8 April 2020

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

From the Principal’s Desk

On behalf of all staff, I would like to thank the CCESC community for the understanding, support and manner in which the COVID-19 situation has been handled and responded to. The current situation is highly unusual and we are all adapting as we go. Planning for an uncertain future is tricky but we are working on the information provided to us by the Department of Education and the Department of Health. Schooling as we know it will be different, probably for many more weeks at least. We are trialling a number of platforms to provide education at home. Further information on our plans are in the newsletter. We are here at school ready to answer any of your questions. We will also be here at school after ANZAC Day next term, and will be delivering our full suite of programs online and home delivered. We will be video conferencing with the students via secure program WebEx. Please keep an eye on our website, Facebook and Connect pages.

We are here to provide your son/daughter with their education and fully understand that parent/caregivers can’t replicate what we do at school. If, as a parent, you are feeling stressed please contact us and we will try to help. If we all work together we will get through this experience and hopefully learn and grow. I hope our students step up and help out in the family home. It is a great opportunity to develop your life skills and contribute to your household.

I hope everyone has a fabulous Easter Holiday break. We have included some tips in this newsletter to help everyone. School is about the 3r’s and mine would be:

• Routine: develop and stick to them as much as possible. This provides consistency in a child’s world and can reduce anxiety. Get up in the morning and get ready for the day- we don’t want to see students in their PJ’s on video do we?
• Reflection: keep an eye on what is working and what is not, watch out for stressors and reassure the children that this won’t last for ever and we are doing it to keep everyone safe and well.
• Relationships: stay connected, we will contact you every day of the work week at least. Don’t forget to check in on friends to see how they are going. Email a class mate. Practice gratitude at home and be kind to each other.

Please continue to follow the social distancing rules during the holidays – lets flatten that curve together. Stay safe and enjoy your “staycation.”

Andrew Wilson

Term 2 Planning

We would like to acknowledge all staff at Cannington Community ESC for their understanding, compassion and professionalism that has been demonstrated during this challenging time. We are all in this together and thank you for your support and understanding.

We would like to keep you updated with our teaching and learning plans for Term 2. All up-to-date information is posted on the school website under “Latest News.”

In preparation for Term 2, the school has hand delivered or posted Individualised Student Resource Packs. The purpose of these packs is to support student engagement at home. None of the work activities in the pack are assessments and do not need to be returned. These packs contain a range of work activities that link to the class curriculum, including brain teasers, art and craft and ideas to keep students fit and healthy during this time of isolation.

We recognise this is a very stressful time for families and if you have concerns about your child’s Individualised Education/Transition Plans we urge you to contact your child’s class teacher. However, individualised assessments for these goals will form part of Term 2 planning.

Class teachers will contact students and their families individually to explain the use of WebEx or Microsoft Teams. We have attached a graphic to explain these platforms as it allows the students to participate in a virtual lesson, have daily check-ins and allows students an opportunity to interact with peers.

Your Class Connect provides all the information and instructions needed for your child’s teaching and learning program. It is a steep learning curve for all of us but it is commendable to see so many students and their families already utilising the Connect platform. If you require any IT assistance or have any questions, please phone your classroom teacher during school hours.

The Director General, Department of Education, has recommended we plan for the following in Term 2;

• Student health and wellbeing remains a priority.
• All public schools will be open.
• Parents are encouraged to keep their children at home. Those who need to send their children to school to maintain employment and children of essential workers, may do so.

Classroom staff will be contacting students daily and we encourage parents and carers to ask questions and discuss with us, what is working best for you at home. We understand this is a difficult time and we are here to help you.

Together we can do this!

#CanDo

Angela Whittington

Tips for caregivers of children in the era of COVID-19

There are several important ways parents and caregivers of children and adolescents can cope with the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Communication

Stay informed, but don’t overdo media

• Too much information can overwhelm and increase stress. Identify a few trusted sources for accurate news and limit social media.

Talk to your children and other family members about COVID-19

• Choose a safe, comfortable place and time when you are calm to openly and honestly talk about the reason for the changes to their lives.
• Social stories can be a useful tool (links to social stories on COVID-19 are below).
• Provide age-appropriate, factual information so as not to cause alarm.
• Give small amounts of information, wait and then listen if they have any questions. It’s ok if you can’t answer every question they have.

