From The Principal

Week 2 / Term 4 2014 Harmony Progress Success

HEATHFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL SURAT KABAR SEKOLAH DASAR HEATHFIELD 201 Longwood Road, Heathfield, 5153 Phone: 8339 1924 Fax: 8370 9643

Email: travis.bartlett187@schools.sa.edu.au

Regards, Travis

Welcome to Term 4. It was kicked off with a

wonderful community gathering at our annual Term

4 bonfire as we prepare for fire season. It was a

superb evening attended by approximately 50

parents and children. The Ironbank CFS did a great

job and we raised just over $100 to support the

purchase of new fire hoses. I was extremely

thankful they were with us as the flames initially

licked the tops of the gum trees providing us all

with a vivid reminder of the time of year we are

entering.

This was brought home even more so with a small

grass fire along Longwood Rd earlier this week. A

group text message was sent to all families via

mobile phones as a test run yesterday, a process

which is clearly defined in our Bushfire Action Plan

(if you did not receive this message please let us

know). We also had a Bushfire drill this week;

please take the time to talk with your children

about this as it can be a stressful experience;

however discussing it, and giving the children a

voice, can help them to understand.

As the year comes to a close I have started to

reflect on some of the highlights of the year, some

of those ‘big things’ that we should be proud of,

and whilst there are many there is one that stands

out for me. It is ‘community’, a word that gets used

a lot, has a raft of definitions, and one that is very

hard to get right. I have been in awe of the

‘community feel’ and the connectedness that

extends to everyone that walks through our gates

since the first day I arrived. It is rare to be part of a

group where such support, kindness and generosity

are given so naturally and unconditionally. I am not

the only one new to our community. In 2014 12

new families have enrolled their children at HPS

(we have 44 families in total) and a number of

them have reported back to us about the warm

welcome they have received. This highlights a

number of qualities that we, as a school community

live by and strive to instil in our children:

Acceptance of differences

Willingness to help out and lend a hand

Open-mindedness

Embracing diversity – be it cultural, social or

academic

In a world of increasing complexity and challenge,

particularly for our children growing up in an ever

changing world, these are attributes and values to

hold on to. By doing so we are moving closer to our

long-term goal of developing active informed

citizens.

I need to conclude with a gentle reminder seeking

the support of parents - mobile phones and other

electronic devices are not to be used outside the

learning environment. Whilst we appreciate and

encourage their use for contacting parents on your

way to or from school that is their only use in

school. Having a device comes with a responsibility

that it be used respectfully and that the privacy of

others is always acknowledged hence the taking of

photos is not acceptable. If you do bring one to

school, it is to stay in school bags during the day;

our yard is for playing and interacting with one

another. Should you need to contact parents during

the school day, which will be rare, please negotiate

with your teacher.

HEATHFIEL D PR IMAR Y SC HO O L

The R/1/2’s have had a busy start to the term.

Our visitor this week was amazed at their creativity and

productivity!!

DIARY DATES

Mondays week 2 to week 9 Active After School Hockey (not in week 8)

Wednesdays week 2 to week 8 Active After School Soccer (not in week 5)

Tuesday 28th October Indonesian Excursion to Scott Creek

Tuesday 4th October R/1/2 Excursion to Mylor PS

Wednesday 12th November Student Free Day

Thursday 4th December Enterprise Day (more info to follow

Monday 8th December Picnic Concert

Wednesday 10th December Year 7 Graduation

HEATHFIEL D PR IMAR Y SC HO O L

Welcome back to term 4. It already feels as though there is a lot going on and I guess it will only get

madder as we hit the Christmas rush.

Below is an excerpt from an article I read recently about helping our children develop the sort of

emotional resilience that can support them when life throws stressful situations at them.

“Today’s children are at a higher risk for depression than any previous generation. Almost one in 10

children will experience a major depressive episode by the time they are 14 years old, and almost one in

five will experience a major depressive episode before graduating from high school. The good news is,

there is apparently something that parents and educators can do to decrease the likelihood that children

will succumb to this statistic. Research suggests that teaching children to think and problem-solve a certain way works to decrease the

likelihood that children will become depressed. A team of psychologists developed an innovative school-

based program which basically taught children how to be optimistic. Specifically, children learned to

identify the negative beliefs they hold about themselves, others and the world, and then learn how to

replace their pessimistic beliefs with more positive ones. It was much like a preventative form of

cognitive behavioural therapy. Children also learned to view failures and setbacks as temporary, instead of permanent; as specific to a

time and place, instead of general; and as due to circumstances, rather than due to personal defects.

For example, children were taught that one bad grade doesn’t make them stupid; it means they have to

study harder for the next test.”

If you’d like to read the full article, please let me know.

Cheers, Cathy

TUESDAY SPECIAL LUNCHES! PROVIDED BY

HEATHFIELD GOURMET GENERAL STORE

$4.00 PER SERVE

28TH OCTOBER (WEEK 3) Pasta with a Tomato Sauce

4TH NOVEMBER (WEEK 4) Nasi Goreng

NOTE: NO REGULAR LUNCH ORDERS AVAILABLE ON THESE DAYS

Calling all gardeners! If you have any spare seedlings after planting

your summer veg, we would love them for the school garden.

See Cathy if you have anything to spare!

COMMUNITY NEWS HEATHFIEL D PR IMAR Y SC HO O L

Hills Little Athletics 9.00am Sunday mornings, Heathfield High School Oval (Hender Road, Heathfield)

12th October – 29th March, 2014 Family fun and fitness from a community based track and field athletics for ages 3 to 17 years of all abilities. Age group chaperones on hand to help encourage and coach the kids. Come’n’Try on Sunday 12th and 19th October 2014 at Heathfield High School at 9.00am - $5 per athlete per meet. Register Online today via hlac.org.au or on the day (from ~8.30am).

For more information email info@hlac.org.au or call Stephen on 0438 227 070.

MILO in2CRICKET Program

MILO in2CRICKET is the national grass root program for cricket in Australia,

with the aim of introducing kids in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to the

great Australian game. It provides children with an opportunity to learn new skills and meet new

friends in a fun, safe and interactive environment.

Your nearest Centre/s will be run at:

Aldgate CC, Aldgate Oval, starting Wednesday 12th November at 4:30pm

Bridgewater CC, Bridgewater Town Oval, starting Friday 7th November at 5:30pm

Mt Lofty CC, Heathfield Community Oval, starting dates and times TBC

Onkaparinga CC, Balhannah Oval, starting Thursday 13th November at 4:30pm

Stirling CC, Uraidla Oval, starting Monday 10th November at 5:30pm

Cricket this season will be a very popular sport with the ICC World Cup coming down under. By

registering and paying for the Program not only will you enjoy some great cricket fun this

summer but every registered child receives an in2CRICKET Participant Pack including bat, ball,

tshirt, bucket hat, backpack, drink bottle and other goodies! They will look just like their Aussie

Cricket heroes!

To find out more details about your nearest Centre and to register for this season

log on to www.in2cricket.com.au and type in your post code.

Books available or why

not try the new digital

membership for use on

smart phones.

We only need to sell two more memberships to reach our fundraising target!!

See Cathy or Lesley in the front office.