PLEASE READ
This morning two of our students, while walking to school,  were approached by a man in a black car asking the younger student if he would like to get in. The student said no and both boys went straight to school. Please reiterate to your child what to do if they are approached by someone in a car. Thankfully, both boys are safe.
Annual Privacy Reminder For Our School Community
	Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy. Please take time to read our school’s collection notice, found on our website Schools Privacy Policy. We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages: * Amharic * Arabic * Dari * Gujarati * Mandarin * Somali * Sudanese * Turkish * Urdu * Vietnamese
Volunteer Induction
Volunteering at Karingal Heights is a great way to meet people and help your child have pride in their school. Our Volunteer Induction meeting will take place on Tuesday, 14th February at 2:30pm in the Playgroup Room. We will talk about the different ways your can volunteer, how to get a Working With Children's Clearance and all policies to do with Child Safety. We look forward to seeing you here.
Breakfast Club Is Back!
	Children can join us for breakfast on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:30 - 8:45 in the classroom kitchen for cereal, toast and milo. The side gate will open at 8:30 for those wanting to join us. All children are welcome.
CSEF
	Do you have a health care card? You could be eligible for CSEF. CSEF will help you pay for your child's camp, sports and excursions. Applications close soon. Click on the link for more information or contact Pauline in the office if you are unsure. CSEF Information For Parents
FAMILY WELLBEING HUB
Don't forget to take a look at the Wellbeing page on our website. There have been many parenting courses added over the past few weeks and there maybe something of interest to you. Wellbeing

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There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.

Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.

POOR ATTENDANCE CAN MEAN MORE THAN JUST MISSING OUT ON SOME LEARNING

What is considered as “poor attendance” is determined on a case by case basis. However, under the legislation, if a student of compulsory school age is absent from school for five days within a school year and without a reasonable excuse, then further action can be taken, at the discretion of the principal.

IF YOU ARE NOT AT SCHOOL WHAT DO I MISS OUT ON?

You miss out on all the big stuff – class discussions and all the interaction that happens in a classroom, the chance to get help from teachers and the opportunity to practice skills and gain knowledge.

Being away means you might miss out on a lot of learning or that you need to catch up in your time.

If all of that isn’t enough to convince you to be at school every day, being away also means you also miss out on playing with your friends. Being away from school a lot can be lonely. It has a big impact on relationships and social connections.

Believe it or not, everyone wants you at school and it really is better when you attend.

Top attendance tips for parents

• Schools want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support
• Remember that every day counts
• There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness
• Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
• Open and prompt communication with your child’s school about all absences is a good idea
• Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term
• Seek help from your school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. Schools want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing.

Absences relate to decling results

This graph shows the results from studying over 415,000 individual students. As absence rates increase, NAPLAN results dramatically decline. Source: Student Attendance and Educational Outcomes: Every Day Counts; Hancock, Shephard, Lawrence & Zubrick, 2013

For more information, please read the following articles:

The importance of attendance at primary school	School is better when you're here - Primary student information	Student attendance and educational outcomes research paper

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Please look at the events calendar for information around future events.

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Birthdays in February

2	Sofie M
5	Rosalee T
8	Riley B
9	Ajay C
12	Alex L
15	Carly-Jo H

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