Check-in with your child’s school, teachers and therapists about how educational and therapeutic service delivery may change in the coming weeks.

Check-in with your child’s health-care provider by calling or using telehealth services if available.

Self-Care

Stay connected with others virtually Plan regular times to call family and friends through either email, texting, video chatting and/or social media.

Be kind to yourself Think about what can help you feel restored. This might mean taking short breaks from the immediate stress of the situation such as watching TV, listening to music.

Seek help Reach out to local organizations to see if they offer virtual support groups or have active email lists that send out information and resources.

Be prepared. Establish a plan of care for your child and other family members should you or other regular caregivers become sick.

Reassuring your child

Foster calm Schedule coping and calming activities into a child’s day and consider ways to introduce new calming behaviors.

Create routines Create new routines for your child if previously relied upon ones have been disrupted. This can help your child feel more secure and understand what is expected of them.

Be empathetic and encourage them to talk about their feelings Acknowledge that your child may not have their usual equipment and environment, which may lead to added challenges. Give your child opportunities discuss their feelings, validate them and keep in touch with therapists and other families in similar situations to brainstorm ideas to address challenges.

Show them love Remind your child of your unconditional love and joy of getting to spend extra time with them.

Adapted from https://www.apa.org/research/action/children-disabilities-covid-19

More information can be accessed from the below links:

Jessica Bates

Class Updates

7JS

How time flies when you are having fun (learning), I can’t believe we are coming to the end of term 1 already. Although a lot has change around the world since my last newsletter, 7JS has continued to have fun (learn) throughout the term. The focus continued to be on developing 7JS students’ literacy and numeracy skills while also giving them the opportunity to learn about other subject areas such as enterprise and woodwork.

Jacob Sands

Devyn using the hand saw

Hannah sawing during woodwork

Hugh showing off his Meccano skills

Robbie using the hand saw

Summer planting pots

7S

Students have all enjoyed being at school and participating in the various programs. Here is what they had to say:

Maddison: I enjoy being at school. I like watching the chickens run around their enclosure. I have been using different equipment in the gym during physical education classes and my favourite is the tread mill.

Cameil: I like cooking and woodwork. I also like going to the gym at school. I have started the Drumbeat program which I am excited about.

Charli: I love being at school and I like all the lessons. My favourite is painting and drawing. I regularly visit the canteen and practice my money skills by purchasing my recess and lunch.

Reon: I enjoy being at school because I have made lots of wonderful friends while hanging out in the garden during recess and lunch. In my class I get brain breaks after I have completed my work.

Ryan: During our woodwork class we have been creating a PBS AIR token holder to store the tokens we receive. We also have an AIR Olympics race track to keep track of the tokens earned. I am looking forward to trading my tokens for a reward.

Jimmy: I have been learning to meditate using an App called ‘Smiling Minds”. It has helped me to relax and get ready for my lessons. I also like relaxing on the egg chair during brain breaks.

Natashja: Cooking is my favourite subject as I get to eat the yummy food that I cooked. I have learned to chop, grate and peel fruit and vegetables to create pizza, wraps and apple muffins. I also like completing the Reading Box activity after which I use my brain breaks to draw.

KoopA, Ashton, Jai and Jack being away in week 8, could not make their contribution to this newsletter but will contribute in the next one when they are back at school.

Susan Solomon

8M

Term 1 has progressed along fairly well, despite all the uncertainty regarding COVID-19. We met with all parents and IEPs have been set with a focus on developing functional academics and the students’ independence.

8M was exceptionally lucky to squeeze in an excursion that encompassed Ignite, ASDAN, Art, Science and STEM, to Sculptures by the Sea at Cottesloe Beach before government bans were introduced. The students who attended exhibited exceptional behaviour, displaying a very mature attitude. Some of the sculptures were amazing but some left us all a little baffled and bewildered.

Sculptures by the Sea Gallery

Even though some of our friends have been self isolating from home these last few weeks, it has been nice to hear from them and how they are going. Thank you to those parents who have emailed or called giving us updates.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone about the importance of good handwashing. As part of our Science program we conducted an experiment using slices of bread. One slice was untouched, another was touched by hands after washing with soap and water and another was handled after using hand sanitiser alone. The final slice of bread was wiped over each student’s iPad, the interactive whiteboard and students’ desks. The results are in and took much less time than anticipated! The picture speaks for itself. The slice touched after handwashing still got pretty mouldy, indicating the importance of good handwashing practices and perhaps using some sanitiser to finish off the job.

The importance of good handwashing practices

With this very uncertain world presently, please remember to just breathe. We are all in this together. Remember that we are only just an email or phone call away to have a chat. First and foremost, be kind to yourselves.

Charline Martlew and Carissa Thomas

8S

It was a successful term 1 and very memorable. The second half of the term saw the enterprise gardening activities begin with students learning to transfer seedlings to larger pots. The students commenced with a selection of herbs, including parsley and chives, hopefully these will flourish and be sold at an upcoming Market Day. Taking care of the plants will be a daily task and the students have become excellent snail hunters, especially Isaac and Lachlan, with the greatest number of arrests to date.

Focus areas in the health and independent living skills programs, integrated relationship goals and becoming a young independent adult - all students said that they wanted to have more friends and students discussed why this was important to them and how they could achieve this goal. Some answers were:

All great answers. The students had a chance to demonstrate the "how" part when we had the privilege of meeting some new friends, young leaders from Cannington Community College: Chris, Taea, Armando and Charlize. 8S students are excited to get to work with these students and develop stronger friendship links with the wider school community.

A major ASDAN Key Steps “Identity: Who Am I?” project was a focus for students and they shared interesting snippets of information. Here are some highlights:

Students were introduced to Connect in week 5 and started communicating simple messages by responding to posts about Harmony Week and other topics. As students develop greater confidence, they will write more detailed comments and also have the opportunity to create their own messages. It's a great addition to the teaching/learning program and students have really enjoyed seeing their posts in real time on the big screen.

Congratulations to all students in 8S for demonstrating resiliency and tenacity, lifelong attributes that will see each student able to navigate their futures with ease. Thanks again to parents and carers for supporting our team and being very helpful. Don't forget our motto: 8S is a team - a family! See you in term 2!

Pat Spadanuda

9C

Collecting batteries to recycle for the Duke of Edinburgh Award

Creating Aboriginal Art digitally for Indigenous Studies

Crushing cans for the Enterprise Recycling Project

Learning to sew as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award

Learning to use Green Screen set up for Digital Technology

Tuesday morning yoga

Using a pallet trolley to manoeuvre a drum used to store crushed cans for our Enterprise Recycling Project

Brendan Cunnane

9W

The second half of this term has been a little bit surreal and very strange. We have continued to learn, despite dwindling numbers.

On March 6 we learned about International Women’s Day, which is celebrated each year on March 8. We made raspberry smoothie bliss balls which were pretty and pink. We took them home and gave them to a significant woman in our lives.

Nathan with International Women’s Day package

Turoa, a member of our class, enjoys drawing and is quite a talented artist. Through a series of emails, Turoa negotiated with Mr Wilson and completed some sidewalk art on the pavers near our classroom on Friday the 13th.

Turoa having fun with chalk art

Class with art on Friday the 13th

We were booked in to attend an excursion at the Resource Recovery Centre in Canning Vale to learn about how the Recycling Centre operates. This has been cancelled due to the excursion restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

We have been collecting aluminium cans for our community service project for the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award. We are now a collection depot for the Cans for Change program. The program will start in June and help us raise funds to donate to a charitable cause.

Our class has been excited to have Connect go ‘live in week 5’ and we are regularly checking our Connect notifications for new notices, on-line learning resources and the photos that Mrs Whelan updates from time to time.

How the next term pans out is yet to be seen, but there will be plenty of learning opportunities available and Mrs Egan, Mrs Gale and Mrs Whelan are all looking forward to being back with the 9W students again.

