Message from Michele Marquet, Head of Junior School

Dear Parents and Carers

Despite the wet weather we experienced last week, the students from P-Y6 have been wholeheartedly engaging in their learning and co-curricular activities. As I have walked around the Junior School or when visiting St Michael’s Pre-school in the last week, it has been a delight to see the students focusing so positively on their learning both in classroom, and outside in various co-curricular activities.

What a joy it will be tomorrow to celebrate the significant role mothers play in the lives of their children. We wish all mothers and other women who play significant roles in the lives of our students a very happy Mother’s Day this Sunday.

Mother’s Day – Friday, 9 May
We are looking forward to welcoming all our guests tomorrow at our K-Y6 Mother’s Day Activities (7.45am – 8.30am). On this day, our students will take their guests around our site to attend several activities together.

Important Reminder:
As mentioned in our Mother’s Day invitation:

• There is no internal carline running tomorrow morning, due to the Mother’s Day activities;
• There are no optional co-curricular activities or sports training before school;
• If attending the Mother’s Day activities, it is easiest if the guest and child are dropped off and they walk into school; or the guest parks in Lyne Park or Norwich Rd (not in Elanora or Iluka Streets);
• Students without a guest attending can be dropped at the Reception Gate.

Developing Organisational Skills
One of the biggest challenges for many students as they grow up is around the area of organisation. Many boys struggle with being organised, but these executive functioning skills are vital to foster and develop because they can impact a child’s ability to make the most of every learning opportunity and they are essential for managing our lives as we move into adulthood. Being organised is built on habits being developed over time – sometimes that takes quite a while to build!

Below are some hopefully helpful tips to assist our students to embed good organisational habits:

• have your son pack his school bag the night before and as he gets older to use his diary timetable to help with this task;
• have your son unpack his bag when he arrives home – have a routine that helps him deliver the items to their right place at home – just as we try to instil at school our morning routines;
• support the process of your son learning to pack his bag independently – first, he sees what to do from your modelling, then he does it with you for a while, before he does it on his own with you only checking;
• have a place he always leaves items that need to go to school the next day (especially those that won’t fit in his bag);
• occasionally reward your son for remembering to do something/taking an item without a reminder;
• explain that if he forgets items (e.g. instruments/sports gear etc), you cannot bring them to school – frequently, the inconvenience or consequence of not having the item is needed to help your son learn to remember and embed the habit;
• encourage him to have regular jobs (chores) at home that help your family’s life run smoothly and reward your son for doing them without being asked (e.g. making his bed; clearing or setting the table for a meal; unpacking the dishwasher; taking the rubbish out).

Young boys often lose things, leave them behind or forget where they last left them. This can be a big frustration for families. It really assists if every item your son brings to school is clearly named. If it is named, it is far more likely the item can be returned!

Kind wishes,

Michele Marquet
Head of Junior School