Welcome

Welcome back to the final term for 2021, and a warm welcome to families new to Pacific this term. Term 4 is always such a busy term, and we look forward to engaging with the numerous events and celebrations that the end of the year brings. It was wonderful to be surrounded by the business and industry of the students returning to class this week.  

Social and Emotional Blockers 

This term in our You Can Do It program; we will be focusing on social and emotional blockers. These can be defined as worrying, feeling down, anger, not paying attention and procrastination. They are called "blockers", as they can sometimes block our way forward to building success and striving to achieve. During the term, the students will be encouraged to become "lifesavers". The example pictured suggests that techniques for unblocking worries may include  

• Self-talk 
• Taking positive action 

• Talking to someone and  
• Calming down through actions and thoughts

No one practice or method works for everyone. Our aim is to provide a range of strategies for our students to use when and where they are needed.  

Keeping safe in our neighbourhoods. 

Our thread for this week surrounds the community and the role it plays in keeping each other safe. Growing up in a small town, I knew there were eyes on me no matter where I went. There was nowhere to hide! Information was relayed, and in hindsight, there was safety in knowing that there were many avenues to turn if there was a problem.  

Fortunately, examples of actual harm to our children in their neighbourhoods are rare, and our communities' connection is strong. Unfortunately, many of us are aware of the devastating impact that the disappearance of Daniel Morcombe had on his family and the community in general. In the passing years, his family have fought hard to make sure that his memory will live on through the foundation and every year the child safety message is communicated through the Day for Daniel on the 29th of this month.  

The foundation website https://danielmorcombe.com.au/ has many resources about how we may equip our children to understand and read signs that aim to keep them safe. These resources are age-appropriate and cover a range of topics. In the lead up to Day for Daniel this year, I will be covering some of these messages in our assemblies this term, and I encourage you to peruse the resources and discuss their contents with your children.  

Outdoor Education Program 

We wish the Year 3 students and staff a safe and enjoyable time during their first outdoor education experience attending Alexandra Headlands this Thursday and Friday. There was much excitement when I spoke with many of the Year 3s earlier this week. We thank Ms Kim Wood and her team for their planning and implementation and look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return. 

New flags from the Member for Fisher 

On Tuesday, we were fortunate to have a visit from the Federal Member for Fisher, Mr Andrew Wallace MP, who presented our Year 5 cohort with a new set of flags, on behalf of the College. Mr Wallace gave freely of his time with the students and dealt with some curly questions as well! He was impressed with the knowledge of our students and their understanding of civics and citizenship. I want to thank him for making an effort to make the experience authentic and meaningful for our students.

Take care, and God bless, 

Mr Damian Davis, Head of Staff and Students P-5