Rhoda Whelan

10H

Reece Wilkie joins mainstream science class

This term Reece Wilkie has been involved in mainstream science classes. He is learning lots of new things and having a BLAST whilst doing so. The topic this term is chemistry and Reece has had the opportunity to participate in some really interesting and exciting experiments. Mr Twigg, his science teacher, is absolutely thrilled with the progress and results Reece has achieved this term. Well done Reece, we are all so proud of you!

10H staff preparing for term 2 – distance learning

The staff of 10H have been hard at work preparing activities and resources for students to use at home during the COVID–19 isolation period. There are plenty of fun and exciting programs coming soon! We are currently testing and exploring a variety of programs for students to enjoy next term. Whilst it will be very new and some changes will take place, we are all on this journey together. Even the staff are learning about new processes and protocols that will be rolled out next term.

Hospitality students set up their own “Pop-up Café

This term the hospitality students have been learning and developing their skills in many different areas of customer service. In week 6 the students set up a “pop-up café” which sold a variety of goods including muffins, fruit cups and healthy slices. It was a successful day as the students raised over 100 dollars, with proceeds going to the Perth Children’s Hospital.

Judi Janes

10J

Before the “Great toilet paper shortage of 2020”, the year 10 students were going about their normal lives at school. This term we went to Perth CBD for a community access excursion in which we used the Transperth Journey Planner, used our SmartRiders, took a bus and train and completed a reflection sheet afterwards. Everyone took turns reading the timetable at the bus stop and we also focused specifically on public transport “etiquette” – those unwritten rules about behaviour expectations and good manners. For example:

Q. Should you talk on your phone whilst on a train?

Q. On an empty bus, should you sit directly next to a stranger if there is room to sit elsewhere?

Yagan Square

At the bus stop

Our class participated in ITP meetings using the Making Action Plan process to guide the session. Every student in our class now has a vision for their future and some specific goals to work towards over the next term. Some of these goals include students continuing to work on their recreational pursuit projects which they are thoroughly enjoying.

The students in the art group created some eye-catching string-art projects. As you can see in the photo, they turned out awesome!

Awesome string art

Students in the swimming group have loved learning how to snorkel and play water polo.

The YouTubers had a lot of fun creating entertaining videos for their channels such as “Jeremy’s Car Reviews”, “School Conspiracy Theories”, “Jazz’s Dance School”, “Trick Shots with Ash”, and “TMT Game Reviews”. These videos are nearly finished and we hope to get a chance to finish them off next term. Fingers crossed!

Rachael Jones

Group 2

The students from Demountable 9 took part in the St John First Aid Course. The staff and I were impressed with the level of interest and engagement shown by the students. They were given an opportunity to discuss DRSABCD procedure, apply CPR using the ‘Anne’ and used a defibrillator. This linked quite well with our ASDAN program. Students also identified essential items found in a basic first aid kit.

Students were encouraged to plan and budget for a birthday party during maths. They were asked to consider location, invitation, food, drinks to purchase and adhere to a budget. It was great listening to them justify their decisions and the positive discussions taking place with their understanding that the more people you invite the more food you need to buy.

During health our students have been learning and practicing good hygiene in order to combat illness. The students have shown great maturity and independence by washing their hands and keeping a safe distance from others.

Mustafa Hussein

Group 3

Group 3 has had a great start to the year and it is pleasing to see the students establishing routines and relationships. Despite the cancellation of lots of activities and excursions, we have still accomplished a lot this term.

In English we have created some interesting blogs about starting somewhere new. We learnt about first aid and participated in a first aid course.

In HPE/DFES we had our first excursion to Cottesloe and, although it was very busy due to Sculptures by the Sea, we learnt practical beach safety skills and had some safe beach fun. Some members of the class are really enjoying our Dodgeball games and especially enjoy staff against student games.

HPE/DFES

In Maths the students have completed units of work including money and time and have started learning about measurement. They look forward to counting frequent flyers and claiming rewards on Tuesdays.

Students have done a great job at ADWPL and it was exciting to see a student getting offered new SBT and even an apprenticeship.

