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It’s certainly been an unusual few weeks with a dramatic shift in our priorities at Mullaloo Heights. Our newsletter, as you can see, is devoid of the usual photographs and stories of our whole school events. First of all, thank you for showing support and understanding in the wake of the frequent changes that have occurred. Though disappointing, the many cancellations are enabling us to keep our students safe and healthy while continuing our classroom routines. I can assure you that the provision of good quality teaching and learning continues to take precedence despite the disruption around us. With this in mind, I would like to acknowledge the professionalism and adaptability of our staff over the past fortnight. They are working hard to provide a calm and familiar learning environment for our students, as well as preparing for distance learning should it be required. Many of you are sending messages of thanks for their work. These are really appreciated.
Our students continue to delight us throughout this troubling period. They have embraced hand washing and hygiene protocols with their usual enthusiasm. We often hear Happy Birthday echoing from school bathrooms as students ensure they are washing their hands for the required twenty seconds. They epitomise cheerfulness and resilience which is helping us maintain a positive outlook.
We are working hard to keep you informed of changes as they occur. We will continue to do this via email and the school app; please make sure you are checking these regularly. For those who have elected to keep your children at home for the present, the following website has many good resources and activities for you to access. We also emailed temporary work packages earlier this week. If you missed these, please let us know.
https://www.education.wa.edu.au/learning-at-home
I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the last week of term (Monday 6th – Thursday 9th April), is reserved for our staff to continue their preparations for Distance Learning. During this week, we ask that you don’t send your children to school unless you can’t look after them at home. This will be true for parents who are still working in critical jobs or maybe families who have aged relatives living with them. Children who do attend school during this final week of term will not be provided with schoolwork, but they will be supervised. Thank you in anticipation of your support of this.
Take care and stay safe.
Caroline Booth
Principal
We are now accepting Enrolments for the 2021 school year.
Who needs to enrol?
You need to apply to enrol your children in public school for 2021 if they are:
- starting Kindergarten – 4 years old by 30 June 2021
- starting Pre-primary, the first year of compulsory school – 5 years old by 30 June 2021
- changing schools.
Applications for enrolment in a public school for 2021 close on Friday, 31 July 2020.
Enrolment documents for Mullaloo Heights PS are available to download from the school website at http://mullalooheightsps.wa.edu.au/enrolments/ or alternatively they can be collected from the school office.
Thursday, 2 April | Assembly - Room 5 - cancelled |
Buddy Lunch, 12pm - cancelled | |
Friday, 3 April | Pre Primary to Year 6, Singh Sisters Incursion, 1:30pm - cancelled |
Thursday, 9 April | ANZAC Ceremony - cancelled |
Last day of Term 1 | |
Friday, 10 April | Good Friday Public Holiday |
Monday, 27 April |
ANZAC Day Public Holiday |
Tuesday, 28 April |
Pupil Free Day |
Wednesday, 29 April |
Students commence Term 2 |
Our Peer Mediators have hit the ground running at recess and lunchtimes. I was so impressed with how well they helped the younger students and how natural they were at it. They each
bring their own strengths and personalities but they all share a common willingness and passion to help. I am so excited to see the great difference they will make as already the younger students are aware of the peer mediators role and the reputation they have for being approachable and helpful.
Last Friday was ‘Bullying No Way!’ Day. To highlight this event, I have been running some fun activities with the students. We did a ‘toothpaste’ competition where a selected student had to squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube and then get it all back in. This task proves impossible which demonstrates how our words and actions can never be taken back once it’s been said and done, and how the damage can ‘stick’ with people.
The students also loved doing the role plays where they learnt the 5 BUZ Strategies for Bully-proofing. These include walk (walk away normally, with your head up), talk (ask the person to stop, say what you want them to change), get help (from a trusted adult), bounce (say something funny back, give them a compliment, agree with them) and bully shields (have supportive friends and turn the negatives to positives). The older students watched a funny video with people demonstrating the concept that when you remain calm and use the above strategies, instead of getting upset or angry, eventually the bully gives up as they are not getting the reaction they want from you.
Please see the article below: ‘How to Manage Fear, Anxiety and Panic During a Pandemic (Or Any Acute Event), Specifically Related to the Current Coronavirus (COVID-19)’ by Dr Caroline Leaf:
Practice good mind-management:
- Take precautions while avoiding the toxic “fear” of what the virus may do.
- Recognize that change and stress are certainties in life. We need to learn how to accept, deal with and tolerate them, and think of ways we can learn from the situation at hand.
- Don’t just react. When you react to something in your environment, research shows there’s a 90 second chemical process that happens in the body; after that, any remaining emotional response means you are choosing to stay in that particular emotional loop. You can choose how you react to a situation.
- Manage your stress through practices like yoga, breathing techniques, taking a long walk, reading a good fiction book, maintaining your usual routine as far as possible, doing something fun that makes you happy, talking to a therapist, talking to your friends and family, practicing gratitude, limiting your exposure to the news media, and making sure you are getting news from reliable sources and are thinking about, not just reacting to, the facts.
Jess Smith
Chaplain
Ocean Reef SHS - Year 7 2021 Specialist Programs - UPDATE
As the parent information evening for the Year 7 2021 cohort could not go ahead as scheduled, Ocean Reef SHS has provided the link below for the PowerPoint Presentation version which is now on their website. This is a ‘shortened’ version of what was intended to be presented at their Year 6 Parent Information Evening on 1 April.
This can be accessed through our school website: