feedback. Watch this space for another event in term 4.

Upcoming Events

· Sports Day Sausage Sizzle - 8^th August.

Thanks to all parents who volunteered to help on the day.

· STM Art Show – 13^th October

Sports green will be available to those who would like to bring in a picnic with a coffee cart and a sausage sizzle catering to your food and caffeine needs.

· Father’s Day Breakfast – 2^nd September

· Father’s Day Stall – 2^nd September

· Parent Trivia Night - TBD

Vacant STMPA positions

Two positions are still vacant and seeking volunteers to join as STMPA Secretary and Classroom Representatives of 5B.

Communication Channels

Various channels (Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger) currently exist where regular information is shared amongst parents of each year level. Your classroom representative can direct you to the right channel for up-to-date information STMPA activities.

Regards

Umith Wickramasinghe

Helping girls to stand tall

Helping girls manage conflict is complex. Unlike conflict between boys which is loud, boisterous, and over as quickly as it began, most conflict between girls lingers on, taking up unwanted mind space and harming their mental health. “She’s so mean to me. I hate her,” is the type of statement that many parents have heard their daughters utter.

Girls handle conflict in one of three ways: like a shark (aggressively), a turtle (passively) or an owl (assertively). Let’s look at each style:

Shark (aggressive)

A shark is intent on winning and coming out on top when there’s a problem. Shark behaviours include a raised voice, shouting, physical contact, threats, and name-calling. Sharks are effective at getting what they want but they can hurt people in the process.

Turtle (passive)

A turtle pulls its head in and hides in its shell when conflict arises. When treated unfairly girls retreat into themselves, experiencing frustration, anxiety and even sadness. In extreme cases turtles become targets for less pleasant girls, who know they won’t retaliate.

Owl (assertive)

An owl deals with conflict without avoiding the issues. Owls express their rights and needs in positive ways and do their utmost to resolve problems rather than try to gain a personal win. They use assertive communication strategies rather than aggression or passive acceptance.

How to help

Parents can help their daughters develop the skills and behaviours needed to effectively resolve conflict and manage difficult feelings. Sibling and parent-child disagreements are fruitful grounds for girls to learn how to better manage themselves and others during disputes. Here are three owl-like conflict resolution strategies girls can use:

Teach I-statements

Learning to use these statements empowers girls to take responsibility for communicating how they feel. I-statements help your daughter express her feelings appropriately without being aggressive or intimidating.

The script for I-statements is:

When you……………… I feel/felt………………because……………… I would like ………………

e.g. When you went to the movies with her, I felt angry because I was left out of the group. I would like you to let me know next time, instead of keeping it a secret and going behind my back.

Encourage strong body language

A girl’s non-verbals including tone of voice, posture, eye contact and head positioning influences how much others take notice of her. A strong “This is what I want” verbal message delivered in a whiny, high-pitched voice or muttered with the head down indicates that a girl doesn’t intend to be taken seriously. The same statement issued with strong body language and a firm voice helps her be taken seriously by others. Her message is only as strong as the body language that supports it. The non-verbal communication techniques outlined in Spoonfed Generation, although written for parents are just as applicable for girls.

Speak with intent

Girls of all ages have a tendency to pepper their conversations with qualifiers such as, “I think…”, “This may not be right, but…”,” This might sound crazy….”, “I know it is not my turn, but I was thinking that, like, …” and so on. Qualifiers dilute the power of a girl’s words, indicating uncertainty, lack of confidence and demonstrating a need for validation that undermines her authority.

If your daughter continually speaks with qualifiers, respectfully make her aware of this propensity. “Darling, you don’t sound convincing. What exactly do you want?”

Most of us resolve conflict in ways that we learned at home in our families. Help your daughter develop effective patterns she can use to resolve conflict amicably, respectfully, and effectively so she can stand tall and feel confident in her own skin.

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