Dwayne Griffin

Pathways

During first term the Pathways group has been learning Business Management and Enterprise. This is where the students learn all about Business and Enterprise with the end process making a product to sell at Market Day. To start, students are learning all about good communication skills, team work and team building skills. One of the lessons was an activity designed to test their skills in team work. The challenge was to build a structure with mini marshmallows and toothpicks that would withstand being dropped from a height. The students were put into groups and then given 30 minutes to build the structure. Once completed the structures were held up high and then dropped. All the groups passed the challenge and built an unbreakable structure. Well done.

Cindi Griffin

Pathways Gallery

Design and Technology

Year 7 students have been busy completing a finger car and a naughts and crosses game. The naughts and crosses are burnt into the timber using a kind of branding iron heated with an oxy set. The classes enjoyed watching the stamping being done as there is always a bit of a surprise, jumping flame and lots of smoke.

Year 8 students have finished their pot stand and have made a start on their jewellery boxes. Students are keen to get these finished as they are treasuring the idea of having a secure box that is ‘brother or sister proof’ to store their precious possessions.

Dylan assembling his pot stand

Year 9 woodwork students are making a money box truck. These models are now reaching the final assembly stage. There are many components to make that require a range of skills and the use of a variety of tools.

Year 9 enterprise students have begun a project that combines a community service and a recycling enterprise. Students, with the help of the community, are collecting aluminium cans and crushing them. Students have now designed their own company logo and are busy scanning bar codes, collecting data and crushing cans. Donations have been flowing in, which has meant students are using 200l drums on pallets for storage. They are moving them as needed using a pallet jack which is a great skill to learn. Please collect as many cans over the extended break as you can to support this project.

Stevie with pallet jack

Liam with a crushed can

Cando can crushing co logo

Year 10 woodwork students have completed a spice rack. It has now been painted with colour chosen by the students and finished with a clear coat of lacquer. They have begun a model bi plane which will incorporate the use of a wood lathe to turn the fuselage.

Year 10 DFES cadets have been learning about natural disasters and working in a team. Students have used rope, poles and some old towels to make an emergency stretcher. The stretchers were tested with real patients, who I am pleased to say made it to their destinations without as much as a stumble from the well-coordinated crew. This class has also been learning about using camping stoves, billies and toast frames. The all-girl crew cooked hot dogs with a toasted bun topped with tomato sauce and mustard.

Tradestart students visited the Construction Futures Centre in Belmont and learnt about the three main domains in the construction industry. They enjoyed interacting with the exhibits and testing their skills on the earthmoving simulators. I received a lovely email from the venue inviting students from Cannington Community ESC to visit again as they were a credit to our school and utilised all the resources the Centre had available. Students have just finished a sheet metal toolbox. Cameron has talked me into making a steel folding camping shovel with all Tradestart students as our next workshop project.

Mark Arrantash

Bradley on simulator

Workplace Learning

Senior School

The year started well with most of our students starting workplaces. Those without a placement are working hard to improve their employability skills. Unfortunately, these placements have had to be put on hold for the time being.

Even in these difficult times, Nic Fuller, Zidane Hartono and Hugo Hendrawan have so far been able to continue their school based traineeships at Australia Post.

Congratulations to Wade Robinson and Ethan Barbatano for their improved attitudes to workplace learning. Wade has almost completed a course with GSI, this will be continued at a later date. Ethan came back to school with a new enthusiasm towards his workplace learning placement.

Hopefully this crisis will end and we can all get back into the workplaces to hone our skills.

Carollyn Pears

Cameron at Pinjarra Bakery

Joseph at Total Green Recycling

Kindness

Research is showing that people who are kind and compassionate are more satisfied with their lives, have better physical and mental health and have stronger relationships. Being kind and compassionate can help other people and make you feel good too.

Many studies have found that kindness, compassion and giving are associated with:

• improved happiness
• good mental health
• a stronger immune system
• reduced anxiety, stress and depression
• improved relationships
• a longer life

Research also shows that the happiness people get from giving to others creates a ‘positive feedback loop’. The more you give, the more positive you feel. This, in turn, fuels greater happiness. People who witness or benefit from someone’s kindness and compassion are also more likely to be kind themselves.

