Technology and Oral Language Development Study

In early March, ABC published an interesting article by Conor Duffy about the connection between screen time and language development in toddlers.

The article reported that Australian Researchers have discovered that the average three-year-old could be missing out on hundreds of opportunities to talk to their parents each day thanks to modern screen use.

A similar recent American study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association of Pediatrics stated that screen time could be robbing the average three-year-old of 1,100 adult words, 840 vocalisations and 194 conversations a day.

At this stage, the effect of this on a child's long-term literacy development is unknown. However, the researchers plan to track the impact of screen time during schooling.

As frequent use of personal technology is a recent societal change, research into this area is only beginning and will be interesting to follow.

I recommend you read the full article.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-05/screen-time-and-toddlers-kids-language-speech-words-development/103541806 

Harmony Celebrations

This week is Harmony Week. 

Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism and the successful integration of migrants into our community.

Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world, and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it.

Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by core Australian values. Our cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths and is at the heart of who we are. It makes Australia a great place to live.

It is celebrated from Monday, March 18, through Sunday, March 24, inclusive of 21 March, which is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

An integrated multicultural Australia is an integral part of our national identity. All people who migrate to Australia bring with them some of their own cultural and religious traditions, as well as take on many new traditions. Collectively, these traditions have enriched our nation.

There are some fascinating statistics about Australia's diversity:

• nearly half (49 per cent) of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was
• we identify with over 300 ancestries
• since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia
• 85 per cent of Australians agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia
• apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Tagalog/Filipino, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi
• more than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken in Australia.

These facts are taken from ABS 2016 Census Data. Check out the Australian Bureau of Statistics website.

This year, our Harmony Week event will be held on Monday, 25 March, due to the tight schedule of our exceptional visiting artist. 

Valanga Khoza is a storyteller and musician who has shaped the tales of his life into captivating presentations. Valanga was born in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. He grew up in a traditional setting surrounded by lively singing, drumming and dancing. The Limpopo area is rich in traditional healers, orators, and storytellers, and it is highly respected throughout Africa. These were his neighbours. Their nightly ceremonies carried songs and rhythms passed down through thousands of years. Valanga carries these influences through his songs and storytelling. He is also influenced by his travels throughout the world, driven by his struggle against racism and his fight for freedom for the black people in South Africa.

At 10.00am, Valanga will present to our students in Years 4-6. Valanga uses humour and wit to tell stories of depth, of growing up and surviving under the racist system of apartheid. Through his storytelling and music, Valanga educates students about the human side of refugees and their plight, the humanity that we all share and the resilience needed to overcome struggles.

At 11.45am, Valanga will tell stories of his childhood in rural South Africa to our Kindergarten to Year 3 students. He will magically weave traditional South African instruments into his performances while singing in English, Zulu, Shangaan, and Xhosa. The instruments include drums, kalimba, marimba, shijororo (jaw harp), and many others that are homemade.

Valanga is the author of the newly released book Dumazi and the Yellow Lion, which was published by Scholastic in 2019.

Choosing Kindness at St. Matthew's

Pick-up and Parking - Reminders

When entering the Pick-up/Drop-off zone each morning and afternoon, please enter from Chewings Street onto Stutchbury Street, not via Petterd Street. Transport Canberra has requested this as it interferes with the bus routes.

If you are using the Car Park, please enter this area slowly and cautiously, as pedestrians often move through it. 

In truth and love,

Mrs Sarah Lowe

Principal

Child Safeguarding Commitment

The safeguarding of our students is a key priority of St Matthew’s.

Safeguarding is a term used to describe the protection of the human rights of vulnerable people. These people may be at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation due to their age, culture, or trauma background. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Anyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. 

Here is our Child Safeguarding Commitment: 

• St Matthew’s Primary School is committed to child safety. 
• We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. 
• St Matthew’s is committed to making our children safe, happy, and empowered participants in our community. 
• We have zero tolerance for child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently in accordance with our robust policies and procedures.
• St Matthew’s is committed to preventing child abuse, identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks. 
• We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when worried about a child’s safety.
• St Matthew’s has robust recruitment practices to reduce the risk of child abuse by new and existing School Community Council members, school staff and volunteers.
• We are committed to regularly training and educating our School Community Council members, staff and volunteers on child abuse risks. 
• St Matthew’s is committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.
• We have specific policies and procedures in place to support our School Community Council members, staff, and volunteers in achieving these commitments. 

