St Matthew’s School Narrogin

St Matthew’s School Narrogin

School Vision

 

St Matthew’s School empowers children to embrace life-long learning and grow and develop as God intends.

 

Practice the Pause.

When in doubt, pause.

When angry, pause.

When tired, pause.

When stressed, pause.

And when you pause,

pray.

 

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Happy Week 8! It has been so lovely to be able to unlock our doors and welcome parents back to our hallways.

 

Semester One Reports

As you are aware, the Semester One report will be available to parents from 30 June. All parents of students from Pre-Primary to Year 6, should have received an email asking them to set up a username and password to Seqta Engage.  Please contact Mark Tenney (mark.tenney@cewa.edu.au) should you require a new password, or if you have any difficulties logging into this site.

 

P&F meeting TONIGHT

The next P&F meeting will be held tonight, 15 June at 6:00pm in the Sr Mary Library. All parents are invited and babysitting will be available.

 

Principal Focus – Sleep Tight

One of my favourite hobbies is sleeping!! I am so lucky that I seem to be able to sleep anywhere , at any time; however, over the last couple of weeks, I have heard many parents discussing the poor sleeping habits of their children. Most adults appreciate how difficult it can be to get through a day when we haven’t had enough sleep; however, I wonder if we always fully appreciate how much a sleepless night can impact our little people’s school day. The Healthdirect website explains:

 

 “Getting enough sleep is vital for your child’s physical health, brain function, emotional wellbeing, safety, and ability to function day to day. Not having enough sleep or not sleeping well can affect how children learn and lead to mood swings and behavioural problems.”

 

It goes on to suggest the following guide to use when identifying how many hours of sleep children usually need:

  •  ages 3 to 5: 10 to 13 hours
  • ages 6 to 13: 9 to 11 hours

  • ages 14 to 17: 8 to 10 hours

This may be true, but it doesn’t help us solve the problem of getting them to sleep in the first place. So:

“Here are some tips to help your child fall asleep, stay asleep and get enough good quality sleep.

  • Establish a sleep schedule: Make sure your child goes to bed early enough to get the sleep they need. Once you have set an appropriate bed time, stick to it — even at the weekend.

  • Establish a bedtime routine: Follow the same routine every day: bath or shower, change into pyjamas, brush teeth, read or spend quiet time in their bedroom, lights out and go to sleep.

  • Help your child wind down: Busy children need some time to relax. Consider playing soft music or reading to them.

  • Make sure the bedroom is suitable for sleep: Ensure the bedroom is dark and quiet. If your child is anxious or afraid at night, use a night light.

  • Avoid stimulants: Make sure your child avoids tea, coffee, chocolate and sports drinks, especially in the afternoon.

  • Turn off technology: Turning off computers, tablets and television 1 hour before bedtime should help your child sleep better.” (

To finish, Maggie Dent (BA, DipEd, DipCounselling), on her website, Maggie Dent: Quietly Improving Lives, believes so strongly in the importance of sleep that she has developed two free to download audio tracks, Sleepytime and Safe’n’ Sound. She explains:

“These 2 free audio tracks may be useful to parents who are facing a sleepless night with their children, and in situations where children are particularly distressed, or in the wake of a disaster or crisis. To download and keep, see the download symbol at the far right of the embedded clip. Music copyright Robert J Boyd.”

Sleep well, Sleep often

Susan Milton
Principal

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