Message from Head of Primary - Last Week of Term
As Term 2 comes to a close, I want to thank all our families for their continued partnership and support of their children and our school. The term has flown by and I have seen excellent growth in the students both academically and maturity wise.
As always, we have finished with a flourish. Today we had teams compete in the IPSHA Chess competition at Guildford Grammar School and our cross country runners competed in the Interschool Cross Country that had been postponed from last week. I am sure all of our students tried their very best. Later this week we have our Year 3 Travel Expo. I know the students are really excited to showcase their chosen country and I thank all parents who are able to come in and see the event in person. Also on Friday is our ELC House Activity Day which is always a fun event for the children.
These holidays, work will begin on our new Year 2/3 playground. We are very excited about the design and I am sure the students will be eager to play on it when they return. I expect the build to go for a week or two after the holidays and will keep you all informed as this progresses.
The mid year break provides a chance for families to rest, recharge, and reconnect. Holidays are a valuable time for children to enjoy unstructured play, build independence, spend time outdoors, and simply “be kids” – something that’s increasingly important in our busy world. Many students have already told me about the wonderful locations they are planning on visiting so I am sure there will be plenty of tales to share when we return.
A gentle reminder as we enter this three week break: while it’s completely normal for children to enjoy some screen time – especially playing games like Minecraft or watching their favourite shows – it’s important that their use of technology remains balanced. Sometimes in the holidays children can have extended time on screens, particularly gaming and passive entertainment and these can displace sleep, physical activity, and meaningful connection.
Australian digital wellbeing expert Dr Kristy Goodwin reminds us that:
“Technology isn’t toxic, but how kids use it can be. We want children to be the masters of the technology, not its servant.”
During the holidays, aim for tech use that’s purposeful and creative, and set healthy boundaries that ensure plenty of time for play, nature, movement, and family interaction. According to recent data from the Gonski Institute for Education, children who use digital devices for more than four hours a day during holidays report lower physical activity and reduced overall wellbeing. Our library will open one of the days in the holidays for students to swap books - an excellent substitute for the iPad!
Have a safe and relaxing holiday.
Kind regards
Mark Douglas