  

Protective Behaviours

This term, students have been learning about Protective Behaviours. Protective Behaviours are a way of looking at personal safety to develop life skills to recognise safe and unsafe situations. They are the things we say and do to keep ourselves safe. The two key themes we teach our students are: 

Everyone has the right to feel safe all the time.

We can talk with someone we trust about anything. 

Everyone has the right to feel safe from all types of abuse, including bullying and violence, both in person and online. We encourage our students to develop and identify a network of safe and trusted ‘go-to’ people. These are the people our children can go to if they have a problem. Asking for help from this network is about taking steps to ensure our children are listened to, and someone can take action to keep them safer.

For more information, you might like to read this document, published by the ACT Government, Protecting Your Kids: Personal Safety Education for Parents.

If you would like to know more about Child Safeguarding, please email petra.cole@cg.catholic.edu.au.

 Crazy Hair Day

In following the focus of almsgiving in Lent, next Wednesday, the 27th of March, we will be hosting a fundraiser for Project Compassion. The students will be able to wear their hair in any crazy way they like, see ideas below. 

We ask that students bring a gold coin donation, as this will be our last week of donations towards the cause. As cash can often be scarce, there is also the opportunity to donate online via the QR code below. 

We greatly appreciate anything you can donate to support those who need it across the world. Here is the link to their website for any further information. https://www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion/

Here is just one of the many people Project Compassion supports annually. 

Memory's story

Malawi

As the eldest child in a low-income farming family, Memory faced many barriers to her education. However, with the support of Caritas Australia and CADECOM, she enrolled in a technical school and became the first female carpenter in her village. 

Easter

We are coming to the end of Lent as we look forward to Easter. This Sunday, we celebrate Palm Sunday, followed by Holy Thursday remembering The Last Supper, followed by Good Friday acknowledging the crucifixion that took place, and finally, looking towards Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of Jesus. 

On the 28th of March at 9:30 am, our students will remember these events through a Holy Week Prayer Reflection. Parents and carers are more than welcome to attend. 

The Prayer Reflection will be held across our school grounds, starting on the upper part of our oval, moving to the lower sensory garden, and finally, the K/1 area. Each cohort will cover a section of the Holy Week events: Kinder—Year 2: Palm Sunday, Year 4: The Last Supper, Year 3: The Garden of Gethsemane, and Year 5: The Crucifixion. 

All students are encouraged to dress in costume to represent the time of Jesus’ life. The costume should be simple and include a headpiece, robe, or dressing gown over the school uniform. 

Due to Easter falling mid-term this year, we will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus on Tuesday, the 2nd of April, when we return. Our Year 6 students will hold this in the hall following the morning assembly. 

We look forward to reflecting with you on these sacred events in our Catholic Faith.

Easter Triduum

The times for the Easter Triduum Masses are as follows.

Holy Thursday 28th March 7pm at St Matthew’s Page

Good Friday 29th March 3pm at St Matthew’s Page

Easter Vigil 30th March 7pm St Matthew’s Page

Easter Sunday 31st March 8:30am St Matthew’s Page

Following Easter Sunday Mass there will be an Easter egg hunt for children. 

Parking

Due to our Prayer Celebrations being held on a Friday morning, they can overlap with our Parish Mass at 9:30. We ask that when you park for these Prayer Celebrations, you use the blacktop as a parking space to leave the Church parking for our parishioners. You are also more than welcome to attend mass following our celebrations. Fr Simon would love to see you there.

Upcoming Dates

Week 9 - 

Tuesday 26th March - My Body My Life Incursion - Year 6 

Wednesday 27th March - Crazy Hair Day Fundraiser

Thursday 28th March - 9:30am Holy Week Prayer Reflection

Week 10 - 

Friday 5th April (All Day) - First Reconciliation Retreat Day at St Vincent's Primary School

Week 11 - 

Wednesday 10th April - 6pm Sacrament of Reconciliation at St Matthew’s

Representative Swimming

FUTSAL Gala Day

Oztag

Schools Chess Challenge

Merici Anniversary Ball

OSH Club Easter Carnival