With the current health crisis upon us, there are still many ways that we can be kind and compassionate. These can include:

• Checking in on elderly or isolated neighbours (a phone call is fine!).
• Say ‘thank you’ by sending notes/emails/messages of gratitude to someone you admire or who has helped you out.
• Smiling (even at strangers!!) – smiling is contagious and it makes you feel good if people smile back.
• Give a compliment.
• Make a conscious effort to avoid judging others.
• Be kind to yourself and make sure you take a break to do something you enjoy.

In light of the current health crisis that we find ourselves in, perhaps think about how you could be kind to others and notice the effect this has on them and yourself.

Check out the website below for some amazingly positive things that you and your family could do to help get through this difficult time. Remember kindness is a powerful tool. Let’s use it!!

Katherine Athanasiou

School Chaplain

Good mental health… It’s an expression we use often, so it might surprise you that the term ‘mental health’ is so frequently misunderstood.

Mental health is often used as a substitute for mental health conditions like; depression, anxiety conditions, Schizophrenia and others. But according to “WHO” (World Health Organisation), mental health is "a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”

One of the best ways I like to keep mentally healthy is by eating food, I love food! Nachos are the way to my heart. Having a love of food and needing to purchase the ingredients, is a little hard at the moment due to the current health climate and its limitations visiting shopping centres and communing in groups of more than two with my family and friends.

In a changing climate we might be finding it hard to find those resources that can help keep us mentally healthy. I was chatting to some staff earlier this week and was notified of a great resource you can use. We realise as a community that due to the current health crisis, many families and individuals are under significant strain and difficulty. Please know that we are always here to help support you and wish your families all the very best over the coming months. Below is a link that may be useful if you find you or someone you know needs some extra support and tips on how you can look after your own positive mental health.

When you’re looking for support, Ask Izzy can help you to find the services you need, now and nearby. It is free and anonymous, and you can search over 360,000 services to find housing, meals, healthcare, counselling, legal advice, addiction treatment and a whole lot more.

If you’re on the Telstra mobile network, you can access Ask Izzy even if you don’t have credit.

Heads-up will link you to some great resources on how to take care of yourself at work, in your lifestyle, with your social relationships and in your thoughts.

Keep clean, follow the rules, but remember to stay Mentally Healthy  Please feel free to contact me if you require assistance and I will do my best to help take care

Justin Van der Westhuizen

Office Information

Payments

Thank you to everyone who has paid their contributions. Just a reminder you can pay your contributions by EFTPOS, direct debit or by a payment plan. Please contact the office to arrange a payment plan. All charges for years 11 and 12 students are compulsory. Please arrange payments as soon as possible. If charges are not paid, then the school can no longer subsidise your child’s excursions. Our bank details are BSB 016 270 A/C 340822406 (when using online banking please remember to state your student’s name in the details box otherwise we cannot identify the relevant student).

Middle School Parking

We have two visitor bays located at the school entrance. Please note that parking is not permitted in the drive way as indicated by the ‘no stopping’ markers and yellow line, as this causes a traffic jam on Wharf Street and is dangerous for students. Your cooperation would be appreciated. Parents are welcome to park down the side of the school near the bus bays.

Visiting the School

All visitors must sign in at Reception/Business Centre and receive a yellow visitor label.

Tanya Buchan

Star Tech

Temporarily, the way in which we live has changed. To protect our health and the health of those around us, we’ve had to alter the way we go about our day. Especially during these times, technology provides an effective means to communicate with each other. Where previously a voice only phone call may precede a meeting with friends and family, now a video call may take place instead. The following tips can help keep you safe when video calling:

• Be careful what you say and do during the call. Some video calling programs have the option to record video calls. In addition, some programs are vulnerable to outsiders being able to spy or eavesdrop on the conversation.
• At the conclusion of the call, ensure calls have ended, and connections have been closed.
• If there is a web camera, be it inbuilt in a laptop or tablet computer, ensure this is turned off. Some laptops have a camera shutter which can be used to physically block the camera view.
• If a free standing (USB) web camera has been used, consider disconnecting this from the computer when not in use.

For more information about video calling, please refer to the following site and guide using the two hyperlinks below:

Stay safe, and I’ll catch up with you again in the next Newsletter.

Pete Bazen